‘Exceeding Expectations’ – Orion Spacecraft Conducts Its First Inspection

On the third day of the Artemis I mission, Orion maneuvered its solar arrays and filmed the moon with a camera mounted at the end of the group. The spacecraft is already halfway to the moon. attributed to him:[{” attribute=””>NASA

On the third day of its Artemis I journey, NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft is now more than halfway to the Moon.

“Today, we met to review the Orion spacecraft performance, and it is exceeding performance expectations,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager.

Flight controllers used Orion’s cameras on Friday to inspect the crew module thermal protection system and European Service Module. This was the first of two planned external evaluations for the spacecraft. Teams conducted this survey early in the mission to provide detailed images of the spacecraft’s external surfaces after it has flown through the portion of Earth’s orbit where the majority of space debris resides.

The second inspection is required during the return phase to assess the overall condition of the spacecraft several days before re-entry. During both inspections, the Integrated Communications Officer, or INCO, commands cameras on the four solar array wings to take still images of the entire spacecraft, allowing experts to pinpoint any micrometeoroid or orbital debris strikes. The team in mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will review the imagery following the survey.

Artemis All Access is your vision of the latest developments in Artemis I, the people and technology behind the mission, and what’s next. This unmanned test flight around the Moon will pave the way for a manned test flight and future human exploration of the Moon as part of Artemis. Credit: NASA

Over the past few days, the team has been evaluating anomalous star tracking data associated with rocket launches. Startrackers are sensitive cameras that take pictures of the star field around Orion. By comparing the images to the built-in star map, the star tracker can determine which way Orion is facing. Teams now understand readings and there are no operational changes.

NASA also received updates from groups associated with 10 CubeSats that were delivered into space via a loop connected to the upper stage of the Space Launch System rocket. All 10 CubeSats were successfully deployed using the switchover timer. CubeSats’ individual missions are separate from the Artemis I mini-satellites, each about the size of a shoebox, by their very nature high risk, high reward, and teams are at different stages of completing a mission or, in some cases, solving problems.

On Friday, NASA held a briefing (see video below) to showcase Orion’s arrival in the lunar sphere of influence. You can follow the task in real time Orion Tracking During your mission around the moon and back, check NASA television programs For updates on upcoming TV events. Episode 1 of Artemis All Access is available now (see video embedded above) as a recap of the first three days of the quest and a glimpse of what’s to come.

From NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA demonstrated the Orion spacecraft’s entry into the lunar impact field and a couple of maneuvers that would take the spacecraft into a distant retrograde lunar orbit. Participant briefing includes:

• Mike Sarafin, Artemis I Mission Leader, NASA Headquarters
• Jeff Radigan, Flight Director, NASA Johnson
• Jim Jeffrey, Orion Vehicle Integration Manager, NASA Johnson

Orion’s entry into the lunar sphere of influence would make the Moon, rather than the Earth, the primary gravitational force acting on the spacecraft. Flight controllers will conduct a flyby to use the Moon’s gravitational pull to boost the spacecraft and steer it into a retrograde orbit far beyond the Moon. During a powered flyby, Orion will get as close as possible – about 80 miles – to the surface of the moon. Four days later, another burn using the European Service Module will take Orion into a distant retrograde orbit, where it will remain for about a week to test the spacecraft’s systems.