Orion is falling gently toward the Pacific Ocean surface under three parachutes that combined would cover a football field.
Forward Bay Cover Jettisoned; Drogues Deployed
Orion made it through re-entry! The protective cover over the parachutes at the top of the spacecraft has jettisoned so now the parachutes can begin their deployment to slow Orion for splashdown. The cover will be lowered to ocean on small parachutes of its own and retrieved. Drogues deployed.
Orion Signal Re-Acquired
Orion is sending back signals and video now as it slows going through the atmosphere.
Peak Heating
Orion continues to slow down quickly as the atmosphere it flies through gets thicker and thicker. The thickening air also generates more heat and the spacecraft is now passing through that hottest part of reentry.
Blackout
Plasma of 4,000 degrees F is enveloping Orion’s crew module now and signals from the spacecraft cannot get through it. The base heat shield will bear the brunt of the heat, but the backshell of the capsule will see high temperatures too. That’s why it’s been covered with black tiles like those used on the space shuttle. This blackout is expected to last about 2 1/2 minutes.
Entry Interface
T+4 hours, 13 minutes – Orion is flying now with its base heat shield facing Earth as it encounters the first areas of the discernable atmosphere around the planet and the temperature around the spacecraft begins to build up. The spacecraft is coming in at 20,000 mph and will be slowed considerably. With help of parachutes later, Orion will splash down at about 20 mph, having made the 75-mile fall to the ocean surface in 11 minutes.
Orion Out of High Radiation Area
The crew module completed its flight through the lower Van Allen belt and is about to begin re-entry into the atmosphere. Orion is less than 400 miles above Earth. Eight minutes to entry interface to begin re-entry. Splashdown is targeted for 275 miles off the coast of Baja California, some 600 miles south of San Diego.
Crew Module Translation Burn
T+3 hours, 57 minutes – Orion’s reaction control system thrusters fire for 10 seconds to refine its course back to Earth. The spacecraft is in the home stretch of its first flight test mission and is less than 1,600 miles above Earth and getting closer.
NASA’s Ikhana Ready for Orion Return
An Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California is flying over the Pacific Ocean near Orion’s landing zone to record the spacecraft as it returns from orbit. The aircraft is equipped with infrared and other cameras to see Orion as it comes through the atmosphere and opens its parachutes.
Second Run Through High Radiation Area
The Orion crew module is entering the lower Van Allen radiation belt again. All signs from the spacecraft continue to point to no problems.