NASA’s Orion capsule that will carry the first woman and next man to the moon completes second drop test that saw the 14,000lb craft fall from seven feet in the air into a hydro impact basin
- Orion has completed its second drop test and has just two more to go
- The test was to finalize the craft’s computer models for loads and structures
- The event saw Orion dropped from seven feet in the air down into a basin
- The Hydro Impact Basin is filled with hundreds of gallons of water
- Orion will house the Artemis team, which will touchdown on the moon in 2024
- The tests are to simulate landing scenarios for when they return to Earth
NASA is one step closer to sending the first woman and next man to the moon following a second successful Orion spacecraft drop test.
The American space agency conducted the test at its Langley Research Center’s Landing and Impact Research Facility in Virginia that saw the capsule dropped from seven feet in the air into a massive pool of water.
The 14,000-pound craft is fitted with 500 sensors to capture data from the moment it was released to when it splashed down into the Hydro Impact Basin.
The capsule is set to take the Artemis III crew to the moon and back, and Tuesday’s test is to simulate landing scenarios for when the space faring heroes splash down on Earth during the return trip.
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NASA conducted the test at its Langley Research Center’s Landing and Impact Research Facility in Virginia that saw the capsule dropped from seven feet in the air into a massive pool of water
The Hydro Impact Basin, which NASA built in 2010 for 1.7 million, holds hundreds of gallons of ‘tap water’ mixed with chlorine.
NASA said the water-impact tests are part of engineers’ efforts to ‘simulate a few landing scenarios as close to real-world conditions as possible.’
And this one was to finalize computer models for loads and structures prior to the Artemis II flight test in 2023.
‘Artemis II will carry astronauts around the Moon and back, paving the way to land the first woman and next man on the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence at the Moon under the Artemis program, NASA shared in a statement.
The 14,000-pound craft is fitted with 500 sensors to capture data from the moment it was released to when it splashed down into the Hydro Impact Basin
The capsule is set to take the Artemis III crew to the moon and back, and Tuesday’s test is to simulate landing scenarios for when the space faring heroes splash down on Earth during the return trip
NASA said the water-impact tests are part of engineers’ efforts to ‘simulate a few landing scenarios as close to real-world conditions as possible.’
‘The current test series builds on previous tests and uses a configuration of the crew module based on the spacecraft’s final design.’
However, the moment the world is waiting for, Artemis III, is slated for 2024 when the team plans to touchdown on the moon.
This test was to finalize computer models for loads and structures prior to the Artemis II flight test in 2023
Splash tests were initially conducted on Orion several years ago, but structural improvements have since been made on the ship’s crew module, based on an earlier flight test and data from wind tunnel tests.
Orion is designed to carry up to six crew members and can operate for up to 21 days undocked and up to six months docked.
The first drop test, which was also a success, was conducted March 24 that saw Orion drop from just 18 inches into the giant basin.
Orion will sit atop the NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) when it ventures out into space.
‘With its unprecedented power and capabilities, SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and cargo to the Moon on a single mission,’ NASA said.
Orion will sit atop the NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) when it ventures out into space. SLS completed a full eight-minute hot fire test on March 18 (pictured) which is the final step needed to move ahead with the Artemis I November launch
The rocket cost $18.6 billion to develop and is expected to cost about $2 billion for every launch – with a maximum payload to the moon of 101,400lb.
SLS completed a full eight-minute hot fire test on March 18 which is the final step needed to move ahead with the Artemis I November launch.
The ‘green run hot fire’ test saw the rocket’s core stage burn four RS-25 engines that generated 1.6 million pounds of thrust and drained the tanks of thousands of gallons of liquid hydrogen.
During the eight minutes, the engines consumed more than 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fuel.