The Cross Heads

After critics decry Orion heat shield decision, NASA reviewer says agency is correct

“Every one of our conclusions, every one of our recommendations, was unanimously agreed to by our team,” Hill said. “We went through a lot of effort, arguing sentence by sentence, to make sure the entire team agreed. To get there we definitely had some robust and energetic discussions.” Hill did acknowledge that, at the outset […]

December 6, 2024 | heat shield, orion, Science, Space | No comments

NASA says Orion’s heat shield is good to go for Artemis II—but does it matter?

“We have since determined that while the capsule was dipping in and out of the atmosphere, as part of that planned skip entry, heat accumulated inside the heat shield outer layer, leading to gases forming and becoming trapped inside the heat shield,” said Pam Melroy, NASA’s deputy administrator. “This caused internal pressure to build up […]

December 6, 2024 | artemis, artemis II, bill nelson, human spaceflight, moon, NASA, orion, space launch system | No comments

NASA is stacking the Artemis II rocket, implying a simple heat shield fix

A good sign The readiness of the Orion crew capsule, where the four Artemis II astronauts will live during their voyage around the Moon, is driving NASA’s schedule for the mission. Officially, Artemis II is projected to launch in September of next year, but there’s little chance of meeting that schedule. At the beginning of […]

November 21, 2024 | artemis, artemis II, human spaceflight, Kennedy Space Center, NASA, orion, Science, Space, space launch system, vehicle assembly building | No comments

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