Artemis II returns from moon, splashes down

(The Center Square) - At a speed astronauts haven’t experienced since Apollo, Artemis II re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down near San Diego Friday evening, concluding a historic mission that took humans farther than ever. There were cheers everywhere, from the amphibious dock ship USS John P. Murtha, ready to pick up the astronauts and their capsule, to Mission Control in Houston. The Orion spacecraft, nicknamed Integrity by its crew, landed, as scheduled, at 5:07 p.m. Pacific time on the Pacific Ocean in a splashdown that a NASA commentator called “perfect” under clear skies. Everything seemed to go according to plan as three parachutes slowed down Integrity and brought it gently home. Five airbags on Integrity kept the spacecraft upright as recovery teams approached the capsule. Before that was some drama. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen hit the atmosphere at 3