Artemis II mission astronauts prepare to return to Earth

The process of re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere involves many risky steps, including a fall at a speed 45 times that of an airplane and temperatures close to half that of the Sun’s surface.

The event will be broadcast by NASA and the Orion capsule is expected to fall into the Pacific Ocean, near the coast of San Diego, California, shortly after 9pm Brasília time, after a route adjustment.

Aboard the Orion capsule, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen will not only feel their weight quadruple during the fall at a speed of 40,000 km/h, but will also face extreme temperatures of up to 2,760ºC, placing all their hopes on the heat shield, another fire test of the Artemis II mission.

With the landing in the water, the crew of the Artemis II mission will be rescued by teams from NASA and the US Navy, who will be positioned close to the landing site.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he will not rest until all four astronauts return safely to their families and said he will be “thinking about thermal protection systems.” The astronauts’ rescue will take between 30 and 45 minutes.

What are the stages of returning to Earth?

Orion’s orbit is pulled by Earth’s gravity into a free return trajectory, ensuring a fuel-efficient journey. The capsule will separate from the service module 42 minutes before descent and, about 120 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, a dozen thrusters will ensure it is correctly oriented.

Orion will deploy 11 parachutes in stages. Deployed at around 2,700 meters above sea level and traveling at 210 kilometers per hour, they will slow to less than 32 kilometers per hour. The astronauts’ rescue will take between 30 and 45 minutes.

The heat shield has become one of NASA’s major concerns since the explosion of the Columbia space shuttle in 2003, from the Columbia STS-107 mission, which killed all seven crew members during its return to the planet.