Watch: Artemis II's Fifth And Smallest Crew Member Walks Out Of Capsule After Splashdown

Rise is a zero-gravity indicator for lunar crews, selected from thousands of entries received from over 50 countries.

11 Apr 2026, 06:00 · www.ndtv.com

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Artemis II astronauts safely splashed down in the Pacific after lunar orbit.
The crew observed the moon's far side and a total solar eclipse during mission.
They re-entered Earth's atmosphere at Mach 33, 33 times the speed of sound.

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In a historic and emotional moment, the astronauts of Artemis II mission returned safely to Earth. The crew made a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, completing their record-breaking journey around the moon. The mission stood out as the astronauts witnessed vast areas of the moon's far side, which had never been seen before by human eyes, along with a total solar eclipse.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilots Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hanson of Canada re-entered Earth's atmosphere at a speed of Mach 33, or 33 times the speed of sound.

A video of the crew exiting the helicopter was shared by NASA Artemis on their X handle, showing Commander Reid Wiseman holding a small mascot named "Rise."

Rise was the smallest and the fifth member on the Artemis II mission.

Watch Video Here:

What is Rise

Rise is a zero-gravity indicator for lunar crews, selected from thousands of entries received from over 50 countries. The mascot, named "Rise," is inspired by the famous "Earthrise" moment from the Apollo 8 mission. The mascot returned safely to Earth with the astronauts, reported CBS News.

Development for Rise began more than a year before the launch of the Artemis II mission. In March 2025, NASA, in collaboration with Freelancer, held a design competition to select the mascot. The winner of the competition was to create a design that could serve as a zero-gravity indicator, signaling when the crew reached weightlessness.

The design met strict criteria. The mascot had to be within 6x6x6 inches, weigh less than 12 ounces, be made from specified materials, and reflect humanity, exploration, and the spirit of the Artemis missions.

Second-grade student Lucas Ye participated in the competition and, after deliberation, created the design that later became Rise. Each part of this plush tells a story from space history-its round white body represents the moon, the small footprint on the back commemorates Neil Armstrong's 1969 lunar landing, and its cap is inspired by the photograph "Earthrise."

Its visor and sides feature galaxies and rockets, as well as the Orion constellation, the name of the spacecraft used in the Artemis II mission.

Lucas first sketched the design and then created a prototype himself. After entries closed in June 2025, the freelancer reviewed 2,605 entries from over 50 countries. In August, 25 finalists were selected, including "Rise," marking a significant milestone in the mission's youngest member's journey.

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