The heat shield is attached!

The world’s largest heat shield, measuring 16.5 feet in diameter, is successfully attached to the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) spacecraft on May 30, 2014. The heat shield is made from a single seamless piece of Avcoat ablator. The heat shield was tested on Orion’s first flight as it protected the spacecraft from temperatures reaching 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The world’s largest heat shield, measuring 16.5 feet in diameter, is successfully attached to the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) spacecraft on May 30, 2014. The heat shield is made from a single seamless piece of Avcoat ablator. The heat shield was tested on Orion’s first flight as it protected the spacecraft from temperatures reaching 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.