On its journey to a world-record-breaking orbit, NASA‘s Orion spacecraft capsule, which had test dummies in place of astronauts, buzzed the lunar surface and whipped around the far side before arriving at the moon on Monday.
It marks a significant accomplishment in the $4.1 billion test journey that started last Wednesday and is the first time a capsule has visited the moon in 50 years.
Workers at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, home to Mission Control, were “giddy” after seeing a video of the looming moon and our pale blue planet more than 230,000 miles (370,000 kilometres) away, according to flight director Judd Frieling. Even the flight controllers expressed shock at what happened. “Just smiles across the board,” said Orion program manager Howard Hu.
A photo of the Earth, which appeared to be a small blue dot was returned by the Orion capsule
The crew capsule and its three wired-up dummies were on the far side of the moon when it came within 81 miles (130 kilometers) of them. Flight controllers in Houston did not learn whether the crucial engine firing went smoothly until the spacecraft came out from behind the moon due to a half-hour contact loss. A photo of the Earth, which appeared to be a small blue dot surrounded by nothing, was returned by the capsule’s cameras.
As it restored radio contact, the capsule rocketed well above 5,000 mph (8,000 kph), according to NASA. A little over an hour later, Orion soared over Tranquility Base, the site of July 20, 1969, landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Since the pass was dark, there were no photos taken of the location, but managers vowed to make an effort to take shots on the return flyby in two weeks.
In order to get enough speed to enter the sweeping, uneven lunar orbit, Orion had to slingshot around the moon. Friday, the capsule will enter that orbit thanks to another engine firing.
This weekend, Orion will surpass Apollo 13’s record of nearly 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth for the farthest distance travelled by an astronaut-designed spacecraft set by NASA in 1970. And it will continue to travel, getting close to 270,000 miles from Earth at its farthest next Monday.
Before returning to Earth, the capsule will spend almost a week in lunar orbit. Dec. 11 is set aside for a splashdown in the Pacific.
Space Launch System rocket performed exceptionally well in its first flight
Orion lacks a lunar lander; a touchdown won’t occur until NASA astronauts use SpaceX’s Starship to try a lunar landing in 2025. Before that, as early as 2024 will see astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft for a trip around the moon. Mike Sarafin, the mission’s manager, expressed his satisfaction with the mission’s development and gave it an overall grade of “cautiously hopeful A-plus.”
According to Sarafin, the Space Launch System rocket, the most potent rocket NASA has ever produced, performed exceptionally well in its first flight. He claimed that teams are attempting to solve two problems, one involving the power system and the other involving the navigational star trackers.
