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NASA Video Shows What It's Like To Reenter the Earth's Atmosphere

Posted by Soulskill on from the hold-on-to-something dept.

astroengine writes: In a mesmerizing new video released by NASA, the Dec. 5 reentry of the Orion test space vehicle is chronicled — and it's a phenomenal 10-minute ride from fiery reentry to sudden splashdown into the Pacific Ocean. (YouTube Link.)

3 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Makes me want to play some KSP by werepants · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You can't really appreciate what NASA does until you build your own rocket, load it up with little green men, and crash it dozens of times while you try to learn how to orbit. Kerbal Space Program taught me how impressive this achievement really is.

  2. Re:Perspective by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 3, Interesting

    For those like me, who just watched the video and didn't understand the point of view 'til quite late on, the camera is pointing back along the direction of flight.

    Also, for some reason the video has strange out-of-focus side-pieces that are distracting and annoying. The view itself is gorgeous and amazing.

    The sidebars are an effect of the smarphone's ascendence . Since asshats like to take vertical movies with their phones, they have to add shit along the sides to put them in a normal aspect ratio. Its usually blurred out repeats from the main video.. Since the camera video was square, they added the sidebars. I'd rather just see the original video than the presumably "keel" stuff.

    But not to take away from it, it is pretty great stuff

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  3. Re: Perspective by GrumblyStuff · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Maybe a running graph of speed and altitude, g-forces, marks for when the various chutes open or are released. That'd be much better than this.