NASA is sending some astronauts out of Earth orbit and on a short trek around the moon, just the beginning of its current plan to return manned missions to the lunar surface. It’s an unprecedented and extraordinary time for space exploration as a new era of space race aims to expand knowledge of Earth’s celestial neighbors, but Artemis 2’s Orion spacecraft has a glaring problem that worries most experts. It turns out that if previous missions are any indication, the spacecraft’s heat shield — a special coating on the bottom of the spacecraft that helps protect its inhabitants from extreme temperatures — may be at fault.
Orion from the historic Artemis 1 had a nearly identical heat shield that was damaged when it re-entered the atmosphere. When the initial coating scorches, it doesn’t come off as expected but leaves voids in the material. The first mission was unmanned, but Artemis 2 will not be. NASA investigated the issue and believes it has resolved it. “Our confidence in the Orion spacecraft and its heat shield is based on rigorous analysis and the work of outstanding engineers who have tracked data throughout the entire process,” new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, according to Ars Technica.
Rather than changing the heat shield, NASA will change the entry profile or trajectory of the spacecraft, designed to withstand higher heat loads for several minutes during flight. Using modeling and testing methods such as arc spray testing, they believe the new trajectories and higher heat exposure will reduce cracking in the Avcoat material, the coating used in the heat shield.
Read more: How NASA plans to deorbit the International Space Station
What do the experts say?
Public photos of the Artemis 2 astronaut crew displayed at Space Center Houston. – Tada Photo/Shutterstock
While NASA’s team assures they have solved the problem, some experts disagree. Dr. Charlie Camarda, a former mission specialist with multiple graduate degrees in engineering who flew on the space shuttle Discovery in 2005, said NASA’s new plan is “crazy.” In a CNN report, Kamada claimed that NASA “continues to drag its feet.”
Another former astronaut, Dr. Danny Olivas, initially said, “This is not the heat shield NASA wants to provide for astronauts.” But after some changes, especially the new primer, Olivas now believes NASA has the situation under control. Olivas was a member of the independent review team that conducted the initial investigation into the Artemis 1 heat shield.
It’s obviously hard to say who’s here, since there’s no reason to believe NASA would send astronauts on a mission knowing their lives were in danger, but it does paint a cautionary tale. Fortunately, the Artemis 2 mission is expected to launch in early 2026 (no earlier than February 6), so tensions will soon be lifted.
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