It was the final challenge of their mission, and the biggest one too.
Victor Glover said re-entry was like riding a fireball through the atmosphere. And as the capsule hurtled back to Earth, it experienced temperatures half as hot as the surface of the Sun.
Watching this white-knuckle ride from mission control was an anxiety inducing experience. Especially when the communications dropped out for six very long minutes as the capsule closed in on Earth.
The relief here was palpable when a small dot of bright white light was spotted high above the ocean, and Wiseman’s voice rang out at mission control, “Houston, We have you loud and clear.”
With the capsule descending beneath huge parachutes to gently splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, the astronauts were back on Earth.
The focused and calm atmosphere in mission control was no more as the room erupted with celebrations. The Houston team – as well as the thousands of people who’d worked on the project – had safely brought their friends home.
The Artemis astronauts have had an extraordinary experience, which they’ve already acknowledged will take a long time to fully absorb.
And of course, they have an extraordinary connection with each other too.
