Watch: Orion spacecraft splashes down in Pacific Ocean

Video shows spacecraft falling from space, into ocean

In case you missed it on Local 4 news Today, we took another walk inside my Amazing World of Science, and I showed you one of the coolest things ever! If you remember our coverage in early December about NASA's Orion spacecraft and its first test flight, we told you that everything went perfectly and ended with a splendid splashdown.

Now you can see the space capsule's return to Earth from the vantage point of a camera on top of Orion and shooting straight up! The video begins with hot plasma gases developing as the spacecraft enters our atmosphere. You see, the thickening atmosphere as Orion got closer and closer created increased friction, which caused temperatures to soar (if you rub your hands together for a while you notice how they get warmer, which is from friction, too).

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Then, Orion's parachutes jettisoned, and it slowed down to about 20 mph for a nice, peaceful float back to Earth. The video ends with the splashdown!

I hope you enjoy this spectacular video, and remember that Orion is the spacecraft that, someday, could take astronauts back to the moon, and maybe even to Mars!

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