Tech

Watch the closeup moment they opened the Artemis II hatch after splashdown

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2026

Vicky

Recovering the Artemis II crew from the Orion capsule in the Pacific Ocean

When people watched NASA's Artemis II mission return to Earth, they saw helicopter views of little orange-clad figures exiting the spacecraft onto a raft.

But the U.S. space agency has since released a short closeup video of the Navy recovery team as it opened the hatch on Friday, April 10. The trained divers and medical officers entered the tiny 330 cubic-foot Orion capsule, greeted the four astronauts.

From video cameras mounted on the recovery team's helmets, shown in the X post below, it's as if you're right there with them. The team cheers and claps, with shouts of "let's go!" followed by "four green" (a callout that the crew was OK).

"Welcome home," the recovery team said to the Artemis II crew, Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, the first humans to fly around the moon since 1972.

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Up close, the spacecraft, dubbed Integrity by the crew, appeared battered and singed as it bobbed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. The capsule had just plummeted through Earth's atmosphere, a fiery descent that put the crew through a 25,000 mph ride.

During that intense and dangerous phase, the astronauts experienced nearly 4Gs, a pressure pushing against them equal to four times their bodyweight. Without proper training, those conditions, coupled with adrenaline overload, could cause a person to blackout.

But as the recovery team soon discovered, not only was the returning crew healthy, they were in high spirits, smiling as they waited through the procedures to leave the spacecraft. At the end of the video, one of the recovery officials, referred to as "Vlad," said he had something for Wiseman. The clip ends before that "something" is revealed.

"Jesse, Steve, Laddy, and Vlad….such an incredible feeling to welcome you aboard Integrity after a nearly 700,000 mile journey," Wiseman said in a post on X. "Forever thankful for your service to our crew and the nation."

What is clear is that the people who welcomed Artemis II back to Earth seemed just as exhilarated as the astronauts themselves. Before climbing inside the crew's living quarters for the 10-day journey, the team almost forgot to place the seal cover over the bottom edge of the hatch in their haste to see their friends.

Artemis II, which launched April 1, marked NASA's triumphant return of human-led space exploration. It planned the voyage as the critical shakeout cruise for the spacecraft before the agency attempts to land on the moon. During the flight, the Artemis II crew put Orion through its paces, testing everything from propulsion and communications to how well humans can live, work, and make scientific observations far from home.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pointing to the stickers on the Orion spacecraft

The day after Artemis II's splashdown, Commander Reid Wiseman visits the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha.
Credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls

Packed with cameras, sensors, and experiments, the mission turned the crew into both test pilots and test subjects, gathering data to shape future Artemis voyages. A successful journey vets the hardware and flight controllers for a moonwalk planned for 2028.

NASA isn't just motivated to get back to the moon for the moon's sake but to practice keeping humans alive in another world for extended periods. That's crucial before sending astronauts on a months-long spaceflight to Mars, perhaps possible in the late 2030s.

A new space race also sets the timeline for the Artemis campaign. The United States wants to land on the moon again before China, which is extremely close to achieving its first human moon landing.

If you thought the splashdown meant Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen could finally relax, you'd be wrong. Just hours after landing, NASA tested the crew's mettle again with an obstacle course.

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Tech

See Spotifys most-streamed artists, songs, and albums of the past 20 years

Published

17 minutes ago

April 24, 2026

Vicky

Taylor Swift greets fans at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards

To celebrate 20 years of streaming, Spotify just released lists of the most-streamed artists, albums, songs, podcasts, and audiobooks on the app. Popular artists, rappers, and bands like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and Coldplay appear repeatedly on the "Spotify at 20" lists, with Swift nabbing the title of most-streamed Spotify artist of all time.

In a blog post, Spotify said it was the first time they had ever revealed the all-time top performers on the platform.

While the top artists are mostly what you'd expect, there are a handful of surprises on the lists. Britney Spears appears once, but only in the audiobooks section. And neither Jay-Z nor Beyoncé appears on the lists at all.

You can find the complete "Spotify at 20" lists at the Spotify website, or keep scrolling to see the top results.

Table of Contents

Top 20 most-streamed artists on Spotify

Taylor Swift
Bad Bunny
Drake
The Weeknd
Ariana Grande
Ed Sheeran
Justin Bieber
Billie Eilish
Eminem
Kanye West
Travis Scott
BTS
Post Malone
Bruno Mars
J Balvin
Rihanna
Coldplay
Kendrick Lamar
Future
Juice WRLD

Most-streamed albums on Spotify

Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
Starboy by The Weeknd
÷ (Deluxe) by Ed Sheeran
SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
After Hours by The Weeknd
SOS by SZA
Hollywood’s Bleeding by Post Malone
Lover by Taylor Swift
AM by Arctic Monkeys
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? by Billie Eilish

Most-streamed songs on Spotify

“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
“Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
“Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood
“Starboy” by The Weeknd and Daft Punk
“As It Was” by Harry Styles
“Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi
“Sunflower – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” by Post Malone and Swae Lee
“One Dance” by Drake, Wizkid, and Kyla
“Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
“STAY (with Justin Bieber)” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber

Most-streamed podcasts on Spotify

The Joe Rogan Experience
Gemischtes Hack
Crime Junkie
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Last Podcast On The Left
The Daily
Fest & Flauschig
Morbid
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Relatos de la Noche

Most-streamed audiobooks in Premium on Spotify

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Lights Out by Ted Koppel
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Tech

Samsung is selling refurbished Galaxy Z Fold 7 phones for more than new ones

Published

17 minutes ago

April 24, 2026

Vicky

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 in folded form

The good news is that Samsung is now selling cheaper versions of last year's foldables. The bad news is that "cheaper" is relative.

The Korean tech giant announced on Wednesday that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, two phones we at Mashable really liked a year ago, are now available in refurbished form via the company's "Re-Newed" program. You can check out refurbished Fold and Flip phones on Samsung's websites, with the former starting at $1,699 and the latter at $939. In a vacuum, if you go by the phones' suggested retail prices, those are discounts of $300 and $160, respectively.

The only problem, as 9to5Google pointed out, is that you can currently get a brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 7 on Samsung's website for $1,599, which is less than the refurbished model with the same specs. The same goes for the brand new Flip 7, which Samsung is selling for $899, a slight discount from the refurbished model. Of course, the discounted prices of the new phones could just be temporary, while the refurbished prices might stay the same over time, but it still feels a little bit backward that the new phone costs less than the refurbished one right now.

That said, either way, you're getting a deal compared to the devices' launch prices. And, for what it's worth, both phones are very good foldable devices. If you want one, this might be the time to get one.

Tech

The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for half off — save $750

Published

17 minutes ago

April 24, 2026

Vicky

the anker solix c2000 gen 2 on a pink and purple background

SAVE $750: The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $749, down from the list price of $1,499. That's a 50% discount.

Credit: Anker Solix

Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2

$749
at Amazon

$1,499
Save $750

Summer is on its way, and with it come two scenarios where we tend to go off-grid — while camping and during the much less fun summer storms. In both cases, it's no one's idea of a great time to have a phone run out of batteries or have zero lighting. Instead of dealing with the inconvenience, upgrade to a portable power station. There's a great model from Anker on sale today.

As of April 23, the Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 is on sale for $749 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $1,499. That's a massive 50% discount that takes $750 off the normal price.

We have plenty of options when it comes to choosing a portable power station these days, but if you're looking for something in the 2,000-Wh range, the Solix C2000 Gen 2 could be your best bet. It focuses on quick recharging, taking under 60 minutes to reach 100 percent. Since it's a higher-powered unit, you can expect a continuous output of 2,400W with a peak surge of 4,000W.

In real-life terms, Anker says the Solix C2000 Gen 2 can keep a refrigerator running for as long as 32 hours or keep the WiFi router on for 105 hours. Of course, you could also power the TV, espresso machine, a blender, a CPAP machine, or a garage chest freezer.

Despite its powerful performance, the Solix C2000 Gen 2 is surprisingly small. It measures about 18 inches long and 10 inches in both height and depth. The weight clocks in at about 41 pounds, which is made easier to carry around thanks to the stable side handles.

In addition to recharging with standard wall AC power, you can use your car's alternator, a car cigarette port, a gas generator, or solar panels. With 800W of solar input, the C2000 Gen 2 will get a full charge in about three hours.

Before the summer storms roll in or you take off on a camping trip, make the upgrade to the Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2. It's on sale at Amazon for 50% off, which saves shoppers a whopping $750.