Did the Artemis II spacecraft protect the crew well enough? NASA races to find out

SpaceDid the Artemis II spacecraft protect the crew well enough? NASA races to find outThe Orion capsule had a known design flaw in its heat shield, making the astronauts' descent on Friday especially risky.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleWatch highlights of Artemis II’s return to Earth06:32Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 14, 2026, 1:32 PM EDTBy Denise ChowNow that the four astronauts who flew around the moon are safely home, NASA is investigating how its spacecraft fared during the final minutes of the Artemis II mission.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The Orion capsule’s heat shield — the protective layer at the bottom engineered to prevent it from burning up during the plunge through Earth’s atmosphere — had a known design flaw. During the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022, parts had cracked and broken off during atmospheric re-entry. Because of that, the Artemis II crew descended faster and at a steeper angle than the path originally planned for the Orion spacecraft, in order to minimize the time it was exposed to the most extreme temperatures.That approach accomplished its goal — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen emerged in good health and good spirits. Now, the question is: How well did the heat shield actually protect them?In the hours after splashdown, space wonks noticed a large, unusual-looking white patch on the otherwise dark and scorched heat shield. The patch drew attention because it looked like it could be a sign of damage.A white patch is visible on NASA’s Orion capsule as it descends under its main parachutes on Friday. Josh Valcarcel / NASANASA did not respond to requests for comment about the state of the heat shield or when a full analysis of its performance would be available.However, in response to a post on X from Eric Berger, an editor at...