Universe Today
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The inaugural version of
NASA's
new
Orion
human
space exploration
capsule was unveiled by Lockheed Martin at the company's new state-of-the-art Space Operation Simulation Center (SOSC) located in Denver, Colorado. Orion is designed to fly
human crews
to low Earth orbit (LEO) and the
International Space Station
,
the Moon
,
Asteroids
, Lagrange Points and beyond to
deep space
and
Mars
.
Lockheed Martin is aiming for a first
unmanned
orbital test flight of Orion as soon as 2013, said John Karas, vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin's
Human Space Flight
programs in an interview with Universe Today . The first
operational flight
with
humans
on board is now set for 2016 as stipulated in the
NASA
Authorization Act of 2010.
[caption id="attachment_84511" align="alignleft" width="248" caption="Orion manned capsule could launch in 2016 atop proposed NASA heavy lift booster from the Kennedy Space Center"]
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This Orion prototype capsule
was assembled at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, LA and shipped by truck to Denver. At Denver, the capsule will be put through a rigorous testing program to simulate all aspects of a
space mission
from
launch to landing
and examine whether the vehicle can withstand the
harsh and unforgiving environment of deep space
.
Orion
was originally designed to be launched by the Ares 1 booster rocket, as part of
NASA's
Project Constellation
Return to the Moon program
, now cancelled by President Obama. The initial
Orion test flight
will likely be atop a
Delta IV Heavy rocket
, Karas told me. The first
manned flight
is planned for the new heavy lift rocket ordered by the US Congress to replace the Project Constellation architecture.
The goal is to produce a new, US-built manned capsule capable of launching American
astronauts
into space following the looming forced retirement of
NASA's Space Shuttle orbiters
later this year. Thus there will be a gap of at least three years until US astronauts again can
launch
from US soil.
"Our nation's next bold step in exploration could begin by 2016," said Karas in a statement. "Orion was designed from inception to fly multiple, deep-space missions. The spacecraft is an incredibly robust, technically advanced vehicle capable of safely transporting humans to
asteroids
, Lagrange Points and other deep space destinations that will put us on an affordable and sustainable path
to Mars
."
[caption id="attachment_84509" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Jim Bray, Director, Orion Crew & Service Module, unveils the first Orion crew module to guests and media at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company Waterton Facility in Denver, CO. The vehicle is temporarily positioned in the composite heat shield before installation begins. Following installation of the heat shield and thermal backshell panels, the spacecraft will undergo rigorous testing to validate Orion's ability to endure the harsh environments of deep space. Credit: Lockheed Martin"]
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Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for
Orion
under a multiyear contract awarded by NASA worth some $3.9 Billion US Dollars.
The SOSC was built at a cost of several million dollars. The 41,000 square foot facility will be used to test and validate vehicles, equipment and software for future human spaceflight programs to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable
space exploration
.
Mission scenarios include docking to the International Space Station, exploring
the Moon
, visiting an
Asteroid
and even journeying to Mars. Lockheed has independently proposed the exploration of several challenging deep space targets by
astronauts
with Orion crew vehicles which I'll report on in upcoming features.
[caption id="attachment_84551" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Orion capsule and Abort rocket mockups on display at Kennedy Space Center.
Full scale mockups of the Orion capsule and emergency abort rocket are on public display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Orion crew capsule mockup (at left) and Launch Abort System (LAS) at right. The emergency rocket will be bolted atop an Orion spaceship for the initial orbital test flight currently slated for 2013 launch. The LAS mockup was used in launch pad exercises at the New Mexico launch site of the LAS rocket blast-off in May 2010. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
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The SOSC facility provides the capability for NASA and Lockheed Martin engineers to conduct full-scale motion simulations of many types of manned and
robotic
space missions. Demonstrations are run using laser and optically guided
robotic
navigation systems.
Inside the SOSC, engineers can test the performance of a vehicles ranging, rendezvous,
docking
, proximity operations, imaging, descent and landing systems for Earth orbiting mission as well as those to other bodies in our solar system.
"The
Orion spacecraft
is a state-of-the-art deep space vehicle that incorporates the technological advances in human life support systems that have accrued over the last 35 years since
the Space Shuttle
was designed." says Karas. "In addition, the Orion program has recently been streamlined for additional affordability, setting new standards for reduced NASA oversight. Orion is compatible with all the potential HLLVs that are under consideration by NASA, including the use of a
Delta IV
heavy for early test flights."
[caption id="attachment_84518" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Orion approaches the ISS"]
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At this moment, the SOSC is being used to support a test of Orion hardware that will be flying on the
upcoming STS-134 mission
of
Space Shuttle Endeavour
. Orion's Relative Navigation System – dubbed STORRM (Sensor Test for Orion RelNav Risk Mitigation) – will be put through its paces in several
docking and navigation tests by the shuttle astronauts
as they approach and depart the ISS during the
STS-134
flight slated to launch on
April19, 2011
.
The Orion flight schedule starting in 2013 is however fully dependent on the level of funding which NASA receives from the Federal Government.
This past year the, Orion work was significantly slowed by large budget cuts and the future outlook is murky. Project Orion is receiving about half the funding originally planned by NASA.
And more deep cuts are in store for NASA's budget – including both
manned
and unmanned projects - as both political parties wrangle about priorities as they try to pass a federal budget for this fiscal year. Until then, NASA and the entire US government are currently operating under a series of continuing resolutions passed by Congress – and
the future
is anything but certain.
[caption id="attachment_84517" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Orion prototype crew cabin with crew hatch and windows built at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, LA. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
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[caption id="attachment_84553" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Lockheed Martin team of aerospace engineers and technicians poses with first Orion crew cabin after welding into one piece at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, LA. Credit: Ken Kremer"]
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[caption id="attachment_84527" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Orion and ISS simulated docking"]
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