MADISON — The Rocket City Trash Pandas and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center are hosting an Artemis I Splashdown Party at Toyota Field this weekend.
The Orion spacecraft is set to splash down at 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the Pacific Ocean, and the party is from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. NASA’s live feed leading up to the splashdown will play on the videoboard at Toyota Field.
Following the splashdown, the Trash Pandas will have a special announcement about the 2023 baseball season.
The event is open to the public and is free for all to attend. Guests can park in the gravel lot at Toyota Field and enter through the Pepsi Gate. The Bill Penney Concourse and seating bowl will be open for fans to watch the splashdown on the videoboard.
During the party, activities include balloon art, food trucks, and more. Toyota Field concessions will also be available with a selection of hot chocolate, cider, soft drinks, and snacks.
Trash Pandas mascot Sprocket and Astronaut Racers Neil, Buzz, and Sally will be making appearances along with TOPPS, the Space Camp mascot. The mascots will also be available for photos.
The Orion capsule launched into space atop a Marshall Space Flight Center-managed SLS rocket Nov. 16. The capsule journeyed beyond the moon and will have traveled 1.3 million miles. The splashdown will complete Artemis I’s 25-day mission to test the SLS and Orion for lunar missions.
