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The cruise Orion spacecraft made the 13 and a half minute journey through the atmosphere, reaching a top speed of around 33 times the speed of sound and slowing to just around 19 miles per hour at Splashdown.
The four astronauts have traveled more than 694,000 miles since launching from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
It was the first time humans ventured to the moon in more than 50 years.
The mission was a critical flight of Orion, carrying crew for the first time and testing key systems like the life support, propulsion, and the heat shield.
NASA will take this data and use it for future astronaut missions with a goal to land humans on the moon by 2028.
For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne in Orlando.
It's without explanation and without apology.
The crew's Orion spacecraft made the 13-and-a-half-minute journey through the atmosphere, reaching a top speed of around 33 times the speed of sound and slowing to just around 19 miles per hour at splashdown.
The four astronauts have traveled more than 694,000 miles since launching from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
It was the first time humans ventured to the moon in more than 50 years.
The mission was a critical flight of Orion, carrying crew for the first time and testing key systems like the life support propulsion and the heat shield.
NASA will take this data and use it for future astronaut missions with a goal to land humans on the moon by 2028.
For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne in Orlando.
Returning from space is risky.
The spacecraft will reach speeds up to 25,000 miles per hour and could experience temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit once it hits the atmosphere.
It will take 13 minutes for the capsule to splash down under a canopy of parachutes.
A lot has to go right to return them safely, says Jeff Radigan, the Artemis II lead flight director, starting with their initial approach.
During the return, mission control will lose contact with the spacecraft for around six minutes.
The mission marks the first lunar journey for humans in more than 50 years, sending the crew farther into space than ever before.
For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne in Orlando.