The Artemis II mission came to an end on Friday night (10), with the landing of the Orion capsule in the ocean at 9:07 pm (Brasília time).
After , with speeds greater than 30 times that of sound and external temperatures reaching 2,760ºC, the four astronauts were rescued and are already on board the recovery ship USS John P. Murtha.
Crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are doing well and have been seen walking, smiling and interacting with rescue teams, indicating an initial positive recovery after 10 days in microgravity.
Medical evaluations and first procedures
The first step after rescue involves a battery of detailed medical assessments while still on the ship. The objective is to monitor possible effects of weightlessness on the body, such as imbalance, disorientation and motor difficulties.
Additionally, astronauts must participate in physical tests in the first few hours after returning.
Among them, a kind of “obstacle course”, which simulates emergency situations, such as climbing stairs and quickly exiting a space capsule. These tests help NASA understand how the human body responds immediately after missions of this type.
Next destination: San Diego or Houston
After initial examinations, the crew will leave the ship by air in the United States. From there, the astronauts will be able to choose between resting in the city or heading directly to Houston, where they will be reunited with their families.
Meanwhile, the complete recovery of the Orion capsule should take between four and six hours, and may take longer, after landing at sea.
Physical recovery and adaptation to gravity
Even with a relatively short mission, readaptation to gravity requires care. Experts point out that some astronauts may present symptoms of so-called space adaptation disease, which affects balance and coordination.
In the case of Artemis II, the expectation is for faster recovery, but the data collected in this process will be fundamental for future longer missions.
Next steps for the Artemis program
The mission marks an important advancement in NASA’s lunar program, which has not sent humans into orbit around the Moon since the Apollo era.
The next steps have already been defined:
- Artemis III (scheduled for 2027): should deepen testing before returning to the lunar surface
- Artemis IV (scheduled for 2028): mission that could mark the return of humans to the Moon
Artemis II also made history by establishing the space traveled by humans and allowing the observation of space.
Now, with the crew safe and under monitoring, the focus turns to complete recovery and data analysis, essential steps to enable the next chapters of lunar exploration.
(With input from Ashley Strickland and Jackie Wattles of CNN)
