Tag: nasa orion spacecraft

Technology

NASA Orion Spacecraft returns to Earth; completes Artemis I flight test mission

NASA's Orion spacecraft has returned to planet Earth after completing the Artemis I flight test. Check details here. Sunday, December 11 was a big day for NASA as its Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after completing the Artemis I flight test. Informing about the same NASA said in a release, "NASA's Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, at 9:40 a.m. PST Sunday after a record-breaking mission, traveling more than 1.4 million miles on a path around the Moon and returning safely to Earth, completing the Artemis I flight test."Splashdown is the final milestone of the Artemis I mission that began with a successful liftoff of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on November 16, from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Flor...
Technology

NASA’s Orion capsule enters far-flung orbit around moon

NASA’s Orion capsule entered an orbit stretching tens of thousands of miles around the moon Friday, as it neared the halfway mark of its test flight. NASA's Orion capsule entered an orbit stretching tens of thousands of miles around the moon Friday, as it neared the halfway mark of its test flight. The capsule and its three test dummies entered lunar orbit more than a week after launching on the $4 billion demo that's meant to pave the way for astronauts. It will remain in this broad but stable orbit for nearly a week, completing just half a lap before heading home. As of Friday's engine firing, the capsule was 238,000 miles (380,000 kilometers) from Earth. It's expected to reach a maximum distance of almost 270,000 miles (432,000 kilometers) in a few days. That will set a new d...
Technology

Moon mission success! NASA Orion spacecraft enters lunar orbit

NASA's Orion spacecraft was placed in lunar orbit Friday, officials said, as the much-delayed Moon mission proceeded successfully. NASA's Orion spacecraft was placed in lunar orbit Friday, officials said, as the much-delayed Moon mission proceeded successfully. A little over a week after the spacecraft blasted off from Florida bound for the Moon, flight controllers "successfully performed a burn to insert Orion into a distant retrograde orbit," the US space agency said on its web site. The spacecraft is to take astronauts to the Moon in the coming years -- the first to set foot on its surface since the last Apollo mission in 1972. This first test flight, without a crew on board, aims to ensure that the vehicle is safe. "The orbit is distant in that Orion will fly about 40,000...
Technology

NASA Artemis program: Humanity’s Baby Steps From Moon And On To Mars

The Artemis program is NASA's plan to return humans to the Moon as a stepping stone for an eventual voyage to Mars. The Artemis program is NASA's plan to return humans to the Moon as a stepping stone for an eventual voyage to Mars.Twelve men walked on the Moon between 1969 and 1972 and one of the goals of Artemis is to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface. The first test flight of an uncrewed Artemis rocket is to take place on Wednesday. The name Artemis was chosen to echo that of the Apollo program.Artemis, in Greek mythology, was the twin sister of Apollo and a goddess associated with the Moon.Here is an overview of the Artemis program:- Artemis 1: test flight -Artemis 1 is a test flight of the 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket and the Orion cre...
Technology

Who wants to go to the moon? Europe names astronaut candidates

The European Space Agency announced a team of seven astronauts on Wednesday to train for NASA's Artemis mission to the moon. The European Space Agency announced a team of seven astronauts on Wednesday to train for NASA's Artemis mission to the moon -- but only one will have the chance to become the first European to walk on the lunar surface.The candidates -- France's Thomas Pesquet, Britain's Tim Peake, Germany's Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer, Italy's Luca Parmitano and Samantha Cristoforetti, and Denmark's Andreas Mogensen -- have all completed at least one mission on board the International Space Station. Between them, the team has the equivalent of 4.5 years in orbit and 98 hours of spacewalking, ESA communications...
Technology

NASA: Artemis 1 Mission launch on schedule for today despite lightning strikes

NASA is set to launch its Artemis 1 Mission from the Kennedy Space Center today, August 29, despite lightning strikes on the launch pad yesterday. Here’s what you need to know. The launch pad of the Artemis 1 spacecraft has suffered a couple of lightning strikes yesterday, according to AP. However, the launch remains on schedule despite the weather conditions. Although 5 lightning strikes hit the lightning protection towers which surround the rocket and the spacecraft, neither of them was damaged and the launch remains on schedule. Jeff Spaulding, NASA's senior test director said, “Clearly, the system worked as designed.” Earlier this year, repairs were carried out to fix leaking valves and faulty equipment, according to Spa...