the Orion capsule of the Artemis mission back on Earth, here are the images

MARIO TAMA / Getty Images via AFP AT SEA, PACIFIC OCEAN – DECEMBER 11: NASA’s Orion Capsule splashes down after a successful uncrewed Artemis I Moon Mission on December 11, 2022 seen from aboard the U.S.S. Portland in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. A 26-day mission took the Orion spacecraft to the moon and back which completed a historic test flight that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 17 on the moon, the last time that NASA astronauts walked there. (Pool photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Photo by MARIO TAMA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

MARIO TAMA / Getty Images via AFP

Nasa: the Orion capsule of the Artemis mission back on Earth, here are the images

SPACE – After spending just over 25 days in space and traveling around the Moon, NASA’s Orion spacecraft landed this Sunday, December 11 in the Pacific Ocean, successfully ending the Artemis 1 test mission, responsible for preparing the return of humans to the moon in the years to come. The landing took place off the Mexican island of Guadalupe at 6:40 p.m. Paris time.

“For years, thousands of people have devoted to this mission »underlined in a press release the head of the American space agency, Bill Nelson. “Today marks a great achievement for NASA, the United States, our international partners, and all of humanity. »

You can find NASA’s live in full in the tweet below (from 1:38 for the landing).

LIVE NOW: After 25.5 days in space and a 1.4-million-mile journey around the Moon, the @NASA_Orion spacecraft is co… https://t.co/fCadBi8Bv4

— NASA (@NASA)

See the tweet

The capsule, which did not have an astronaut on board, entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 40,000 km / h, and had to withstand an infernal heat of 2,800 ° C, half the temperature of the surface. of the Sun.

Splashdown.

After traveling 1.4 million miles through space, orbiting the Moon, and collecting data that will pre… https://t.co/Rq6hJnRtXX

— NASA (@NASA)

See the tweet

« An absolutely perfect landing”

The main objective of the mission was to test the capsule’s heat shield, the largest ever built (5 m in diameter), under these conditions.

The spacecraft was first slowed down in its vertiginous descent by the atmosphere, then by a series of no less than eleven parachutes, until it reached a speed of around 30 km/h when it hit the water. “We had an absolutely perfect landing”rejoiced Melissa Jones, in charge of recovery operations, in which NASA has been training for years.

Soon after, helicopters flew over the spacecraft, which showed no apparent damage. Orion had to be left in the water for two hours, much longer than if astronauts were on board, in order to collect data – in particular on the heat induced inside the capsule.

Then divers attached cables to it in order to tow it using inflatable boats to the interior of a US Navy ship, the USS Portland, whose rear was partly submerged. The water was then pumped out, allowing the capsule to be slowly deposited on a support provided for this purpose.

Operations were expected to take four to six hours from the time of landing. The USS Portland will then take the road to San Diego, on the American west coast, where the capsule will be landed in the coming days.

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