For the first time in 50 years, its astronauts are set to orbit , after successfully completing a critical firing of Orion’s main engine.
With the spacecraft’s service module engine running for about six minutes on Thursday, Orion and its crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen accelerated to escape Earth’s orbit and begin their journey to its nearest neighbor.
“The crew is feeling really good up here on our journey to the Moon,” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said.
“Today, for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, humans have left Earth’s orbit. Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy are now on a precise orbit towards the moon. , and we are collecting critical data, learning from every step,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting deputy administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Each milestone we reach marks substantial progress in the course of the program. Although we have eight demanding days of work ahead of us, this is an important moment and we are proud to share it with the world.”
Powered by the sun
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. (EDT) on April 1, sending the four astronauts on a planned 10-day test flight around the Moon and back.
After entering space, Orion deployed its four solar array wings, allowing the craft to receive power from the Sun, while the crew and engineers on Earth immediately began transitioning from the launch phase to the flight operations phase in order to check key systems.
About 49 minutes after the start of the flight, the upper stage of the SLS rocket was activated to put Orion into an elliptical orbit around Earth. A second planned firing boosted it into high Earth orbit, reaching about 46,000 miles above Earth, where it remained for about 24 hours for systems checks. After this process was completed, Orion detached from the stage and continued its flight autonomously.
The crew then performed manual navigation, testing Orion’s handling characteristics, using the ICPS (intermediate cryogenic propulsion stage) as the approach target.
After the test was completed, Orion performed an automated takedown to safely detach from the ICPS, which then performed its own discard burn and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.
Prior to its reentry, four CubeSats microsatellites were released from the SLS rocket’s Orion stage adapter.
The unseen side of the Moon
the astronauts will take high-resolution photos and record their own observations of the lunar surface, including regions of the far side of the Moon. Although this side will only be partially lit, the conditions are expected to create shadows that will accentuate the relief and reveal details such as ridges, slopes and crater rims that are often difficult to discern in full light.
After the successful transit, the astronauts will return to Earth and land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
As part of a “Golden Age” of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly challenging missions to further explore the Moon with the goal of scientific knowledge, economic benefits and laying the groundwork for the first manned missions to Mars.
