OpinionBearSF t1_ixtzd2q wrote
Reply to comment by The_camperdave in Orion snaps 'selfie' with the Moon as it prepares for distant retrograde orbit | Insertion burn scheduled to take place today then engineers have six days to see how spacecraft fares in deep space by chrisdh79
> Why is the vessel looking for a water landing? Why can't it land on the ground? The Russians have been doing it for over 50 years, with hundreds upon hundreds of successful missions.
Water is softer and easier/safer for squishy humans to land on (especially if sick or injured) than land, and there is much more water than land.
Russia opted not to do water landings because they did not and do not have an extensive Navy to provide recovery services.
The_camperdave t1_ixvn454 wrote
> Water is softer and easier/safer for squishy humans to land on (especially if sick or injured) than land, and there is much more water than land.
I understand a splashdown as an emergency contingency, but Orion was being designed to land on the ground. I've seen pictures.
OpinionBearSF t1_ixvql5y wrote
> I understand a splashdown as an emergency contingency, but Orion was being designed to land on the ground. I've seen pictures.
Previous spacecraft (such as Apollo) could also land on land as an emergency contingency, but there were serious risks to both the spacecraft and its occupants if that were done.
Overall, a water landing is gentler to people and machinery.
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