Artemis II Return to Earth: Heat Shield Challenges and Astronaut Recovery
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is undergoing intense scrutiny after the Artemis II mission, with engineers closely examining its heat shield for signs of unexpected wear during re-entry. The shield, designed to withstand temperatures exceeding 2,760°C (5,000°F) as the capsule plunges through Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 40,000 km/h, showed localized erosion and charring in post-flight inspections. While … Read more