NASA reckons Artemis II heat shield performed like a champ

"Initial inspections of the system found it performed as expected, with no unusual conditions identified. Diver imagery of the spacecraft's heat shield initially taken after splashdown and further inspections on the recovery ship found the char loss behavior observed on Artemis I was significantly reduced, both in terms of quantity and size."

"NASA concluded the problems had to do with gas within the coating, caused by the re-entry technique used by Artemis I. The maneuver involved the capsule dipping into the atmosphere to scrub off speed, then skipping off before performing a final re-entry."

NASA confirmed the Orion heat shield effectively protected the Artemis II crew during re-entry. Initial concerns arose from cracks found on the Artemis I heat shield, leading to a delay for Artemis II. NASA determined the issues stemmed from gas within the coating due to the re-entry technique used in Artemis I. Instead of redesigning the shield, NASA altered the reentry trajectory. Post-splashdown inspections showed improved performance of the heat shield, with reduced char loss compared to Artemis I, prompting further examination at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

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