NASA hopes its newest spacecraft, Orion, will take humans beyond the reaches of Earth's orbit and deeper into space than we have ever gone.
NASA hopes its newest spacecraft, Orion, will take humans beyond the reaches of Earth's orbit and deeper into space than we have ever gone. The ambitious vehicle is anticipated to crew NASA’s human space program for the next 30 years.
Potential exploration with Orion ranges from asteroid recovery missions to journeying to Mars.
Orion is similar in conical look and design to the 1960s Apollo capsules. Some differences include Orion being 30 percent larger in diameter, having better crew safety features and a toilet.
The capsule will get its first taste of space this December, during Exploration Flight Test-1, when it will travel 3,600 miles above Earth. This is the first spacecraft meant for human transport to travel that distance in over 40 years. For comparison the International Space Station orbits roughly 200 miles above Earth and the Moon is over 200 thousand miles away.
During the unmanned test flight, Orion will endure temperatures of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit and speeds of 20,000 miles per hour upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. This will determine if it's fit to carry humans in the future.
The craft will then go through another series of tests to prepare for its launch in December from Cape Canaveral.
