The Orion capsule is expected to land off the coast of San Diego tonight. According to NASA, the capsule is scheduled to touch down at 8:07 p.m. Eastern Time, which is 2:07 a.m. local time, on the night of Saturday, April 11.
Before landing, the crew will enter Earth's atmosphere at a speed of about 40,000 kilometers per hour. They will rely on an advanced heat shield to protect them from extreme temperatures. This is the first American manned mission around the moon in more than 50 years. If all goes according to plan, the four astronauts and their capsule should end up in the ocean shortly after 2 a.m. local time.
Extraction operation
After the descent into the sea, the astronauts will shut down the capsule's systems and await the arrival of rescue teams. NASA and the US military are responsible for safely extracting the crew from Orion.
Four helicopters will be involved in the operation, two for rescue and two for filming. One of them will deploy a stabilization ring around the capsule to keep it upright. Then, one by one, the astronauts will be lifted in a basket and transported to the nearby USS John P. Murtha. There, they will undergo initial medical examinations before being returned to land and then flown to Houston.
How does being in space affect the body?
Although the Artemis II crew spent a relatively short time in space, ten days in weightlessness will still leave a mark on their bodies. NASA states that astronauts exercise regularly during their stay in microgravity to maintain bone density, muscle strength and blood circulation, but also that the body must re-acclimate to Earth's gravity upon return.
To help combat muscle loss, astronauts exercised regularly during the mission using a device called a flywheel. Since the Orion capsule is quite cramped, the exercise equipment had to be compact. The flywheel is a multi-purpose device that resembles a rowing machine. Astronaut Jeremy Hansen explained before launch that it can be used for a variety of exercises, including squats, deadlifts, bicep curls, and pull-ups.
Other astronauts' experiences with reentry
In addition to losing muscle mass, astronauts often face balance problems upon return. NASA previously announced that after a long stay in microgravity, returnees often feel unstable and that the Earth feels unusually "heavy," while for some, recovery takes days, and for some even longer.
NASA astronaut Jasmine Mogbeli, who returned from a long mission in 2024, described her experience as “almost impossible to walk straight with my eyes closed.” Her colleague, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, said he felt unsteady for the first two days and his neck quickly tired from holding his head up.
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps, who returned in October 2024, pointed out that the biggest challenge is getting used to Earth's gravity again and that you need to move and exercise every day, regardless of exhaustion.
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