Science
On Friday, April 10, the Artemis II mission returns to Earth and the team that made this trip possible has left behind iconic moments.
In 10 days, the astronauts on the mission Artemis II have left the world with its eyes set on the sky and have shown a new way of knowing the Moon.
Aboard the Orion capsule, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen Not only will they feel their weight multiply by four during the fall, but they will also face extreme temperatures, and will pin their hopes on the heat shield, another of the litmus tests of the Artemis II mission.
Technology has made it possible to closely follow their trajectory, the songs they have listened to during the mission, their diet and even the method they use to go to the bathroom, which has represented one of the challenges to improve in future missions.
These moments have been taken up every day and have made viewers of all ages laugh, be amazed and even moved.
1. Takeoff
Artemis II took off on April 1. It is the most ambitious mission in decades and plans to transport four astronauts to lunar orbit for the first time since 1972.
The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the Orion spacecraft took off on Wednesday, April 1, almost at the estimated time, at 6:35 p.m., from the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, United States. In Guatemala, the launch was at 4:35 p.m. Television and digital media showed this historic moment in which humans approach the Moon after 50 years.
2. They woke up to music
After a brief rest, the crew was awakened to monitor the Orion spacecraft’s systems during the burn-in maneuver. The ground crew woke them up at 7:06 a.m. ET with the song “Sleepyhead” by Young and Sick.
The soundtrack of the mission was also shared on social networks.
3. The bathroom failed again
The crew of Artemis II, In collaboration with the mission control center in Houston, he managed to restore the operation of the Orion spacecraft’s toilet after the demonstration of proximity operations.
In the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, astronauts lacked a bathroom on board and used bags to collect waste during their lunar journey.
The new system designed for Artemis seeks to offer a more comfortable experience. Inside the Orion capsule is the Universal Waste Management System, a specially designed toilet whose hatch is on the floor, next to the entry hatch.
4. Get to the dark side of the moon
During the exploration, the crew documented previously unknown data about the Moon. Although the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) maintains monitoring through cameras, experts highlight that the human eye can perceive aspects that technology does not capture.
According to NASA, among the findings is the documentation of impact craters, ancient lava flows and surface fractures, which will be analyzed by scientists studying the geological evolution of the satellite.
Your close personal friends, the @NASAArtemis astronauts (and Rise), can’t wait to get home!
In the meantime, enjoy a few new pictures from your camera roll. And watch their return with us live at https://t.co/z1RgZwQkWS. pic.twitter.com/gJBvWTdlWM
— NASA (@NASA) April 10, 2026
5. The eclipse
One of the moments that marked the sixth day was when the crew managed to observe an eclipse for almost an hour, in which they documented the solar corona.
6. The images of Artesmis II
The crew—Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover—take a moment for a group hug inside the Orion ship on their way back home.
After circling the far side of the Moon on April 6, 2026, the crew exited the lunar sphere of influence on April 7 and headed back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.
7. A milky way in the eyes of astronauts
The crew contemplates the Milky Way during their return journey, one of the most impressive moments of the mission
8. Work from Earth
Members of the Expedition 74 and Artemis II (right) crews of the International Space Station appear simultaneously on screens in the flight control room of the International Space Station, in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The two crews connected via a 15-minute ship-to-ship call on April 7, 2026, as the Artemis II crew returned from the Moon.
9. Return to Earth
The crew will enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 40,233 kilometers per hour, after having traveled more than 643 thousand kilometers in their 10-day mission, according to Amit Kshatriya, associate administrator of NASA.
During reentry, the service module will separate around 7:33 p.m. (6:33 p.m. GMT), about 20 minutes before Orion reaches the upper atmosphere southeast of Hawaii. At 7:37 p.m. (6:37 p.m. Guatemala time), a final maneuver will adjust the trajectory before initiating a series of rolling movements.
10. The rescue of the astronauts
US Navy personnel prepare equipment for the recovery of the Orion ship and the extraction of the crew in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California.
