After about three weeks and more than 1.3 million miles traveled, the Artemis I mission will end with a test of Orion’s capability to return safely to Earth.
 
This week, we take a look at the teams and technologies that will make reentry and splashdown a success. 

Meet the team that will bring the Orion capsule and future Artemis astronauts safely back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center after splashdown.

Watch as the Landing and Recovery Team conducts a test of the procedures it will use to safely recover the Orion capsule after the Artemis I mission.

Students work together as a team to design and build a heat shield that will protect the contents (candy) of a crew module (paper cup) from simulated atmospheric reentry (hair dryer).
Return to Earth for Grades 8 and Up

There are different ways to land on Earth upon reentry from outer space. These three articles highlight some of the big differences. Can you spot them all? What are the benefits and challenges of each?

Be an engineer and design a zipline to land a marble on a target.

Your design will deliver your passenger to its target landing spot, just as the human landing system will carry Moon explorers to theirs.

Join us on Wednesday, May 25, at 7 p.m. EDT, as we dive into the most dangerous phase of a space exploration mission – reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. NASA is developing new heat shields to keep astronauts safe as they return home on Artemis missions. Explore the new technologies being developed and discover hands on/minds on NASA STEM resources to engage your students. 

A companion student session will be held the following day, Thursday, May 26, at 10 a.m. EDT.
Looking for a quick math challenge?

Check out this standards-aligned exercise that tasks students with using different approximations of pi to estimate the Orion spacecraft’s target landing zone.

Want to get the latest NASA STEM opportunities delivered to your inbox each Thursday? Sign up for the NASA EXPRESS newsletter at https://www.nasa.gov/stem/express.
 
Are you looking for NASA STEM materials to support your curriculum?
Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword at https://www.nasa.gov/education/materials/.
Visit NASA STEM Engagement on the Web: 
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement: https://stem.nasa.gov
NASA's Join Artemis Website: https://stem.nasa.gov/artemis/
NASA Kids’ Club: https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub