SAN DIEGO — The Artemis II mission concluded Friday with a historic splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, marking a major milestone in human space exploration.NASA’s Orion crew module re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down at 8:07 p.m. ET (0007 GMT), enduring temperatures exceeding 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,649 Celsius) during its high-speed descent.All four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — returned safely after the spacecraft slowed from speeds of about 33 times the speed of sound to a landing speed of 19 mph (30 kph).The mission set a new record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth, reaching approximately 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers), surpassing the previous record held by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.During the journey, the crew conducted a lunar flyby, observed the moon’s far side, and witnessed a solar eclipse visible only from space. The spacecraft made its closest approach to the moon at around 4,067 miles above the surface before beginning its return to Earth.US President Donald Trump congratulated the crew, calling the mission “spectacular.”“Congratulations to the great and very talented crew of Artemis II. The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!” he wrote on Truth Social.“I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!” he added.
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