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A timelapse video of the Orion spacecraft with European Service Module getting ready for thermal vacuum testing at NASA\u2019s Plum Brook Station. The first Orion will fly farther from Earth on the Artemis I mission than any human-rated vehicle has ever flown before \u2013 but first it will undergo testing to ensure the spacecraft withstands the extremes of spaceflight.<\/p>\n
Here at NASA\u2019s Plum Brook Station in Ohio, USA, Orion is being put into a thermal cage in preparation of getting its first feel of space in the world\u2019s largest thermal vacuum chamber.<\/p>\n
Orion will be subjected to temperatures at Plum Brook ranging from \u2013115\u00b0C to 75\u00b0C in vacuum for over two months non-stop \u2013 the same temperatures it will experience in direct sunlight or in the shadow of Earth or the Moon while flying in space.<\/p>\n
Orion is being placed in a cage, called the Thermal Enclosure Structure (TES), that will radiate infrared heat during the tests inside the vacuum chamber.<\/p>\n
The tests that will run for two months will show that the spacecraft works as planned and adheres to the strictest safety regulations for human spaceflight. The European Service Module has 33 thrusters, 11 km of electrical wiring, four propellant and two pressurisation tanks that all work together to supply propulsion and everything needed to keep astronauts alive far from Earth \u2013 there is no room for error.<\/p>\n