Project Orion Space Program
Manned Missions to the Moon are Firmly Back on NASA's Agenda.
Aug 12, 2008
Project Orion is both the name of the crew capsule (crew exploration vehicle) and the overall programme itself. Orion wll be re-usable and will replace the shuttle after it's retired from service.
NASA want Project Orion to be ready and sitting on the launch pad for its first foray into space in 2014. The first destination will be the International space Station. All being well, it’s moon here we come in 2020.
Versatility is the big buzz word around Orion. The space agency plan for it to serve a number of roles. As well as its mission to Earth‘s natural satellite, other ideas have been mooted, including the possibly of servicing the International Space Station or even flying to an asteroid.
Orion Crew Capsule
The conical shaped design is very similar to the Apollo capsule but it’s much bigger. Orion will be 5 metres (16.5 feet) in diameter and it will have 2.5 times the internal volume of an Apollo capsule. That means it will be able to accommodate up to 4 astronauts for lunar missions and 6 when it travels to the International Space Station. The spacecraft will also be packed with all the the latest electronics, computers, life support and heat protections systems.
Moon Mission
Unlike the shuttle, which sits aside its booster, Orion will be on top of its. This means the craft should be protected from foam and other debris that falls off during ascent. It also means that there is an abort system so the crew capsule and rocket can be separated should there be a launch pad emergency.
Leaving planet Earth will involve several stages. First off the launch pad will be the launch rocket Ares which will deliver the Earth departure stage and lunar module that the astronauts will use to complete their journey.
This will be followed a couple of days later by the Orion craft and crew on a separate rocket launcher. The crew will rendezvous with the lunar module in Earth orbit and the Earth departure stage will take them to the moon. Once In orbit the crew will use landing craft to get to the moon’s surface. When the mission is over and they're ready to wave good-bye, a lunar ascent module will take them back up to the orbiting Orion craft. Then it’s back home.
Mission to Mars
NASA hope that the moon landings will lead to a more permanent presence in space. In a NASA press conference in 2006, veteran shuttle astronaut Scott J Horowitz said. “Space is no longer going to be a destination we visit briefly. We’re going to learn to live off the land like the pioneers did.“
If the lunar missions are successful, perhaps with the establishment of a permanent base on the moon, NASA will then focus its energies on the big one - Mars. The moon is seen as a testing ground for the many technical, psychological, and conceptual hurdles that will need to be overcome if a trip to the red planet is really a viable option.
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