LAS VEGAS (FOX5) —The Artemis II crew of four splashed down off the coast of San Diego after completing their space mission around the moon. And a crowd filled the College of Southern Nevada Planetarium to watch it all unfold live.
“It was amazing. We were really nervous when they went through the heat. You couldn’t hear them for six minutes. And then when they came out everybody cheered,” Cristy Wilson said.
The spacecraft raced through the atmosphere at around 25,000 miles an hour before landing in the ocean at around 19 miles an hour just after 5 p.m. Friday.
READ MORE: Artemis II’s record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdown
Dr. Andrew Kerr, the Planetarium Manager, said he was relieved.
“That’s the biggest emotion right now is relief. Excitement is still there. The anxiety was through the roof during — especially the communications blackout,” Kerr said.
Moonie Bacon, who works at CSN and will be a future student, explained her thoughts about the conclusion of the mission.
“My experience watching that was, wow! Oh my goodness. It was so amazing to see,” Bacon said.
Many also watched the Artemis II mission launch from the Planetarium. CSN didn’t have plans to hold another watch party for the return but decided to hold it after all.
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