18.2 C
Byron Shire
March 29, 2024

Artemis I Orion spacecraft plunges into Pacific after 26 days in space

Latest News

Man charged over domestic violence and pursuit offences – Tweed Heads

A man has been charged following a pursuit near Tweed Heads on Monday.

Other News

What the duck!

Most days I ask myself ‘what the duck’ is happening here? How could Trump be president again if he...

Iconic Lennox beach shed upgraded –  not demolished

Lennox Park and the shelter shed has now been upgraded and reopened.

Community grants on offer

Ingrained Foundation is running its fifth annual grants program, with a funding pool of $150,000.

Floodplains

We need a serious talk about development on floodplains with more creativity and sophistication. The recent discussion about development...

A health check as Medicare turns 40

If you’ll forgive the earnest tone, I’d like to propose a toast. To a friend who’s almost always there when you need them most. To a system that aims to treat people fairly and respectfully. 

UK court seeks assurances from US over Julian Assange

The UK High Court of Justice has released a 66 page judgement seeking more information from the United States relating to Australian citizen Julian Assange, which it says it needs before deciding whether to grant the WikiLeaks founder leave to appeal his extradition.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5 day mission to the Moon. Photo NASA

Brought to you by Cosmos Magazine and The Echo

Months of review await the Orion capsule as NASA turns its sights on second Artemis mission.

The Orion spacecraft crew module has parachuted into ocean off the coast of Mexico after almost 26 days in space, ending the first of three Artemis missions which will return humans to the Moon over the next three years

The module re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on Sunday afternoon local time and has been recovered by nearby NASA ground crews and the United States Navy.

As the major test before astronauts are inserted into the mix, Artemis I chalked up several important milestones for NASA.

The new Space Launch System upon which Orion was launched into space is the most powerful rocket ever built, blasting out four million kilograms of thrust when it set off from the Kennedy Space Centre.

At its furthest point, Orion was travelling over 434,000 kilometres from the Earth – a distance no spacecraft designed for human space flight has gone previously.

That was done intentionally as part of a deep space stress-test of the spacecraft’s instrumentation, including the on-board mannequin clad with radiation and force sensors and the new Orion Crew Survival System space suit, and several space biology experiments.

Two lunar flybys coming within 130 kilometres of the Moon’s surface were also completed.

Orion hit Earth’s atmosphere at speeds more than 40,000 km/h and temperatures of over 2760°C when it completed the first ‘skip entry’ for a spacecraft intended for human crews.

This highly controlled re-entry method ensures a vehicle returning to Earth lands where mission control intends.

Artemis’ predecessor Apollo missions returned to Earth directly, but the skip entry allows Orion’s crew module more time and distance to accurately splashdown near recovery crews.

This will benefit the astronauts in the Artemis II and III missions, as they will experience two entry events at four g’s each, rather than a single, high-acceleration descent of around six or seven g’s.

Now for humans and Artemis II

After technical issues and the onset of two hurricanes off the Florida coast kept the projected grounded until its eventual launch on November 16, the end of the Artemis I mission will see NASA review the effect of deep space travel on the Orion systems.

Artemis II is due for launch in May 2024 and will carry four astronauts into lunar orbit on a journey lasting up to three weeks.

“With Orion safely returned to Earth we can begin to see our next mission which will fly crew to the Moon for the first time, as a part of the next era of exploration,” said Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

“This begins our path to a regular cadence of missions and a sustained human presence at the Moon for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars.”

The Orion splashdown took place exactly 50 years after the most recent moon landing by the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.



This article was originally published on Cosmos Magazine and was written by Matthew Agius. Matthew Agius is a science writer for Cosmos Magazine.


Support The Echo

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week – or maybe more – we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Where should affordable housing go in Tweed Shire?

Should affordable and social housing in the Tweed Shire be tucked away in a few discreet corners? Perhaps it should be on the block next to where you live?

Making Lismore Showground accessible to everyone

The Lismore Showground isn’t just a critical local community asset that plays host to a number of major events each year, but has also been used as an evacuation centre during past natural disasters in the region. 

Iconic Lennox beach shed upgraded –  not demolished

Lennox Park and the shelter shed has now been upgraded and reopened.

Govt cost-shifting ‘erodes financially sustainable local government’

Byron Shire Council looks set to add its voice to the growing chorus calling on the state government to stop shifting responsibilities and costs onto local government.