Orion in Podcasts

Upon reentering the Earth's atmosphere, the Orion capsule had to withstand predicted temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit and decelerate from nearly 25,000 miles per hour to a gentle 20 miles per hour or so before splashdown.

The Lockheed Martin-built Orion crew capsule carrying the Artemis II crew took a fiery plunge through the planet's atmosphere,

NASA decided to put Orion on a steeper, shorter re-entry path to reduce the time the shield is exposed to extreme heat.