The Orion capsule carrying the Artemis 2 crew landed safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California after completing a historic voyage around the moon. While the world celebrates the crew’s safe return, the internet does what it does best: ask weird questions that no one else is asking. An X user’s curiosity about possible shark encounters during landing caught the attention of NASA, sparking a viral response that clarified what happens when space travelers encounter the deep blue ocean.
one American Teacher and author Chasten Buttigieg asked: “Watching the Artemis splashdown, out of curiosity, does anyone have a responsibility to make sure there are no sharks?“
not long after NASA to answer. “Yes, recovery teams are monitoring the area, so the only greeting to the crew is the welcome party,” the space agency said in a release.
What is social media saying?
The interaction prompted mixed reactions on social media, with some asking questions of their own.
One person commented: “The only thing NASA forgot to clear from the splash zone was Curiosity. What will the sharks think when the capsule falls from space?” The user mentioned NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars on August 5, 2012, in Gale Crater.
Also read: Tim Cook celebrates the return of Artemis II: “Taking iPhone photography to new heights”
Another asked: “What would NASA do if they found a shark? Scare the sharks away?” A third added: “My wife is worried too and asks the same important question.” A fourth wrote: “Imagine this person’s entire mission is: ‘Please don’t let Jaws ruin space history.'”
About the Artemis 2 splashdown:
Artemis 2 astronauts return safely to Earth after a “textbook landing.” Their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean marked the end of their historic mission. The crew made contact with the water at 01:07 BST (20:07 EDT), with Commander Reed Wiseman subsequently confirming that everyone on his team was healthy.
“What a ride it’s been,” Wiseman said during the splashdown, according to BCC. “We were a steady green crew of one or four,” he added.
Inbound flight director Rick Henfling said the Artemis II mission crew flew 700,237 miles. During the trip, they reached a peak speed of 24,664 mph.
During the mission, the team reportedly “collected a vast amount of data” that will be analyzed in the coming weeks. The Artemis 2 crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
