A test version of the NASA Orion crew capsule for lunar mission awaits on April 6th.
NASA TV Screenshot by Amanda Koosre / CNET
NASA’s Artemis program aims to take astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era. The agency successful shot up part of its large SLS rocket system last month. NASA dropped a test version of the Orion spacecraft into a large pool of water on Tuesday. Really big.
After a space trip, Orion is splashed into the sea using parachutes. To ensure it is safe for humans, NASA collects data on its performance through a series of waterfall tests at the Langley Research Center in Virginia.
NASA TV streamed the water droplet live, yielding a satisfactory splash. The test seemed to be going well, and the capsule behaved as expected.
The 6,350-kilogram test version (Orion) of Orion mimics the one that the Artemis mission will fly through space. The capsule ends up in a 3.8 million liter water well (Hydro Impact Basin) after being released from a height of 2 meters.
“The test data will help engineers better understand what Orion and its crew may experience when they land in the Pacific Ocean,” NASA said in a statement in March.
The space agency is planning more tests, including a drop test of greater height and a test that will mean that Orion will have to swing into the water from an angle.
Beyond Apollo: sees NASA aim for the moon with Artemis 2024
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NASA has been tracking an ambitious 2024 date to send astronauts back to the moon through the Artemis program.
Before NASA puts boots on the lunar surface, NASA plans to launch an unmanned Artemis I mission as early as this year and then an Artemis II mission to man the moon as early as 2022. This would be the first opportunity for humans be to see an ocean splash. in an Orion capsule. It must be quite a ride.
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