All articles tagged with #reentry
Rising space launches and heat-resistant carbon-fiber materials are allowing larger debris to survive atmospheric reentry, increasing debris reaching Earth and prompting researchers and policymakers to pursue safer design approaches and tighter regulations to protect people and property.
Space.com’s Space Photo of the Day shows NASA’s Artemis 2 Orion capsule charred at Kennedy Space Center after its 10‑day lunar mission, highlighting a reentry temperature near 5,000°F. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—returned to Earth with a Pacific splashdown on April 10, and NASA will study the heat shield’s performance to inform Artemis 3.
NASA reports Artemis II's heat shield endured a blistering 24,664 mph reentry with only minimal char, no cracked tiles, and intact reflective tape, according to initial post-splashdown assessments; divers' photos confirm a precise splashdown and NASA says the heat shield performed as expected, addressing earlier concerns about using the Artemis I shield for Artemis II and keeping the program on track for future missions.
Artemis II’s heat shield with its ablative coating held up under the mission’s blistering 24,664 mph reentry, showing minimal char and no cracked tiles in early NASA assessments. NASA’s lofted Apollo-style entry, designed after Artemis I’s shield issues, helped safeguard the crew, and underwater imagery plus a precise splashdown about 2.9 miles from the target mark progress for the Artemis program.
After Artemis 2's splashdown, NASA said Orion's heat shield performed as expected with no unusual conditions, significantly reducing the abnormal charring seen in Artemis 1. Initial concerns about a missing chunk were clarified by recovery photos, and NASA's skip-entry adjustment appears to have mitigated gas buildup and damage. The agency will continue tests and imaging over the coming weeks, but early results show the shield did its job and clears the path for future crewed Moon missions.
A photo released by NASA, taken by U.S. Navy divers after Artemis II’s splashdown, shows the charred heat shield of the Orion capsule. Early postflight inspections indicate it performed as designed with reduced char loss compared with Artemis I, and NASA will continue examining the heat shield and crew module while addressing issues such as the spacecraft’s toilet to inform future Artemis missions.
NASA says Artemis II’s heat shield performed as expected during splashdown, with Navy divers’ photos showing far less char than Artemis I. Initial inspections found no unusual conditions and the capsule will undergo further testing at Kennedy Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center, including sample extraction and x‑ray scans, as NASA refines plans for Artemis III and beyond. The spacecraft reentered at about 35 times the speed of sound, a key milestone for future lunar missions.
Artemis II's Orion pilot Victor Glover describes the real flight feel, preferring Orion’s translational hand controller to Dragon’s touchscreen and noting the craft performed more like the actual vehicle than the simulators. He details the intense, vivid reentry and explains how the mission’s outcomes inform future rendezvous, docking, and landing tests for Artemis III and IV, emphasizing teamwork and the value of hands-on piloting in spaceflight.
The Artemis II quartet—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—took questions at a Johnson Space Center briefing after a 10-day lunar flyby and homecoming, livestreamed by NASA. They described the high-speed reentry and possible heat shield char loss but called the ride largely smooth, discussed the intense mental and emotional strain of deep-space flight, and praised their crew bond, while underscoring NASA’s plans to push toward a sustained lunar presence and bolder exploration.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.