NASA Orion Capsule Drop Tests

NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia began a new series of four water impact drop tests. According to NASA, this series of drop tests began March 23, 2021 to finalize computer models for loads and structures prior to the Artemis II flight test, NASA’s first mission with crew aboard Orion. Artemis II will carry astronauts around the Moon and back, paving the way to land the first woman and next man on the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence at the Moon under the Artemis program.

For the April 6, 2021 test, the 14,000 lb. structural test vehicle was instrumented with DTS data acquisition systems and 500 channels of strain gauges, accelerometers and rotational rate sensors. The capsule was then vertically dropped into the Hydro Impact Basin at NASA’s Langley Research Center’s Landing and Impact Research Facility. The goal: better understand what Orion and its crew may experience during its final landing in the Pacific Ocean as part of the Artemis mission to the moon.

Watch the full video here courtesy of NASA TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1_bkuWCmO4