Orion Splashdown Brings Outer Space Oceans Step Closer

Somewhere out on the Pacific Ocean 600 miles southwest of San Diego US at 11 am the sky was perfect blue, the waters of the Pacific tranquil met the horizon… 29 minutes later the spacecraft Orion EFT-1 broke the atmosphere and took on a flawless descend and a majestic splashdown changing the history of outer space exploration.

Universe Today reported on the first days of December that “NASA’s First Orion was Back on Land after Flawless Ocean Recovery”. Following a picture perfect launch on December 5th, flawless test flight, and safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, NASA’s first Orion spacecraft has been recovered from the ocean and brought back onshore in California.

Using its main parachutes Orion slowed down to 17 miles per hour to be recovered by the US Navy -primary contractor of Lockheed Martin in the new NASA endeavour.

“Orion descended on a trio of massive red and white main parachutes to achieve a statistical bulls-eye splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, 600 miles southwest of San Diego, at 11:29 a.m. EST that was within one mile of the touchdown spot predicted by mission controllers after returning from an altitude of over 3600 miles above Earth. The entire system of reentry hardware, commands, and parachutes performed flawlessly,” NASA comminuted.

The oceans are without a doubt a fundamental part of the future of Space Exploration. The recent successful "flawless" Ocean recovery of NASA Spaceship Orion is but another reminder of the importance of oceans in this new trend.

2014 comes to a near end proving to have been one of the most exciting years for Space Exploration since the "Moon Race". What excites the scientific and international community in general is the discovery of oceans on the moon of Saturn Europa, new conclusions on water in the moon of Triton Neptune, and other celestial bodies, water related events during the Rosetta Mission Asteroid exploration, the Mars Water Reserves issues and other issues which stand by the equation of Water=Life. In Outer Space the equation Water=Life gains a completely mind-blowing potential becoming “the” lost grail of space science since it space exploration began started.

Space exploration hit pumps in its infant road, the Challenger disaster, lack of finance, lack of enthusiasm, lack of budget allocation and lack of new goals. These issues brought forward also a bright side for new solutions, new designs, private sector space exploration participation, new goals for exploring and reaching Mars before 2030, the iconic Delta Rockets (major players of modern space exploration), the international space station and the return of “old-school” space exploration designs in the form of capsules such as the Orion capsule.

The capsule of Orion near the conclusion of its two orbit -4.5 hour maiden test flight on the Exploration Flight Test-1 mission fired its thrusters and began the rapid fire 10 minute plummet back to Earth.

Breathtaking images of the aftermath of the Splashdown were registered by the team of recovery and broke international press wide and open.

Capsules which are now back in play in the ocean ventures have been through diverse times, good and bad. Gus Grissom's Mercury-Redstone 4 capsule which malfunctioned and blew prematurely and caused the capsule to sink. NASA conducted extensive splashdown investigation to avoid similar issues to be repeated.

Another dark patch in the capsule road is explained by NASA. “One of the worst tragedies in the history of spaceflight occurred on January 27, 1967 when the crew of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were killed in a fire in the Apollo Command Module during a preflight test at Cape Canaveral,” NASA states.

History of failures is met with history of success and development to reach perfection. Capsules are now back and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean bringing adrenaline rush and making wild history.

Daily Mail UK reported that “If astronauts had been onboard Orion, they would have experienced a g-force of 8.2 - nearly twice that generated when Soyuz capsules return from the International Space Station”.

'There's your new spacecraft, America,' Mission Control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water. He called the journey 'the most perfect flight you could ever imagine.'

NASA explains that Orion spacecraft is built to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before. Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

Through the Space Launch System US Orion is not only expected to reach Mars but play a significant role in the exploration of outer space ocean exploration… really a note for the history books.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.