Artemis 2 heat shield passes return-to-Earth heat test
TL;DR
Artemis 2’s heat shield, Integrity, withstood Earth’s atmospheric reentry with minimal damage, according to mission commander Reid Wiseman who called the view of the shield’s bottom “wonderful” after a smooth splashdown. NASA kept Artemis 1’s heat-shield design but adjusted the reentry trajectory to reduce heat exposure, and early checks suggest a successful test as the program moves toward future missions that will use different heat-shield designs and include orbital docking tests and later lunar returns.
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- NASA is right to focus on ‘hardware rich’ approach following Artemis II heat shield gamble Interesting Engineering
- NASA's Artemis 2 Orion 'Integrity' returns with minor scorch marks NewsBytes
- Heat shield data from Artemis II could define timeline of future lunar missions Scripps News
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