NASA’s Orion capsule returned very quickly from the moon on Sunday (11/12). The capsule was parachuted off the coast of Mexico in the Pacific to conclude a test flight that will pave the way for astronauts to fly to the next moon.
The capsule entered the atmosphere at Mach 32, or 32 times the speed of sound and exceeded a temperature of 2,760 degrees Celsius. Then, the capsule plunged into the sea west of Baja California near Guadalupe Island.
A Navy ship swooped in to retrieve the spacecraft and its occupants: three mannequins equipped with vibration sensors and radiation monitors.
NASA’s success paved the way for Orion’s next flight around the moon, which is expected to take place in 2024. Four astronauts will make the trip. So, two astronauts will land on the moon in early 2025.
Astronauts last landed on the moon 50 years ago. After the Apollo 17 landing on December 11, 1972, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent three days exploring the lunar surface, the longest stay of the Apollo era. They are the last crew of 12 moonwalkers or astronauts to walk on the moon.[vm/lt]
