Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
NASA’s new Orion spacecraft made a “bull’s eye” Pacific splashdown today following a dramatic journey 3,604 miles beyond Earth.
The achievement opens a new era of human exploration aimed at putting people on Mars.
The unmanned, four-and-a-half hour test flight set at least one record: flying farther and faster than any capsule built for humans since the Apollo moon program.
“There’s your new spacecraft, America,” Mission Control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water 270 miles off Mexico’s Baja peninsula.
NASA is counting on future Orions to carry astronauts beyond Earth’s orbit in the decades ahead, to asteroids and ultimately the grand prize: Mars.
The lead flight director, Mike Sarafin, was emotional as he signed off from Houston.
“We challenged our best and brightest to continue to lead in space,” Sarafin said. “While this was an unmanned mission, we were all on board Orion.”
The agency quickly reported positive results: Not only did the capsule arrive intact, all the parachutes deployed and onboard computers withstood the intense radiation of the Van Allen belts surrounding Earth.
The capsule reached a peak altitude more than 14 times farther from our planet than the International Space Station.
No spacecraft designed for astronauts had gone so far since Apollo 17 — NASA’s final moon shot — 42 years ago.
NASA needed to send Orion that high in order to set the crew module up for a 20,000-mph, 4,000-degree entry. That was considered the most critical part of the entire flight — testing the largest of its kind heat shield for survival before humans climb aboard.
In 11 minutes, Orion slowed from 20,000 mph to 20 mph at splashdown, its final descent aided by eight parachutes deployed in sequence.
A crew on board would have endured as much as 8.2 Gs, or 8.2 times the force of Earth gravity, double the Gs of a returning Russian Soyuz capsule, according to NASA.
Earth shrank from view through Orion’s capsule window during its trip out to space, and stunning images were relayed back home. Its return was recorded by an unmanned drone flying over the recovery zone, providing more spectacular views. Helicopters then relayed images of the crew module bobbing in the water. Three of the five air bags deployed properly, enough to keep the capsule floating upright.
The U.S. Navy pulled up in a pair of ships to recover the spacecraft and transport it to San Diego, 630 miles away. Orion ended up just 1½ miles from the predicted splashdown spot. Only two of the parachutes could be recovered.
Once ashore, Orion will be transported by truck back to Cape Canaveral, just in time for Christmas.
It’s supposed to soar again in 2017 in a launch abort test, followed by a second Orion heading to space in 2018 aboard the megarocket under development by NASA. Officials expect it will be at least seven years from now — 2021 — before Orion carries people, given present budget constraints.
Orion’s debut was intended to be brief — just two laps around Earth, shorter than even John Glenn’s orbital achievement in 1962.
NASA is now “one step closer” to putting humans aboard Orion, said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr.
He called it “Day One of the Mars era.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Great achievement. Great name also. Had to say it was really great to watch the live stream of launch and the camera on orion.
About time humanity went back to the moon and beyond. Well done NASA
BACK to the moon? They were never there
Next stop… that asteroid belt on the far side of Mars!!
To infinity & beyond. . . . .
The went 6 time
Also well done great achievement. Our future is in the stars
The splash down in the Pacific reminded me of the Apollo missions. The capsule even looks similar.
Great achievement, but hard to believe it’s been over 40 years since man last set foot on the moon.
Quick poll.
A) Would you prefer to be in death row in a Texas prison? (Red thumbs down)
Or
B) Would you prefer to be on a one way trip to Mars without a chance of returning? (Green thumbs up)
Interesting question… What are your plans?
Wish planet earth would spend the same effort exploring the solar system and developing new technologies to support space travel as it does on killing people and pointless military conquest.
IRISH WATER are going to try to use this to put meters on Mars. NO WAY WE WONT PAY !
Ok Sean most of us are totally against the water charges. We get it. We understand we know. Please stop putting up something about it on every story. Keep it for the political ones and water ones. You’re been counted productive now.
I don’t have a tin foil hat But did we really get to the moon 42 years ago?
Yes
Yep
This year was the 45th anniversary of the first moon landing.
No tin foil hat?!?!? Are you mad?
Well 45 years ago and then went again a few more times, the last was in ’72, due to waning public interest in space exploration and cost.
Orion, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic and even Voyager 1 & 2 both which have left our solar system to name a few will undoubtedly lead to further progression of the human race, technology and our understanding of not just our own world and nearby planets but of the universe itself.
You should maybe wear that tin foil… The damage is obvious.
I think the getting there is the easy part. It is the technology to return that seems to have been ‘lost’.
If the U.S. faked the moon-landing then why didn’t the USSR tell everyone thereby winning the space race by default?
Steo, you didn’t but the Americans did!
Sigh… They lift mirrors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmVxSFnjYCA
Also the Russians and Chinese have had probes / landers up there. Pretty sure they’d love to tell the world, ‘GUYS, IT’S A HOAX, THERE ARE NO FLAGS OR LANDING MARKS HERE’, they can’t though. Also the Russians tracked the Rocket to the moon, if there was nothing to track I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have accepted the landings as fact. MANKIND HAS BEEN TO THE MOON, fact.
-You might have just been making a funny joke though ;)
China are leading the race.
http://m.space.com/27627-china-moon-mission-earth-return.html
China are leading the race by attempting to do something NASA did 40 years ago?
Yes. China are leading the race to regain the technology/ability to put man on the moon (and get him/her back safely) that was lost during the subsequent decades of technological advancement. Quite an unpopular scenario, outside of China it seems :-)
We haven’t “lost” the ability to do anything, if NASA wanted to it could land another man on the moon in 5 years. The simple fact is landing a human being on a foreign body doesn’t really benefit us that much and costs a lot more to achieve. It’s much more efficient, scientifically beneficial and safer to land probes on an object rather than sending manned craft.
Oh right. I see.
have your say