Orion spaceship set for new tests in Colorado

(AP) DENVER — A spaceship that could carry the next wave of astronauts to an asteroid or beyond is being prepared for a new round of tests at a Lockheed Martin facility near Denver.

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Orion doesn't yet have a destination. NASA has said it could service the space station in low Earth orbit or take four astronauts on more distant missions of up to 21 days. Lockheed Martin officials have said Orion could explore the far side of the moon, land humans on asteroids or take them to one of the moons of Mars, where they could control robotic instruments on the surface.

I wonder if this is the vehicle that will take us back to the moon.

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The 55-foot-tall assembly will be lifted by a crane into a tall, elevator shaft-like chamber. Inside, more than a dozen horns powered by compressed nitrogen will create a thunderous low-pitch noise at 150 decibels. That will trigger vibrations like the ones generated by a launch or deployment of the abort system. "It sounds like a freight train and a tornado all at once," Lockheed Martin's Paul Sannes.

It looks like they have been working on the abort system.

After not building an abort system for the Shuttle...

Have they learned their lesson?

Best article I found

Story

The Shuttles couldn't reasonably have an abort system, Apollos did, and with the success of the Apollos maybe NASA thought it was unnecessary at the design stage. If so that seems quite arrogant. I'm sure it must have been proposed, but cost overruns and delays may have nixed any considerations. At least they took the threat of lightning seriously, but measures were taken on the pad and not the ship, when they could they would cart the Shuttle back into the assembly building if they had time to before a lightning storm.

This Orion system to some may appear to look like a step backwards but what it displays is cost concern, and a trip beyond earth escape velocity requires two separate launches, Ares I lifting the the crew compartment and Ares V lifting the lander. So trips to just the ISS conserve energy and waste.

The whole deal.




You get a picture of scale if you imagine the Space Shuttle between those two Solid Fuel Boosters of the Ares V.

This would be nice if they have the tech and just need missions. Robotic exploration of the far side of the moon could provide information for where to put some astronomical equipment and telescopes. They would be shielded from interference from the Earth and have an almost near vacuum environment. Robotic base construction methods would need some more work I believe.

Rovers with expanded ability to travel could be dropped on on Mars as well.

reply to post by Illustronic


Thanks for expanding the image.

I'm still learning image posting.

reply to post by orionthehunter


The problem is with the far side of the moon earth communications are blocked, unless we put satellite(s) into earth's Lagrangian points, L2 perhaps, or maybe where the STEREO crafts are, at L4 and 5, could ricochet transmissions. I'm not sure of the intricate dynamics. But you know in lunar orbit Apollos were black on the far side of the moon, zero earth communications. I suspect each Lagrangian point would have a black period.

USA can sure waste money on useless projects , when its populous is starving and losing all faith .

USA is no less than its nemesis USSR .. USA has become what its nemesis was.

reply to post by whyamIhere


My pleasure sarge, the image was already in my album.

Looks like they are going back to old designs,.. real old.
One would think something that was a bit more adaptable would be the Idea.
So going back to something that cannot fly itself?
Seems to me the man with the Ideas is Richard Branson

Originally posted by USAisdevil
USA can sure waste money on useless projects , when its populous is starving and losing all faith .

USA is no less than its nemesis USSR .. USA has become what its nemesis was.

really?
you think space exploration is a waste of money?
Hmm I wonder if you really have any clue where our money goes in the first place or who spends it.
the space program is a drop in the bucket in comparison to all the money that is spent elsewhere in the world
on Stuff you would even begin to imagine by that silly comment

reply to post by USAisdevil


You could take every dime ever spent at NASA and not equal one year of war in Iraq. Space exploration is the only worthwhile thing a government an do with money that is beyond the capability of a capitalist market.

Originally posted by Xeven
reply to post by USAisdevil

 

You could take every dime ever spent at NASA and not equal one year of war in Iraq. Space exploration is the only worthwhile thing a government an do with money that is beyond the capability of a capitalist market.

So true, I share this reality.