NASA is preparing to launch a 14,000-pound mock-up of the Orion spacecraft in a large Virginia pool, the latest in a series of crash tests that will lead to the eventual Artemis II lunar mission. The test is set for 13:45 ET and will be available to watch live on NASA TV (see stream below).
The fall of the model crew module will take place in NASA’s Hydro Impact Basin. The new series of tests began on March 23 and focuses on the completion of computer models for cargo and structures before the planned manned flight to the moon in 2023., a mission called Artemis II (astronauts will not actually land on the Moon during this mission, which will hopefully arrive during Artemis III). The pool is 20 feet deep and contains a medium-sized Olympic pool and a water value. Dropping the capsule from different angles and at various speeds helps NASA engineers understand how the capsule will withstand real-world conditions, such as entering Earth’s atmosphere and splashing into the ocean.
Before the SpaceX Crew Dragon team landed in the Gulf of Mexico last August, NASA had been in shock for 45 years. Now half a century since the Apollo program, Artemis missions will bring humans back to the moon, with plans to land our species on the lunar surface with Artemis III in 2024.. Missions must also see astronauts safely backwards, stirring once more into Pacific waters.
NASA practices all the elements of the landing, from its abortion system to the recovery of spacecraft. The new drop tests will build on previous defeats and further enhance NASA’s awareness of what Orion and his crew will experience in the final and crucial moments of Artemis II’s return journey.