NASA’s Orion capsule reached the moon Monday, whipping around the back side and passing within 80 miles on its way to a record-breaking lunar orbit. The close approach occurred as the crew capsule and its three test dummies were on the far side of the moon. Because of the half-hour communication blackout, flight controllers in Houston did not know if…
As the capsule swung out from behind the moon, onboard cameras sent back a picture of Earth — a blue dot surrounded by blackness
Next weekend, Orion will shatter NASA’s distance record for a spacecraft designed for astronauts — nearly 250,000 miles from Earth, set by Apollo 13 in 1970. And it will keep going, reaching a maximum distance from Earth next Monday at nearly 270,000 miles . Orion has no lunar lander; a touchdown won’t come until NASA astronauts attempt a lunar landing in 2025 with SpaceX’s Starship. Before then, however, astronauts will strap into Orion for a ride around the moon as early as 2024.
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NASA’s Orion capsule buzzes the moon, taking a last big step before lunar orbitNASA’s Orion capsule reached the moon Monday, whipping around the far side and buzzing the lunar surface on its way to a record-breaking orbit. It’s the first time a capsule has visited the moon since NASA’s Apollo program 50 years ago.
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NASA capsule buzzes moon, last big step before lunar orbitNASA's Orion capsule has reached the moon, whipping around the back side and passing within about 80 miles
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NASA capsule buzzes moon, last big step before lunar orbitThe close approach occurred as the crew capsule and its three test dummies were on the far side of the moon.
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NASA capsule buzzes moon, last big step before lunar orbitCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Orion capsule reached the moon Monday, whipping around the back side and passing within 80 miles (128 kilometers) on its way to a record-breaking lunar orbit. The close approach occurred as the crew capsule and its three test dummies were on the far side of the moon.
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NASA capsule buzzes moon, last big step before lunar orbit | amNewYorkNASA's Orion capsule reached the moon Monday, whipping around the back side and passing within 80 miles on its way to a record-breaking lunar orbit.
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NASA capsule buzzes moon, last big step before lunar orbitNASA's Orion capsule has reached the moon, whipping around the back side and passing within about 80 miles.
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