Orion returns from 3,600 mile high-point above the Earth
Nasa’s new Orion spacecraft made a “bullseye” splashdown in the Pacific following a dramatic test flight.
The brief journey took it to a zenith height of 3,600 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.
The unmanned test flight ended just four hours and 30 minutes after it began and achieved at least one record – flying farther and faster than any capsule built for humans since the Apollo moon programme.
Nasa is counting on future Orions to carry astronauts beyond Earth’s orbit, to asteroids and ultimately the grand prize of Mars.
“There’s your new spacecraft, America,” Mission Control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water.
It is the farthest a spacecraft designed for humans has flown since Apollo 17 - Nasa’s final moon shot – flew 42 years ago.
Nasa needed to send Orion that high in order to set the capsule up for a 20,000-mph 4,000-degree (2,200 Celsius) entry over the Pacific.
Engineers want to see how the heat shield holds up before putting humans on board.
