After more than 1.4 million miles (2.2 million kilometers). A historic trip to the moon and back, NASA’s Orion capsule splashed into the Pacific Ocean after a perfect test flight on Sunday.
This week, NASA released a 24-minute video of the most exciting moments of the 25.5-day mission. Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has been activated up to orion spacecraft parachuted down the road down🇧🇷
SLS lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on November 16, an initiative of NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to return to the moon after more than 50 years.
The video begins with the launch of the explosive and reveals a unique POV of the missile as it leaves the ground. The SLS’s two side boosters and four RS-25 engines provided 8.8 million pounds of thrust at takeoff, butking o is the most powerful rocket ever created.
The rocket is then seen flying through the dark sky, followed by a flaming tail. The side boosters and main stage dropped within the first 500 seconds of the mission, while the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage moved Orion into its trajectory before separating from the spacecraft.
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From now on, all attention is on Orion. The video then shows the inside of the crew cabin decorated with hidden messages and memories🇧🇷 The loud roar of a rocket launch is accompanied by the peaceful calm of space, with breathtaking views of the Earth and Moon captured by the Orion cameras.
The unmanned capsule is eerily quiet with Commander Moonikin Campos at his back. a manikin designed to collect flight data, towards the camera. But the lifeless commander enjoys the view with fascinating memorable shots that reveal the Earth and its moons in the depths. space.
During the mission, Orion performed two lunar flybys and came within 80 miles (128 kilometers) of the lunar surface.
With just under 10 minutes left in the video, the Orion capsule begins its descent back to Earth. Orion dropped from 20,000 miles per hour (32,100 kilometers per hour) to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) during the parachute landing. As Orion re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, it hardened to about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius), which is about half as hot as the Sun’s surface, according to NASA.
The video offers a dizzying POV as the capsule descends into the ocean, three parachutes fluttering overhead. Orion finally enters the ocean, completing its unprecedented journey to the Moon and back.
More: NASA Hiding These Easter Eggs for Space Nerds in the Artemis 1 Orion Capsule