JUST IN: Orion spacecraft splashes down in Pacific Ocean, concluding Artemis I mission
“No one’s been to the moon in my lifetime, right?” she said. “So this is the exploration that so many of us have been dreaming about.”
Getting Orion back intact after the 25-day flight was NASA’s top objective. With a return speed of 25,000 mph — considerably faster than coming in from low-Earth orbit — the capsule used a new, advanced heat shield never tested before in spaceflight. To reduce the gravity or G loads, it dipped into the atmosphere and briefly skipped out, also helping to pinpoint the splashdown area.
Orion logged 1.4 million miles as it zoomed to the moon and then entered a wide, swooping orbit for nearly a week before heading home. Orion beamed back stunning photos of not only the gray, pitted moon, but also the home planet. As a parting shot, the capsule revealed a crescent Earth — Earthrise — that left the mission team speechless.
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