The Parachute Test of Orion Spaceship Was Successful

STATES CHRONICLE – NASA has successfully tested the parachute system of Orion spaceship on March 8th, performing the test in southwestern Arizona, above the US Yuma Army Proving Ground. This represented the second parachute test from a series of eight tests which are bound to come in the next two and a half years. These parachutes are required to assure astronauts that they will return home safe and sound from deep-space missions.

Orion spaceship is bound to launch astronauts in deep space

The primary purpose of the latest test concerning the parachute was to establish how astronauts would go down if they were forced to end a mission after a take-off. Based on the data provided by NASA, the test was performed using a C-17 aircraft which flew at 25,000 feet. Orion is known to be the most innovative spaceship which was ever developed. Scientists argue that it will deliver astronauts deeper in space than anybody ever was and it will assure their safety when re-entering the atmosphere and during landing.

The Orison spaceship’s parachute system is made up of 11 parachutes which are bound to be deployed in a particular sequence. Three of them were programmed to pull off the forward bay cover of the spacecraft which is responsible for gathering significant information while two other parachutes would be deployed to slow the capsule. After this, three pilot parachutes which will pull out other three main parachutes that will secure Orion’s final eight thousand feet of descending journey.

The parachute system appears to work as planned

The parachute system of this spaceship plays a significant role in the future of astronauts who will undergo deep space missions aboard Orion and will get back to Earth upon the ending of the space missions. The parachute system is bound to slow down Orion spaceship from 300 mph to only 20 mph in just a few minutes before it will land. The spacecraft weighs over 22,000 pounds.

Each of the main parachutes weighs only three hundred pounds. Thus, it will be remarkable if they will succeed in stabilizing the speed and reducing it while it descends through the air. To prepare the parachute system of the craft for the future crewed flights, the system needed to go through rough conditions, and it will complete the rest of the tests over the next several months.

Back in 2014, during Orion’s first uncrewed test flight in space, the parachute system proved to work extremely well, causing the spaceship to plunge into the Pacific Ocean.

Image courtesy of: wikipedia