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NASA's Orion capsule begins new water drop tests
Fox News
NASA engineers at the Virginia-based Langley Research Center have begun a new series of four water-impact drop tests using a test version of the agency's Orion spacecraft capsule.
The tests, conducted at Langley's Landing and Impact Research Facility Hydro Impact Basin in Hampton, will simulate various landing scenarios in order to help researchers get a clearer picture of what Orion and its crew may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after the planned Artemis missions to the moon. Orion will launch on NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the 322-foot-tall Space Launch System (SLS), which is set to be used in Artemis I at the end of the year. During the first Artemis mission, the SLS rocket will send an uncrewed Orion on a flight around the lunar planet and back to Earth -- marking the first of three missions.More Related News