NASA Test Launches Its New Orion Spacecraft
The United States space agency has successfully tested a new spacecraft that one day could carry astronauts to Mars and beyond.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, launched the Orion spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Less than five hours later, Orion landed in the Pacific Ocean near Baja California.
NASA scientists used the flight to test the launch, control and reentry systems of the new exploration vehicle. NASA scientists were especially interested in how the spaceship’s heat shield would perform as it faced temperatures of 2,200 degrees Celsius during reentry.
For NASA, Orion represents a return to manned exploration of space after the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. The agency hopes Orion will be able to carry humans to, what it calls, deep space: the Moon, Mars or beyond.
Orion has three main parts: the crew module, the service module and the launch abort system. When fully developed, the crew module will hold four astronauts.
Lockheed Martin Program Manager Mike Hawes said the aviation systems were ready and much of the computer software was complete. But, he said life support systems for astronauts were not ready and would not be part of the test.
NASA scientists are calling the test, Exploration Flight Test-1. They say Orion will travel 5,800 kilometers into space and orbit the earth twice before splashing down in the ocean.
