Artemis Capsule Splashes Down Off Catalina Tonight
On the clearest days, the splashdown zone may be faintly visible from the highest peaks of western Malibu.
The Artemis spacecraft is going to parachute to earth late today at a place that is sometimes — on the very clearest days — visible from the highest mountains of western Malibu.
The capsule is expected to splash down in the Pacific roughly between San Clemente Island and Santa Catalina Island at 5:09 tonight.
Catalina Island is easily visible from Malibu on the clearest of days. But San Clemente is only occasionally visible — it's 90 miles away — and it is sometimes visible as a faint ridge to the west of Land's End.
And that is only from the western part of Malibu, way up high. Think west of Point Dume. And again, that is only on very clear days.
By the time the spacecraft approaches the channel, its parachute will be out and its heat shield will have cooled off.
The closest point on the mainland would be La Jolla, with the splashdown expected 50 miles west of San Diego.
The forecast for 5 p.m. — mostly cloudy. But it will be windy, making the haze forecast hazy.
The mission reached a historic milestone Monday as astronauts flying around the far side of the moon traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history.