Orion's First Flight Today

America's limping back to space - finally! - with Orion...

Launch:

http://www.space.com/27934-blast-off...ket-video.html

Splash Down:

http://www.space.com/27937-splashdow...ean-video.html

Pics:

http://www.space.com/13566-photos-na...adline+Feed%29

Even with its increased size, I have to say that I have no idea how they're planning on making the trip to an asteroid or Mars in something that miniscule...

Still, nice to see them developing a human-friendly launch system - and one without the dramatic engineering challenges of a spaceplane.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wiggin

Even with its increased size, I have to say that I have no idea how they're planning on making the trip to an asteroid or Mars in something that miniscule...

Still, nice to see them developing a human-friendly launch system - and one without the dramatic engineering challenges of a spaceplane.

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Well to get to Mars you only need ~25% more delta V (to intercept), and for landing there you can use the atmosphere to brake. Getting back up from the surface will cost a bit more, of course (still only roughly double what you need on the moon, though). Getting off earth is the biggest factor in rocket size, really. And I assume rockets did also get more efficient as well in the meantime.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flixy

Well to get to Mars you only need ~25% more delta V (to intercept), and for landing there you can use the atmosphere to brake. Getting back up from the surface will cost a bit more, of course (still only roughly double what you need on the moon, though). Getting off earth is the biggest factor in rocket size, really. And I assume rockets did also get more efficient as well in the meantime.

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That wasn't the concern - I have no doubt that Orion can get there with an appropriate propulsion system. My question is how you were going to get fourish astronauts to live in that capsule for so long.

Getting back is also tricky, though prepositioning some equipment in Martian orbit and on the surface would help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wiggin

That wasn't the concern - I have no doubt that Orion can get there with an appropriate propulsion system. My question is how you were going to get fourish astronauts to live in that capsule for so long.

Getting back is also tricky, though prepositioning some equipment in Martian orbit and on the surface would help.

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Has anyone else read The Martian?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wiggin

Even with its increased size, I have to say that I have no idea how they're planning on making the trip to an asteroid or Mars in something that miniscule...

Still, nice to see them developing a human-friendly launch system - and one without the dramatic engineering challenges of a spaceplane.

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There's no way Orion would go to Mars by itself - it would have to link up with some kind of interplanetary component and a lander component too. The aborted Constellation program that Orion is a remnant of had a couple other modules just for going back to the Moon. And the talk about an asteroid mission I've heard lately is to use a robotic mission to capture a small NEO and nudge it into Earth or Lunar orbit and send astronauts in Orion to visit it. I'd be genuinely surprised if we use Orion for going anywhere further than the Moon's orbit, not with the current or any foreseeable political mindset.