'Welcome home, Artemis': Crew celebrates historic 10-day moon mission
After their historic lunar flyby, the crew safely splashed down in the Pacific.
NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The four-person crew completed a 695,081-mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.
A "textbook" splashdown took place at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.
Key Headlines
- Crew makes 1st appearance since return from historic mission
- 'Welcome home, Artemis': Jubilant and emotional, crew speaks out on historic moon mission
- Trump says he will welcome Artemis II crew to White House 'soon'
- NASA officials hail 'new era' of space exploration after successful mission
- Crew members hoisted into helicopters
- All 4 crew members out of the capsule
Weather remains good for Artemis II mission splashdown Friday
The weather forecast remains good for the scheduled splashdown of the Artemis II Orion crew module, according to NASA.
Tentatively scheduled for 5:07 p.m. PT/8:07 p.m. ET Friday, NASA says the splashdown site will likely be within 100 miles of the coast of San Diego, Calif., where the Navy's amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha will lead recovery efforts.
The majority of the weather criteria are in order to have a safe recovery mission by sea and by air. Visibility will likely be within the necessary guidelines for the safe flight of recovery helicopters, especially from 50 to 100 miles off the coast.
Weather criteria that need to be met for a safe splashdown and recovery include significant wave heights of less than six feet, no precipitation or lightning within 35 miles of the splashdown site, and winds under 28 mph, with minimal cloud cover and good visibility, according to NASA.
-ABC News' Kenton Gewecke
Artemis II crew reflect on lunar journey, prepare for splashdown
The Artemis II crew spoke to reporters from aboard the Orion spacecraft as they near the end of their historic lunar mission.
Cmdr. Reid Wiseman described one of the mission's most powerful experiences: a tribute to his late wife, Carroll, when Hansen asked Mission Control for permission to name a lunar crater in her honor.
"That was kind of the pinnacle moment of the mission for me," Wiseman said. "That's where the four of us were the most forged, the most bonded."
The moment, he added, left the entire crew in tears and strengthened their connection as a team.
Pilot Victor Glover said the mission reaffirmed his long-held belief about Earth's fragility.
"It doesn't change it -- it absolutely reaffirms that we live on a fragile planet in the vacuum of space," he said. "It's almost like seeing living proof."
Despite witnessing the moon up close, he said the experience reinforced humanity's shared responsibility to "find joy and lifting each other up."
Mission specialist Christina Koch described life inside the spacecraft as both cramped and surprisingly fluid.
"Yes, it feels bigger in microgravity and yes, we are bumping into each other 100% of the time," she said, noting that even simple tasks become team efforts.
-ABC News' Jason Volack
Artemis II preparing to enter final phase of mission
The Artemis II crew is preparing to enter the final phase of its historic mission.
During Wednesday's mission status briefing, NASA’s reentry teams shared more about the readiness of the Orion spacecraft heading into splashdown day.
“And when the mission goes well, it can look like flying to the moon is easy," Lakeisha Hawkins, acting deputy associate administrator at NASA, said at the start of the conference. “It certainly is not.”
Engineers recently completed a final inspection of the Orion crew module, reviewing imagery of the spacecraft’s surface. At this point, NASA reports “no concerns” and “no issues” that would impact reentry.
The spacecraft is expected to reach a maximum speed of about 34,965 feet per second during reentry, and if all goes according to plan, astronauts can experience up to 3.9gs of force.
According to current forecasts, NASA flight director Rick Henfling says the weather is expected to cooperate for a Friday splashdown.
-ABC News' Briana Alvarado and Matthew Glasser
'Moon Joy': NASA releases new photos of Artemis II crew
Newly released photos from NASA capture the joy of the Artemis II crew after they looped around the far side of the moon
In one photo, entitled "Moon Joy," Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover take time for a group hug inside the Orion spacecraft on April 7 as they head home.
Also seen in the photos is the plushie, "Rise," designed by a second grader who won a contest for his toy to travel with the astronauts.
At just under 200,000 miles from Earth, the Artemis II crew is closing in on the final destination of its cosmic ride.
-ABC News' Briana Alvarado