Their dramatic grand finale fast approaching, Artemis II’s astronauts aimed for a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first voyage to the moon in more than half a century.

The tension in Mission Control mounted as the miles melted away between the four returning astronauts and Earth.

All eyes were on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the only other test flight of the spacecraft — in 2022, with no one on board — the shield’s charred exterior came back looking as pockmarked as the moon.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were on track to hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 32 — or 32 times the speed of sound — a blistering blur not seen since NASA’s Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s.

They didn’t plan on taking manual control except in an emergency. Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, is completely self-flying.

Like so many others, lead flight director Jeff Radigan anticipated feeling some of that “irrational fear that is human nature,” especially during the six minutes of communication blackout preceding the opening of the parachutes. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha awaited the crew’s arrival, along with a squadron of military planes and helicopters.

The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crew’s reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II was projected to come screaming back at 34,965 feet (10,657 meters) per second — or 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) — not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast before slowing to a 19 mph (30 kph) splashdown.

Artemis II’s record flyby and lunar views

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Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA’s long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.

Artemis II didn’t land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13’s distance record, making Wiseman and his crew the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when they reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then, in the mission’s most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.

During the record-breaking flyby, they documented scenes of the lunar far side never seen before by the naked eye and savored a total solar eclipse courtesy of the cosmos thanks to their launch date. The eclipse, in particular, “just blew all of us away,” Glover said.

Their sense of wonder and love awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth. The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8’s first lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our blue marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968.

“It just makes you want to continue to go back,” Radigan said on the eve of splashdown. “It’s the first of many trips, and we just need to continue on because there’s so much” more to learn about the moon.

Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britain’s King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick “Project Hail Mary;” Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TV’s original “Star Trek.”

Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions

Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule’s drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, toilet trouble prevented the crew from using it for No. 1 most of the trip, forcing them to resort to old-time bags and funnels.

The astronauts shrugged it all off.

“We can’t explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,” Koch said, “unless we’re making a few sacrifices, unless we’re taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.”

Added Hansen: “You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space, and it’s a doozy.”

Under the revamped Artemis program, next year’s Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moon’s south pole in 2028.

The Artemis II crew’s allegiance was to those next Artemis crews, Wiseman said.

“But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,” he said.

Suspected bandits have again struck in Kwara State, killing five forest guards during a fresh attack on Nuku village in Kaiama Local Government Area in the early hours of Friday.

The assailants reportedly stormed the community at about 3:00 a.m., shooting sporadically and throwing residents into panic as they unleashed violence on the settlement.

A community source, who spoke to PUNCH Online on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said the attackers arrived in large numbers and operated for hours without resistance.

The source said, “They entered through their usual route in large numbers in the early hours of today, April 10, 2026, at Nuku.

“They started shooting directly and, within a short time, killed several innocent people, including the newly recruited forest guards.”

In addition to the loss of lives, several properties were destroyed during the assault.

“The motorcycles belonging to the forest guards were set ablaze, while patrol vehicles operated by the mobile police were also burnt,” the source added.

The Kwara State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement as of the time of filing this report.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the command, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, told our correspondent that she did not have details of the attack but promised to provide updates when more information becomes available.

“I have not been briefed about the incident, but I will get back to you as soon as I have information,” she said.

The latest killings have heightened fear among residents, many of whom continue to express concern over the deteriorating security situation in the area.

The attack comes barely two months after a deadly assault on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities in the same local government area, where over 200 people were reportedly killed, and about 176 others abducted, including women and children.

Fresh anxiety has also been triggered by the emergence of a new video on Thursday showing abducted villagers from Woro and surrounding communities, with victims making desperate appeals for government intervention.

“We are begging you, this is our last opportunity. We have been here since February 3. Please, come to our rescue.

“We have small children with us and some women are pregnant,” another captive added in Yoruba. “Please, Kwara State Government, Oyo State Government, help us. This is the last chance they gave us,” ” a young woman in the footage dated April 8 said in English.

In the background of the video, one of the armed men claimed responsibility for the abduction while attempting to justify the act.

“We are the ones who kidnapped them. They have been begging us, and we have given them this opportunity so their government can hear from them,” he said.

Earlier footage released in February had shown rows of women and children surrounded by armed men, with some of the captives confirming they were taken from Woro and Kaiama in Kwara State.

“They said those abducted were about 25 or 30. Let them look here. Ask them how many they are,” one of the gunmen had said in Hausa.

“We are 174,” some of the women responded, although other segments suggested the number could be as high as 176.

Reacting to the development at the time, the Kwara State Government expressed concern over the videos and reassured residents of intensified rescue efforts.

“The Kwara State Government is deeply concerned over the disturbing video allegedly showing persons abducted during the February 3 attack,” the Commissioner for Communications, Mrs Bolanle Olukoju, said in a statement.

Olukoju said, “Our thoughts are with all the families affected, and we reaffirm our commitment to securing the safe return of all those impacted.”

She, however, cautioned against speculation on the exact number of abducted persons, noting that conflicting reports from affected communities had made verification difficult.

“For this reason, neither the state government nor security agencies have announced a definitive figure. Our priority remains the safe rescue of every affected citizen,” she added.

Despite these assurances, residents say the renewed attack on Nuku underscores the persistent vulnerability of rural communities in the area, as families of abducted victims continue to wait anxiously for their loved ones’ return.

Real Madrid has stated that rumors on considering incorporating a sports director into its structure are categorically false.

According to Fabrizio Romano’s X post on Friday, the club was quoted as saying, “Real Madrid extraordinarily values the work that the club’s sports management has been carrying out, which has allowed us to live through one of the most successful periods in our entire history with the achievement of numerous titles, including 6 European Cups in ten years.”

It strongly reaffirm confidence in its current sporting management structure.

It also praise the existing leadership, crediting it for one of the most successful eras in the club’s history.

As evidence, they point to major achievements, including six UEFA Champions League titles in the last decade.

Overall, it’s a standard club statement aimed at shutting down speculation while reinforcing trust in their current internal setup.

Madrid have long operated with a distinct organisational model, where key transfer and sporting decisions are primarily overseen by senior executives and trusted football leadership rather than a traditional sporting director structure common in many European clubs.

The club’s denial comes amid continued speculation in Spanish football media about potential internal changes, particularly as elite clubs across Europe increasingly adopt centralized sporting director systems to streamline recruitment and long-term squad planning.