The astronauts aboard the Artemis II mooncraft are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego at about 5 p.m. local time today. The splashdown caps a memorable 10-day journey going where “no one has gone before,” distance-wise anyway, and providing astronauts with a view of the backside of the moon along with a lunar eclipse.
The reentry is not without its challenges. The unmanned Artemis I spacecraft, upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere, was subjected to 3,000°C of generated heat. A heat shield protected the capsule.
Though scientists determined that humans could withstand the same experience because the heat shield would protect them, for Artemis II they decided to change the reentry angle to lessen the heat effect and time required for reentry.
A rescue ship is already patrolling the Pacific Ocean with divers and doctors aboard, awaiting the capsule’s splashdown.
Pictured is the fiery reentry of Artemis I
