Artemis II to put new reentry plan to the test after heat shield crack
Los Angeles Times • • science
Key Points:
- The Artemis II astronauts are set to return from the moon on Friday, reentering Earth's atmosphere at over 32 times the speed of sound using a reentry technique not yet tested in real-world conditions.
- During the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, unexpected heat shield damage occurred due to a novel reentry path that caused pressure buildup and cracking, prompting NASA to reconsider safety measures for Artemis II.
- NASA and Department of Defense teams will closely monitor Artemis II's reentry with a coordinated relay of aircraft equipped with telescopes and sensors to collect critical data on heat shield performance.
- To mitigate the risk identified in Artemis I, NASA changed Artemis II's reentry path to avoid the initial atmospheric dip that caused heat shield issues, opting for a direct entry approach instead of redesigning the heat shield.
- The Armstrong Flight Research Center, with decades of experience in flight testing and data collection, will lead efforts to analyze the heat shield's behavior during Artemis II's reentry and recover sensor data after splashdown.
