Artemis 2 crew returns to Earth after historic lunar mission

The crew included Friendswood residents Wiseman and Hansen, along with Pilot Glover, who is a parent within Clear Creek ISD.

Launching April 1 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew traveled as far as 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the distance record previously set during the Apollo 13 mission, according to NASA’s website.

During the mission, the astronauts conducted studies to support future exploration, including research on how human tissue responds to microgravity and deep space radiation, along with additional human performance experiments designed to prepare astronauts for long missions, according to NASA’s website.

More details

The Orion spacecraft, nicknamed “Integrity” by the crew, reentered Earth’s atmosphere April 10 at speeds of up to 25,000 mph—about 35 times the speed of sound—before pilot Glover safely landed the spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean.

Following splashdown and recovery, the crew returned to Houston and began the process of postflight reconditioning, medical evaluations and lunar science debriefs, according to NASA’s website.

What’s next

Artemis 2 is the first in a series of planned missions that aim to send astronauts on increasingly complex journeys to explore the moon, paving the way for a sustained lunar presence and future crewed missions to Mars, according to NASA’s website.

“Artemis is an opportunity to recapture that national sense of discovery and to remind the public that exploration fuels innovation far beyond NASA’s launch pads,” said Bonnie Dunbar, Texas A&M professor and former NASA astronaut, in an April 1 Texas A&M University news release.