The crew of the Artemis II mission splashed down off the coast of California on Friday night, ending a record-breaking 10-day journey.
The Orion crew capsule carrying the crew made a fiery plunge through the Earth's atmosphere before touching down under parachutes at 5:07pm local time.
The splashdown was the final major test of the mission, which sent the astronauts around the Moon and back, broke human spaceflight distance records and captivated the world.
During the plunge, plasma built up on the outside of Orion and temperatures will reach about 2,760°C, with the craft re-entering the atmosphere at roughly 40,000kph.
The Artemis II crew includes Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover, as well as Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
During the mission, the crew set a new record for human spaceflight, travelling 406,771km away from Earth in a slingshot motion around the Moon. The mission mission is also the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.
The crew also included the first woman, the first black astronaut and the first Canadian to fly around the Moon.
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Crew member Victor Glover gestures aboard the recovery ship after being extracted from the Artemis II capsule by recovery personnel in the Pacific Ocean. EPA -
A helicopter transports a crew member to the recovery ship after being extracted from the Artemis II capsule. AFP -
Nasa's Orion spacecraft is seen as recovery teams work to secure the spacecraft ahead of transferring Artemis II crewmembers to USS John P. Murtha in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Reuters -
Artemis II astronauts splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. AFP -
People celebrate during a live broadcast in Downey, California. AFP -
Earth as seen from the Orion spacecraft 'Integrity' during its re-entry to the atmosphere. EPA -
Earth as it sets over the horizon of the moon during the seven-hour lunar flyby by the Artemis II crew on the Orion spacecraft on Monday. Reuters
During their time in space, the crew carried out several science experiments, including something known as "organ-on-a-chip" - an experiment that includes devices made from the cells of the astronauts to study how deep-space travel affects human tissue.
The re-entry drew some concern ahead of time, with critics raising concern over the strength of the heat shield. Also, on Thursday, Nasa disclosed leaky valves on the module and said it would likely need to redesign hardware for future missions.
