Artemis I mission ends as NASA spacecraft lands in the Pacific Ocean
It checked out the spacecraft’s communications, propulsion and navigation systems. And it ensured the Orion heat shield could protect the spacecraft as it traveled nearly 25,000 mph, with temperatures as high as 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, as Orion reentered the Earth's atmosphere.
"This is the kickoff," said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston."We've done that first initial test for the uncrewed flight. Now, we're putting our astronauts onboard." The heat shield was tested during Orion's first uncrewed flight in 2014 , but this mission only orbited the Earth. Orion's return from the moon was much hotter and faster, and there are no aerodynamic or aerothermal test facilities on Earth that can recreate these conditions.
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