As it punches into Earth orbit, Orion separates from its protective fairing above , then jettisons its Launch Abort System. On future missions the Launch Abort System can pull Orion and its crew out of danger if there is a problem with the rocket during ascent.
After Orion completes one orbit of the Earth, the upper stage of the rocket fires again to start Orion on a climb to more than 3, miles above Earth. It passes through the Van Allen Belts, an area of dangerous radiation. Orion's shielding is put to the test as the vehicle cuts through the waves of radiation. The upper stage of the rocket triggers separation.
Orion's jets fire to turn it into the proper position to re-enter Earth's atmosphere. At 75 miles above Earth, Orion travels at more than 20, mph.
As Orion pushes air particles out of its way, those particles heat up. Temperatures around the vehicle reach 4, degrees Fahrenheit. This may be the most dangerous part of the flight.
During re-entry, Orion is in a fireball. Onboard systems ignite jets to keep the ship pointed correctly so that a specially constructed shield takes the full brunt of the inferno. After re-entry, it is time for Orion to slow down. Even though its speed has dropped to about miles per hour, that is still too fast to land safely in the ocean.
Orion has specially designed parachutes to help slow the spacecraft down to a gentle pace, keeping things comfortable for a future crew. Nondestructive evaluations validated the strength and integrity of the weld before the spacecraft was prepped for ground testing in flight-like environments, including static vibration, acoustics and water landing tests.
Orion may resemble its Apollo-era predecessors, but its technology and capability are light years apart.
Orion features dozens of technology advancements and innovations that have been incorporated into the spacecraft's subsystem and component design. Technicians position microphones around the Orion and launch abort system test articles in preparation for the second round of testing in the acoustic chamber.
Navy used the test version of Orion to practice for recovery of the capsule on its return from a deep space mission.
Technicians and engineers at Kennedy Space Center put the finishing touches on the crew module that will fly in December on Orion's first spaceflight. A special test version of Orion was dropped at the Yuma Army proving grounds in Arizona to test the parachute system. What is Orion? Orion Flight Test Loaded with almost 1, sensors, Orion completed a two-orbit, 4. Building on History NASA is using new technology and lessons learned from earlier missions to build the new spacecraft.
Space Shuttle Technology Orion's outer tiles are made of the same material as the tiles that protected the shuttle. Service Module The European service module on Orion's second flight will use refurbished engines from the shuttle program. Crew Seats The crew seats that will fly on future missions will incorporate advances from the shuttle program to reduce mass but still protect the crew.
Journey to Mars Orion is one stepping stone to the Red Planet. Robotic Explorers A fleet of robotic spacecraft and rovers already are on and around Mars, dramatically increasing our knowledge about the Red Planet and paving the way for future human explorers.
Orion Separates The upper stage of the rocket triggers separation. Re-entry As Orion pushes air particles out of its way, those particles heat up. The disintegration of the vehicle began after a joint in its right solid rocket booster SRB failed at liftoff. The failure was caused by the failure of O-ring seals used in the joint that were not designed to handle the unusually cold conditions that existed at this launch. The doomed astronauts were not told of the risk.
One of the most dramatic moments after the space shuttle Columbia crashed came when entry Flight Director Leroy Cain ordered the doors locked and computer data saved. The seven astronauts aboard the doomed space shuttle Columbia are likely to have known they were going to die for between 60 and 90 seconds before the craft broke apart, Nasa officials said yesterday.
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