The successes of the Artemis II mission generated waves of accomplishments for everyone involved. The crew consisted of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch, who became the first woman to travel around the Moon.

The mission took the crew from atop the Space Launch System (SLS) to around the Moon at a record-breaking 252,756 miles from Earth, and finally back to Earth in just over nine days. The crew performed in-flight testing of the Orion spacecraft systems from life support checks to piloting demonstrations. The spacecraft proved a success besides minor plumbing concerns with Orion’s toilet!

Once completing the lunar flyby, the crew prepared to reenter Earth’s atmosphere. Orion’s heat shielding, which was improved after Artemis I, protected the capsule from dangerous temperatures throughout the 25,000 miles per hour reentry.

Artemis II’s successful test flight and splash-down validated advances in spacecraft systems; however, that is not all. The SLS launched both the Orion spacecraft and small satellites into space. These satellites, called CubeSats, collect data about radiation and space weather furthering our understanding of the conditions of space. Aboard the Orion spacecraft were devices containing bone marrow cells which will be studied to grasp the effects of spaceflight on human cells and bodies.

Artemis II’s accomplishments and studies will prove to have long-lasting impacts on humanity.