CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA (AP) – NASA’s Orion capsule reached the Moon on Monday, whipping around the far side and buzzing the lunar surface on its way to a record-breaking orbit with test dummies sitting in for astronauts.
It’s the first time a capsule has visited the Moon since NASA’s Apollo programme 50 years ago, and represents a huge milestone in the USD4.1 billion test flight that began last Wednesday.
Video of the looming Moon and our pale blue planet more than 370,000 kilometres in the distance left workers “giddy” at Houston’s Johnson Space Centre, home to Mission Control, according to flight director Judd Frieling. Even the flight controllers themselves were “absolutely astounded”.
“Just smiles across the board,” said Orion programme manager Howard Hu.
The close approach of 130 kilometres occurred as the crew capsule and its three wired-up dummies were on the far side of the Moon. Because of a half-hour communication blackout, flight controllers in Houston did not know if the critical engine firing went well until the capsule emerged from behind the Moon.
The capsule’s cameras sent back a picture of the Earth – a tiny blue dot surrounded by blackness.
The capsule accelerated well beyond 8,000 kilometres per hour (kph) as it regained radio contact, NASA said.
Less than an hour later, Orion soared above Tranquility Base, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on July 20, 1969. There were no photos of the site because the pass was in darkness, but managers promised to try for pictures on the return flyby in two weeks.
Orion needed to slingshot around the Moon to pick up enough speed to enter the sweeping, lopsided lunar orbit. Another engine firing will place the capsule in that orbit on Friday.
