NASA successfully puts Orion into lunar orbit
The American space agency NASA has succeeded in bringing the Orion, part of the Artemis-1 mission, into orbit around the moon.
What is the Orion?
NASA’s newest Orion spacecraft is designed to take astronauts from the moon to the moon. In this first test flight, there are no astronauts on board yet, but there are three dolls. These are equipped with radiation meters and other sensors. Astronauts will travel with it on later missions. The Orion was developed in collaboration with ESA’s European colleagues.
The spacecraft consists of three parts: a capsule for the crew, a life support system that also provides propulsion (ESA’s contribution), and the Launch Abort System, on top, that brings the crew to safety in case of emergency. The capsule for the crew and the life support system are together about nine meters high and wide. In total, this system can keep the crew of up to four people alive for up to 21 days.
Under this part is mounted the huge launcher, the Space Launch System.
Tight space for the future crew
You should not suffer from claustrophobia, because there is only as much space in the capsule as in a room of 2 by 2 meters.
The only part that will return to Earth is the crew capsule. The intention is that other valuable parts can also be reused later on.
The intention is that the second Artemis mission, estimated around 2024, will also include astronauts. Astronauts will not land on the moon again until the Artemis III mission, in 2025. The only passengers now besides the three puppets are ten Cubesats, small compact satellites that are orbited around the moon.
Farthest human journey ever
50 years ago, the astronauts stayed close to the lunar surface. This will be different with the successor to this Artemis 1 mission, and they will be almost 70,000 km away from the far side of the moon. Now the Orion follows exactly this orbit. The furthest distance from Earth will be just over 300,000 miles, a record for a human-carrying spacecraft.
The test flight has been successful so far, but the landing can always go wrong. Here you can follow Artemis I from minute to minute. Will the Orion also arrive safely on Earth? Then NASA and ESA can be reasonably sure that astronauts can also make this flight. Finally, after half a century, man returns to the moon, this time to stay.
