Artemis mission: Orion spacecraft returns to Earth after journey around the Moon

THEM Orion capsuleFrom NASA, after returning to Earth Traveling more than 2 million kilometers around the Moon, more than 26 days. The landing took place on Sunday (11) in the Pacific Ocean, near the island of Guadalupe, close to the US-Mexico border, at 2:40 pm Brasilia time. According to the space agency, the operation was successful and exceeded expectations, thus ending the first phase of space flight. Artemis mission🇧🇷

Orion withstood temperatures in excess of 2,700 degrees Celsius during its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, roughly half the surface temperature of the Sun. The descent took 20 minutes and relied on parachutes to reduce the ship’s speed from almost 40,000 km/h to about 32 km/h. safely overboard🇧🇷

The entire process was accompanied by flight controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Additionally, a rescue team was already on hand to collect preliminary images and data from the capsule before it was sent back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, technicians must open the hatch to discharge various materials and conduct a more thorough assessment.

These include a Snoopy plush that serves as a visual indicator of zero gravity, Commander Moonikin Campos, a dummy used to test the integrity of astronauts in future manned stages, and the official flight kit. Over the next few months, all components of the ship, such as the heat shield, will be subjected to further analysis.

In this way, Orion’s descent marks the end of Artemis I since it was launched by the Space Launch System (the world’s most powerful rocket) on November 16. During the mission, the spacecraft stayed in space longer than any other spacecraft without docking with a space station. The flight reached an altitude of about 130 kilometers at its closest point, on a journey about 435,000 kilometers from Earth.

The next space exploration will take place with Artemis II, where crew members will orbit the Moon. In turn, Artemis III aims to establish a human presence on the lunar surface, whose base of operations on the natural satellite will deliver promising scientific discoveries and serve as an interim hub for the long-awaited expedition to Mars.