Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 11, 2022
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 11, 2022
NASA’s Orion capsule blazes home from test flight to moon, lands in Pacific Ocean
This image provided by NASA shows the Orion spacecraft approaching Earth on December 11, 2022, as it neared the end of its three-week test flight to the moon. (NASA via AP)
NASA’s Orion capsule made a blisteringly fast return from the moon, parachuting into the Pacific Ocean off Mexico to conclude a test flight that should clear the way for astronauts on the next lunar flyby.
The incoming capsule hit the atmosphere at Mach 32, or 32 times the speed of sound, and endured reentry temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) before splashing down west of Baja California near Guadalupe Island.
A Navy ship quickly moved in to recover the spacecraft and its silent occupants — three test dummies rigged with vibration sensors and radiation monitors. One of the dummies, nicknamed Zohar, was outfitted with Israeli technology.
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