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The Artemis II crew woke up 322,316 kilometres from Earth on Wednesday — and 134,459 kilometres from the moon — to the sounds of Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are spending the day conducting important tests as they prepare for their Friday splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
NASA officials will update media on the historic lunar mission at 5 p.m. ET before Hansen takes an evening call with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
All four members will take turns Wednesday testing and evaluating the “orthostatic intolerance garment,” which is designed to apply lower-body compression, help them maintain blood pressure and circulation and stave off dizziness and fainting on their transition back to Earth’s gravity.
They’re also preparing the cabin, studying entry procedures, stowing equipment and installing their seats to make sure everything is secured for re-entry.
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew, clockwise from left, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover, pause for a group photo inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home on Wednesday, April 7, 2026. (NASA/The Associated Press)
Artemis II broke the distance record Monday as the farthest humans have flown from Earth. The spacecraft reached 406,771 kilometres on the far side of the moon, beating the previous record of 400,171 kilometres set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
The astronauts spent several hours capturing images and describing the sights as they looped around the moon before heading back toward Earth.
WATCH | The purpose of the Artemis II mission:
Artemis II crew is on its way home. So what did they accomplish?
The Artemis II has completed its lunar flyby and is now on its way back to Earth. The 10-day mission will end this week on Friday. It was the first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years. Katie Mack, an astrophysicist with the Perimeter Institute, talks about the mission’s purpose and what it accomplished.
NASA officials say the USS John P. Murtha ship has left port and is headed to the midway point toward the recovery site in the Pacific Ocean to assist with the splashdown, scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET Friday.