The Artemis II mission is finally nearing the end of the line. In just a few short hours—actually, make that minutes—the Orion spacecraft is slated to hit our atmosphere and splash down off the coast of California. The crew module, carrying those four astronauts, is scheduled to separate from the service module at 7:33 p.m. ET. It’s the final dance before they really start picking up speed.
That separation is crucial because it exposes the heat shield. It needs to be ready for the friction. We’re talking 24,000 miles per hour hitting the atmosphere. Imagine the sound of that—or rather, try not to. It’ll use parachutes to drop from insane speeds down to about 20 m.p.h. before hitting the water. According to Misryoum reporting, recovery teams are already positioned and ready to whisk the crew over to the U.S.S. John P. Murtha for medical checks.
It’s expected to happen right around 8:07 p.m. ET. Don’t expect to see it from the beach, though; the splashdown is way out in the Pacific, likely well over a hundred miles from shore. You might hear some sonic booms, though. It’s moving at 30 times the speed of sound, after all. Or maybe it’s a bit less? No, that’s the figure.
Things have gone pretty smoothly so far—ignoring the space toilet, which is a whole other conversation. But the re-entry is what has everyone holding their breath. Misryoum analysis indicates that the heat shield, which is basically the same one used on the Artemis I flight, might have some issues. That last flight left the shield looking a bit beat up with some unexpected cracking, and it’s had some engineers worrying if it’s really up to the task.
Actually, NASA didn’t change the shield itself. Instead, they decided to change the angle of the approach. By coming in at a steeper angle, they’re aiming to cut the exposure time to those 5,000-degree temperatures from 20 minutes down to about 13.5. It’s a calculated risk, I suppose. The weather is holding up, which is a relief.
I’ve got the live link here—or I did—somewhere. Just keep an eye on the feed.
