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The Artemis II Orion spacecraft aboard the USS Murtha at Naval Base San Diego on Saturday.Sandy Huffaker \/ Getty Images<\/p>\nNASA did not respond to requests for comment about the state of the heat shield or when a full analysis of its performance would be available.<\/p>\n
However, in response to a post on X from Eric Berger, an editor at Ars Technica, about the white patch, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the white spot was consistent with the agency\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo unexpected conditions were observed,\u201d Isaacman wrote, adding, \u201cthe discoloration was not liberated material.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the white spot corresponds to the heat shield\u2019s \u201ccompression pad area\u201d and aligned with what NASA engineers had seen in pre-flight testing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am hesitant to get ahead of a proper data review, but I understand the space community\u2019s curiosity, especially when imagery can give the impression of a problem,\u201d Isaacman wrote. \u201cAs you would expect, engineers were eager to inspect the heat shield, starting with diver imagery shortly after splashdown and continuing with the review aboard the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASA indeed began investigating the Orion heat shield\u2019s performance immediately after the spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, capping the crew\u2019s 10-day flight around Earth and the moon.<\/p>\n
Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator of NASA\u2019s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said aircraft were positioned near the landing site to capture images of and early data on the heat shield.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also had divers below the surface that took imaging of the heat shield before it was brought on to the [USS John P.] Murtha so that we could understand exactly what state it\u2019s in after it landed,\u201d Glaze said Friday evening in a post-splashdown news briefing. \u201cAnd so we\u2019ve already begun the data-gathering piece of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spacecraft is currently being transported back to NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the agency will conduct further analysis.<\/p>\n
The Artemis II Orion spacecraft aboard the USS Murtha at Naval Base San Diego on Saturday.Sandy Huffaker \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will complete a full data review across all systems, including the thermal protection system, and make the results publicly available,\u201d Isaacman wrote in his response on X.<\/p>\n
The Artemis II mission was NASA\u2019s first time launching humans toward the moon in more than 50 years, and the first time the agency\u2019s Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule had ever lifted off with a crew onboard. The astronauts traveled farther from Earth than anyone before them, and they were the first people to see the entire far side of the moon<\/a> with their own eyes.<\/p>\n Because of those firsts, the entire mission was closely watched, but that was particularly true of the final 15 minutes.<\/p>\n