The SLS Moon Rocket Exceeded Expectations and Orion Spacecraft Heading Back
upstart writes:
The SLS Moon Rocket Exceeded Expectations With Its Historic Liftoff, NASA Says:
NASA has conducted a preliminary review of the inaugural Space Launch System launch, saying the rocket met and even exceeded all expectations.
On Wednesday, NASA released its initial analysis of SLS' performance as it lifted off on November 16, sending an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to the Moon for the space agency's Artemis 1 mission. "The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket was simply eye-watering," Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, said in a statement. "While our mission with Orion is still underway and we continue to learn over the course of our flight, the rocket's systems performed as designed and as expected in every case."
[...] Engineers will continue to study SLS' performance during the Artemis 1 launch over the next several months as NASA prepares to build the next rocket for the launch of Artemis 2 (currently scheduled for 2024). "With this amazing Moon rocket, we've laid the foundation for Artemis and for our long-term presence at the Moon," John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, said in the statement. The performance of the rocket and the team supporting its maiden voyage was simply outstanding."
NASA also released a short slick video of the launch.
NASA's Orion Spacecraft Readies Itself for Long Journey Homeupstart writes:
NASA's Orion spacecraft readies itself for long journey home:
Two weeks after leaving Earth on a mission to the moon, NASA's Orion spacecraft fired its main engine as part of efforts to put it on a course for the long journey home.
NASA official Jim Free shared the news in a tweet on Thursday, saying: "We've left lunar orbit! Orion fired its main engine today to exit distant retrograde orbit and set itself on a course for Earth."
[...] As Free noted, the burn is one of two maneuvers that the uncrewed Orion spacecraft needs to make to get home. All being well, the vehicle will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Florida on Friday, December 11.
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