Tag

Reentry

All articles tagged with #reentry

space20 hours ago•73 min saved

Artemis II heat shield confidence grows as NASA opts direct reentry

Live Science talks with Ed Macaulay about Artemis II’s heat shield: NASA is sticking with the same shield as Artemis I but changing to a direct reentry at roughly 25,000 mph to reduce stress, after Artemis I’s shield damage. Macaulay says there are reasons for confidence due to safety margins and improved modeling, though heat and g-forces remain a risk in crewed spaceflight. The mission has been technically successful so far and aims for a nominal, safe return as astronauts prepare to complete the lunar journey.

via Live Science|

#artemis-ii #heat-shield #nasa

space1 day ago•59 min saved

Artemis II returns: crew awakens for record-speed Earth splashdown

Artemis II’s four astronauts wake for the mission’s final phase, prepping for a high-speed return from a 10‑day lunar cruise. They’re set to reenter at about 25,000 mph and splash down off San Diego around 8:07 p.m. EDT, with NASA’s live coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The heat shield—nearly the same as Artemis I’s and a known risk—will be closely watched as commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen bring the crew home, potentially making them the fastest humans to splash down in the Pacific, recovered by the USS John Murtha.

via Live Science|

#artemis-ii #nasa #reentry

space1 day ago•74 min saved

Artemis II heat shield concerns eased by redesigned reentry, NASA says safety intact

NASA says Artemis II’s heat-shield issue is under control: after Artemis I revealed char loss in the Avcoat shield, NASA adjusted the reentry profile to a steeper angle and shorter exposure to heat, and independent reviews backed the plan. The Orion capsule’s heat shield is built to erode safely, and engineers concluded the crew can be protected even if parts of the shield underperform. Artemis II will carry four astronauts (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen) on a crewed lunar flyby with a splashdown in the Pacific, and while some experts remain skeptical, NASA maintains confidence that the root cause has been addressed and safety margins are in place.

via Live Science|

#artemis-ii #avcoat #heat-shield

science1 day ago•6 min saved

Artemis II readies for a controlled, fiery reentry and Pacific splashdown

Artemis II's four-person Orion is returning to Earth on Friday with a tightly choreographed entry: the Crew Module will separate from the Service Module at 7:33 pm ET, perform final trajectory tweaks, and enter the atmosphere at about 7:53 pm ET at roughly 24,000 mph, enduring peak heat up to 3,000°F during an eight-minute heat-load and a six-minute plasma blackout before a splashdown off Southern California around 8:07 pm ET; NASA redesigned the heat shield entry profile after Artemis I, and recovery by USS John P. Murtha will extract the crew—Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman—and ferry them to Houston the next morning.

via Ars Technica|

#artemis-ii #heat-shield #orion

space1 day ago•90 min saved

Artemis 2's fiery reentry: what to expect on the way home

NASA’s Artemis 2 crew will return from the Moon in the Orion capsule, following a tightly choreographed 13‑minute reentry: the heat shield will endure up to 5,000°F at about 24,000 mph with a brief radio blackout, then parachutes will slow the capsule for a splashdown in the Pacific off San Diego around 8:07 p.m. EDT; recovery by Navy divers will follow, followed by medical checks and transport home.

via Space|

#artemis-ii #nasa #orion

space1 day ago•9 min saved

Artemis II’s fiery Earth return tests the heat shield’s limits

As Artemis II returns from its lunar flyby, the crew must rely on a heat shield designed to endure about 5,000 degrees of reentry heat, after Artemis I revealed permeability-driven damage. NASA validated a modified skip-entry trajectory and extensive testing to ensure the shield breathes properly and protects the crew, while the team remains cautiously confident ahead of a Pacific splashdown.

via CBS News|

#artemis-ii #avcoat-permeability #heat-shield

science1 day ago•5 min saved

Artemis II braces for fiery return with Pacific splashdown ahead

Artemis II astronauts are preparing for a 13-minute fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, including a six-minute communications blackout as Orion's heat shield protects the crew, followed by parachute deployment and a Pacific splashdown off California, with recovery teams aboard USS John P. Murtha ready to retrieve them and begin medical checks.

via Euronews.com|

#artemis-ii #nasa #orion

space2 days ago•6 min saved

Artemis II to test direct reentry path after Artemis I heat shield issues

NASA will validate Artemis II’s direct reentry from the Moon using a multi-aircraft chase and on-board sensors to study heat shield performance, a plan developed after Artemis I’s heat-shield crack.

via Los Angeles Times|

#artemis-ii #heat-shield #moon-mission

space2 days ago•5 min saved

Artemis II Faces Fiery Re-entry: How Heat Shields Save the Crew

Artemis II’s return from its lunar mission will be a high-speed, multi-minute re-entry at over 11 km/s, with air temperatures near 10,000°C. The Orion capsule relies on an AVCOAT ablative heat shield and lift-assisted entry to keep g-forces manageable and maintain a safe descent, while a radio blackout occurs during peak heating. NASA tweaked the trajectory to avoid the “skip” risk seen in Artemis I, and the crew will splash down in the Pacific after a record 406,771 km from Earth.

via The Conversation|

#artemis #heatshield #nasa

space1 month ago•184 min saved

Uncontrolled NASA debris reentry: tiny chance of ground harm

NASA’s defunct Van Allen Probes (launched in 2012, mission ended in 2019) are on an uncontrolled reentry path. Most of the 600-kg craft is expected to burn up, but a small portion could survive to reach Earth’s surface with an estimated ground-harm risk of about 1 in 4,200. Reentry could occur as soon as Tuesday evening due to solar activity increasing atmospheric drag, prompting NASA and the US Space Force to monitor. The episode underscores ongoing concerns about space debris and the challenge of safely disposing of aging spacecraft.

via CNN|

#ground-impact-risk #nasa #reentry

science1 month ago•2 min saved

NASA satellite debris heads for Earth with tiny risk to people

Parts of NASA's 600 kg Van Allen Probe A are set to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere around 7:45 p.m. EDT on Tuesday; most of the craft will burn up, but some debris could survive with an estimated 1 in 4,200 chance of harm to someone on Earth, an extremely low risk overall. Space Force will monitor and update predictions as uncertainty of about 24 hours remains; the probes launched in 2012 and were deactivated in 2019.

via The Guardian|

#debris #nasa #reentry

science1 month ago•26 min saved

Uncontrolled NASA satellite set for dramatic Earth reentry within hours

A 1,300-pound NASA satellite (Van Allen Probe A) is on an uncontrolled descent and could reenter Earth's atmosphere around 7:45 p.m. ET today, with the exact debris footprint uncertain and debris expected to mostly burn up; the ground risk is extremely low (about 1 in 4,200). The probe's mission ended in 2019 and, due to higher-than-expected solar activity increasing atmospheric drag, its descent has accelerated.

via Daily Mail|

#debris #nasa #reentry

space-exploration1 month ago•54 min saved

1,300-pound NASA satellite set for a fiery reentry on March 10

NASA’s 1,323-pound Van Allen Probe A is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere around March 10, with the Space Force targeting about 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT) ±24 hours. Most of the spacecraft should burn up during reentry, and any surviving pieces pose a very small risk to people on the ground (about 1 in 4,200). Debris would likely splash down in the ocean. The probes, launched in 2012 and deactivated in 2019, studied Earth’s radiation belts; heightened solar activity has increased atmospheric drag, shortening their orbital lifetimes, with Probe B not expected to reenter until around 2030.

via Space|

#nasa #reentry #space-debris

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Lithium Wake: SpaceX Re-Entry Reveals Metal Pollution in Europe

European researchers using LiDAR traced a SpaceX Falcon 9 first-stage re-entry, finding about 30 kilograms of lithium deposited in the upper atmosphere—ten times the normal daily input—alongside aluminum oxide. The event highlights potential shifts in atmospheric chemistry and pollution from rocket traffic as satellite constellations grow, with implications for ozone chemistry and ground-based astronomy.

via Indian Defence Review|

#aluminum-oxide #atmosphere #lithium

space1 month ago•17 min saved

Unintended Climate Effects from Reentering Satellites

Defunct satellites and spent rocket stages burning up in Earth’s atmosphere are releasing metals like aluminium oxide that could linger for decades and potentially influence ozone depletion and climate. A recent lidar-based observation of lithium from a Falcon 9 debris event demonstrates how such material spreads through the upper atmosphere, highlighting the risk of mega-constellations contributing hundreds of tons of oxide annually and underscoring the need for on-orbit servicing and better debris management to avoid unintended climate engineering.

via Hackaday|

#aluminium-oxide #climate-change #ozone-depletion