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... Orion's reentry followed a sharply angled trajectory, during which the capsule fell at an incredible speed before deploying three red and white parachutes. As the mission finished its trip of over 270,000 miles (435,000 kilometers), it looked to those on the deck of the USS Portland like the capsule had made it home in a single piece. As the recovery crew lifted Orion to the carrier's deck, shock waves ruffled across the capsule's surface. That's when crew members started to spot big cracks on Orion's lower surface, where the capsule's exterior bonds to its heat shield. But why wouldn't...

Uncrewed Orion could find astronauts lost in space 17:26 19 December 2007 NewScientist.com news service David Shiga NASA wants its Orion spacecraft, seen here in an artist's conception, to be able to fly itself to the rescue of astronauts stranded in lunar orbit in a Moon lander vehicle (Illustration: NASA) NASA's Orion spacecraft could fly unpiloted to rescue astronauts stuck in orbit around the Moon, using sensors and smart navigation software the space agency is currently developing. The agency plans to carry astronauts to the Moon from 2020 aboard the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), also dubbed Orion. Once in lunar...

Tiny uncrewed aircraft to fly into hurricanes 20:05 12 September 2006 NewScientist.com news service Jeff Hecht The tiny aircraft weigh just 15 kilograms (33 pounds) or so and can be launched from atop a truck (Image: Aerosonde/NOAA)Related Articles Each aerosonde costs about $50,000 and can be reused, unless it drops into the sea (Image: Aerosonde/NOAA) A small uncrewed aircraft is set to fly through the fierce winds surrounding the eye of a hurricane to take the first continuous data on how such storms gain their strength, according to a plan by NASA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association....