Splashdown practice for Artemis 2 moon objective ‘an unbelievable experience,’ brand-new NASA astronaut states (special)
NASA astronaut Christina Birch (in orange flight match) practices Orion spacecraft entry throughout a workout with NASA and the U.S. Navy in February 2024, when she was still an astronaut prospect. (Image credit: U.S. Navy/Petty Officer 2nd Class Connor Burns)Weeks before passing her astronaut training, NASA's Christina "Chris" Birch discovered herself out in open water.The recently minted NASA astronaut was checking the fit of the Orion spacecraft that will support Artemis program astronauts ahead of their prepared moon objectives. Birch belonged to a big group in February practicing the splashdown for Artemis 2, which will send out 4 other astronauts around the moon in September 2025 before returning to Earth in the Pacific Ocean.Off the coast of San Diego, in the choppy Pacific, Birch a...