Jump to content

Artemis II Astronauts Put Orion’s Side Hatch to the Test


Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted
orion-hatch-test-8-20-24-04.jpg?w=2048
Astronaut and Artemis II pilot, Victor Glover, maneuvers the latch handle on an Orion test side hatch during performance evaluations at the Lockheed Martin Space campus in Littleton, Colorado.
Photo credit: Lockheed Martin

Artemis II NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen recently traveled to Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, where they practiced opening and closing an Orion crew module side hatch model to help demonstrate its reliability and durability during their 10-day mission around the Moon.

During normal mission operations, the crew will not operate the hatches – the ground systems team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will assist the crew into Orion at the launch pad, then close the hatch behind them prior to liftoff. After splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, recovery teams will open the side hatch and help crew to exit.

Back-up crew members Andre Douglas of NASA and Jenni Gibbons of CSA also trained on hatch operations, which help ensure the crew can safely enter and exit the spacecraft in the event of an emergency. The side hatch is normally opened using a manual gearbox system, but in an emergency, the hatch has release mechanisms containing small pyrotechnic (explosive) devices that release the latch pins on the hatch instantaneously, allowing the hatch to open quickly.

Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.  

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      NASA/Kim Shiflett NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, and Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, walk on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
      On Aug. 11 and 12, teams with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program along with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, practiced launch day operations if launch occurs at night. They simulated putting their spacesuits on and driving to the launch pad as well as emergency procedures they would use in the unlikely event of an emergency during the launch countdown requiring them to evacuate the launch pad.
      Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
      Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
      View the full article
    • By USH
      NASA’s 1991 Discovery shuttle video shows UFOs making impossible maneuvers, evading a possible Star Wars railgun test. Evidence of secret tech? 

      In September 1991, NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery transmitted live video that has since become one of the most debated UFO clips ever recorded. The footage, later analyzed by independent researchers, shows glowing objects in orbit performing maneuvers far beyond the limits of known physics. 
      One object appears over Earth’s horizon, drifts smoothly, then suddenly reacts to a flash of light by accelerating at impossible speeds, estimated at over 200,000 mph while withstanding forces of 14,000 g’s. NASA officially dismissed the anomalies as ice particles or debris, but side by side comparisons with actual orbital ice show key differences: the objects make sharp turns, sudden accelerations, and fade in brightness in ways consistent with being hundreds of miles away, not near the shuttle. 
      Image analysis expert Dr. Mark Carlotto confirmed that at least one object was located about 1,700 miles from the shuttle, placing it in Earth’s atmosphere. At that distance, the object would be too large and too fast to be dismissed as ice or space junk. 
      The flash and two streaks seen in the video resemble the Pentagon’s “Brilliant Pebbles” concept, a railgun based missile defense system tested in the early 1990s. Researchers suggest the shuttle cameras may have accidentally, or deliberately, captured a live Star Wars weapons test in orbit. 
      The UFO easily evaded the attack, leading some to conclude that it was powered by a form of hyperdimensional technology capable of altering gravity. 
      Notably, following this 1991 incident, all subsequent NASA shuttle external camera feeds were censored or delayed, raising speculation that someone inside the agency allowed the extraordinary footage to slip out.
        View the full article
    • By NASA
      The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission pose for a photo during a training session.Credit: SpaceX NASA astronauts Michael Finke and Zena Cardman will connect with students in Minnesota as they answer prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) questions aboard the International Space Station.
      The Earth-to-space call will begin at 11 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and will stream live on the agency’s Learn With NASA YouTube channel.
      Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 19, to Elizabeth Ross at: 952-838-1340 or elizabeth.ross@pacer.org.
      The PACER center will host this event in Bloomington for students in their Tech for Teens program. The organization aims to improve educational opportunities and enhance the quality of life for children and young adults with disabilities and their families. The goal of this event is to help educate and inspire teens with disabilities to consider opportunities in STEM fields.
      For nearly 25 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
      Research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lay the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Golden Age explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
      See more information on NASA in-flight downlinks at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
      -end-
      Gerelle Dodson
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov
      Sandra Jones
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-511
      sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Aug 15, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      International Space Station (ISS) Artemis ISS Research STEM Engagement at NASA View the full article
    • By NASA
      A member of the space crop production team prepares materials for Veggie seed pillows inside the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. NASA/Cory S Huston When the Crew-11 astronauts launched to the International Space Station on August 1, 2025, they carried with them another chapter in space farming: the latest VEG-03 experiments, complete with seed pillows ready for planting.
      Growing plants provides nutrition for astronauts, as well as psychological benefits that help maintain crew morale during missions.
      During VEG-03 MNO, astronauts will be able to choose what they want to grow from a seed library including Wasabi mustard greens, Red Russian Kale, and Dragoon lettuce.
      From Seed to Space Salad
      The experiment takes place inside Veggie, a chamber about the size of carry-on luggage. The system uses red, blue, and green LED lights to provide the right spectrum for plant growth. Clear flexible bellows — accordion-like walls that expand to accommodate maturing plants — create a semi-controlled environment around the growing area.
      Astronauts plant thin strips containing their selected seeds into fabric “seed pillows” filled with a special clay-based growing medium and controlled-release fertilizer. The clay, similar to what’s used on baseball fields, helps distribute water and air around the roots in the microgravity environment. 
      Crew members will monitor the plants, add water as needed, and document growth through regular photographs. At harvest time, astronauts will eat some of the fresh produce while freezing other samples for return to Earth, where scientists will analyze their nutritional content and safety.
      How this benefits space exploration
      Fresh food will become critical as astronauts venture farther from Earth on missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA aims to validate different kinds of crops to add variety to astronaut diets during long-duration space exploration missions, while giving crew members more control over what they grow and eat.
      How this benefits humanity
      The techniques developed for growing crops in space’s challenging conditions may also improve agricultural practices on Earth. Indoor crop cultivation approaches similar to what astronauts do in Veggie might also be adapted for horticultural therapy programs, giving elderly or disabled individuals new ways to experience gardening when traditional methods aren’t accessible.
      Related Resources
      VEG-03 MNO on the Space Station Research Explorer
      Veggie Vegetable Product System
      Veggie Plant Growth System Activated on International Space Station
      About BPS
      NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division pioneers scientific discovery and enables exploration by using space environments to conduct investigations not possible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomenon under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefitting life on Earth.
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, left, NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s recovery ship shortly after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, on Aug. 9, 2025.Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber After spending almost five months in space, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 astronauts will discuss their science mission aboard the International Space Station during a news conference at 4:15 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 20, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
       
      NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi will answer questions about their mission. The crew returned to Earth on Aug. 9.
       
      Live coverage of the news conference will stream on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional platforms, including social media.
       
      This event is open to media to attend in person or virtually. For in-person, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 12 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 19, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. Media participating by phone must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the event to ask questions. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available on the agency’s website.
       
      The crew spent 146 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, traveling nearly 62,795,205 million miles and completing 2,368 orbits around Earth. While living and working aboard the station, the crew completed hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations. The latest NASA space station news, images, and features are available on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

      NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is opening access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. For almost 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for Mars.

      Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
      -end-
      Joshua Finch
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1100
      joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
      Courtney Beasley
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Aug 14, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Commercial Crew International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research Johnson Space Center View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...