Last flyby yesterday for the Orion capsule, which passed only 130 kilometers from the lunar surface by turning on its main engine. This time, it was a question of accelerating to leave the lunar orbit, and to begin its return towards the Earth. The landing is scheduled for December 11 at the end of the day.
So far, the mission is keeping all its promises.
Orion in good position
In live video as the Orion capsule approached the Moon, spectators were able to admire this December 5 the complex positioning maneuvers of the vessel, the beauty of the lunar craters, or the delicate ballet of the solar panels reoriented before the ignition of the engine. . However, it was indeed a crucial acceleration for the continuation of the Artemis I mission: 3 minutes and 27 seconds of thrust from the main engine to accelerate and gain enough speed (just over 1000 km/h) and escape from the lunar attraction.
But after more than two weeks of mission, the flight controllers were confident, and the systems did not fail. Orion’s performance, tested several times, is flawless so far… and the main engine even completed its mission yesterday, since the capsule is on its way back to Earth.
When reality meets fiction
The show was therefore there, with beautiful views of a crescent of Earth and a low-flying flight, all in real time at around one frame per second and with good definition. Enough to prepare us for future Artemis missions which will be inhabited… Knowing of course that most of the photographs and films are stored within the Orion capsule, and will be recovered next week.
Indeed, Orion will now travel through an arc of a circle which will bring it at very high speed towards the Earth: the next five days, the capsule will accelerate up to 40,000 km/h until it crosses the atmosphere! Artemis I is expected on December 11 at around 6:40 p.m. (Paris) in the Pacific Ocean.
A return under close surveillance
The take-off and the lunar operations having gone very well, it remains to survive the return to Earth for the capsule which must succeed in the last phase of its 26-day journey. A few minutes before its return, it will eject its European service module, which will be consumed in the atmosphere. Then, Orion will cross the densest layers by braking thanks to the action of his shield, before activating his parachutes and landing on the water.
The conclusion of the Artemis I mission is eagerly awaited, and NASA will not miss the opportunity, if all goes well, to highlight the next steps of its new lunar project.
Source : SpaceFlightNow
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