Artemis II crew discuss lunar trip on 'The Tonight Show'
NASA's Artemis II astronauts recently stopped by The Tonight Show to chat about their historic trip around the Moon, the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen shared how surreal it was to see Earth as just a "tiny" speck from space, reminding them how fragile our planet really is.
Artemis II free-return path, Pacific splashdown
The crew tested spacecraft systems on a "free-return" path that didn't need major course changes.
Re-entering Earth's atmosphere at 40,000km per hour felt like "riding a fireball," but the heat shield kept everyone safe.
Their splashdown in the Pacific wrapped up a smooth mission, and marked a big step for international teamwork with Canada joining the journey beyond low Earth orbit.