Artemis II picking up speed as astronauts prepare for re-entry

The Artemis II crew is picking up speed as their Orion spacecraft continues its journey home.

Crew members woke up 322,316 kilometres from Earth on Wednesday — and 134,459 kilometres from the moon — to the sounds of Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are spending the day conducting important tests as they prepare for their Friday splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

NASA officials updated media on the historic lunar mission at a late afternoon press conference.

Artemis II entry flight director Rick Henfling says the spacecraft will hit a maximum speed of 38,366 km/h before re-entry.

“We’re continuing to speed up as we speak,” he said. 

Henfling said all four crew members took turns Wednesday testing and evaluating the “orthostatic intolerance garment,” which is designed to apply lower-body compression, help them maintain blood pressure and circulation and stave off dizziness and fainting on their transition back to Earth’s gravity.

They’ve also been preparing the cabin, studying entry procedures, stowing equipment and installing their seats to make sure everything is secured for re-entry.

Henfling said three different sets of parachutes will deploy to slow the spacecraft down, between about 6,700 metres and 1,500 metres above ground, before it lands in the ocean.

A call from Canada

The crew got a video call from Canada in the early evening, where Hansen and his fellow crew members took questions from Prime Minister Mark Carney, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and some young Canadians.  

Carney said he was “absolutely thrilled” to speak with the crew, and invited them to Ottawa for maple syrup on pancakes after they return home. 

“We’ve all been watching and inspired by what you’re doing,” he said. 

Artemis II broke the distance record Monday as the farthest humans have flown from Earth. The spacecraft reached 406,771 kilometres on the far side of the moon, beating the previous record of 400,171 kilometres set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

The astronauts spent several hours capturing images and describing the sights as they looped around the moon before heading back toward Earth.

When Joly asked whether the trip has changed Hansen’s perspective on humankind, he said it’s only reinforced what he already believed. 

“I think there is enough for all. The purpose of humanity is joy and lifting one another up, creating together versus destroying,” Hansen said. 

The Ontario astronaut also showed off his patch, created by Anishinaabe artist Henry Guimond, and talked about the importance of his learnings from Indigenous elders and specifically the Seven Sacred Laws in guiding him on the mission. 

“My mantra when I wake up is I am just going to try to spend my day walking with these attributes,” he said. “And so I start with courage, humility, respect, love, honesty, wisdom and truth.”

‘Down to the wire’

Back at mission control, NASA officials said the USS John P. Murtha ship has left port and is headed to the midway point toward the recovery site in the Pacific Ocean to assist with the splashdown, scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET Friday.

Members of NASA and the U.S. military are aboard the ship, preparing to get the crew to safety.

Artemis II landing and recovery director Liliana Villarreal said divers will open the Orion hatch after splashdown and help the astronauts from their seats onto a large inflatable raft called the front porch.

That’s where they will await pickup from two Navy helicopters, which will rotate picking up all four crew members before they return to the recovery ship “within a few minutes of each other,” Villareal said.

The crew members will then undergo routine post-flight medical checkups on the ship.

Officials say the spacecraft appears to be in excellent condition for re-entry, and weather conditions are looking favourable — but they said there’s still a lot of work to be done by crews on land, sea and sky to ensure a safe landing.

“We’re down to the wire now,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, acting deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

“Obviously getting the crew back home and getting them landed safely is a significant part of the risk that’s still in front of us.”