--- title: "Skkrt! NASA’s Orion Heads Back to Earth, Leaves Moon in the Dust" description: "Part of the maiden voyage of NASA's Artemis Moon mission, the Orion capsule is now headed back from lunar orbit and will splash down soon in the Pacific." date: "2022-12-05" modified: "2022-12-05" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-orion-artemis-flyby" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "artemis" - "NASA" - "Orion" - "the digest" --- # Skkrt! NASA’s Orion Heads Back to Earth, Leaves Moon in the Dust ![Part of the maiden voyage of NASA's Artemis Moon mission, the Orion capsule is now headed back from lunar orbit and will splash down soon in the Pacific.]() *\Image: NASA via Twitter / Futurism\* ## Artemis-ty Eyed NASA's Orion lunar capsule is headed back to terra firma — and it captured a breathtaking image of the Moon with the Earth rising in the background on its way home. "For Orion, this is not a 'goodbye,' but a 'see you later' to the Moon," a [NASA TV spokesperson said]() in the stunning footage captured by one of the Artemis I mission's many cameras, which captured an Earthrise in the distance as the pair made their way back from their maiden voyage. Indeed, the incredible shots captured by some of [Artemis' 24 cameras]() look like something out of some [pulpy sci-fi novel art]() rather than real-life footage beaming down from an actual journey into space. https://twitter.com/NASA_Orion/status/1599814673506963457 ## Engine Affairs As [*Space.com* notes](), the unmanned Orion capsule also completed an important milestone while capturing the incredible footage — its longest-ever engine burn, which lasted 207 seconds as it hovered about 80 miles above the Moon, and put it on its trajectory back to Earth. The feat was impressive for other reasons as well, the report notes. Used in a 1984 and 2002 on space shuttle missions, Orion's repurposed orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engine can fire for as long as 16 minutes. The capsule, which should be crewed with astronauts by 2024, is scheduled to land in the Pacific Ocean off the Coast of California on December 11, *Space.com* notes, hitting the atmosphere at a blistering 25,000 miles per hour before its heat shield and parachute slow it down to about 20 MPH before impact. So far, Orion and Artemis are performing up to NASA's expectations, the report adds — a relief given the [lengthy and expensive issues]() the mission had prior to its successful launch last month. **More on Artemis:** [*Amazing Artemis Photo Shows Every Human, Alive or Dead, Plus the Moon*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()