NASA's Orion Spacecraft: 9 Facts
The Orion spacecraft gives NASA a ticket to deep space. Here's how NASA is preparing the spacecraft for a mission to visit an asteroid in 2025.
NASA has big plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2025. The mission, however, will not be possible without several important components that include yet-to-be-developed technologies, as well as the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft to fly astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. In fact, Orion's first flight test later this year will provide NASA with vital data that will be used to design future missions.
Orion will not only be used as an exploration vehicle for flying crew to space, but also for sustaining the crew during missions and providing safe reentry from deep space. The spacecraft's initial flight test, called Exploration Flight Test-1, will launch in December from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta IV Heavy rocket. The test will involve a two-hour, four-orbit flight of the un-crewed spacecraft more than 3,600 miles into space. It will evaluate the performance of launch and high-speed reentry systems such as Orion's heat shield, avionics, attitude control, and parachutes.
[ Related story: NASA Orion Space Capsule Has Surprising Brain.]
A second Orion flight test, called Exploration Mission-1, is scheduled in 2017, and if that's successful, a crewed mission will take flight in 2021. Exploration Mission-1 will mark the first time Orion launches on the SLS, which is NASA's heavy-lift rocket. NASA said the SLS is more powerful than any existing rocket and will have the capability to carry astronauts to an asteroid, and ultimately, to Mars. The goal of the asteroid mission is to identify, capture, and redirect a small asteroid into a stable orbit near the moon. Astronauts traveling on the Orion crew capsule will visit the asteroid and take samples, which will then be sent back to Earth for research.
But before the mission can take place, engineers will be evaluating results from the flight tests. One major area of focus is the launch abort system (LAS), which is designed to activate in an emergency and carry astronauts away from the launch pad and the rocket. Parachute deployment, heat shield protection, radiation levels, and computer function also will be closely monitored, according to NASA.
NASA's $17.5 billion fiscal 2015 budget will support efforts surrounding Orion, the SLS, and the asteroid mission. NASA also requested that Congress approve $133 million for early development of the asteroid project. The space agency has aligned its budget with a "strategic plan" that prioritizes space technologies essential to making advances in science, aeronautics, and space exploration.
"With Orion's first flight later this year, deep space exploration is imminent, and we need the right technology to thrive in deep space," Michael Gazarik, NASA's associate administrator for space technology, said during a media teleconference on April 16.
Explore our slideshow to learn more about the Orion spacecraft, its milestones, and capabilities.
(Image source: NASA)
NASA launched its asteroid research mission in April 2013, setting aside $105 million toward mining asteroids in space. The mission will combine the capabilities of the Orion crew capsule and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with other technologies, such as laser communications and solar electric propulsion for capturing and redirecting an asteroid.
(Source: NASA)
Pictured are the different components that make up the Orion spacecraft. The launch abort system (LAS) located on a tower atop the crew module is designed for emergency crew escape. Directly below is the crew module that can transport up to four astronauts, as well as cargo. The service module joins with the crew module and encompasses propulsion, electrical power, and fluids storage. The spacecraft adapter at the bottom connects Orion to the launch vehicle.
(Source: NASA)
NASA and Lockheed Martin reached a major milestone last month by completing the installation of the heat shield on Orion in preparation for its first trip to space later this year. "The heat shield is such a critical piece, not just for this mission, but for our plans to send humans into deep space," NASA's Orion program manager Mark Geyer said in a written statement.
(Source: NASA)
In June, a test version of Orion endured a challenging assessment of the parachute system. The parachutes were evaluated at an altitude of 35,000 feet. Engineers put additional strain on the system by allowing the test version of Orion to free-fall for 10 seconds, increasing the vehicle's speed and aerodynamic pressure. NASA reported no issues during the experiment.
(Source: NASA)
During a test in November 2013 at Lockheed Martin's facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., three large panels protecting a test version of Orion successfully fell away from the spacecraft. The test evaluated a system that will shield Orion during its trip to space.
(Source: NASA)
Pictured is the Orion crew module for Exploration Flight Test-1 in the final assembly and system testing (FAST). It's positioned over the service module just before the two sections are paired off. While mated with the crew module, the service module also provides water, oxygen, and nitrogen to support the living environment.
(Source: NASA)
Here a NASA astronaut participates in an evaluation of the Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES) at the Johnson Space Center. The ACES suit, which simulates a microgravity environment, is fully integrated with Orion life support systems. It will be used by crews for ascent and entry, in addition to light extra-vehicular activity (EVA).
(Source: NASA)
This computer-generated image depicts an attached launch abort system (LAS), which protects the crew module during ascent. NASA says LAS could make Orion the safest spacecraft ever built, because it can pull astronauts away in milliseconds during an emergency.
(Source: NASA)
This computer-generated image depicts an attached launch abort system (LAS), which protects the crew module during ascent. NASA says LAS could make Orion the safest spacecraft ever built, because it can pull astronauts away in milliseconds during an emergency.
(Source: NASA)
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