Engineering technicians Pedro Solano, left, and Aaron Poulin, right, verify alignment of an Orion heat shield test article in the Arc Jet Interaction Heating Facility, or IHF, test section. This test of Orion’s heat shield using a combination of the IHF and the Laser Enhanced Arc Jet Facility, or LEAF-Lite, capabilities will certify the heat shield for the Artemis I and Artemis II missions. This is also the first time the heat shield is tested in an environment combining the two forms of heating, radiant and convective, the spacecraft will experience on entering Earth’s atmosphere.

N-238 IHF (Interactive heating Facility) re-build

N-238 IHF (Interactive heating Facility) re-build

Next Generation Thermal Protection Materials testing: Interactive Heating Facility IHF-148

NEXT GENERATION THERMAL PROTECTION MATERIALS TESTING IN INTERACTIVE HEATING FACILITY; IHF-148 Run 002 West Panel

RCC (Reinforced Carbon-Carbon) Johnson Space Center model testing in Ames interactive Heating Facility IHF-127 (data run 27)

NASA astronaut Christina Koch exits the vacuum test chamber for the Interaction Heating Facility (IHF) of the Ames Arc Jet Complex, N238, following Victor J. Glover, left. During a test, a TPS test sample is suspended in the hypersonic flow produced by IHF’s arc heater. The shock heating produced by the interaction between the hypersonic flow and the stationary test sample simulates the heating and other forces the spacecraft will encounter during atmospheric hypersonic entry.

NEXT GENERATION THERMAL PROTECTION MATERIALS TESTING IN INTERACTIVE HEATING FACILITY; IHF-148 Run 002: Rack 002 West Panel: 2.5D CC W/RTVIC (b) 12/2/03 pre- test

Amelia Kinsella, left, meets NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor J. Glover in the Ames Arc Jet control room for the Interaction Heating Facility (IHF), N238, where operators run the Arc Jet and review test data in real time.

CEV TPS Advanced Develpment Project IHF-171 testing TSF photos (Crew Escape Vehicle Thermal Protection System) cleared for release by NASA Ames Thermo-Physics Facilities Branch - Image used for cover of Aerospace America magazine April 2007 issue

Thermophysics Facilities Branch Chief George Raiche, left, Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, NASA astronauts Victor J. Glover, Christina Koch, Kristina A. Skokova, Parul Agrawal, Luis Saucedo, and Scott Eddlemon watch a video presentation in the Ames Arc Jet control room for the Interaction Heating Facility (IHF), N238.