Illustration of NASA’s Orion spacecraft flying by means of area. Credit: NASA
NASA Artemis I – Flight Day 19: Orion Prepares for Close Lunar Flyby, Teams Examining Power Conditioning Issue
On Flight Day 19 of the Artemis I mission, Orion carried out the second return trajectory correction burn on Sunday, December 4, at 10:43 a.m. CST, utilizing the auxiliary thrusters and rising the spacecraft’s velocity by 1.16 mph (1.71 toes per second).
Orion skilled a difficulty with an influence conditioning distribution unit (PCDU) shortly after buying sign with the Deep Space Network’s Canberra floor station at 12:41 a.m. CST. Specifically, the issue was that 4 of the latching present limiters accountable for downstream energy out of the blue switched off. These lower-level switches hook up with the propulsion and heater subsystems. After groups confirmed the system was wholesome, they efficiently repowered the downstream elements. There was no interruption of energy to any crucial methods, and there have been no hostile results on Orion’s navigation or communication methods.
Teams are inspecting whether or not a possible contributor to this subject is said to an influence configuration take a look at applied by the flight groups to research earlier situations through which one in every of eight umbilical latching present limiter models opened and not using a command. The umbilical was efficiently commanded closed every time and there was no lack of energy flowing to avionics on the spacecraft.
On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, Orion captures Earth from a digicam mounted on one in every of its photo voltaic arrays because the spacecraft prepares for the return powered flyby of the Moon on December 5, when it would go roughly 79 miles (127 km) above the lunar floor. Credit: NASA
The spacecraft obtained further knowledge utilizing its optical navigation system, which is a delicate digicam to take photos of the Moon and Earth to assist orient the spacecraft by wanting on the measurement and place of the celestial our bodies within the photos. Engineers additionally proceed to work plans to perform a number of further take a look at targets throughout Orion’s journey again to Earth. A number of take a look at targets present data to engineers about how Orion operates in area, permitting them alternatives to validate efficiency fashions and study as a lot as potential in regards to the spacecraft.
In preparation for Orion’s return to Earth, the crew from NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program and the U.S. Navy, who will recover Orion from the Pacific Ocean, completed its final training day at sea, using a mock capsule in the water for divers and small boats to practice open water recovery procedures.
On Monday, December 5, Orion will make its closest approach to the Moon, flying 79.2 miles above the lunar surface. It will perform the return powered flyby burn at 10:43 a.m. CST, which will last about 3 minutes and 27 seconds, changing the velocity of the spacecraft by approximately 655 mph (961 feet per second) or 1,054 km/h (293 meters per second). The return powered flyby is the last large maneuver of the mission, with only smaller trajectory corrections to target Earth remaining.
Live coverage of the close lunar flyby and burn will begin at 8 a.m. CST on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and the NASA app. During the coverage, lighting will be different than it was during Orion’s initial close lunar flyby on November 21. The spacecraft will lose communications with Earth for approximately 31 minutes beginning at 10:40 a.m. CST, as it flies behind the far side of the Moon.
At 4 p.m. CST on December 5, NASA leaders will discuss the results of the return powered flyby burn and the deployment of recovery assets to sea ahead of Orion’s splashdown on December 11. Live coverage will be available on all NASA channels.
Just after 4:30 p.m. CST on December 4, Orion was traveling 222,213 miles (357,617 km) from Earth and 23,873 miles (38,420 km) from the Moon, cruising at 3,076 mph (4,950 km/h).
