NASA Orion: the test of security systems is a success, Mars is closer!

A main time for the next US Moon and Mars space missions was the NASA Orion test at 13.00 (Italian). This is the capsule for crews who had to pass the test of safety systems in case the launch was cancelled.

This is not a fresh scheme, so much so that it was also present in the Apollo missions (but also in the Russian correspondent), but it remains a basic piece for the astronauts ' security and the continuation of the SLS-connected parts.

What was the test made up of? In brief, the NASA Orion capsule must be prepared to move away from the primary rocket in case some anomaly is identified preventing (or at least reducing) astronaut death within.

The 2 July 2019 experiment lasted approximately three minutes and is called Ascent Abort-2. A rocket intended for lunar missions was not used for this experiment, but a modified military rocket that served only to simulate the launch circumstances (spending a much reduced budget).

At an altitude of just under 10 kilometers, the NASA Orion capsule traveled. At that point, the interruption sequence was initiated at the time of maximum aerodynamic stress (a critical condition for the structures), leading to the removal of the capsule from the main rocket in a few milliseconds. The capsule, in turn, has an engine with the buoyancy control function that enables it to be properly repositioned on the floor and then returned to the ocean.

The experiment has generally been a success, even though the operators will still have to examine all the telemetric information and pictures in order to know whether there may be further imperfections or issues not seen during live broadcast.

The experiment did not include parachutes that will be tested individually at the end of last year in the final version of NASA Orion. This has made it possible, according to the agency, to cut expenses and speed up procedures.

NASA also recalls that the SLS project (the biggest human-built rocket ever) is in complete assembly with four of the five finished components. Instead, the key stage's four motors will come by summer. There has been a lot of skepticism in the past owing to the very high expenses and problems in realizing SLS, but this kind of activities has been given fresh life by the current push for the race to the Moon and Mars.