It turns out that Orion's much-maligned heat shield performed really well

Independent safety officials also have high praise for changes by NASA leadership.

The short version

• Perhaps the biggest question going into the Artemis II mission this spring was how the heat shield at the base of the spacecraft would perform during reentry through Earth’s atmosphere.
• The ablative heat shield, designed to char upon reentry while keeping the crew safe, had experienced unexpected losses of large chunks during a test flight in late 2022.
• After much deliberation, and not without controversy , NASA decided to fly the Artemis II heat shield as is but modify the spacecraft’s reentry trajectory.

What happened

The crew of Artemis II, led by commander Reid Wiseman, safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a triumphant trip around the Moon. Afterward, they and other NASA officials offered general comments, saying the heat shield looked good.

Why it matters

During a meeting of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel this week, its members had an opportunity to review NASA’s findings during a visit to the Ames Research Center in California.

Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.