Watch what it looks like to enter the Earth’s atmosphere from space (video)

One year ago, the Orion spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere, and now NASA is celebrating by presenting stunning footage of the spacecraft slamming into atmospheric molecules at 11 kilometers per second, or 32 times the speed of sound.

After a 25.5-day orbit around the Moon, the unmanned Orion returned to Earth. It was the Artemis 1 mission vehicle and was the first test of the launch system that would one day take humans to Mars. Orion was a test of a partially reusable vehicle designed to carry up to four astronauts. Sixteen cameras were used to capture the entire mission.

One year ago today, NASA’s Orion spacecraft reentered the atmosphere after completing a distance of 1.4 million miles in 25.5 days. #Artemis I’m on a mission around the moon. Watch the full video here: https://t.co/0Rn7eRETua pic.twitter.com/gX95N8Kz5J

— Orion spacecraft (@NASA_Orion) December 11, 2023

Upon re-entering the atmosphere, the vehicle’s contact with atmospheric molecules caused it to catch fire, creating hot plasma behind it as the vehicle bounced through the atmosphere like a stone in a pond. This bounce helps NASA control where the capsule lands, regardless of where it enters the atmosphere.

The black pieces that appear in the video are from the protective radiation film and not pieces from the heat shield. They do not break into pieces, but burn evenly. The sudden changes in flames are due to the engines constantly running to keep the boat stable. The sounds heard are from valves opening and closing to start the engine.

Two quick things since everyone is asking the same questions:
1) The pieces are not a “traction” heat shield. It does not come out completely, but it is a continuous burning. I think those pieces are the low-e tape that wrapped Orion
2) Sudden changes and columns are…

– Chris Combs (enjoying iterative design) (@DrChrisCombs) December 12, 2023

NASA’s next step is to test the Orion crew with astronauts on the Artemis 2 mission, scheduled for November 2024. You can enjoy highlights from the Artemis 1 mission below.