Key moments from Artemis II's mission, from launch to splashdown

The Artemis II crew is officially home after their Orion spacecraft splashed down as planned in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on Friday. The historic 10-day mission sent the four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans had gone before, beating the previous record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. Artemis II was the first time that most people alive today have witnessed humans travel to the moon. The last time was in 1972, when Apollo 17 landed astronauts on the lunar surface.

Class discussion: Did you watch any of the videos from the Artemis II mission? Are you excited about future landings and the possibility of establishing a permanent base on the moon? Why of why not? Do you think manned space exploration is important? What can we learn from humans exploring the solar system that we can’t discover from unmanned spacecraft, possibly using artificial intelligence? How much more complex and expensive are spacecraft that carry humans?