NASA’s Artemis 2 crew prepare for Pacific splashdown
The four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis 2 moon mission are preparing for their return to Earth, the US space agency said on Wednesday.
After being woken by the song “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, the crew carried out further scientific tests and began stowing equipment, NASA said. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carneyalso congratulated the astronauts via live link, saying Canadians”couldn’t be more proud of you.”
The crew – US astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen – is due to splash down in the Pacific on Friday evening. Weather conditions are currently favourable, NASA said.
The astronauts are unlikely to set a speed record, however. NASA manager Rick Henfling said Artemis 2 is expected to reach a maximum velocity of 10,657 metres per second, below the 11,094 metres per second achieved by Apollo 10.
The Artemis 2 crew are the first humans to travel near the moon in more than 50 years. They launched last week aboard the Orion capsuleusing the Space Launch System rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida,and flew around the moon. During the mission, they travelled farther from Earth than any humans before.
