Topic: [Discuss] NASA's Artemis II mission (Orion)
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-10-2026 09:27 PM
NASA video
After a trip around the Moon, Artemis II is back on Earth. Join us as agency leaders talk about today's splashdown and answer questions from the media.
issman1 Member
Posts: 1228 From: UK Registered: Apr 2005
posted 04-10-2026 11:35 PM
Artemis II exceeded my expectations and hopefully the next mission does as well.
OV-105 Member
Posts: 948 From: Ridgecrest, CA Registered: Sep 2000
posted 04-10-2026 11:54 PM
Did anyone else think that one of the parachutes took a little longer to open up compared to the other two? I was having to watch on my phone.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 3303 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 04-11-2026 04:55 AM
We thought it looked like that, it may not have caught as much air and thus needed some extra few seconds.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 3303 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 04-11-2026 05:51 AM
During recovery it looked like they had to deploy the floatation collar out of the boat twice. It looked like the first time the uninflated collar was deployed but the team doing the deploy moved away from the Orion spacecraft. Did they use a backup or did we see that wrong?
SpaceAngel Member
Posts: 607 From: Maryland Registered: May 2010
posted 04-11-2026 06:36 AM
When will the four-person crew expected to return to JSC for their home coming event?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-11-2026 07:34 AM
The crew was/is expected to arrive at Ellington between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CDT today. They will be greeted by NASA colleagues and their families. Their arrival is not open to the public, though a few members of the press will be there to share photos and videos.
quote:Originally posted by OV-105: ...one of the parachutes took a little longer to open up
Yes, but that is normal, according to NASA. The staggered main canopy deployment reduces extreme shock loads on the capsule and ensures stable deceleration.
quote:Originally posted by GACspaceguy: ...they had to deploy the floatation collar out of the boat twice.
The collar was deployed uninflated, attached to Orion, then inflated and then further secured to Orion, all to plan.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-11-2026 09:38 AM
NASA photo (credit: Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; left, Christina Koch, mission specialist; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, right, pose for a group photo after viewing the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The quartet splashed down Friday, April 10 at 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. EDT).
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-11-2026 03:21 PM
NASA video
After their historic journey around the Moon, the Artemis II astronauts are coming home. Watch as they arrive in Houston, Texas, home to NASA's Johnson Space Center.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3953 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 04-11-2026 06:27 PM
Is there any official word on the maximum speed attained by Artemis II at or just after entry interface? My efforts to check this online produced contradictory AI results (not entirely surprising!).
On the NASA live-feed we saw a read-out of the spacecraft's speed during re-entry, but I have no faith in the figures I observed, which soared to over 25,600 mph before abruptly dropping to 14,000 mph. Has Apollo 10's record been broken?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-11-2026 07:18 PM
I had the precise figure written down, but rounded it for the article to read "about 24,000 miles per hour." I was rounding up, so either way it was shy of the Apollo 10 record of 24,791 miles per hour.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3953 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 04-11-2026 10:16 PM
Are you referring to a NASA announcement around entry interface when the capsule's speed was "34,800 feet per second?" That would be 23,727 mph, but I believe the maximum speed would be slightly later.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-12-2026 12:26 AM
Public affairs officer Rob Navias asked FIDO for the projected maximum velocity and shared that figure during the descent. Later, FIDO confirmed that Integrity had followed its projected descent track with near perfect accuracy.
SpaceAngel Member
Posts: 607 From: Maryland Registered: May 2010
posted 04-12-2026 12:17 PM
How long it will take before "Integrity" is returned to KSC?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-12-2026 01:22 PM
There were screen grabs being shared on social media showing a lighter area on Orion's heat shield post-reentry and, given its circular shape, some were suggesting that it was a hole. From NASA Administrator Jared Isaccman:
I am hesitant to get ahead of a proper data review, but I understand the space community's curiosity, especially when imagery can give the impression of a problem.
As you would expect, engineers were eager to inspect the heat shield, starting with diver imagery shortly after splashdown and continuing with the review aboard the ship. No unexpected conditions were observed. I suspect when the images are released, it will be pretty obvious the stark difference between Artemis I and Artemis II head shield performance.
As to the question specifically, the discoloration was not liberated material. The white color observed corresponds to the compression pad area and is consistent with the local geometry, AVCOAT byproducts, and transitional heating environments. We observed this behavior in arc jet testing and expected it in this compression pad area.
We will complete a full data review across all systems, including the thermal protection system, and make the results publicly available.
TLIGuy Member
Posts: 277 From: Virginia Registered: Jul 2013
posted 04-12-2026 06:40 PM
I know I'm not only one that enjoys looking for small details in NASA images.
Am I the only one to see this little detail in the NASA photo taken onboard the USS John P. Murtha?
See it?
Top right window.
Well done sailors. BZ!!
Headshot Member
Posts: 1471 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
posted 04-12-2026 06:54 PM
Nice spotting of the other visitor from space.
Andy Anderson Member
Posts: 137 From: Perth, Australia Registered: Dec 2009
posted 04-13-2026 04:15 AM
Excuse my ignorance, but what was or why were there items restrained by what looked like cargo nets in the Integrity cabin?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-13-2026 07:10 AM
That was how the crew was able to stow their orange OCCS pressure suits and seats during the flight to open up the cabin more for access to the lockers (and toilet) beneath the seats and create a work and living area.
Dirk Member
Posts: 1060 From: Belgium Registered: Jul 2003
posted 04-13-2026 08:37 AM
Not sure if this has been posted, and I'm sure you all have seen this already, but it's pretty cool! Gene Cernan describes Artemis II...
Headshot Member
Posts: 1471 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
posted 04-13-2026 02:29 PM
Has Integrity been off-loaded from the USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26)?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-13-2026 08:20 PM
The ship is back at port, but today was an opportunity for any active duty military to come aboard and see Orion still on the well deck.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 56368 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-15-2026 11:44 AM
Reid Wiseman has been named to the 2026 TIME100, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Reid Wiseman led the first crewed mission to venture moonward in 54 years. The spacecraft commander headed a team of four on the Artemis II shakedown cruise of the new Orion spacecraft, flying a trajectory that took them to the moon and then 4,700 miles beyond the lunar far side — farther from Earth than any human beings have ever ventured...
posted 04-10-2026 09:27 PM
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