'To the Moon and back': NASA Orion capsule safely blazes back from moon
Image Credit: gazette net
NASA's Orion capsule made a blisteringly fast return from the moon on Sunday, parachuting into the Pacific 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.