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A test version of NASA's Orion spacecraft sits safely today (September 12th) under three parachutes, completing the final parachute test to prepare the vehicle for a journey around the moon. .
Although it will take several weeks to scan the data, early indications show that the test has been successful. In this test, which ended around 11:00 am EDT (8:00 am PDT, or 1,500 GMT), Orion deployed all his parachutes safely after being released from a C-17 aircraft at around 9.5 kilometers.
Orion then landed at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, near a group of spectators and NASA officials. Among them, Mark Kirasich, director of the Orion program, who spoke briefly to NASA Television before the test.
Watched a perfect test the perfect day with @AstroKomrade and the parachute team! Congratulations to all for the great work! pic.twitter.com/Ps4nAzcqyn
– Mark Kirasich (@MarkKirasich) September 12, 2018
"Orion is our new spaceship for human exploration, and it's a spaceship that will take people farther into space than ever before," Kirasich said. The spacecraft must endure intense heat when it returns to Earth, because it will come back at great speed from a distance; In 2019 or 2020, for example, an unmanned Orion, launched with NASA's new space launch rocket, is expected to circle the moon for a mission that will take several weeks.
"After today, if everything goes as planned, we are ready for the flight – it's just amazing," said Astronaut Randy Bresnik at NASA Television. He joked that he expected to count to 11, representing the number of parachutes that Orion had to deploy before reaching the ground.
Orion has four sets of parachutes that, working together, will bring the spacecraft safely back, trips to the moon or deep space. The first set consists of three front cover parachutes, which are supposed to release a blanket that protects Orion during the hot reentry at a speed 32 times higher than that of sound.
Then, Orion deploys two parachutes to stabilize the spacecraft and slow it down. After that, three pilot parachutes are released to help deploy the three main parachutes. The main falls then remain deployed until Orion touches the ground.
This parachute test is the last one for Orion after a decade of development, said Kirasich. The spacecraft is expected to be the backbone of NASA's deep space exploration plans, which include a Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway space station around the moon in the next decade.
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