NASA releases Supercut video of Artemis 1 highlights

After traveling more than 1.4 million miles (2.2 million kilometers) in one historic journey to the moon and back, NASA’s Orion capsule splashed into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday after its near-perfect test flight.

This week, NASA released a 24-minute video highlighting some of the most exciting moments of the 25.5-day mission from the moment Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. launched until the Orion spacecraft he parachuted out downward.

SLS lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on November 16, kicking off NASA’s Artemis program that plans to return humans to the Moon after more than 50 years.

The video begins with the explosive launch, revealing a unique rocket POV as it leaves the ground. The SLS’s two side thrusters and four RS-25 engines produced a whopping 8.8 million pounds of thrust at takeoff, butking the most powerful rocket ever built.

The rocket is then seen soaring through the dark skies, followed by a trail of fire. The side thrusters and center stage dropped in the first 500 seconds of the mission, while the interim cryogenic propulsion stage moved Orion into its trajectory before separating from the spacecraft.

After that, all the focus is on Orion. The video then shows the inside of the crew cabin, which was decorated with hidden messages and memories. The loud roar of the rocket launch is followed by the peaceful calm of space, with stunning views of the Earth and Moon captured by Orion’s cameras.

The unmanned capsule is eerily silent, with the back of Commander Moonikin Campos, a dummy designed to collect flight data, towards the camera. But the inanimate commander is enjoying the view, with memorable shots revealing Earth and its satellite in the depths. of space

During the mission, Orion made two lunar flybys and came within 128 kilometers of the Moon’s surface.

With just under 10 minutes left in the video, the Orion capsule begins its descent back to Earth. Orion went from 20,000 miles per hour (32,100 kilometers per hour) to 20 mph (32 km/h) during its parachute-assisted descent. During its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, Orion endured temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius), which is about half as hot as the surface of the Sun, according to NASA.

The video offers a dizzying vantage point as the capsule descends into the ocean, with the three parachutes flying overhead. Orion eventually sinks into the ocean, ending its unprecedented journey to the Moon and back.

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