NASA gears up for Artemis II crew's return to Earth

Space Artemis II astronauts head for home, wrapping up final tests and experiments By William Harwood William Harwood CBS News Space Consultant Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. Read Full Bio William Harwood April 8, 2026 / 2:47 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Hurtling back toward Earth after a historic loop around the moon, the Artemis II astronauts worked through a relatively light day in space Wednesday, wrapping up a few final tests before packing up for re-entry and splashdown Friday.Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen planned to hold a news conference late Wednesday, answering reporters' questions about the flight, the first piloted trip around the moon in more than a half century.The crew then plans to take another turn at manually piloting their Orion capsule, testing their ability to precisely maneuver the spacecraft. The Artemis II astronauts posed for a group photo Tuesday, floating in the cabin of their Orion spacecraft. Left to right: Christina Koch, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover and commander Reid Wiseman. NASA Earlier tests with all four astronauts demonstrated the precise response to pilot inputs that could be needed during future dockings with lunar landers in the moon's orbit if problems prevent automatic operations.Flight controllers, meanwhile, reviewed the re-entry timeline and Navy recovery crews headed to the splashdown site off the Southern California coast near San Diego where the Orion capsule is expected to splash down at 8:07 p.m. ET Sunday.Back at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, scientists continued poring over thousands of photographs captured by the astronauts as they passed over the far side of the moon Monday, along with video and recorded audio descriptions of various high-priority targets.N...