Artemis II: Orion enters Earth's atmosphere, speeding rapidly toward Pacific Ocean

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This is NASA's schedule for they key milestones in tonight's operation (all times ET):

Inside the tiny capsule, the four astronauts are withstanding nearly four times the force of Earth's gravity as they hurtle toward the ocean. Intense heat and compressed air have coated the capsule in white-hot plasma, cutting off communication for the next several minutes.

Temperatures outside the vehicle, expected to hit more than 2,700 C, will be putting the heat shield to the test.

The crew can still see the lunar surface on their way back home.

"We have a great view of the moon out Window 2. Looks a little smaller than yesterday," Wiseman told Houston just now.

"Guess we'll have to go back," replied Artemis II's chief training officer Jacki Mahaffey, who is the astronauts' primary contact as capcom tonight.

The crew has completed the final raise burn to adjust the capsule's angle in order to re-enter Earth's atmosphere at the correct trajectory. The astronauts have also finished a series of roll manoeuvres to ensure the capsule doesn't collide with the discarded ESM.

The crew module has separated from the ESM, which propelled the astronauts toward the moon and kept them alive during their mission. The heat shield is now exposed for re-entry.

We've already mentioned the crew module's planned separation from the European Service Module (ESM), one of the first critical steps to this splashdown process. It also happens to be a key moment in understanding how many hands it took to put this mission together. 

The ESM, which was built by the European Space Agency and its partner, Airbus Defence and Space, has provided the crew with electricity, propulsion, temperature control, air and water for their entire journey. 

Former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield says it’s a reminder of collaboration across partners to help this historic mission happen.  

Wiseman can be heard confirming with Houston that all four members of the crew are now "suited and seated." The crew is around 8,600 kilometres from Earth.

We know about the toilet fiasco on this mission. But now the toilet is all sealed up and the astronauts are in their spacesuits.

So … what if they really have to go? (I mean, I might pee a little if I was entering Earth’s atmosphere at 40,000 km/h.)

The answer is simple: diapers.

When NASA conducted a media tour at its Johnson Space Center last September, I got an amazing look behind the scenes and at everything they do to prepare for missions. I even went to mission control. Bucket list: check!

One of the things they showed us was what the astronauts were going to wear, including their "maximum absorbency garments," which are, basically, adult diapers. The astronauts wear them during launch and re-entry.

No more khakis and navy blue tops. The astronauts are back in their custom re-entry suits, officially known as the Orion Crew Survival System Suit (OCSSS). And the orange colour has a purpose. 

Known as "international orange," it’s a very specific shade that is easy for recovery crews to see in case the astronauts need to exit the Orion capsule and enter the water. 

It’s a little far from where they hope to splash down, but the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco would match their suits perfectly — it's also painted in international orange. 

With around an hour to go until splashdown, the crew is expected to complete the first of their major re-entry milestones at 7:33 p.m ET. 

The Earth is now looming large in the astronauts' field of view as the mission moves along on schedule.

Bill Wiseman said the commander's teenage daughters had no idea the Artemis II crew had plans to name a lunar crater after their mother Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.

"We saw Reid's daughters grow up. We saw them go through some very challenging times and just to have the crew step back and honour Carroll, I thought it was really special. I know his daughters both really loved it," Bill said of his nieces Ellie and Katherine.

"It was an emotional moment for everyone. I think [the girls] were, again, super thankful to Jeremy [Hansen] and the crew for coming up with that idea and making it happen on this mission. So, I think 'thankful' and 'grateful' is the most emotion I can express."

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