If you’re going to send humans deep into space, how do you make a spacecraft robust enough for the job?
It’ll need several critical components, including a safe habitat with life support systems, propulsion while in space, water and air for crew members, and an escape system to pull the crew to safety in case of an emergency during launch.
NASA is busy putting together a spacecraft that combines all of these elements and much more! The spacecraft is Orion – uniquely designed to support human exploration of multiple deep space destinations.
Orion capsule & service module. Credits: NASA
The new spacecraft has a crew module that can sustain humans, a service module to provide power, propulsion and life support systems, and a launch abort system to propel the crew module to safety in milliseconds during an emergency.
Orion launches in 2018 on top of NASA’s new rocket, Space Launch System (SLS). The crew capsule will fly tens of thousands of miles beyond the moon before returning to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
What’s the latest in the preparations for Orion’s launch?
A team is testing how they will recover the capsule after it lands in the ocean.
Orion Underway Recovery Test 5. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill White
A test version of Orion had tether lines attached to it during Underway Recovery Test 5. By testing in the ocean, the recovery team can practice how the capsule will be recovered and with what procedures, hardware and individuals. The team is made up of personnel from the U.S. Navy and NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program.
In 2018, Orion will launch on Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) on top of NASA’s new rocket called Space Launch System, or SLS. While EM-1 will be unmanned, future missions will carry humans deep into space. By creating a multi-purpose crew vehicle, NASA is preparing for the future journeys of deep space exploration.
Learn more about Orion at NASA.gov.