Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Photo of the week: Artemis II is back

The astronauts of the Artemis 2 mission return, overcoming the most dangerous moment of their journey: they have penetrated the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 40,000 kilometers per hour, at a temperature above 2,500°C. It's been 13 minutes full of nervousness, but they've been fine in the Pacific Ocean.

As they pass through the Earth’s atmosphere, the capsule containing the four astronauts is wrapped in a fireball. This temperature is due to the friction of the atmosphere. In fact, this was the most difficult and significant moment of the mission: to ensure that the thermal protection of the ship is sufficiently effective. And in view of the results, it has been shown to be valid. Inside the cabin, they have been kept at 22ºC.

In fact, the most significant problem of the Artemis I mission was that, due to the design of this thermal protection, several fragments fell when crossing the Earth’s atmosphere. This time, he overcame it well. The mission is ready to test the next steps.

More than 7,000 photographs of the lunar surface have been taken. And the four astronauts have become the most remote humans on our planet. They have been 406,771 km from Earth, 6,000 km beyond Apollo 13. But the astronauts’ comments have been equally impactful: “It is a privilege to be human and to be on the planet Earth.”

They also mention the emotional impact of the earthset phenomenon, when the spacecraft makes its way to the hidden face of the Moon and the Earth completely disappears from the astronaut's eye, losing communication with the Houston Kontron Center. "Humans shouldn't have to go through that. The Human Brain has difficulty processing an experience of this magnitude," the astronauts point out, recalling the terrifying emotional impact caused by this moment.