Today is the last day of the Artemis II space mission, and the focus is solely on getting the crew safely home.
A final return trajectory correction burn will ensure Orion is on the right path for splashdown, and the crew will return their cabin to its original set up – with equipment stowed and seats in place – and get back into their spacesuits.
Start watching about 4:50PM. NASA’s Artemis II splashdown in the Pacific Ocean is now set for about 5:07pm Pacific time.
The crew module will separate from the service module, whose engines have steered them around the Moon and back to Earth.
This will expose the crew module’s heat shield, which will protect the spacecraft and crew as they make their way back through Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures of up about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once safely through the heat of reentry, the cover that protected the spacecraft’s forward bay will be jettisoned to make way for a series of parachutes to deploy – two drogue parachutes that will slow the capsule down to about 307 miles per hour, followed by three pilot parachutes that will pull out the final three main parachutes.
These will slow Orion down to approximately 20 mph for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, where NASA and U.S. Navy personnel will be waiting for them, concluding the Artemis II mission.
USE EITHER LINK TO WATCH IT LIVE!
Nasa.gov
https://www.youtube.com/live/nfhDuOHMp0A