The video was recorded through windows in the spacecraft's crew module, documents the last 10 minutes of Orion's flight

Dec 22, 2014 08:15 GMT  ·  By
The Orion spacecraft is now at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US
5 photos
   The Orion spacecraft is now at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US

About two and a half weeks ago, on December 5, NASA's Mars-bound Orion spacecraft successfully completed its first flight test ever. After returning to Earth and landing in the Pacific Ocean, the spacecraft was recovered and taken to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Scientists are now hard at work processing data collected by Orion's army of sensors while the spacecraft was soaring through the skies and analyzing footage obtained during the historic December 5 flight. Luckily for us, they are more than willing to share their discoveries with us mere mortals.

Thus, just a couple of days ago, NASA released footage of Orion's maiden voyage as shot from inside the spacecraft. The video in question, available below, was recorded through the crew module's windows and documents the flight's final few minutes, scientists explain.

An impressive flight through and through

In a statement, NASA details that this footage shot through windows in Orion's crew module begins some 10 minutes prior to the spacecraft's landing in the Pacific Ocean, which occurred as 11:28 a.m. EST. More precisely, the video debuts just as Orion was working its way into our planet's atmosphere.

Some 2 minutes in, the spacecraft looks like it's being engulfed by some odd-looking lights. Specialists say that these lights are the plasma that formed when Orion's heat shield started rubbing against Earth's atmosphere and that changed from white to yellow to lavender and finally to magenta as it got hotter and hotter.

The video also shows the moment Orion deployed the parachutes that helped it make a safe landing. These parachutes helped the spacecraft slow down to about 20 miles per hour (approximately 32 kilometers per hour) before hitting the water. The final splash is also included in the footage.

Orion's flight test was one for the books

As previously reported, the Orion spacecraft's first flight test ever lasted a total of 4.5 hours. During this time, NASA's Mars-bound spacecraft journeyed to an altitude of 3,600 miles (about 5,800 kilometers) above our planet's surface and then back again.

While on its maiden voyage, Orion soared through the sky at a speed of 20,000 miles per hour (some 32,200 kilometers per hour and experienced temperatures of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (about 2,200 degrees Celsius). Since the flight was the spacecraft's maiden voyage, no astronauts were aboard it.

NASA expects that, at some point in the not-too-distant future, Orion will serve to carry astronauts to Mars. Now that this spacecraft has successfully completed its first flight test, scientists are busy building another Orion capsule. This second capsule will be sent on a trip to the moon and back.

Orion completed its first flight test this past December 5 (5 Images)

The Orion spacecraft is now at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US
The spacecraft arrived here on December 18After completing its first test flight, Orion landed in the Pacific Ocean
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