'Big Smiles': First pictures of NASA's Artemis II Mission After Splashdown Are Out

Just hours after NASA's Artemis II crew made a picture-perfect splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday evening, the agency released the first high-resolution images capturing the dramatic return of humanity's latest lunar voyagers.

The four astronauts -- NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen -- touched down safely aboard the Orion spacecraft at approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT on April 10, concluding a groundbreaking 10-day mission that marked the first crewed flight beyond low-Earth orbit since the Apollo era.

Recovery teams from the USS John P. Murtha swiftly reached the bobbing Orion capsule, opened the hatch, and helped the smiling crew exit into the waiting arms of medical personnel and support divers. Initial photos show the charred heat shield of the capsule glistening under the setting sun, with gentle waves lapping against its sides as it floated upright -- a testament to the robust engineering that carried the crew through the fiery re-entry.

One striking image captures the moment the side hatch swung open: Wiseman, still in his blue flight suit, waving to the recovery team with a broad grin, while Koch peers out from behind him, holding the mission's zero-gravity indicator -- a small plush "Rise" mascot that floated with them throughout the journey. Other photos show the crew posing together aboard the recovery ship, looking healthy and elated after their historic trip around the Moon's far side."

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