Artemis II astronauts arrive in San Diego

'Artemis II' astronauts will arrive offshore San Diego on the afternoon of the 10th. NASA announced on the 8th (local time), as it released the schedule for the 8th day of the 'Artemis II' flight, that the astronauts are proceeding with final return preparations ahead of their Earth re-entry.

The crewed capsule Orion will undergo atmospheric re-entry before its splashdown offshore at 8:07 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the 10th. The re-entry speed will be 42,340 km/h, faster than Apollo 10's 39,897 km/h, and the exterior of the spacecraft must withstand temperatures exceeding 2,760 degrees Celsius.

The significant redesign of the heat shield for 'Artemis II' was directly prompted by the return experience of 'Artemis I' in 2022. At the time, numerous indented marks were found on the Orion capsule's heat shield. Learning from this, 'Artemis II' has a newly manufactured heat shield and a different atmospheric entry path. It has adopted a direct Earth entry method, skipping the previously used 'skip' maneuver, where the spacecraft enters the atmosphere and then exits again.

Weather conditions are also a crucial variable for a safe splashdown. The criteria for splashdown include wind speeds below 46 km/h, wave heights below 1.8 meters, and no rain or lightning within 30 nautical miles of the landing zone.

Upon the Orion capsule's splashdown, the US Navy ship USS John P. Murtha will transport the astronauts back to land, with four helicopters also deployed.