At 12:40 p.m. EST, Dec. 11, 2022, NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5 day mission to the Moon. Orion will be recovered by NASA’s Landing and Recovery team, U.S. Navy and Department of Defense partners aboard the USS Portland.
unique and fascinating, the manned flight around the moon comes first, then the landing and then lunar bases are started again in preparation for a manned flight to Mars. There will also be a base on Mars, that will certainly continue, is no longer a probable, is certain.
Flight Day 16: Orion and Our Lunar Neighbor
(Dec. 1, 2022) On flight day 16, a camera mounted on one of Orion’s solar arrays snapped this image of our Moon as the spacecraft prepared to exit distant retrograde orbit during the Artemis I mission.
Flight Day 20: Orion and Our Moon
(Dec. 5, 2022) On flight day 20 of the Artemis I mission, Orion captured the Moon on the day of return powered flyby. The burn, which lasted 3 minutes, 27 seconds, committed the spacecraft to a Dec. 11 splashdown.
Flight Day 20: Lunar Close-up
art001e002594 (Dec. 5, 2022): The optical navigation camera mounted on the Orion spacecraft captured these views of the Moon’s surface. On flight day 20 of the Artemis I mission, the spacecraft made its second and final close approach to the Moon before its returned powered flyby burn. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew.
Flight Day 25: The Journey Home
art001e003002 (Dec. 10, 2022) On flight day 25 of the Artemis I mission, Orion captured this photo of the Earth from a camera mounted on one of its solar arrays. The spacecraft is now closer to Earth than to the Moon, and will splash down on Sunday, Dec. 11.
unique and fascinating, the manned flight around the moon comes first, then the landing and then lunar bases are started again in preparation for a manned flight to Mars. There will also be a base on Mars, that will certainly continue, is no longer a probable, is certain.
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