There are prospects that cannot be bought – not even with Mastercard. The image that was recently sent to us from space falls into this category. The sender is the Orion space capsule, on behalf of NASA’s Artemis-1 mission and currently on its way home.
And this homecoming almost has the character of an event. NASA even hosts live streams on YouTube when important space capsule maneuvers are due. Such a stream also took place on December 5, 2022. The occasion was the most powerful engine burn of the entire mission. A breathtaking snapshot was also taken.
Photographed the moon up close
If we at close range
Of course, when you write that, you have to look at that statement by, um, intergalactic standards. Because at the moment when Orion was very close to the moon during the maneuver, the distance was still around 127 kilometers. But we promised you a spectacular shot, so here’s a look for yourself first:
When the earth looks like the moon: we rarely get that close to our satellite. (Source: NASA)
Back to engine ignition: Orion had to let the main drive off the leash this time. It took a total of 3 minutes and 27 seconds for the capsule to reach an impressive speed of 1054 km/h. Previously, Orion used the moon’s gravity to successfully complete a turning maneuver while conserving precious fuel. Now the next travel destination is: home earth.
And what is all this for? On December 11, 2022, according to NASA, Orion hotter and faster than ever
penetrate the earth’s atmosphere and finally perform a water landing. That’s according to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson the ultimate test
before allowing astronauts on board for future flights.
If you are now interested in watching the full-length maneuver of December 5, 2022, you can find the full-length live stream from NASA here:
link to YouTube content
You can find more information about the entire Artemis mission and the flight maneuvers described in this article on the official NASA blog. If you are more in the mood for more impressive pictures, you should, however, in the official video and picture gallery drop by.
And of course we also have something for the play children among you. If you’ve always wanted to explore space on your own, you don’t have to wait for Starfield or start No Man’s Sky, you can even use an official NASA tool:
Surprisingly complex NASA simulation lets you explore space in the browser
What do you think of the new recording of the Orion capsule? Impressive or rather unspectacular in your eyes? Would you like to walk across the surface of the moon during your lifetime? Let us know your thoughts on this topic in the comments!
