NASA’s Orion capsule barreled through Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11 after making an uncrewed voyage around the moon, ending the inaugural mission of the U.S. agency’s Artemis lunar program 50 years to the day after Apollo’s final moon landing.
The gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, carrying a simulated crew of three mannequins wired with sensors, landed in the ocean at 9:40 a.m. PST off of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, executing a key demonstration of how future lunar astronauts would safely return to Earth.
