{"id":584738,"date":"2026-04-08T06:23:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/?p=584738"},"modified":"2026-04-08T06:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:23:18","slug":"artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Artemis 2 begins its return to Earth, scientists are just starting to review the images and observations taken by the crew as they flew around the moon.<\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Artemis 2 begins its return to Earth, scientists are just starting to review the images and observations taken by the crew as they flew around the moon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10940,"featured_media":584742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"newspack_pugpig_automated_push":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"fullscreen","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4152,4161],"tags":[2980,4356,782,13415],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[544],"class_list":["post-584738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-civil1","category-news-archive","tag-artemis","tag-artemis-2","tag-nasa","tag-sn","membership-content","access-restricted","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nArtemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip - SpaceNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Artemis 2 begins its return to Earth, scientists are just starting to review the images and observations taken by the crew as they flew around the moon.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As Artemis 2 begins its return to Earth, scientists are just starting to review the images and observations taken by the crew as they flew around the moon.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SpaceNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T10:23:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T10:23:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jeff Foust\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jeff_foust\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SpaceNews_Inc\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jeff Foust\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bbe4bef6ebfc46a14b93a20b4581f09\"},\"headline\":\"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T10:23:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T10:23:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":814,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Artemis\",\"Artemis 2\",\"NASA\",\"SN\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Civil\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/\",\"name\":\"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip - SpaceNews\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T10:23:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T10:23:18+00:00\",\"description\":\"As Artemis 2 begins its return to Earth, scientists are just starting to review the images and observations taken by the crew as they flew around the moon.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"An Artemis 2 image of the Earth setting behind the moon during the April 6 flyby.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"description\":\"Covering the business and politics of space\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"alternateName\":\"SN\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1\",\"width\":200,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"SpaceNews\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SpaceNewsInc\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SpaceNews_Inc\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/spacenews\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/SpaceNews_Inc\"],\"description\":\"SpaceNews: The latest news covering the business and politics of the space industry.\",\"email\":\"support@spacenews.com\",\"legalName\":\"SpaceNews, Inc.\",\"foundingDate\":\"1990-12-01\",\"taxID\":\"45-5551942\",\"naics\":\"513110\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"11\",\"maxValue\":\"50\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bbe4bef6ebfc46a14b93a20b4581f09\",\"name\":\"Jeff Foust\",\"description\":\"Jeff Foust has more than a decade of experience writing about space policy, entrepreneurial ventures and regulatory affairs. In 2001, he established spacetoday.net to aggregate and summarize the day's space-related news stories. In 2003, he started The Space Review, a weekly publication of long-form articles and commentary on a wide range of space topics.Foust has previously written for a number of other publications, including Ad Astra, Astronomy Now, National Geographic News, and Sky & Telescope.He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999 and a B.S. with honors in geophysics and planetary science from the California Institute of Technology in 1993.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/jeff_foust\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/author\\\/jeff-foust\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip - SpaceNews","description":"As Artemis 2 begins its return to Earth, scientists are just starting to review the images and observations taken by the crew as they flew around the moon.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip","og_description":"As Artemis 2 begins its return to Earth, scientists are just starting to review the images and observations taken by the crew as they flew around the moon.","og_url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/","og_site_name":"SpaceNews","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-08T10:23:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-08T10:23:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jeff Foust","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@jeff_foust","twitter_site":"@SpaceNews_Inc","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/"},"author":{"name":"Jeff Foust","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4bbe4bef6ebfc46a14b93a20b4581f09"},"headline":"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip","datePublished":"2026-04-08T10:23:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-08T10:23:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/"},"wordCount":814,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1","keywords":["Artemis","Artemis 2","NASA","SN"],"articleSection":["Civil","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/","name":"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip - SpaceNews","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-04-08T10:23:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-08T10:23:18+00:00","description":"As Artemis 2 begins its return to Earth, scientists are just starting to review the images and observations taken by the crew as they flew around the moon.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"An Artemis 2 image of the Earth setting behind the moon during the April 6 flyby."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/","name":"SpaceNews","description":"Covering the business and politics of space","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization","name":"SpaceNews","alternateName":"SN","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1","width":200,"height":200,"caption":"SpaceNews"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/","https:\/\/x.com\/SpaceNews_Inc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/spacenews\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceNews_Inc"],"description":"SpaceNews: The latest news covering the business and politics of the space industry.","email":"support@spacenews.com","legalName":"SpaceNews, Inc.","foundingDate":"1990-12-01","taxID":"45-5551942","naics":"513110","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"11","maxValue":"50"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4bbe4bef6ebfc46a14b93a20b4581f09","name":"Jeff Foust","description":"Jeff Foust has more than a decade of experience writing about space policy, entrepreneurial ventures and regulatory affairs. In 2001, he established spacetoday.net to aggregate and summarize the day's space-related news stories. In 2003, he started The Space Review, a weekly publication of long-form articles and commentary on a wide range of space topics.Foust has previously written for a number of other publications, including Ad Astra, Astronomy Now, National Geographic News, and Sky & Telescope.He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999 and a B.S. with honors in geophysics and planetary science from the California Institute of Technology in 1993.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/jeff_foust"],"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/author\/jeff-foust\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip","url":"http:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1"},"articleSection":"Civil","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jeff Foust"}],"creator":["Jeff Foust"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"SpaceNews","logo":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/spacenews_35.jpeg"},"keywords":["artemis","artemis 2","nasa","sn"],"dateCreated":"2026-04-08T10:23:16Z","datePublished":"2026-04-08T10:23:16Z","dateModified":"2026-04-08T10:23:18Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Artemis 2 science gets underway as Orion begins its return trip\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/artemis-2-science-gets-underway-as-orion-begins-its-return-trip\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/art002e009288-large.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1\"},\"articleSection\":\"Civil\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jeff Foust\"}],\"creator\":[\"Jeff Foust\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/spacenews_35.jpeg\"},\"keywords\":[\"artemis\",\"artemis 2\",\"nasa\",\"sn\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-04-08T10:23:16Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T10:23:16Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T10:23:18Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/spacenews.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e009288-large.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":584057,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/nasa-finalizes-science-plans-for-artemis-2-lunar-flyby\/","url_meta":{"origin":584738,"position":0},"title":"NASA finalizes science plans for Artemis 2 lunar flyby","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"April 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"As Artemis 2 approaches the moon, a NASA science team is finalizing plans for the observations they want the astronauts to perform during their flyby.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orion Artemis 2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e004357-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e004357-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e004357-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e004357-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art002e004357-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":585646,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/nasa-prepares-for-artemis-2-return\/","url_meta":{"origin":584738,"position":1},"title":"NASA prepares for Artemis 2 return","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"April 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Artemis 2 mission is set for a final, fiery test when the spacecraft reenters April 10 ahead of a splashdown off the California coast.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orion moon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55193946135_07de583c29_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55193946135_07de583c29_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55193946135_07de583c29_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55193946135_07de583c29_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55193946135_07de583c29_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":585799,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/orion-splashes-down-to-successfully-end-artemis-2-mission\/","url_meta":{"origin":584738,"position":2},"title":"Orion splashes down to successfully end Artemis 2 mission","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"April 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The first human mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years successfully concluded with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean April 10.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Artemis 2 splashdown","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-splashdown.jpeg?fit=1200%2C749&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-splashdown.jpeg?fit=1200%2C749&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-splashdown.jpeg?fit=1200%2C749&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-splashdown.jpeg?fit=1200%2C749&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-splashdown.jpeg?fit=1200%2C749&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":583669,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-heads-to-the-moon\/","url_meta":{"origin":584738,"position":3},"title":"Artemis 2 heads to the moon","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"April 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA\u2019s Artemis 2 mission is on its way to the moon after a successful maneuver April 2.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orion and crescent earth","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-cresentearth.jpeg?fit=1140%2C641&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-cresentearth.jpeg?fit=1140%2C641&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-cresentearth.jpeg?fit=1140%2C641&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-cresentearth.jpeg?fit=1140%2C641&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-cresentearth.jpeg?fit=1140%2C641&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":583413,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2s-nearly-10-day-flight-around-the-moon\/","url_meta":{"origin":584738,"position":4},"title":"Artemis 2\u2019s (nearly) 10-day flight around the moon","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"April 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Artemis 2 mission will send humans to the vicinity of the moon for the first time in more than 50 years on a mission lasting almost 10 days.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Artemis 2 on the pad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55182234935_8250c5813c_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55182234935_8250c5813c_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55182234935_8250c5813c_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55182234935_8250c5813c_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55182234935_8250c5813c_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C697&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":584428,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-swings-around-the-moon\/","url_meta":{"origin":584738,"position":5},"title":"Artemis 2 swings around the moon","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"April 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Four astronauts from the United States and Canada became the humans to travel the furthest from the Earth April 6 as they went around the moon on the Artemis 2 mission.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Artemis 2 and moon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-moonapproach.jpeg?fit=1000%2C564&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-moonapproach.jpeg?fit=1000%2C564&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-moonapproach.jpeg?fit=1000%2C564&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/art2-moonapproach.jpeg?fit=1000%2C564&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10940"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584738"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":584747,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584738\/revisions\/584747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584738"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=584738"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=584738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}