"In terms of what keeps me up at night, my blood pressure will be elevated until they're under parachutes in the water off the West Coast. There's no plan B there. That is the thermal protection system. The heat shield has to work."
"The massive rocket produced 8.8 million pounds of thrust at launch, packing enormous energy into the small spacecraft, energy that must be safely dissipated as Orion slams back into Earth's atmosphere during its return from the Moon."
"During the Artemis I mission in 2022, the uncrewed Orion spacecraft experienced unexpected heat shield char loss, an issue engineers later addressed through changes to the spacecraft's reentry profile."
"As Orion begins its return to Earth, the spacecraft will reach about 76 miles above the planet before its service module separates from the crew capsule, which will plunge into the atmosphere at speeds nearing 25,000 miles per hour."
NASA officials have stated there is no alternative if the Artemis II heat shield fails during reentry, which is considered the most dangerous phase of the mission. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman expressed concern about the thermal protection system, emphasizing its necessity for safe reentry. The mission relies on a single heat shield to withstand extreme temperatures as the spacecraft returns from the Moon. Previous issues with heat shield char loss during Artemis I have led to changes in the reentry profile to mitigate risks.
Read at Mail Online
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