Orion Space Capsule The Next Generation ?
January 15th 2012 10:51
Category: Space Probes
Testing of the mock up of the Orion 8 tonne deep space capsule
A mock up of the Orion 8 tonne deep space capsule undergoing an impact test into a pool of water. The water test is to simulate a landing at sea.
The Orion payload will be eventually launched into space by Delta IV.
The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry a crew of four astronauts. A test launch will take place sometime in 2014. The first test vehicle will be unmanned.
NASA had announced earlier last year that the designs for the Orion space capsule was initially part of the Constellation program.
Constellation was scraped by the Obama administration, mostly for being over budget and scheduling problems. The Constellation project was initially designed to take astronauts back to the Moon.
When fully tested and completed the 23-ton capsule will to carry four astronauts at a time into deep space. The goal will be to take astronauts into deep space of reaching an asteroid by 2025 and then hopefully take a mission to Mars in 2035.
All being well and assuming there will be no further budget cuts for deep space exploration I am not holding my breath.
Any further funding cuts to NASA will curtail any meaningful deep space manned missions in the near future.
P.J. Richards/AFP/GETTY images
| 29 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief