The Orion test spacecraft, designed for human space exploration, had another successful parachute test in Arizona on July 18, 2012, according to NASA. The parachute test was done in preparation for a 2014 uncrewed orbital flight test of Orion.
Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (Orion MPCV) is designed to support long-duration deep space missions that can last up to six months. Because Orion has an advanced propulsion, life support, avionics and thermal protection systems, it can carry astronauts beyond low earth orbit (LEO) and into deeper space where its future destinations include the International Space Station (ISS), our moon, near-Earth asteroids, the moons of Mars and the planet Mars.
Orion is an exploration vehicle that will carry four astronauts on missions up to 210 days. The crew module is larger than Apollo’s. The service module contains the fuel, scientific instruments and life-sustaining air and water. It is safe with its launch abort system for emergency crew escape.
This new generation of spacecraft will have increasingly challenging missions until Mars is reached. It is part of America’s deep space exploration program.
No comments:
Post a Comment