NASA capsule buzzes moon
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Orion capsule
reached the moon Monday, whipping around the far side
and buzzing the lunar surface on its way to a record-breaking
orbit with test dummies sitting in for astronauts. It’s the first
time a capsule has visited the moon since NASA’s Apollo
program 50 years ago, and represents a huge milestone in the
$4.1 billion test flight that began last Wednesday.
The close approach of 81 miles occurred as the crew capsule
and its three wired-up dummies were on the far side of
the moon. Because of a half-hour communication blackout,
flight controllers in Houston did not know if the critical engine
firing went well until the capsule emerged from behind
the moon.
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