In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew photographed a bright portion of the Moon on April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)2026-04-10T10:07:16Z HOUSTON (AP) Their dramatic grand finale fast approaching, Artemis IIs astronauts aimed for a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanitys first voyage to the moon in more than half a century.The tension in Mission Control mounted as the miles melted away between the four returning astronauts and Earth.All eyes were on the capsules life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the only other test flight of the spacecraft in 2022, with no one on board the shields charred exterior came back looking as pockmarked as the moon.Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadas Jeremy Hansen were on track to hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 32 or 32 times the speed of sound a blistering blur not seen since NASAs Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s. They didnt plan on taking manual control except in an emergency. Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, is completely self-flying.Like so many others, lead flight director Jeff Radigan anticipated feeling some of that irrational fear that is human nature, especially during the six minutes of communication blackout preceding the opening of the parachutes. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha awaited the crews arrival, along with a squadron of military planes and helicopters. The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crews reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II was projected to come screaming back at 34,965 feet (10,657 meters) per second or 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast before slowing to a 19 mph (30 kph) splashdown. Read More Artemis IIs record flyby and lunar views Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASAs long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.Artemis II didnt land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13s distance record, making Wiseman and his crew the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when they reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then in the missions most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wisemans late wife, Carroll. During the record-breaking flyby, they documented scenes of the lunar far side never seen before by the naked eye and savored a total solar eclipse courtesy of the cosmos thanks to their launch date. The eclipse, in particular, just blew all of us away, Glover said.Their sense of wonder and love awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth. The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8s first lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our blue marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8s famous Earthrise shot from 1968. It just makes you want to continue to go back, Radigan said on the eve of splashdown. Its the first of many trips and we just need to continue on because theres so much more to learn about the moon. Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britains King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick Project Hail Mary; Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TVs original Star Trek.Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsules drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, toilet trouble prevented the crew from using it for No. 1 most of the trip, forcing them to resort to old-time bags and funnels.The astronauts shrugged it all off.We cant explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient, Koch said, unless were making a few sacrifices, unless were taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.Added Hansen: You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space and its a doozy. Under the revamped Artemis program, next years Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moons south pole in 2028.The Artemis II crews allegiance was to those next Artemis crews, Wiseman said.But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted, he said.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.