ARTEMIS II

Aaaaaaaaand... sploosh!

SPLASHDOWN
Pacific Ocean, April 10, 2026 @ 5:07pm PDT

9 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes after liftoff, the crew of ARTEMIS II is home. And thank goodness because I grew quite attached to these people!

As cool as those Mercury, Gemini & Apollo test pilot astronauts were (and still are) with their serious, efficient military demeanor, these modern day astronauts are somehow just as cool while smiling, laughing and crying. The ice water in their veins stereotype (with personalities to match) of the 60s has given way to PEOPLE. How could anyone not like them?

So, as interested as I was in the ARTEMIS I mission a few years ago, this mission was absolutely captivating. Hooray for the return of manned spaceflight!

Let's go to the moon!

LAUNCH
Kennedy Space Center, April 1, 2026 @ 6:35pm EDT

After lifting off from launch pad 39B, a holdover from the Apollo program, and configuring the service module and solar panels (and cameras!), the crew of Integrity did something that hadn't been done since 1972: Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI). Basically, fire up the engine to leave Earth orbit and head for the moon. And then... wait. Because the moon is really far away.

But as the first manned flight of the Orion capsule, they did do lots of science stuff. Working out the kinks (toilet plumbing) to hopefully make things better for future crews.

Once they got to the moon though, there was plenty to see, and hear...

JIM LOVELL

Gemini 7 & 12, Apollo 8 & 13

NAMING CRATERS
Two new lunar craters were identified, and the ARTEMIS II crew was allowed to name them: Integrity (after their ship)
and Carroll (in honor of Commander Reid Wiseman's recently deceased wife). Hugs and tears from PEOPLE.

NASA knows it's history, and they know how to lean into it and tie this all together. First Jim Lovell (from beyond the grave), and then this surprise tribute to Apollo 18.

APOLLO 18?
Following the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, NASA cancelled lunar program.
The flag that was to be flown to the moon on Apollo 18 in July 1973 finally made it there in April 2026.

And something new. Something we've never seen before. In fact, something that could only be seen from ARTEMIS II's vantage point.

SOLAR ECLIPSE
But in this case, from the far (or dark) side of the moon.

Notably, this mission did not include a lunar orbit, only a flyby leaving the ship on a free return trajectory. Something that hadn't been done since Apollo 13. On that mission, the astronauts were just trying to survive. On this one, they were quite a bit more comfortable. Another few days of testy sciency stuff while en route back home.

REENTRY
Earth Approach, April 10, 2026 @ 5:53pm
Comin in hot!

🗹 ARTEMIS I, November 2022

🗹 ARTEMIS II, April 2026

▢ ARTEMIS III, mid 2027

▢ ARTEMIS IV, early 2028

▢ ARTEMIS V, late 2028

Will any of the upcoming missions launch on time? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

But we are going. And I am on board!

IN FOR ALL OF IT
if only symbolically