Apollo Orion Spaceship Successfully Completes Historic Mission

🌕Apollo Orion spacecraft completes a 25.5-day mission, journeying 1.4 million miles away from Earth.

🔥Orion's heat shield protects against temperatures up to 5000°F during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

🚀The spacecraft performs a skip entry maneuver, dipping in and out of the atmosphere like a flat rock across a pond.

🚁Navy helicopters with infrared targeting systems are deployed to track the heat shield and the forward bay cover during recovery.

🌊The recovery ship USS Portland, with Navy divers and inflatable boats, retrieves debris and secures the Orion spacecraft for transport.

What was the main focus of Orion's mission?

—The main focus of Orion's mission was to test the spacecraft's heat shield against the extreme temperatures of re-entry.

How far did Orion travel on its mission?

—Orion traveled 1.4 million miles away from Earth during its mission.

What is a skip entry maneuver?

—A skip entry maneuver is when the spacecraft dips into and out of the Earth's atmosphere, providing aerobraking and dissipating some of the spacecraft's inertia.

What role do Navy helicopters play in the recovery process?

—Navy helicopters with infrared targeting systems track the heat shield and forward bay cover during recovery.

How is the Orion spacecraft secured for transport?

—Navy divers use inflatable boats to secure the Orion spacecraft and it is then placed on a cradle for transport back to San Diego.

01:41Apollo Orion spacecraft successfully completes a 25.5-day mission, journeying 1.4 million miles away from Earth.

06:54Orion's heat shield protects against temperatures up to 5000°F during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

07:31Orion performs a skip entry maneuver, dipping in and out of the atmosphere like a flat rock across a pond.

10:08Navy helicopters with infrared targeting systems track the heat shield and the forward bay cover during recovery.

11:53The recovery ship USS Portland, with Navy divers and inflatable boats, retrieves debris and secures the Orion spacecraft for transport.