After 25 days in space 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. On Dec. 11, the Orion capsule will splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California.
 
This week, we take a look at the teams and technologies that will make reentry and splashdown a success. 

What will Artemis astronauts experience during re-entry on future missions to the Moon? This video from an uncrewed test flight in 2014 gives us a glimpse what it's like during the Orion spacecraft's re-entry through Earth's atmosphere.

Artemis All Access is your look at the latest in Artemis I, the people and technology behind the mission.

Check out this week's mission milestones and upcoming events.

One of the primary objectives of the Artemis I mission is to demonstrate the Orion heat shield during re-entry conditions. This activity has students work as a team to design and build a heat shield that will protect the contents of a crew module from a simulated atmospheric re-entry.

In this challenge, students modify a spacecraft (paper cup) so it can follow a designated trajectory (zip line) to land (in the form of a dropped marble) on a target.

Also available in Spanish.
As Orion makes it way back to Earth from its record-breaking mission, join Astronaut Thomas Marshburn on the International Space Station for a reading of “Goodnight Moon.” The Artemis I mission might be saying “goodnight” to the Moon for now, but future Artemis missions will explore our nearby neighbor like never before.

Did the story inspire you? Has the Artemis mission sparked your creativity? NASA wants to see, hear, and experience all of your Moon-inspired content. Use #NASAMoonSnap to share your Moon photographs, your Moon music, your Moon recipes, your Moon nail art, your Moon drawings. The sky is not the limit!

Join us on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. EST, to explore the groundbreaking aspects of the Artemis I mission and how to use the mission to inspired diverse learners. Discover educational resources to use the Artemis story to teach STEM topics and more. 
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.

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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