New NASA Vehicle Named 'Orion'
Posted on: Wednesday, 23 August 2006, 15:00 CDT
NASA says its new crew exploration vehicle will be named Orion.
The vehicle, part of NASA's Constellation Program, will carry a new generation of explorers to the moon and Mars, replacing the space shuttle as NASA's primary vehicle for human space exploration.
Orion's first manned flight to the International Space Station is planned for no later than 2014. Its first flight to the moon is planned for no later than 2020.
In June, NASA announced the launch vehicles under development by the Constellation Program have been named Ares, a synonym for Mars. The booster that will launch Orion will be called Ares I, and a larger, heavy-lift launch vehicle will be known as Ares V.
Orion will be capable of transporting cargo and up to six crew members to and from the International Space Station and up to four crewmembers for lunar missions. Later, it will support crew transfers for Mars missions.
Orion will be 16.5 feet in diameter and weight about 25 tons. Inside, it will have more than 2.5 times the volume of an Apollo capsule.
Source: United Press International
Related Articles
- NASA Completes First Ares Engine Tests
- NASA Set to Try Shuttle Launch Feb. 7
- NASA Aims for June Shuttle Launch
- Space shuttle begins trek off Florida launch pad
- NASA calls off Wednesday's shuttle launch
- NASA Delays First Post-Columbia Launch
- Lost in space NASA remains clueless
- New NASA safety rule requiring daylight launches will mean more delays
- New NASA safety rule requiring daylight launches will mean more and
- NASA delays Mars launch again
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds