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U.S. unveils Orion spacecraft to take crew to Mars
Yahoo News ^
| 03/30/09
Posted on 03/30/2009 7:34:34 PM PDT by KevinDavis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA gave visitors to the National Mall in Washington a peek at a full-size mock-up of the spacecraft designed to carry U.S. astronauts back to the moon and then on to Mars one day.
The U.S. Navy-built Orion crew exploration vehicle will replace the space shuttle NASA plans to retire in 2010, and become the cornerstone of the agency's Constellation Program to explore the moon, Mars and beyond.
"We're just very proud to build this, do some testing and demonstrate to America that we're moving beyond the space shuttle onto another generation of spacecraft," said Don Pearson, project manager for the Post-Landing Orion Recovery Test or PORT.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: mars; nasa; orion; space
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To: markman46; AntiKev; wastedyears; ALOHA RONNIE; RightWhale; anymouse; Brett66; SunkenCiv; ...
2
posted on
03/30/2009 7:35:06 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(No one should question our "Dear Leader"!)
To: KevinDavis
Cue the Jethro Tull track...
3
posted on
03/30/2009 7:40:27 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
To: SunkenCiv; All
4
posted on
03/30/2009 7:42:03 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(No one should question our "Dear Leader"!)
To: KevinDavis
5
posted on
03/30/2009 7:45:13 PM PDT
by
cripplecreek
(The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
To: KevinDavis
Did they ever get the mass of this thing down enough to allow the Aries I to actually get it into orbit?
6
posted on
03/30/2009 7:45:58 PM PDT
by
GonzoGOP
(There are millions of paranoid people in the world and they are all out to get me.)
To: SunkenCiv
Ground Control to Major Tom.
Ground Control to Major Tom.
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on...
7
posted on
03/30/2009 7:46:12 PM PDT
by
Mad_Tom_Rackham
(What did Obama's Teleprompter know, and when did it know it...)
To: KevinDavis
Very unimpressive. It looks like it's 1960, all over again.
8
posted on
03/30/2009 7:46:59 PM PDT
by
papasmurf
(Trow da' bum out!)
To: papasmurf
Unimpressive, but simple and effective. We don’t have all our eggs in a tiny basket of reusable ships.
9
posted on
03/30/2009 7:49:19 PM PDT
by
MediaMole
To: KevinDavis
Is Obama gonna name OJ Simpson, James Brolin , Sam Waterston and Mars Blackmon the astronauts?
10
posted on
03/30/2009 7:49:29 PM PDT
by
dancusa
(Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.)
To: KevinDavis
I thought obama was hinting that he was killing this program.
11
posted on
03/30/2009 7:50:30 PM PDT
by
Kirkwood
To: papasmurf; All
12
posted on
03/30/2009 7:52:33 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(No one should question our "Dear Leader"!)
To: papasmurf
Shape is everything. Reentry from the Moon or Mars is much faster than from orbit. If the walls slope back at the angle of the Apollo (IIRC 35 degrees) then they don't have to endure the effects of heating. In a craft like the Soyuz the side walls are less sloped, but it is limited to orbital reentry. The laws of physics don't change from 60s to 90s to 2020. And they determine the shape of a ship designed for use outside of Earth orbit.
My issue has always been with the booster. The stick is not projected to have enough thrust. And as a result they are having to cut more and more mass off of the Orion. I'm worried they may end up putting the crew at risk due to an under powered booster.
13
posted on
03/30/2009 7:57:26 PM PDT
by
GonzoGOP
(There are millions of paranoid people in the world and they are all out to get me.)
To: Kirkwood
He changes his mind every other day. Such is the mind of a pot head.
14
posted on
03/30/2009 7:57:35 PM PDT
by
Army Air Corps
(Four fried chickens and a coke)
To: MediaMole
It’s too limited in utility. I know this great Country of ours can do better. This is just the “path of least resistance” answer to a temporary problem
We will have to develop another reusable vehicle at some point if we really intend to fully explore the planets. Why put it off? Why try to fool ourselves into thinking this throwback is even a temporary solution?
I guess we’ll have to get the Chinese to build us one, no?
15
posted on
03/30/2009 7:58:36 PM PDT
by
papasmurf
(Trow da' bum out!)
To: GonzoGOP; KevinDavis
Please see my post #15 pertaining to my main issue with this.
16
posted on
03/30/2009 8:00:47 PM PDT
by
papasmurf
(Trow da' bum out!)
To: KevinDavis
Too damn bad it's not the original concept of an Orion nuke powered spacecraft. We would be getting out there a hell of a lot faster.
17
posted on
03/30/2009 8:06:49 PM PDT
by
The Cajun
(Mind numbed robot , ditto-head, Hannitized, Levinite)
To: papasmurf
That pic is not really the Orion, is it? OMG it looks like it has a 1960’s oven door as the inner hatch door.
I can’t believe this is the real thing.
18
posted on
03/30/2009 8:08:54 PM PDT
by
Secret Agent Man
(I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
To: papasmurf; All
In all fairness the Mars ship (if we do build one) would look different..
19
posted on
03/30/2009 8:09:16 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(No one should question our "Dear Leader"!)
To: The Cajun
That was the image I was expecting. I still have that old Omni issue (or Science Digest) that had all those designs displayed, back in the early to mid 1980s.
20
posted on
03/30/2009 8:10:30 PM PDT
by
Secret Agent Man
(I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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