Artemis II Flight Day 7: First Return Correction Burn Complete - Voice of Africa Broadcast & Media Production
Skip to content

Artemis II Flight Day 7: First Return Correction Burn Complete

A live view shows the Orion spacecraft and its solar arrays as the Artemis II crew completed the mission’s first return correction burn on Flight Day 7.

At 8:03 p.m. EDT, the Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, ignited its thrusters for 15 seconds, producing a change in velocity of 1.6 feet-per-second and guiding the Artemis II crew toward Earth. NASA astronaut Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen reviewed procedures and monitored the spacecraft’s configuration and navigation data.

During today’s mission status briefing, NASA officials shared the first images received from the crew during the lunar flyby and confirmed that the USS John P. Murtha has left port and is headed to the midway point toward the recovery site in the Pacific Ocean. The agency will provide updates on recovery operations and weather during the daily Mission Status briefings.

Looking ahead, the crew will settle in for a full night’s rest before a busy day of flight test objectives and return to Earth tasks on Wednesday, April 8.

Going with the blood flow

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, along with Koch and Hansen, are scheduled to test an orthostatic intolerance garment. During the test, the crew will evaluate the garments — specialized equipment designed to help astronauts maintain blood pressure and circulation during the transition back to Earth’s gravity.

Piloting Orion

Following the garment testing, the crew will take manual control of the spacecraft, using Orion’s field of view to center a designated target before guiding the spacecraft to a tail to Sun attitude and comparing Orion’s control modes. The manual piloting demonstration will begin at 9:59 p.m.