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Posted on 11/13/2014 5:37:07 PM PST by BenLurkin
As preparations ramp up for the first test flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft in December, agency officials say they will be closely involved in all aspects of the mission even though the flight itself will be run by Lockheed Martin.
The Orion spacecraft for the mission, designated Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1), arrived at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in the early morning hours of Nov. 12, after completing a circuitous 35-kilometer trip from the Launch Abort System Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. Workers hoisted the spacecraft later that day atop the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket already on the pad.
That rocket is scheduled to lift off Dec. 4 at 7:05 am EST and place Orion into Earth orbit. After completing one orbit, the Delta 4’s upper stage will reignite and send Orion into a more elliptical orbit, reaching a peak altitude of about 5,800 kilometers. Orion will re-enter at the end of that second orbit, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California, Mexico.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacenews.com ...
If I were Lockheed-Martin, I’d tell NASA to pound sand, and go back to their “improving Muslim relations”.
I remember this when I was in Grade School
My crew, a Chinese pilot, a Polish co-pilot, a Iranian navigator and a OCCUPY member as deadweight.
No Malaysians, Putin might shoot it down.
Wow, this “commercial endeavor” involves farming out 1950-1960’s NASA technology to a private firm with NASA overseeing it? We can launch a rocket, put a capsule up for one orbit and then we’re done. This is a real sorry example for the US space program.
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My grandfather used to do business with Jim McDivitt. I was in awe when he would come for lunch.
Those men were the cream of the crop for sure
Fantastic. Maybe they can have some “break out sessions” and do some “team building using role playing” while they’re at it. Man am I glad I retired from LM.
A friend of mine works on the Orion program. He says this flight is primarily a test of the reentry systems. Two orbits to simulate a lunar return. The spacecraft will not contain many systems.
Human beings need to get off of this mudball and out there. Extinction is one rock away from right this second.
Me too. So why is it we have to start again from scratch? Why were the Saturn 5 blueprints and toolings destroyed?
I'm no rocket scientist, but it seems they were kinda valuable.
We had a guy locally who ran for county commissioner a few years ago. His slogan was, “the job doesn’t need a rocket scientist, buy I am one.”
One of our daughters is a Systems Engineer on the Orion team at NASA-Glenn in Cleveland. However, she will be missing the launch as she began Maternity Leave today with the birth of our third grandchild, a Girl!
As proud as I am of her being on the Orion team, I really wish NASA was as productive and efficient as SpaceX with their Dragon capsule.
Congratulations — on two counts!
For me, I can’t wait to restart launching our own rockets, our own spacecraft, and our own astronauts from our own launch complexes. It’s been too long and the Russians may pull the plug on US at any time. We can’t afford that.
Thanks!
Flotilla. I stand corrected.
And it still is in very bad form.
Oops wrong thread etc.
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