Artemis 2 Mission Starts Return Trip to Earth After Historic Lunar Flyby

NASA's Artemis 2 mission has now set its sights on Earth after the successful completion of the lunar flyby. During the flyby, the crew set a new record for the maximum distance travelled by a human from the Earth. They also observed the far side of the lunar surface and had the opportunity to witness a rare solar eclipse as well. Now, on the seventh day of the mission, the astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft have taken the first step to head back to Earth.

Artemis 2 Heads for the Earth

In a blog post, the US space agency confirmed that the crew had completed the first Return Correction Burn. The process involved igniting the Orion engine thrusters for 15 seconds to fine-tune its velocity and direction towards Earth. The process was reviewed and monitored by NASA astronaut Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen.

After the engine thrust exercise, the crew retired to rest. On the eighth day, the astronauts will find themselves busy with flight test objectives and return to Earth tasks. The NASA post highlighted that the day for the Artemis 2 crew will start with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Koch, and Hansen testing an orthostatic intolerance garment. It is a specialised piece of equipment designed to help astronauts maintain blood pressure and circulation during the transition back to Earth's gravity.

Once the garment testing is complete, the crew will also perform a manual piloting demonstration. NASA revealed that the crew will take manual control of Orion temporarily, and then use the spacecraft's field of view to centre a designated target and guide it to a tail-to-Sun altitude. The crew does not need to control the ship afterwards.

A Space.com report confirmed that on Tuesday, the Artemis 2 crew connected with the International Space Station (ISS) astronauts to share their spaceflight experiences. Koch and others spoke about the views of the lunar surface and the experience of deep-space travel.

“I found myself noticing not only the beauty of the Earth, but how much blackness there was around it, and how it just made it even more special. It truly emphasised how alike we are,” Koch told NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, who reached ISS in February aboard SpaceX's Crew-12 mission (via Space.com).