Inside the Southern California effort to study NASA’s troubled moon-rocket heat shieldShare via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! So, a team of NASA and Department of Defense scientists and test pilots stand at the ready to collect detailed data on how the heat shield performs before it splashes down off the coast of San Diego. Crews on the ground will monitor the Artemis II capsule and send test pilots precise speeds and coordinates to hit as they follow the fireball in the sky. Meanwhile, researchers in the back of the planes will track the capsule with telescopes and sensors. After splashdown, a separate Armstrong Flight Research Center team will collect a fortified sensor affixed to the exterior of the capsule that it designed to study the heat shield up close.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 09, 2026 10:03 UTC