"The crew, Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, were on track to hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 32, a blistering speed not seen since the Apollo moonshots."
"The Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, is completely self-flying, and the astronauts did not plan on taking manual control except in an emergency."
"Lead flight director Jeff Radigan anticipated feeling some of that 'irrational fear that is human nature,' especially during the six minutes of communication blackout preceding the opening of the parachutes."
"Artemis II was projected to come screaming back at 34,965 feet per second, not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast before slowing to a 19 mph splashdown."
Artemis II's astronauts prepared for a Pacific splashdown, concluding humanity's first moon mission in over 50 years. The crew, traveling at Mach 32, relied on the Orion capsule's self-flying capabilities. Tension mounted in Mission Control as the capsule's heat shield faced extreme temperatures during reentry. Communication blackout was anticipated before parachute deployment. The mission's success followed a series of achievements since its launch on April 1, showcasing NASA's lunar comeback efforts.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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