Orion
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Recommended Reading: What will astronauts eat while exploring Mars?
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. How NASA Is Solving the Space Food Problem by Elizabeth Preston Eater The first manned test flight for NASA's Orion capsule may have been pushed back this week, but the project forges on. One issue that the agency faces in the quest to send humans to explore Mars is food. This piece from Eater examines the challenges NASA looks to overcome with regards to the dietary needs of the crew during deep-space missions, including some onboard gardening.
NASA delays Orion capsule's first manned flight until 2023
Although NASA's Orion capsule completed a successful test flight back in December, the space agency has delayed the first launch with a crew on board. In an announcement detailing a recent "rigorous technical and programmatic review," NASA mentions that the first time the EM-2 spacecraft will take flight with astronauts inside will happen "no later than April 2023." That's two years after the previous launch target and five years after the next scheduled unmanned test flight in fall 2018 aboard Boeing's Space Launch System. This isn't the first time a trip with humans on board has been pushed back for the capsule, but NASA didn't mention if the target of a mission to Mars in the 2030s will also be delayed. The agency did, however, reaffirm its commitment to the deep space mission and to the funding levels provided by President Obama's budget request. In the months to come, though, the Orion team will push ahead with parachute tests and more. [Image credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz]
Here's what astronauts aboard Orion will see during re-entry
Most of us will never be astronauts -- sorry to break it to ya -- but we can at least pretend to be aboard the Orion capsule with this video (below the fold), courtesy of NASA. Orion's camera captured 10 minutes of footage from the time it started blazing through Earth's atmosphere until it deployed its parachutes to slow down its descent into the ocean. You'll even see the plasma (created by friction between the atmosphere and the heat shield) change colors as the capsule speeds up and temperature increases. NASA launched a test flight of the Lockheed-made spacecraft in early December to test its components, especially its heat shield.
NASA delays 'capture the asteroid' plan until next year
Now that the ESA has landed on a comet, NASA wants to do them one better: capture an entire asteroid (or a piece of one) and put it in orbit around the moon in 2019. But the space agency has now said that it's delaying a decision on exactly how the Asteroid Redirect Mission will do that until 2015. Option A involves bagging and capturing an entire meteorite about 30 feet across, while option B would see them landing on larger target, Philae-style, and digging out a boulder-sized chunk (see the video below). In both cases, it will be towed back to the moon and placed in orbit there. Astronauts launching from the upcoming Space Launch System (SLS) in an Orion capsule will then intercept the orbiting meteorite in 2020, retrieve samples and return to Earth.
Recommended Reading: The Orion capsule's great radiation test
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. How a Spacecraft Like Orion Survives the Harsh Radiation of Orbit by Matthew Braga, Motherboard Radiation isn't a new issue facing the range of things NASA blasts into space, but it's of particular importance to study how the recently launched Orion capsule handles it. There's a lot of new tech on board the spacecraft rather than the usual proven components, so NASA needs to pay even closer attention to how the whole thing holds up in orbit. Motherboard takes a look at how it's done.
Relive Orion's deep-space test flight in pictures and videos
On December 5th, NASA's Orion capsule successfully lifted off from its platform at Cape Canaveral in Florida, reaching a max altitude of 3,600 miles in outer space. During the four-and-a-half hour test flight, it entered the Van Allen radiation belt, orbited the planet, survived its fiery re-entry into our atmosphere and dove into the Pacific Ocean to be retrieved by the Navy. Below, you can see images that represent each stage of the spacecraft's flight, from launch to splashdown.
NASA's Orion capsule begins its 3,600-mile journey into outer space
NASA's Orion capsule has blasted off on the farthest journey into space anyone has ever attempted since the last Apollo moon mission. In fact, a Delta IV rocket will propel it to an altitude of 3,600 miles, roughly 14 times that of the International Space Station's -- and for good reason. NASA and Lockheed, which has been building the vessel for years, are betting on it to become the space agency's go-to vehicle for manned, deep-space missions. Thus, the capsule needs to undergo rigorous testing in the right conditions in order to ensure the safety of the astronauts it'll ferry to the moon, and even Mars. Update: We've embedded NASA's replay video of Orion's successful launch below. The main engines will fire again at around 8:50 AM (EST) to boost Orion to 3,600 miles.
NASA's mission countdown clock is getting a digital upgrade
NASA's launch clock is finally moving into the digital age. The new countdown timer sports a 1280 x 360 resolution screen (which NASA admits is far from being HD) and measures in at 26 feet wide and some 7 feet tall. The $280,000 unit is a bit more capable than its predecessor (pictured above, check after the break for a shot of the new one) too: not only will it show the time until lift-off, but NASA's entire pre-launch program too. This, the firm says, will make it easier to know if a delay is intentional or a glitch in the system. It'll apparently be a lot brighter than the analog one was as well, and can even display a launchpad close-up and the timer simultaneously.
NASA launches $5 million contest to find CubeSats for deep space missions
Attention, scientists, hobbyists and anyone in between who can design a mean CubeSat, or a mini cube-like satellite, for space exploration: registration is now open for NASA's Cube Quest contest, and the agency's giving out cash prizes worth a total of $5 million. NASA's no stranger to holding competitions in an effort to tap into the brilliant minds of folks outside their roster of employees, but this one is a lot bigger than many of its previous events. See, contenders will compete not only for cash prizes, but also for a spot on the Orion spacecraft during its first integrated flight with the agency's upcoming monster rocket called Space Launch System.
NASA video outlines plan for Orion's first unmanned spaceflight
After years of development and launch delays, NASA's Orion spacecraft is almost ready for its first unmanned flight, and the space agency just outlined the capsule's flight path. The unmanned launch will take place in December, and will serve as a test run of the capsule's radiation protection, heat shield and parachute system. NASA will use a Delta IV heavy rocket to launch the craft 100 miles above the Earth's surface where, after completing its first orbit, upper stage rockets will take it 3,600 miles out into space -- just far enough to pass through the Van Allen radiation belt.
The Big Picture: NASA's Orion capsule floats inside US Navy ship
It might take some time before space taxis become the real deal. Yet, that doesn't take away from the fact they're extraordinarily amazing in their current stage. One of the most well-known programs is, of course, NASA's Orion capsule, which has been in development for a few years now. Obviously, putting Orion through its paces is key for the space administration. So, what you see above is a test model of the spacecraft while it floats inside the USS Anchorage, a US Navy ship. Reuters snapped the image after Orion was found during a recovery test near the Californian coast, as NASA prepares by simulating different scenarios ahead of the capsule's first official unmanned launch. [Image credit: Reuters/Mike Blake]
NASA's massive Space Launch System rocket takes off in 2018
Upstarts like SpaceX might get most of the attention, but let's not forget that NASA -- you know, the folks who actually put 12 guys on the moon -- isn't done pushing to explore the heavens just yet. Case in point: the agency is working on a whopper of a rocket called (unimaginatively enough) the Space Launch System that'll eventually propel a manned Orion capsule in Mars' direction, and officials just green-lit that massive booster for development. The formulation phase is over folks, time to build this crazy thing. There is, however, a downside. You see, the SLS was originally slated to make its first official test flight with an uncrewed Orion capsule in December 2017, but it's looking at this point like that inaugural launch will actually take place nearly a year later. Yeah, we can hardly wait either, but it was going to be a long while before all the development and infrastructure fell into place anyway -- NASA associate administrator Robert Lightfoot reaffirmed in a statement that we won't be flinging humans at the red planet until the 2030s. Think you can beat that, Mr. Musk?
Meet NASA's commercial space capsule contenders
Sure, the Dragon V2 is the latest (and greatest) spacecraft from SpaceX, but it's not the only capsule that may one day schlep astronauts to the International Space Station. In fact, Elon Musk's firm is just one of three private outfits currently competing in a NASA program for commercial launches with their own vehicles. We've surveyed the space capsule landscape and have whipped up a primer on the future crafts that may wind up taking humans to space.
NASA underwater testing slimmer suits for spacewalking on asteroids (video)
In a tank of water in Texas, NASA's busily testing its wardrobe for a future Armageddon-esque mission. The space agency has been taking advantage of its Neutral Buoyancy Lab near the Johnson Space Center in Houston to run some new space suits through the wringer. The suits are a modified version of the pumpkin-colored launch and reentry Advanced Crew Escape System (ACES) that NASA started employing back in 1994. The tweaked versions are said to be less bulky to better fit within the spacial constraints of the Orion spacecraft and more flexible for walks on deep space missions, including journeys to relocated asteroids. Check out some of the fun in a video below.
NASA's Orion spacecraft takes another parachute test, intentionally fails (video)
Ideally, Astronauts want to return to Earth in fully functional space capsules, but sometimes things can go awry. That's why NASA is making a point of testing the Orion spacecraft's parachute deployment system for failures. The team's latest parachute test saw a test capsule falling from 25,000 feet with two of three drogue chutes rigged to fail and for one of two main parachutes to skip its inflation stage -- despite the handicap, the empty craft landed safely. "Parachute deployment is inherently chaotic and not easily predictable," Explains the Orion's landing and recovery system manager, Stu McClung. "The end result can be very unforgiving. That's why we test. If we have problems with the system, we want to know about them now." NASA plans to perform additional parachute tests at higher altitudes in July to help balance and reduce risk for Orion's crew. Check out NASA's official press release and a brief video of the test after the break.
NASA completes successful parachute drop simulation for Orion spacecraft
NASA has always used the desert as its own personal playground, and we'd imagine that its team had a blast in Arizona yesterday, as a mock parachute compartment of the Orion spacecraft was dropped from 25,000 feet above Earth. The dart-shaped object experienced free fall for 5,000 feet, at which point, drogue chutes were deployed at 20,000 feet. This was then followed by pilot chutes, which then activated the main chutes. As you'd imagine, these things are monsters: the main parachutes -- three in all -- each measure 116 feet wide and weigh more than 300 pounds. Better yet, the mission was successful. Naturally, all of this is in preparation for Orion's first test flight -- currently scheduled for 2014 -- where the unmanned craft will travel 15 times further than the ISS and jam through space at 20,000 mph before returning to Earth. Yesterday's outing is merely one in a series of drop tests, and yes, it's important to remove any unknowns from the situation: eventually, humans will be along for the ride.
Dark horse set to ride into space race, strapped to world's largest solid rocket booster
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) may not be on top of your betting card, but it has plenty of shuttle motor pedigree. To compete with the likes of SpaceX, Astrium and others, it's putting that technical savvy into its Liberty system to carry seven astronauts -- or tourists -- and cargo into low earth orbit. The huge 300-foot rocket and composite crew module would use ATK's solid rocket motor, originally designed for the ill-fated Ares 1, along with EAD's Ariane 5 engine, to become the heaviest lifter in NASA's fleet. Already knee-deep in a separate project, the Space Launch System designed to send Orion into deep space, ATK would like to wean NASA off it's pricy $63 million Russian ISS hitchhikes with a cheaper option that could be mission-ready in just three years. We've heard that kind of talk before, but if Liberty pulls it off, it could give our out-world aspirations a much needed ticket to ride.
Animated video shows Orion spacecraft in orbit
NASA may have pushed back the Orion spacecraft's test flight to 2014, but you can get an early glimpse of the capsule in orbit thanks to this animated video from Full Werks studio. You'll see the capsule circle the planet before touching down in the Pacific -- all with a much better view than you can expect when that actual launch date rolls around. The animation features audio clips from the original Apollo and, as any NASA-related video worth its salt should, includes a vintage voiceover from space sage Carl Sagan.
NASA preps J-2X rocket engines for second round testing, SLS creeps closer to 2017 liftoff
Forty-year old tech taking astronauts into space? Sadly, that's been the current state of our space program. But in the spirit of making one extra, giant leap for mankind, our nation's best and brightest aeronautic minds have been quietly working on a propulsion system designed to power the SLS and its Orion spacecraft payload deeper into the cosmos. NASA's been testing these next-gen J-2X rockets since last year, proving their ability to "[achieve] full flight-duration firing of 500 seconds" at sea-level and, now, in a series of second round testing, the engines will be put through their paces at high altitudes. The first of 16 planned tests are scheduled to kick off this Wednesday at the agency's Stennis Center in Mississippi and should run through to year-end. Check out the official presser after the break for a fuller breakdown of this evolution in galactic travel.
Report: Orion test flight pushed back to 2014, manned flight delayed until 2021
Even something as exhaustively planned as the test-flight of the Orion spacecraft isn't immune to a slipping timeline. It's reportedly been pushed back from next year to 2014 -- when we're expecting to see the capsule launch from Cape Canaveral, loop around the planet twice at 3,700 miles (the furthest any spacecraft has journeyed since the '70s) before splashing down in the Pacific. This unmanned test was designed to see if the vehicle's heat-shield, flight-software and parachutes all work before lives are risked on board. It's also signified a pushing back of the first launch from 2016 until 2021. This means there's nine more years before someone calls us up as a crew replacement -- at least that's how our dream goes.
