John P. Murtha

Orion’s triumphant return. Gif: NASA/GizmodoThe uncrewed Orion spacecraft performed a flawless splashdown in the Pacific Ocean earlier today, in what is a very promising and exciting start to the Artemis era of lunar missions.A recovery team led by NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems is in the midst of recovering the capsule, a careful process that can take upwards of five hours to complete. Orion splashed down at 12:40 p.m. ET as expected, roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Guadalupe Island near Baja, California.…

The Artemis 1 recovery team during a practice exercise on December 2, 2022. Photo: NASAShould all go as planned, NASA’s Orion spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Baja, California, on Sunday, December 11 at 12:40 p.m. ET. As the uncrewed capsule bobs up and down in the open ocean, a crack team will spring into action and attempt to pull off a carefully choreographed recovery operation. Here’s how we expect it to unfold.The sight of Orion floating in the Pacific Ocean will most assuredly be a welcome sight this…

Artist’s conception of an SLS launch. Image: NASANASA’s most powerful rocket is nearly ready to send an uncrewed Orion capsule on a 42-day journey to the Moon and back, but this deceptively straightforward plan involves a ton of moving parts—including a harrowing 5,000-degree reentry through Earth’s atmosphere. Here’s what you can expect from this historic mission, called Artemis 1, as NASA officially ushers in the Artemis era.When will NASA’s SLS launch?NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) departed the Vehicle Assembly…