On Its Return Trip, Orion Spacecraft Reenters The Lunar Gravity

April 12, 2023 By Monica Green

(Image Credit Google)

On its voyage back to Earth, NASA's Orion spacecraft has once again entered the lunar sphere of influence, which is where the moon's gravity is strongest. The spacecraft is presently orbiting the moon as part of the Artemis I mission, and this achievement represents an important turning point in its return trip because the moon will now be the main gravitational force pulling on the spacecraft. On December 3, at 5:45 p.m. ET, and at a distance of just under 40,000 miles from the moon, Orion entered the lunar sphere of influence. Up until Tuesday, December 6, it will still be moving through this sphere of influence before leaving it and returning to Earth. Orion's reaction control thrusters, which are the engines utilized when the spacecraft reenters the atmosphere of Earth, have also just undergone testing. The penultimate hour before Orion's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean is when its crew module thrusters play their most important role, according to an update from NASA. "The crew module thrusters will be tested a few days before Orion's splashdown on Earth," it says. "After the crew module and service module separate, the crew module's RCS thrusters will be utilized to make sure the spacecraft is stable throughout descent under parachute and appropriately orientated for reentry, with its heat shield pointing front." This test, along with the broader Artemis I mission, is a component of getting ready for the crewed Artemis II mission. A team of astronauts will board Orion and follow a path around the moon identical to the Artemis I mission. Then, an astronaut landing on the moon's surface is the goal of the upcoming Artemis III mission. The Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft required to be tested before a crewed flight could take place, which is why this present uncrewed mission is taking place.

By Monica Green

I am specialised in latest tech and tech discoveries.

On Its Return Trip, Orion Spacecraft Reenters The Lunar Gravity

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