The view aboard the Orion spacecraft, through a window manufactured at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility. Photo credit: NASA and the Artemis II Crew.
During NASA’s historic Artemis II mission – a 10-day journey around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft – astronaut Reid Wiseman described the crew’s view of Earth:
“You could see the entire globe, from pole to pole…You could see Africa, Europe, and if you looked really close, you could see the northern lights. It was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks,” Commander Wiseman said.
A window made at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility made that view possible. Made from specialized acrylic with protective coating, it was engineered to withstand the forces of launch, the vacuum and cold of deep space, and the heat of re-entry. We are proud to have helped support this milestone in human spaceflight.