Notices by AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)

Home sweet home ... beckons!

About 4 hours to go before Artemis II Orion and our 4 intrepid astronauts splash down in the Pacific Ocean.

Current distance to Earth: 54,500 km.

See post #75 for details of the entry, descent and splashdown sequence and timing.

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-flight-day-10-crew-sets-for-final-burn-splashdown/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs
77/n

Here is a hi-res pic taken by Artemis II astronauts of the Sun setting behind the lunar limb.

In this pic, the Sun's Corona is visible as streamers radiating away from the Sun.

The pic's width is ~10 million km at the Sun's distance. The Sun's corona streams out to ~13 million km, as measured by the Parker Solar Probe.

The Moon's jagged backlit topography is visible in this image.

Camera: Nikon D5
FocalLen: 350 mm
DateTime: 2026:04:07 00:35:31 UTC

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/55197506830/
76/n

Artemis II recovery preparations have been in full swing for the past few days with the USS John P. Murtha (LPD) and personnel from NASA, the Navy and the Air Force.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman arrived aboard a U.S. Navy CMV-22 Osprey about an hour ago along with a few other officials.

More pics at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/
79/n

Wake-up music for Artemis II astronauts earlier today -
“Run to the Water” by Live

"Run to the water
And find me there
Burnt to the core, but not broken
We'll cut through the madness
Of these streets below the moon
With a nuclear fire of love in our hearts

Yeah, I can see it now Lord
Out beyond all the breakin' of waves
And the tribulation
It's a place and the home of ascended souls
Who swam out there in love"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB1zPYKQCCY
78/n

The view inside the Artemis II Orion spacecraft as astronauts make final preparations for re-entry, descent and splashdown at 5:07 PDT (8:07 EDT).

Current speed: 20,000 km/h and accelerating.
Distance: 17,678 km

Live updates at https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-flight-day-10-re-entry-live-updates/

Webcast at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfhDuOHMp0A
80/n

Artemis II is in radio blackout for 6 minutes after re-entry.

And we have a visual of the spacecraft from an aircraft in the area - the pale white dot 😲

Comms came up at 8:01 p.m. EDT.

82/n

Crew module and European Service module separation around 7:34 p.m. EDT.

Final burn completed at 7:37 p.m. EDT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfhDuOHMp0A
81/n

O what a beautiful sight.

83/

A look at Artemis II mission control in Houston, the large number of displays and the enormous amount of data displayed and monitored by mission control personnel.

There are 4 rows of displays and personnel in this image.

At the time of this photograph, ~3 hours into the mission, the Artemis II crew was conducting a manual piloting test called the proximity operations demo.

Camera: Nikon Z 9
DateTime: 2026:04:01 21:21:15 EDT

Full-res image at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/55196252006/
74/n

How do you watch a solar eclipse from space?

The same way you do from Earth - using eclipse glasses 😎

Looking fabulous - Mission Specialist Christina Koch (top left), Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (bottom left), Commander Reid Wiseman (bottom right), and Pilot Victor Glover (top right).

Camera: Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Date: 2026:04:07 01:32:01

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/55193207308/
#Artemis2
73/n

O what a difference it makes when a genuine world leader and gracious human being has a conversation with the Artemis II astronauts!

PM Mark Carney: "I just wonder, a lot of Canadians just want one point of reassurance that the preference is for maple syrup over Nutella on on your pancakes in the morning."
🤣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzl7WGluYgk
72/n

Wake-up music for Artemis II astronauts today - “Under Pressure,” by Queen and David Bowie.

"It's the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming, "Let me out"
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets
...
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?"

Very apt song for these trying times.
And featuring, among others, astrophysicist and guitarist Sir Brian May.
😎
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01QQZyl-_I
69/n

Hi-res Earth-set images captured using the Nikon D5 camera by astronauts aboard the Artemis II Orion spacecraft last night around 22:41 UTC.

EXIF data at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/55193180468/ and https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/55193178333/
More images at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/with/55193462360
63/n

Earth-set and Earth-rise over the Moon as observed by Artemis II astronauts last night.

This is a simple composite of two images taken about 45 minutes apart by the GoPro camera located on one of the the solar arrays. Earth-set is on the right, Earth-rise 45 minutes later is on the left.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RwfNBtepa4
61/n

Can't find any info on the status of the TACHELES 6U CubeSat from Germany, deployed by Artemis II. Except that it is in a 156.4 x 70,254.4 km elliptical inclined orbit.

The satellite is designed to test the effect of radiation on electronics for lunar rovers being built by the German company NEUROSPACE.

The name comes from the German Tacheles, "straight talk," which is itself derived from Yiddish תּכלית (takhles, 'purpose, result').

@markmccaughrean @cosmos4u
https://www.neuro-space.de/portfolio-collections/missions/project-title-5
60/n

Artemis II astronauts are preparing for splashdown off the coast of San Diego tomorrow April 10 at 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. EDT).

Here are some graphics from NASA illustrating the sequence and timing of events for re-entry, descent and splashdown.

The crew module will enter Earth's atmosphere at 38,405 km/h south-east of Hawaii with splashdown 13 minutes later.

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/09/artemis-ii-flight-day-9-crew-prepares-to-come-home/
75/n

Sunset and Sunrise across the Moon as observed by Artemis II astronauts last night.

This is a simple composite of two images taken about 54 minutes apart by the GoPro camera located on one of the the solar arrays. Sunset is on the right, Sunrise ~54 minutes later is on the left.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RwfNBtepa4
62/n

A fascinating image of the Moon's far side during the total solar eclipse, as seen last night by Artemis II astronauts around 01:06:19 UTC.

The glowing halo around the dark lunar disk is due to the zodiacal light, i.e, Sunlight reflected off space dust.

The left side of the moon is dimly lit up by Earth-shine, light reflected off Earth, located off the frame in the distance on the left.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/55193054741/
More at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/
64/n

Here is the awesome selfie of the European Service Module (ESM) with Earthset over the moon in the background. Taken by one of the 4 GoPro HERO4 Black cameras mounted on the solar panels of the ESM.

Camera: GoPro, HERO4 Black, 12MP
FocalLength: 3.0 mm
ISO 100
ExposureTime: 1/3500 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:06 22:42:14 UTC
Distance to lunar surface: 6,420 km

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/55192657082/
68/n

From Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency.

Pic taken by one of the 4 GoPro cameras mounted on solar panels on the European Service Module (ESM).

The ESM provides propulsion, water and oxygen for astronauts, electrical power generation and storage, and temperature control.
😎
@markmccaughrean @bert_hubert @cosmos4u
67/n