Artemis 1's Orion Spacecraft Withstood the Heat of Re-entry in a Critical Test for Humans' Return to the Moon. Now, NASA Will Loan the Historic Capsule to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
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Tearing through Earth’s atmosphere at 24,581 miles per hour—some 24 times faster than a speeding bullet—the Orion spacecraft endured harrowingly high temperatures as it re-entered at the conclusion of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission on December 11, 2022. The capsule became enveloped in a cloud of electrically charged plasma, and its heat shield reached nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or about half as hot as the surface of the sun.
Reported by 1 outlet — Smithsonian. See all sources ↓
Tearing through Earth’s atmosphere at 24,581 miles per hour—some 24 times faster than a speeding bullet—the Orion spacecraft endured harrowingly high temperatures as it re-entered at the conclusion of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission on December 11, 2022. The capsule became enveloped in a cloud of electrically charged plasma, and its heat shield reached nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or about half as hot as the surface of the sun. As a spacecraft moves from the airless vacuum of space back into the Earth’s atmosphere, the friction with air particles and the object’s sheer speed generate incredible temperatures. And Orion was traveling extra quickly: more than 7,000 mph faster than a spacecraft returning from the International Space Station.
Read the full report at Smithsonian ↗
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- Tearing through Earth’s atmosphere at 24,581 miles per hour—some 24 times faster than a speeding bullet—the Orion spacecraft endured harrowingly high temperatures as it re-entered at the conclusion of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission on December 11, 2022. The capsule became enveloped in a cloud of electrically charged plasma, and its heat shield reached nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or about half as hot as the surface of the sun.
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Artemis 1's Orion Spacecraft Withstood the Heat of Re-entry in a Critical Test for Humans' Return to the Moon. Now, NASA Will Loan the Historic Capsule to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
Sources1TypeCoverageSmithsonian