If a booster rocket (or some other magical device) managed to lift the capsule clear of the explosion intact, then it would find itself once again descending toward earth from a slightly higher altitude.
The debris in the video fell to earth immediately. However, the explosion would also create a plume of hot gases (a mushroom cloud) that would rise and chase after the ejected capsule. The Orion capsule would have to navigate through or around that plume of hot gases before landing on the ground. A rotor system with metal helicopter blades would survive the heat, provide maneuverability and a soft landing. A nylon parachute would just burn.
I think that NASA should take a shot at an autorotating system for recovering the capsule. They get a cool escape system for early abort that can survive high temperatures. Plus, during normal re-entry from space they can control the descent, unlike parachutes. They wouldn't need a runway like the space shuttle, but they could control where it landed, in fact they could set it down on the same helipad each time. Maybe even land it right beside the vehicle assembly building. They wouldn't need a big aircraft to transport it back to the Cape afterwards, cause it would have landed there already.
Space/Science » in reply to Wow.
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