Orion Spacecraft - Learn All About NASAs New Spacecraft!
America will send a new generation of explorers to the moon aboard NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle. Making its first flights early in the next decade, Orion is part of the Constellation Program to send human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.
A component of the Vision for Space Exploration, Orion's development is taking place in parallel with missions to complete the International Space Station using the space shuttle before the shuttle is retired in 2010.
Orion will be capable of carrying crew and cargo to the space station. It will be able to rendezvous with a lunar landing module and an Earth departure stage in low-Earth orbit to carry crews to the moon and, one day, to Mars-bound vehicles assembled in low-Earth orbit. Orion will be the Earth entry vehicle for lunar and Mars returns. Orion's design will borrow its shape from the capsules of the past, but takes advantage of 21st century technology in computers, electronics, life support, propulsion and heat protection systems.
Development of Orion and associated Constellation Program elements is a joint effort involving every NASA center, and is led by the Orion Project Office at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. Lockheed Martin is NASA's prime contractor for design, development, testing and construction of Orion. The Orion Project reports to the Constellation Program Office, also in Houston, and Constellation is a key program of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington.
JSC is leading development of Orion's crew module. Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., is leading development of the Orion launch abort system. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading development of the Orion service module and spacecraft adapter. The Ares I and V launch vehicle development are being led by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Pre-flight processing and launch operations for Orion will be led by Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Orion Spacecraft Links:
- Constellation Program
- Orion Crew Vehicle
- Ares Launch Vehicles
- Altair Lunar Lander
- Vision for Space Exploration
