Orion (spacecraft)
Orion is a spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin for NASA. Each Orion spacecraft will be able to carry up to six[3] astronauts. The Orion vehicle will be launched on the Space Launch System.[5] The first launch (Exploration Flight Test-1) was on the Delta IV Heavy.[6]
 An artist's picture of the Orion spacecraft | |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Airbus |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States of America |
| Operator | NASA |
| Applications | Beyond LEO exploration[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Space capsule |
| Design life | 21 days, 2 hours and 24 minutes[2] |
| Launch mass | Capsule: 10,387 kilograms (22,899 pounds) Service module: 15,461 kilograms (34,086 pounds) Total: 25,848 kilograms (56,985 pounds) |
| Crew capacity | 2–6[3] |
| Dimensions | 3.3 by 5 metres (11 by 16 feet) |
| Volume | Pressurized: 19.56 kilometres (12.15 miles)[4] Habitable: 8.95 m3 (316 cu ft) |
| Production | |
| Status | In production |
| Built | 3 |
| Launched | 1 |
| First launch | Exploration Flight Test 1 December 5, 2014 |
| Last launch | Exploration Flight Test 1 December 5, 2014 |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Derived from | |
Orion will launch from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, the same launch site used by the Space Shuttle and the Saturn V. Orion is meant to take humans to the Moon and Mars.
History
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Orion was first made for the Constellation program in 2004, as the Orion CEV (Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle). It was meant to be launched on the Ares I rocket. Then it would be able to go to the International Space Station. It was also planned to go to a spacecraft launched in pieces on different Ares V rockets, and the spacecraft with the Orion would go to the Moon, Mars, or another place.
On October 11, 2010, Constellation was cancelled. They created a new program and a new rocket called the Space Launch System, and changed the name of Orion to the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. This rocket will launch Orion for going to the Moon in 2022 and Mars in 2033.[7]
Orion (spacecraft) Media
A selfie taken by NASA's Orion Spacecraft
Project Orion logo
Configuration of the Orion spacecraft. The capsule shown in the photo is an early design version of Orion.
Schematic of Orion CM
Interactive 3D models of Orion, with the spacecraft fully integrated on the left and in exploded view on the right
Interior of the Orion mock-up in October 2014
Interior of a mockup of the Orion crew module outfitted in the On-Orbit configuration that will be used in crewed missions
Testing of Orion's parachute system
Orion Crew Module Model (Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center)
Artist's concept of an Orion spacecraft including the European Service Module with Interim Cryogenic Upper Stage attached at the back
Liftoff sequence and space entry of Orion on December 5, 2014
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Related pages
References
- ↑ "NASA Authorization Act of 2010". Thomas.loc.gov. Archived from the original on December 19, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
- ↑ Bergin, Chris (July 10, 2012). NASA ESD set key Orion requirement based on Lunar missions. NASASpaceFlight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/07/nasa-esd-key-orion-requirement-lunar-missions/. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Moskowitz, Clara (November 2014). "Deep Space or Bust". Scientific American. 311 (6): 20. Bibcode:2014SciAm.311f..20M. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1214-20.
- ↑ "Orion Quick facts" (PDF). NASA. August 4, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 3, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Preliminary Report Regarding NASA's Space Launch System and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle" (PDF). NASA. January 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
- ↑ Fountain, Henry (December 5, 2014). "NASA's Orion Spacecraft Splashes Down in Pacific After Test Flight". New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/06/science/nasa-orion-spacecraft-lifts-off-into-orbit.html. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ↑ "NASA Moon and Mars". nasa.gov. 25 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-04-07. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
Other websites
- Orion NASA webpage Archived 2011-05-27 at the Wayback Machine