As the Artemis II astronauts prepare for their return to Earth, the team shared important words of wisdom.
The mission launched on 1 April and is set to conclude today. Friday 10 April, when the crew — consisting of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch as well as Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere.
The astronauts all shared messages to their families, and aspiring space adventurers — and all of us down here on Earth can all learn something from each of them.
“I think it’s worth pointing out I learn as much, maybe more from you than you learn from me,” Hansen shared with his children.
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“But one thing I would remind you, and I think is worth reminding ourselves and other youth is that all you have to do on any given day is just get up and do your best and try to find joy in your day and try to contribute in a meaningful and positive way.”
The heartfelt message, which we can all take on board, continued with, ‘as humans, we put too much pressure on ourselves’ to be perfect.
“If you look at what we’re doing out here, it is far from perfection, but we are getting it done,” Hansen added.
Glover also spoke to his children as the crew prepare for the final phase of their mission. “As we are on our way back from this dream of a mission, your mom and I look forward to supporting you, chasing and catching your own dreams.
“We spent years coaching you, but we are very much in that transition to being cheerleaders and just rooting for you in life.”
He added: “And to the future citizens out there, the same sentiment applies.
“I hope this mission is giving you something that you can take and put in your pocket, or in your heart and mind that you keep with you.
“But it’s not because we want you to see what we’ve tried to show you. It’s because we want you to take this and build a vocabulary to explain the world to us.”
Wiseman said: “The world has come together. We have seen it and we have seen it through their eyes too.”
Meanwhile, Koch thanked her nine nieces and nephews for their letters. “It truly touched my mission and I feel like you’re here with me,” she gushed.
The landing process is considered the most dangerous phase. The spacecraft Orion relies on a single thermal protection system to withstand the extreme heat of Earth's atmosphere.
As Orion begins its return to Earth, the spacecraft will reach about 76 miles above the planet before its service module separates from the crew capsule. The capsule will then plunge into the atmosphere at speeds nearing 25,000 miles per hour.
The temperature outside the capsule is expected to reach nearly 5,000°F (2760°C).
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a press conference : “In terms of what keeps me up at night, my blood pressure will be elevated until they're under parachutes in the water off the West Coast,” he said.
“There's no plan B there. That is the thermal protection system. The heat shield has to work.
Greg Harris