Artemis I – Flight Day 25: Orion in Home Stretch of Journey

 

NASA / ESA - Orion Crew Vehicle patch.

Dec 10, 2022

The Orion spacecraft is on its last full day in space with splashdown off the Baja Coast near Guadalupe Island targeted for 10:39 a.m. CST (11:39 a.m. EST) on Sunday, Dec. 11.

Engineers conducted the final Artemis I in-space developmental flight test objective to characterize temperature impacts on solar array wings from plumes, or exhaust gases. Once the solar array wing was in the correct test position, flight controllers fired the reaction control system thrusters using opposing thrusters simultaneously to balance the torque and test a variety of firing patterns. Engineers will perform several additional flight test objectives after Orion splashes down in the water and before powering down the spacecraft.

Image above: (Dec. 9, 2022) On flight day 24 of the Artemis I mission, Orion’s optical navigation camera captured this black-and-white photo of Earth as a sliver. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew. Image Credit: NASA.

The fifth return trajectory correction burn occurred at 2:32 p.m. CST, Saturday, Dec. 10. During the burn the auxiliary engines fired for 8 seconds, accelerating the spacecraft by 3.4 mph (5 feet per second) to ensure Orion is on course for splashdown. The sixth and final trajectory correction burn will take place about five hours before Orion enters Earth’s atmosphere.

On Orion’s return to Earth, NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) will facilitate communications for the final return trajectory correction burn, spacecraft separation, re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown. Shortly before the service module separates from the crew module, communication will be switched from NASA’s Deep Space Network to its Near Space Network for the remainder of the mission. Located in geosynchronous orbit about 22,000 miles above Earth, TDRS are used to relay data from spacecraft at lower altitudes to ground antennas. During re-entry, the intense heat generated as Orion encounters the atmosphere turns the air surrounding the capsule into plasma and briefly disrupts communication with the spacecraft.

Image above: An illustration of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which is on a path back to Earth and is slated to splashdown off the coast of Mexico on 11 December. Image Credits: NASA/Liam Yanulis.

Recovery forces have arrived on location off the coast of Baja where they will stand by to greet the spacecraft after its re-entry back into the atmosphere at 25,000 mph. On the ship, personnel are running through preparations and simulations to ensure the interagency landing and recovery team, led by Exploration Ground Systems from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is ready to support recovery operations. The team consists of personnel and assets from the U.S. Department of Defense, including Navy amphibious specialists and Space Force weather specialists, and engineers and technicians from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Lockheed Martin Space Operations.

Orion Return to Earth and splashdown flight profile. Image Credit: ESA

Teams will recover Orion and attempt to recover hardware jettisoned during landing, including the forward bay cover and three main parachutes. A four-person team of engineers from Johnson will be aboard the U.S. Navy recovery ship using “Sasquatch” software to identify the footprint of hardware released from the capsule. The primary objective for the Sasquatch team is to help the ship get as close as possible to Orion for a quick recovery. A secondary objective is to recover as many additional elements as possible for analysis later.

Just after 2 p.m. CST Dec. 10, Orion was 113,453 miles from Earth and 239,432 miles from the Moon, cruising at 3,375 miles per hour.   

Live coverage of Orion’s reentry and splashdown will begin at 11 a.m. EST on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and the NASA app. A post-splashdown briefing is scheduled for about 3:30 p.m.

NASA Television: https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

Related articles:

Artemis I - Flight Day 24: Orion Heads Home
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-24-orion-heads-home.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 23: Mission Teams Prepare for Splashdown, Select Landing Site
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-23-mission-teams.html

Artemis I Flight Day 22 – Orion Continues on its Journey Back to Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-22-orion-continues.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 21: Orion Leaves Lunar Sphere of Influence, Heads for Home
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-21-orion-leaves.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 20: Orion Conducts Return Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-20-orion-conducts.html

Artemis lunar flyby: Orion is coming home
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-lunar-flyby-orion-is-coming-home.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 19: Orion Prepares for Close Lunar Flyby, Teams Examining Power Conditioning Issue
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-19-orion-prepares.html

Artemis I Flight Day 18 – Orion Re-enters Lunar Sphere of Influence
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-18-orion-re-enters.html

Flight Day 17 - Orion Fine-tunes Trajectory, Downlinks Data, Continues Test Objectives
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/flight-day-17-orion-fine-tunes.html

Artemis I Flight Day 16 – Orion Successfully Completes Distant Retrograde Departure Burn
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-16-orion.html

Artemis I Flight Day 15 – Team Polls “Go” For Distant Retrograde Orbit Departure
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-15-team-polls-go.html

Artemis I — I Flight Day 14: Deep Space Testing Continues
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-i-flight-day-14-deep-space.html

Artemis I — Flight Day 13: Orion Goes the (Max) Distance
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-13-orion-goes-max.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 12: Orion Star Trackers, Reaction Control Thrusters Tested
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-12-orion-star.html

Artemis I enters Moon orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-enters-moon-orbit.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 11: Orion Surpasses Apollo 13 Record Distance from Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-11-orion-surpasses.html

Flight Day 10: Orion Enters Distant Retrograde Orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/flight-day-10-orion-enters-distant.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Nine: Orion One Day Away from Distant Retrograde Insertion
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-nine-orion-one-day.html

Latest Updates from Artemis I
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/latest-updates-from-artemis-i.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Six: Orion Performs Lunar Flyby, Closest Outbound Approach
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-six-orion-performs.html

Artemis powering past the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-powering-past-moon.html

Orion Successfully Completes Lunar Flyby, Re-acquires Signal with Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/orion-successfully-completes-lunar.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Four: Testing WiFi Signals, Radiator System, GO for Outbound Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-four-testing-wifi.html

NASA’s Artemis I Cameras to Offer New Views of Orion, Earth, Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/nasas-artemis-i-cameras-to-offer-new.html

Artemis I Liftoff! 50 years after Apollo 17, Orion on Its Way to the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-liftoff-50-years-after-apollo.html

Related links:

Artemis I reference guide: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/img/Artemis%20I%20Reference%20Guide_Inter.pdf

Artemis II mission: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-important-step-on-long-term-return-to-the-moon-missions-to/

Callisto: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/callisto-technology-demonstration-to-fly-aboard-orion-for-artemis-i/

Track Orion: https://www.nasa.gov/trackartemis

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Orion spacecraft (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion

Orion Spacecraft (NASA): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Shaneequa Vereen. 

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Commits to Future Artemis Moon Rocket Production

 

NASA - ARTEMIS Program patch.

Dec 10, 2022

NASA has finalized its contract with Boeing of Huntsville, Alabama, for approximately $3.2 billion to continue manufacturing core and upper stages for future Space Launch System (SLS) rockets for Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

Image above: NASA and Space Launch System stages prime contractor Boeing are in various states of production on core stages for future Artemis missions. Together with its twin solid rocket boosters, the Space Launch System core stage will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. A powerful upper stage will be incorporated into the rocket beginning with Artemis IV. NASA joined the Space Launch System rocket’s core stage forward assembly, seen here, with the 130-foot liquid hydrogen tank in March 2022. Image Credits: NASA/Eric Bordelon.

Under the SLS Stages Production and Evolution Contract action, Boeing will produce SLS core stages for Artemis III and IV, procure critical and long-lead material for the core stages for Artemis V and VI, provide the exploration upper stages (EUS) for Artemis V and VI, as well as tooling and related support and engineering services.

In October 2019, NASA provided initial funding and authorization for Artemis III core stage work and targeted long-lead materials and cost-efficient bulk purchases. The finalization of this contract extends production activities and preparations for future work through July 2028. As part of the contract NASA may order up to 10 core stages and eight exploration upper stages total to support future deep space exploration missions.

“NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is the only rocket capable of sending large cargos and soon, astronauts to the Moon,” said John Honeycutt, SLS Program manager. “The SLS core stage is the backbone of NASA’s Moon rocket, producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust at launch, and the addition of the exploration upper stage will enable NASA to support missions to deep space through the 2030s.”

The SLS rocket delivers propulsion in stages and is designed to evolve to more advanced configurations to power NASA’s deep space missions. Each SLS rocket configuration uses the same 212-foot-tall core stage to produce more than 2 million pounds of thrust to help propel the mega rocket off the launch pad.

Space Launch System rocket (SLS). Animation Credit: NASA

For the first three Artemis missions, SLS uses an interim cryogenic propulsion stage with one RL10 engine to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft to the Moon. Beginning with Artemis IV, the SLS Block 1B rocket configuration will be propelled by the more powerful EUS with larger fuel tanks and four RL10 engines to send a crewed Orion and large cargos to the Moon. All the structures for the rocket’s core stage and EUS are manufactured at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

The contract comes as NASA optimizes manufacturing capabilities as Boeing will use Kennedy Space Center in Florida to perform some core stage assembly and outfitting activities beginning with the Artemis III rocket. In tandem, teams will continue all core stage manufacturing activities at Michoud.

Teams continue to make progress assembling and manufacturing core stages for Artemis II, III, and IV. The Artemis II stage is scheduled to be completed and delivered to Kennedy in 2023. The engine section for Artemis III was recently loaded onto NASA’s Pegasus barge for delivery to Kennedy, where it will be outfitted and later integrated with the rest of the rocket.

With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface and establish long-term exploration at the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration.

For more information about the Space Launch System, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sls

Related link:

ARTEMIS Program: https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Rachel Kraft/Marshall Space Flight Center/Corinne Edmiston.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Artemis I - Flight Day 24: Orion Heads Home

 

NASA / ESA - Orion Crew Vehicle patch.

Dec 9, 2022

Teams in Mission Control Houston conducted spacecraft system checks ahead of Orion’s planned splashdown on Dec. 11, while the Exploration Ground Systems recovery team made its way toward the landing area off the Baja Coast near Guadalupe Island.

Image above: NASA and DoD members of the Artemis I recovery team run practice flight operations procedures aboard the USS Portland (LPD 27). The team is out at sea ahead of the Dec. 11 Orion splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Image Credits: U.S. NAVY/NASA.

Flight controllers activated the crew module reaction control system heater and conducted a hot-fire test for each thruster as planned. The five pulses for each thruster lasted 75 milliseconds each, and were conducted in opposing pairs to minimize attitude changes during the test. Thrust for the crew module propulsion system is generated from 12 monopropellant MR-104G engines. These engines are a variant of MR-104 thrusters, which have been used in other NASA spacecraft, including the interplanetary Voyagers 1 and 2.

Approximately 12,100 pounds of propellant have been used, which is 240 pounds less than estimated prelaunch, and leaves a margin of 2,230 pounds over what is planned for use, 324 pounds more than prelaunch expectations.

Image above: (Dec. 7, 2022) The engines on Orion’s service module are prominently featured in this image from flight day 22 of the Artemis I mission. The largest is the orbital maneuvering system engine, surrounded by eight smaller auxiliary thrusters. Image Credit: NASA.

On its way back to Earth, Orion will pass through a period of intense radiation as it travels through the Van Allen Belts that contain space radiation trapped around Earth by the planet’s magnetosphere. Outside the protection of Earth’s magnetic field, the deep space radiation environment includes solar energetic particles produced by the Sun during solar flares as well as particles from cosmic rays that come from outside the galaxy.

Orion was designed from the start to ensure reliability of essential spacecraft systems during potential radiation events and can become a makeshift storm shelter when crew members use shielding materials to form a barrier against solar energetic particles.

For the uncrewed Artemis I mission, Orion is carrying several instruments and experiments to better understand the environment future crews will experience and provide valuable information for engineers developing additional protective measures. There are active sensors connected to power that can send readings to Earth during the flight, as well as passive detectors that require no power source to collect radiation dose information that will be analyzed after the flight.

Commander Moonikin Campos is equipped with two radiation sensors, as well as a sensor under the headrest and another behind the seat to record acceleration and vibration throughout the mission. The seat is positioned in a recumbent, or laid-back, position with elevated feet, which will help maintain blood flow to the head for crew members on future missions during ascent and entry. The position also reduces the chance of injury by allowing the head and feet to be held securely during launch and landing, and by distributing forces across the entire torso during high acceleration and deceleration periods, such as splashdown.

A crew is expected to experience two-and-a-half times the force of gravity during ascent and four times the force of gravity at two different points during the planned reentry profile. Engineers will compare Artemis I flight data with previous ground-based vibration tests with the same manikin, and human subjects, to correlate performance prior to Artemis II.

In addition to the sensors on the manikin and seat, Campos is wearing a first-generation Orion Crew Survival System pressure suit – a spacesuit astronauts will wear during launch, entry, and other dynamic phases of their missions. Even though it’s primarily designed for launch and reentry, the Orion suit can keep astronauts alive if Orion were to lose cabin pressure during the journey out to the Moon, while adjusting orbits in Gateway, or on the way back home. Astronauts could survive inside the suit for up to six days as they make their way back to Earth. The outer cover layer is orange to make crew members easily visible in the ocean should they ever need to exit Orion without the assistance of recovery personnel, and the suit is equipped with several features for fit and function.

Shortly before 2:30 p.m. CST on Dec. 9, Orion was traveling 171,500 miles (276,002496 Km) from Earth and 214,200 miles (344,72148 Km) from the Moon, cruising at 2,100 mph (3379,622 Km/h).

Watch the latest episode of Artemis All Access for a glimpse at the latest mission status and an inside look ahead of splashdown.

Artemis All Access – Updates on Orion’s Journey in Space – 12/9/22

Live splashdown coverage will begin at 11 a.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 11. Splashdown is scheduled at 12:39 p.m., and coverage will continue through Orion’s handover from Mission Control in Houston to Exploration Ground Systems recovery teams in the Pacific Ocean. Coverage will be live on NASA TV, the agency’s website: https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

Related articles:

Artemis I – Flight Day 23: Mission Teams Prepare for Splashdown, Select Landing Site
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-23-mission-teams.html

Artemis I Flight Day 22 – Orion Continues on its Journey Back to Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-22-orion-continues.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 21: Orion Leaves Lunar Sphere of Influence, Heads for Home
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-21-orion-leaves.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 20: Orion Conducts Return Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-20-orion-conducts.html

Artemis lunar flyby: Orion is coming home
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-lunar-flyby-orion-is-coming-home.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 19: Orion Prepares for Close Lunar Flyby, Teams Examining Power Conditioning Issue
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-19-orion-prepares.html

Artemis I Flight Day 18 – Orion Re-enters Lunar Sphere of Influence
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-18-orion-re-enters.html

Flight Day 17 - Orion Fine-tunes Trajectory, Downlinks Data, Continues Test Objectives
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/flight-day-17-orion-fine-tunes.html

Artemis I Flight Day 16 – Orion Successfully Completes Distant Retrograde Departure Burn
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-16-orion.html

Artemis I Flight Day 15 – Team Polls “Go” For Distant Retrograde Orbit Departure
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-15-team-polls-go.html

Artemis I — I Flight Day 14: Deep Space Testing Continues
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-i-flight-day-14-deep-space.html

Artemis I — Flight Day 13: Orion Goes the (Max) Distance
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-13-orion-goes-max.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 12: Orion Star Trackers, Reaction Control Thrusters Tested
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-12-orion-star.html

Artemis I enters Moon orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-enters-moon-orbit.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 11: Orion Surpasses Apollo 13 Record Distance from Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-11-orion-surpasses.html

Flight Day 10: Orion Enters Distant Retrograde Orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/flight-day-10-orion-enters-distant.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Nine: Orion One Day Away from Distant Retrograde Insertion
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-nine-orion-one-day.html

Latest Updates from Artemis I
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/latest-updates-from-artemis-i.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Six: Orion Performs Lunar Flyby, Closest Outbound Approach
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-six-orion-performs.html

Artemis powering past the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-powering-past-moon.html

Orion Successfully Completes Lunar Flyby, Re-acquires Signal with Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/orion-successfully-completes-lunar.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Four: Testing WiFi Signals, Radiator System, GO for Outbound Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-four-testing-wifi.html

NASA’s Artemis I Cameras to Offer New Views of Orion, Earth, Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/nasas-artemis-i-cameras-to-offer-new.html

Artemis I Liftoff! 50 years after Apollo 17, Orion on Its Way to the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-liftoff-50-years-after-apollo.html

Related links:

Artemis I reference guide: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/img/Artemis%20I%20Reference%20Guide_Inter.pdf

Artemis II mission: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-important-step-on-long-term-return-to-the-moon-missions-to/

Callisto: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/callisto-technology-demonstration-to-fly-aboard-orion-for-artemis-i/

Track Orion: https://www.nasa.gov/trackartemis

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Orion spacecraft (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion

Orion Spacecraft (NASA): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of December 5, 2022

 

ISS - Expedition 68 Mission patch.

Dec 9, 2022

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of Dec 5 that included assessing transfer of adaptation to space from one generation of plants to another, evaluating a treatment for biofilms, and measuring microgravity’s effect on bacteria.

Image above: NASA astronaut Josh Cassada rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm during one of three spacewalks installing new roll-out solar arrays, which the iROSA program previously tested on the space station. These panels support a 20 to 30% increase in station power for research and operations. Image Credit: NASA.

Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place aboard the orbiting lab:

Generations of plant genes

Image above: Arabidopsis plants growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) at Kennedy Space Center to test the hardware for Plant Habitat-03, which assesses whether epigenetic adaptations in one generation of plants grown in space can transfer to the next generation. Image Credit: Anna-Lisa Paul.

Organisms sometimes react to their environment through a process known as epigenetics. Sponsored by NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences-Space Biology, the Plant Habitat-03 investigation assesses whether epigenetic adaptations in one generation of plants grown in space can transfer to the next generation. Results could provide insight into how to grow repeated generations of crops to provide food and other services on future space missions. This investigation also could provide a better understanding of how epigenetic changes affect an organism’s ability to adapt to environmental stress, supporting development of strategies for adapting crops for marginal and reclaimed habitats on Earth. During the week, crew members prepared hardware for the investigation.

Battling biofilms

Biofilms are bacterial communities that grow on surfaces. Previous research shows that spaceflight can increase formation of biofilms and change their structure, which could represent potential risk to astronauts on future missions. STaARS BioScience–15, sponsored by the ISS National Lab, evaluates a treatment for eliminating biofilms that is safe for crew members and equipment. A better understanding of these microbial communities in space could improve biofilm control on future missions, including Artemis and voyages to Mars. This treatment also has the potential to provide crew members with a safe way to treat water and could lead to improvements in water purification systems on Earth. Crew members retrieved sample plates from frozen storage, allowed them to thaw, and placed them in an ambient temperature location to begin the experiment during the week.

Bacteria genes in space

Image above: NASA astronaut Frank Rubio works on activating BRIC-26, which measures the effect of microgravity exposure on three fundamental genetic processes and their interactions in a bacterium. Image Credit: NASA.

Microgravity affects characteristics of microbes such as virulence and environmental resistance, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes are unclear. Biological Research In Canisters-26 (BRIC-26), sponsored by NASA Biological and Physical Sciences-Space Biology, measures the effect of microgravity exposure on three fundamental genetic processes and their interactions in the bacteria Bacillus subtilis. Results could provide insight into the molecular mechanisms behind changes in the genetic processes and characteristics of an organism caused by exposure to microgravity and extreme environments on Earth. This insight may help researchers develop ways to protect the health and safety of astronauts on future missions as well as people on the ground. During the week, crew members activated canisters for the investigation.

Image above: Qatar, Bahrain, and the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf as seen from the International Space Station as it orbits above the Arabian Peninsula. Image Credit: NASA.

Other investigations involving the crew:

- Neural Integration System, an investigation from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), examines how microgravity affects the nervous system. Results could support development of countermeasures to help maintain human health and well-being on future space missions and help people with related diseases on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8809

- Rhodium Microgravity Bioprospecting-1, sponsored by the ISS National Lab, studies a way to search for microbes that may yield substances with commercial value due to changes induced by exposure to space. Results could expedite the discovery in microgravity of substances in plants and animals with potential uses in medicine and industry on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8806

- OVOSPACE, sponsored by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), examines the effect of microgravity on bovine ovary cell cultures. This research could improve fertility treatments on Earth and help prepare for future human settlement in space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8759

- The ESA (European Space Agency) investigation OSTEOGENIC CELLS looks at whether bone loss in microgravity is restricted to a particular osteogenic or bone-forming cell type. Insight into the mechanisms behind bone loss could support development of countermeasures to maintain bone health in crew members on future missions and advance prevention and treatment for people with osteoporosis and other age-related conditions on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1823

- Suture in Space, an investigation from ESA, studies the behavior of sutured wounds and the mechanisms of tissue repair and regeneration. A better understanding of the role of mechanical stress in the healing of sutured wounds could help determine requirements for suturing materials and techniques suitable for future space missions to the Moon and Mars.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8421

- ESA’s Lumina demonstrates a dosimeter using optical fibers to monitor in real time the radiation dose received by crew members. Monitoring radiation exposure is key to crew safety, and this technology has potential applications in the medical and nuclear industries on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8444

Space to Ground: The Power of Teamwork: 12/09/2022

The space station, a robust microgravity laboratory with a multitude of specialized research facilities and tools, has supported many scientific breakthroughs from investigations spanning every major scientific discipline. The ISS Benefits for Humanity 2022 publication details the expanding universe of results realized from more than 20 years of experiments conducted on the station.

Related links:

Expedition 68: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition68/index.html

Plant Habitat-03: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8336

STaARS BioScience–15: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8832

Biological Research In Canisters-26 (BRIC-26): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8818

ISS National Lab: https://www.issnationallab.org/

Spot the Station: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Ana Guzman/John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 68.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

CALVT - Smart Dragon-3 maiden launch (Jielong-3)

 

 

 

CALVT - China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology logo.

Dec 9, 2022

The first launch of the Smart Dragon-3 launch vehicle

For its first launch, a Smart Dragon-3 launch vehicle successfully launched 14 satellites from a sea-based platform in the Yellow Sea, coordinated by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, Shanxi Province, China, on 9 December 2022, at 06:35 UTC (14:35 local time).

Smart Dragon-3 maiden launch (Jielong-3)

Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3, also known as Lightning Dragon No. 3, Jielong-3, (捷龙三号) is a new solid-propellant rocket developed by the China Rocket Co. Ltd., affiliated to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT).

Smart Dragon-3 or Lightning Dragon No. 3, Jielong-3, (捷龙三号)

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT): https://calt.spacechina.com/n840/index.html

Images, Video, Text, Credits: China Central Television (CCTV)/China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT)/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

After 15 Years, 1,000 Tests, Orion’s Heat Shield Ready to Take the Heat

 

NASA / ESA - Orion Crew Vehicle patch.

Dec 9, 2022

When Artemis I launched on Wednesday, Nov. 16, NASA’s new mega Moon rocket carried the Orion spacecraft – uncrewed, for now – into orbit for the first time, and a new era of lunar exploration began. It’s a big moment for NASA and the world. And, yet, one of the people whose work will be tested at the next crucial step – bringing Orion home safely – isn’t nervous at all.

Animation above: A sample of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield material undergoes testing in the Laser-Enhanced Arc Jet Facility at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley on April 19, 2021. Orion’s thermal protection materials underwent more than 1,000 arc jet tests, during which extremely hot and fast-moving gases passed over the test material, approximating the heating a spacecraft experiences when entering the atmosphere. The test results helped certify the heat shield for the Artemis I mission. Animation Credits: NASA/Ames Research Center.

Jeremy Vander Kam is the deputy system manager for the Orion spacecraft’s thermal protection system (TPS) at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. He leads the team that developed the heat shield and thermal tiles that will protect Orion from the extreme high temperatures the spacecraft will meet on its way home.

“Orion will come blazing through Earth’s atmosphere at temperatures twice as hot as molten lava,” said Vander Kam. “But everything points to a thermal protection system that’s going to work great, and a successful homecoming will help confirm the heat shield is ready to protect astronauts returning to Earth.”

That’s a big responsibility, but, for Vander Kam, this moment isn’t nerve-wracking. He’s just excited the big day is finally here.

A Thousand Tests Strong

Orion capsule atmospheric reentry. Animation Credit: NASA

After traveling beyond the Moon, nearly 270,000 miles from Earth, the capsule will work up a speed of 25,000 miles per hour. As it slams through Earth’s atmosphere, friction will cut that speed to just 300 miles per hour in a matter of minutes. The result is heat – and a lot of it.

The Apollo crew module’s heat shield relied on a material called Avcoat to beat the heat. It’s an ablator, meaning it burns off in a controlled fashion during re-entry, transferring heat away from the spacecraft. A new system of Avcoat tiles just one to three inches thick is used to cover the Orion heat shield’s external surface. This is what will make the difference between 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit on the front and a mere 200 degrees on the back side of the heat shield.

A second ablator material was also used in certain locations on Orion. Invented by Ames, the 3-Dimensional Multifunctional Ablative Thermal Protection System (3DMAT) is made of woven threads of quartz in resin. It’s stronger than Avcoat and was included to strengthen connection points along the spacecraft.

Image above: The Orion heat shield uses tiles of the ablative material Avcoat to protect its crew during re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere. An ablator burns off in a controlled fashion, transferring heat away from the spacecraft. Orion’s heat shield will experience temperatures of around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit – about half as hot at the Sun – during its return. Image Credits: NASA/Isaac Watson.

Vander Kam’s confidence in the system comes partly from extensive testing of the thermal protection materials. In the arc jet facilities at Ames, where incredibly hot, fast-moving gases mimic the conditions of atmospheric entry, the TPS team performed more than 1,000 tests.

A Data-Rich Return

Orion’s re-entry on Sunday, Dec. 11 will offer the ultimate test of the TPS team’s work. Vander Kam will be waiting aboard a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of San Diego to participate in recovery of the spacecraft once it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.

A primary goal of Artemis I is to certify the Orion heat shield for use on flights with astronauts. Some data needed for that decision will come from sensors embedded in the Avcoat material. Ames-built instruments will measure the temperatures the heat shield experiences, while sensors for pressure and radiation were contributed by NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Following the Artemis I mission, the Ames team will also harvest samples of the charred Avcoat tiles to analyze how the material ablated.

Vander Kam expects to learn a lot from Orion’s flight data, which will also help confirm the accuracy of their computer simulations. These were created, in part, by colleagues at Ames to predict launch and re-entry conditions for the capsule.

Together, all this information could be used to confirm the design for the heat shield on future Artemis missions and, in the nearer term, to declare Artemis II “crew certified” to carry humans to the Moon.

Image above: U.S. Navy divers participate in a practice run with NASA to recover a test version of the Orion capsule from the open water of the Pacific Ocean, on Nov. 1, 2018. Orion was towed into the well deck of the nearby ship, the USS John P. Murtha. There are two large, orange mockup uprighting bags in this view, but when Orion actually splashes down, there will be five. Image Credits: NASA/Tony Gray.

On future Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon – a goal Vander Kam is proud to support.

“This is a great milestone to achieve for humanity,” he said. “I think it’s important to remind us all to aspire to greater unity.”

Looking ahead to splashdown, Vander Kam is excited to listen for the sonic booms Orion should make while it’s still traveling faster than the speed of sound: the first clue that all is well with the capsule’s re-entry.

Then, the parachutes will come out, and he’ll watch the spacecraft glide to the ocean surface, thanks to the work of his team.

“It’s really cool to have gone through all these years with the same people,” he said. “It’s amazing getting to an accomplishment like this with my team. I expect to be emotional!”

He surely won’t be alone.

Related links:

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Orion Spacecraft: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Images (mentioned), Animations (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Abigail Tabor.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Botany, Physics, and Spacesuits Wrap Up Station Workweek

 

ISS - Expedition 68 Mission patch.

Dec 9, 2022

The workweek wrapped up with the Expedition 68 crew working on botany and physics hardware aboard the International Space Station. Spacesuit maintenance is still proceeding as the astronauts and cosmonauts continue preparing for more spacewalks before the end of the year.

Growing fresh food off the Earth is a key mission objective as NASA and its international partners plan longer human missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA Flight Engineer Josh Cassada spent all day on Friday configuring hardware and installing components on the Veggie space botany facility located in the Columbus laboratory module. Soon the plant growth unit will host a small crop of dwarf tomatoes growing for the Veg-05 study investigating ways to maintain a continuous fresh-food production system in space.

Image above: The Full Moon sets below Earth’s horizon in this photograph from the space station. The Artemis I mission was about 207,200 miles from Earth and 180,400 miles from the Moon. Image Credit: NASA.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio was working in the Microgravity Science Glovebox at the end of the day exchanging samples for a fluid physics study. The investigation explores the coarsening and coalescence of foams in weightlessness with potential applications for the firefighting, petroleum, and medicine industries among others.

Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) took turns with Rubio on Friday collecting blood and urine samples, processing them, then stowing them in science freezers for later examination. Wakata also cleaned and serviced components inside the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace, an experimental facility that enables safe research of high temperature physics above 2,000 degrees Celsius.

Several more spacewalks are scheduled before the end of the year. The first is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 14, and a second for Dec. 19. Both spacewalks will be broadcast live on NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: ESA

NASA Flight Engineer Nicole Mann was back on spacesuit duty on Friday removing and replacing life support components inside the Extravehicular Mobility Units, or EMUs. She later removed a small satellite deployer from inside the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock.

Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin partnered once again checking their Orlan spacesuits for leaks and reviewing procedures for the Dec. 14 spacewalk. The duo also took turns working out on the station’s exercise bike while attached to sensors for a fitness evaluation. Flight Engineer Anna Kikina wrapped up her week transferring water and repressurizing nitrogen from the docked ISS Progress 82 resupply ship to tanks aboard the space station.

Related links:

NASA TV: https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

Expedition 68: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition68/index.html

Veggie space botany facility: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=374

Veg-05 study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7443

Columbus laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/europe-columbus-laboratory

Microgravity Science Glovebox: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=341

Coarsening and coalescence of foams: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7934

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1536

Kibo laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/japan-kibo-laboratory

Exercise bike: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=821

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Hubble Captures a Glittering Neighbor

 

NASA / ESA - Hubble Space Telescope (HST) patch.

Dec 9, 2022

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures a small portion of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The SMC is a dwarf galaxy and one of the Milky Way’s nearest neighbors, lying only about 200,000 light-years from Earth. It makes a pair with the Large Magellanic Cloud, and both objects are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere, but are visible from some northern latitudes as well.

The Small Magellanic Cloud contains hundreds of millions of stars, but this image focuses on just a small fraction of them. These stars comprise the open cluster NGC 376, which has a total mass only about 3,400 times that of the Sun. Open clusters, as the name suggests, are loosely bound and sparsely populated. This distinguishes open clusters from globular clusters, which generally appear as a continuous blur of starlight at their centers because they are so crammed with stars. In the case of NGC 376, individual stars are clearly discernable even in the most densely populated parts of this image.

The data in this image come from two different astronomical investigations which relied on two of Hubble’s instruments: the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The first investigation used the ACS to explore a handful of star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud and helped astronomers explore topics including the abundance of low- and high-mass stars in different environments. The second investigation used both the WFC3 and ACS, and aimed to answer fundamental questions about the lives of stars and help astronomers understand precisely where, when, why, and how stars form.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

For more information about Hubble, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

https://esahubble.org/

Related links:

Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3): https://www.nasa.gov/content/hubble-space-telescope-wide-field-camera-3

Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS): https://www.nasa.gov/content/hubble-space-telescope-advanced-camera-for-surveys/

Text Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)/NASA/Andrea Gianopoulos/Image, Animation Credits: ESA/Hubble and NASA, A. Nota, G. De Marchi.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA Taps Collins Aerospace to Develop New Space Station Spacesuits

 

EVA - Extra Vehicular Activities patch.

Dec 9, 2022

NASA has awarded a task order to Collins Aerospace to deliver a spacewalking system for potential use outside the International Space Station.

Image above: NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio conducts a spacewalk during EVA-81 on Nov. 15 to prepare for installation of an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array on the Space Station. Image Credit: NASA.

This award – the second under NASA’s Exploration EVA Services contract – is for design and development of a next-generation spacesuit and support systems. The task order has a base value of $97.2 million.

Collins Aerospace will complete a critical design review and demonstrate use of the suit on Earth in a simulated space environment by January 2024. NASA will have the option to extend the contract for a demonstration with agency crew members outside the space station by April 2026.

With this second award for a new suit and system, NASA is another step closer to a replacement for the current design used by NASA astronauts for decades during space shuttle and space station missions. The new suit will support continued station maintenance and operations as NASA and its international partners continue to perform scientific research that benefit humanity and is crucial to future Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars.

“We look forward to obtaining another much-needed service under our contract,” said Lara Kearney, manager of the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, which manages the spacesuit contract. “By working with industry, NASA is able to continue its over 22-year legacy of maintaining a presence in low-Earth orbit.”

Under the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, both Collins Aerospace, as well as Axiom, which was awarded an initial task order award for Artemis suits, provided proposals to meet both station and Artemis requirements. Both vendors will continue to compete for future task orders which include recurring services for station spacewalks and moonwalks beyond Artemis III.

Collins will be responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification, and production of its station spacesuits and support equipment to meet NASA’s key requirements. The agency will continue to maintain the authority to manage astronaut training, spacewalk planning, and approval of the service systems.

Learn more about spacewalking at: https://www.nasa.gov/suitup

Related article:

NASA Partners with Industry for New Spacewalking, Moonwalking Services: https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/nasa-partners-with-industry-for-new.html

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Kiana Raines/JSC/Rebecca Wickes.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Artemis I – Flight Day 23: Mission Teams Prepare for Splashdown, Select Landing Site

 

NASA / ESA - Orion Crew Vehicle patch.

Dec 8, 2022

On flight day 23 of NASA’s Artemis I mission, the Orion spacecraft continues making the return trip to Earth, capturing photos and video along the way.

“At present, we are on track to have a fully successful mission with some bonus objectives that we’ve achieved along the way,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager. “On entry day, we will realize our priority one objective, which is to demonstrate the vehicle at lunar re-entry conditions, as well as our priority three objective, which is to retrieve the spacecraft.”

Image above: (Dec. 7, 2022) The Moon appears smaller from Orion’s perspective on flight day 22 as the Artemis I spacecraft continues distancing itself from our lunar neighbor, over 125,000 miles away in this image. Image Credit: NASA.

The mission management team met with the entry flight director and NASA recovery director as the planned splashdown of Orion Sunday, Dec. 11 is now about 72 hours away. They evaluated the weather and decided on a landing site in the Pacific Ocean near Guadalupe Island, south of the primary landing area. Watch the reentry preview briefing for more details.

Later tonight, flight controllers will conduct a final survey of Orion’s crew module and service module using cameras on each of the spacecraft’s four solar arrays. During the crew module inspection, flight controllers will be looking at the back shell made up of 1,300 thermal protection system tiles and will protect the spacecraft from the cold of space and the extreme heat of re-entry.

Just before re-entry, the crew module and service module will separate and only the crew module will return to Earth while the service module burns up in Earth’s atmosphere upon re-entry over the Pacific Ocean. The Artemis I trajectory is designed to ensure any remaining parts do not pose a hazard to land, people, or shipping lanes.

After separating from the service module, the crew module will prepare to perform a skip entry technique that enables the spacecraft to accurately and consistently splash down at the selected landing site. Orion will dip into the upper part of Earth’s atmosphere and use that atmosphere, along with the lift of the capsule, to skip back out of the atmosphere, then reenter for final descent under parachutes and splash down. This technique will allow a safe re-entry for future Artemis missions regardless of when and where they return from the Moon.

Orion capsule separation from European Service Module. Animation Credit: ESA

Earth’s atmosphere initially will slow the spacecraft to 325 mph, then the parachutes will slow Orion to a splashdown speed in about 10 minutes as it descends through Earth’s atmosphere. Parachute deployment begins at an altitude of about five miles with three small parachutes pulling the forward bay covers away. Once the forward bay cover separates, two drogue parachutes will slow and stabilize the crew module for main parachute deployment. At an altitude of 9,500 feet and a spacecraft speed of 130 mph, three pilot parachutes will lift and deploy the main parachutes. Those 116-foot-diameter parachutes of nylon broadcloth, or “silk,” will slow the Orion crew module to a splashdown speed of 20 mph or less.

The parachute system includes 11 parachutes made of 36,000 square feet of canopy material. The canopy is attached to the top of the spacecraft with more than 13 miles of Kevlar lines that are deployed in series using cannon-like mortars and pyrotechnic thrusters and bolt cutters. Learn more about Orion’s parachute system in the Artemis I reference guide.

NASA TV coverage of Artemis I’s return to Earth begins at 11 a.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 11. The Orion spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean at 12:40 p.m. near Guadalupe Island.

Just before 6:00 p.m. CST on Dec. 8, Orion was traveling 207,200 miles from Earth and 180,400 miles from the Moon, cruising at 1,415 mph.

Related articles:

Artemis I Flight Day 22 – Orion Continues on its Journey Back to Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-22-orion-continues.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 21: Orion Leaves Lunar Sphere of Influence, Heads for Home
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-21-orion-leaves.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 20: Orion Conducts Return Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-20-orion-conducts.html

Artemis lunar flyby: Orion is coming home
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-lunar-flyby-orion-is-coming-home.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 19: Orion Prepares for Close Lunar Flyby, Teams Examining Power Conditioning Issue
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-19-orion-prepares.html

Artemis I Flight Day 18 – Orion Re-enters Lunar Sphere of Influence
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-18-orion-re-enters.html

Flight Day 17 - Orion Fine-tunes Trajectory, Downlinks Data, Continues Test Objectives
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/flight-day-17-orion-fine-tunes.html

Artemis I Flight Day 16 – Orion Successfully Completes Distant Retrograde Departure Burn
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-16-orion.html

Artemis I Flight Day 15 – Team Polls “Go” For Distant Retrograde Orbit Departure
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-15-team-polls-go.html

Artemis I — I Flight Day 14: Deep Space Testing Continues
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-i-flight-day-14-deep-space.html

Artemis I — Flight Day 13: Orion Goes the (Max) Distance
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-13-orion-goes-max.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 12: Orion Star Trackers, Reaction Control Thrusters Tested
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-12-orion-star.html

Artemis I enters Moon orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-enters-moon-orbit.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 11: Orion Surpasses Apollo 13 Record Distance from Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-11-orion-surpasses.html

Flight Day 10: Orion Enters Distant Retrograde Orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/flight-day-10-orion-enters-distant.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Nine: Orion One Day Away from Distant Retrograde Insertion
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-nine-orion-one-day.html

Latest Updates from Artemis I
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/latest-updates-from-artemis-i.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Six: Orion Performs Lunar Flyby, Closest Outbound Approach
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-six-orion-performs.html

Artemis powering past the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-powering-past-moon.html

Orion Successfully Completes Lunar Flyby, Re-acquires Signal with Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/orion-successfully-completes-lunar.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Four: Testing WiFi Signals, Radiator System, GO for Outbound Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-four-testing-wifi.html

NASA’s Artemis I Cameras to Offer New Views of Orion, Earth, Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/nasas-artemis-i-cameras-to-offer-new.html

Artemis I Liftoff! 50 years after Apollo 17, Orion on Its Way to the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-liftoff-50-years-after-apollo.html

Related links:

Artemis I reference guide: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/img/Artemis%20I%20Reference%20Guide_Inter.pdf

Artemis II mission: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-important-step-on-long-term-return-to-the-moon-missions-to/

Callisto: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/callisto-technology-demonstration-to-fly-aboard-orion-for-artemis-i/

Track Orion: https://www.nasa.gov/trackartemis

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Orion spacecraft (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion

Orion Spacecraft (NASA): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Greetings, Orbiter.ch