Artemis II heat shield aced its blistering reentry, ghostly underwater photo reveals
Yahoo • • general
Key Points:
- NASA's Artemis II mission successfully completed its high-speed reentry, with preliminary investigations showing minimal damage to the Orion spacecraft's heat shield, ensuring crew safety during the fiery descent.
- The heat shield, made of an ablative silica fiber coating, performed better than expected compared to Artemis I, which experienced charring and cracking due to a "skip" reentry profile.
- To mitigate risks, NASA switched Artemis II's reentry to a lofted entry profile similar to Apollo missions, sacrificing landing accuracy and comfort for heat shield integrity, a decision that appears to have paid off.
- The Space Launch System rocket also performed well, achieving a precise splashdown just 2.9 miles from the targeted site, with entry velocity closely matching predictions.
- Despite these successes, concerns remain about future Artemis missions, particularly regarding the timely delivery of lunar landers and spacesuits needed for planned moon landings in 2028.
