NASA releases 'astronaut's-eye view' of Orion spacecraft's re-entry

 By 
Megan Specia
 on 
NASA releases 'astronaut's-eye view' of Orion spacecraft's re-entry
This Dec. 5, 2014 image provided by NASA shows NASA's Orion spacecraft after splash down as it awaits the U.S. Navy's USS Anchorage in the Pacific ocean. Credit: NASA

Ever wonder what an astronaut would see as he or she splashed back to earth aboard a NASA spacecraft?

A new video released by the space agency allows you to experience just that, providing an "astronaut's-eye view" of re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere aboard the Orion spacecraft.

The perspective, filmed by a camera onboard Orion during it's historic Dec. 5 test flight, shows the moment of re-entry to the craft's successful splashdown. NASA plans to one day use Orion for a roundtrip manned Mars mission, so one day astronauts may see this very same view.

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The historic unmanned test flight saw the Orion spacecraft orbit the Earth twice before successfully splashing down into the Pacific Ocean less than five hours later. During the test flight, Orion travelled 60,000 miles into space, which is further than any ship intended to have human passengers has gone for over four decades.

The flight also tested the spacecraft's high-speed re-entry systems such as avionics, altitude control, parachutes and its heat shield, which would allow astronauts aboard the vessel to return safely to earth.

More than 3 million people watched the launch on a NASA livestream of the test flight -- they now have a chance to get a little closer to the action.

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