NASA Artemis II astronauts prepare to end moon mission in 'fireball' re-entry

Four NASA Artemis II astronauts, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are preparing for a high-risk "fireball" re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on Friday evening after an unprecedented mission to the far side of the moon. During their first press conference from space on Wednesday, the crew spoke of their emotions and the challenges of re-entering at speeds up to 23,839 mph, testing the Orion capsule's heatshield. This mission is a crucial part of the multibillion-dollar Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2028, establish a long-term US lunar presence, and pave the way for future Mars missions, with the current crew seeing themselves as passing a baton to subsequent missions like Artemis III.