Uncrewed Orion Could Find Astronauts In Space

New Scientist ^ | 12-19-2007 | David Shiga

[blam]

Uncrewed Orion could find astronauts lost in space

17:26 19 December 2007
NewScientist.com news service
David Shiga

NASA wants its Orion spacecraft, seen here in an artist's conception, to be able to fly itself to the rescue of astronauts stranded in lunar orbit in a Moon lander vehicle (Illustration: NASA)

NASA's Orion spacecraft could fly unpiloted to rescue astronauts stuck in orbit around the Moon, using sensors and smart navigation software the space agency is currently developing.

The agency plans to carry astronauts to the Moon from 2020 aboard the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), also dubbed Orion. Once in lunar orbit, the crew will climb into an attached Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM), which will take them onto the Moon's surface. The LSAM will later return to orbit and rejoin Orion for the trip home.

But unlike the Apollo missions, the orbiting craft will have no humans on board after the lander has started its mission. If the lander malfunctions and strands astronauts in the wrong orbit, Orion will have to rescue them on its own.

To that end, Ricky Howard at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, US, is working on giving Orion the ability to fly unpiloted to the rescue, The idea is to have the craft track the lunar lander and dock with it without human intervention.

"If they have a problem and can't get to the CEV, the CEV has to get to them. And if that can't happen automatically, it's not going to happen," Howard told New Scientist.

Space ears The exact details of how this would work are still being worked out, but some trials have already taken place. Orion would probably begin by listening for radio signals from the lunar lander,

[Red Badger]

Open the pod door, HAL.......
I’m sorry, I can’t do that, Dave........

[maine-iac7]

At first, I read the headline as Unscrewed Orion - and thought: "That could be a problem..."

[Larry Lucido]

Is this from the Unscrewed Onion?

[Young Werther]

Looks like a Swiffer Duster. I guess it will clean up any NASA mistakes!

[r9etb]

At first, I read the headline as Unscrewed Orion - and thought: "That could be a problem..."

A "Screwed Orion" would have bigger problems, though....

[DoughtyOne]

So now it’s 2020. *#*&! %$*@^! *(<@*$!

[Shryke]

But what happens if this thing gets bad instructions, flies HERE, FORCES ME ABOARD, and then RECTALLY PROBES ME?

Oh, sure, laugh now. You won't be laughing when it's YOU that gets hauled upstairs by this THING and promptly and rigorously probed.

[Sherman Logan]

50 years ago some visionaries came up with the idea of a spaceship powered by setting off nukes under it. They called it Orion.

Anybody have an idea why NASA chose the same name for this little spaceship?

[stevie_d_64]

The “funny and relavent” reply of the day award!!!

Crackin’ me up!!!

[PAR35]

Or, since it is basically Apollo II, they could just leave the pilot in the lunar orbiter.

[Slicksadick]

Just guessing that its being named after Orion the “hunter”, as it will be hunting out the lost?

[LibWhacker]

...the crew will climb into an attached Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM), which will take them onto the Moon's surface. The LSAM will later return to orbit and rejoin Orion for the trip home.

Definitely a Rube Goldberg(D) designed Moon mission, if you ask me. What we need are spacecraft that take off from the surface of the Earth and land directly on the surface of the Moon, with no weak-link orbiter crap involved. Simple is best. Nuclear is best. But we're still giving obeisance to a fully discredited Luddite block of liberal dirt worshipers who don't want us ever to get off this rock.

[battlecry]

This just begs the question, if it can fly itself, why does Hal, I mean Orion, needs the baggage?

[Red Steel]

Space Ping...

and please place me on your Ping list.

[Cyber Ninja]

[GreenHornet]

But unlike the Apollo missions, the orbiting craft will have no humans on board after the lander has started its mission. If the lander malfunctions and strands astronauts in the wrong orbit, Orion will have to rescue them on its own.

That's all well and good, but what happens if the unmanned Orion malfunctions while the astronauts are stuck in the wrong orbit?

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

On a PBS show, "Wired Science", yesterday, they had a report of how during the Apollo program the engineers did not do such a great job of documenting their work, and then the program ended soon after the Moon landings. These two things now how NASA scientists with plans of how to make rocket parts, but they aren't 100% sure of why parts are the way they are. (Thus, cutting out unuseful stuff and making the rockets more efficient is now more difficult). So the Ares rocket and Orion have lots of old engineering that might have otherwise been made more efficient, stronger, faster, etc.

Odd that an agency run by a German would have such patchy records. Those records would have been useful about now. Although there is advanced technology on board, the engines and other basic 'move the rocket and lander' things are basically the same as what the Chinese and now the Indians are using.

[maine-iac7]

Is this from the Unscrewed Onion?

Hey. that would make a great BLOG title!

Hers' the logo mascot.

"Unscrewed Onion - with a twist"

[atomic conspiracy]

I think the NASA PR droids had run out of suitably evocative names and decided to recycle some old ones.

Speaking of (nuclear) Orion, check out this animation:

Project Orion: a re-imagining by Rhys Taylor

The Nuclear Space site has a lot of material on the original Orion. The Nuclear Space gang does not advocate reviving the fission-pulse Orion, but we do like to keep some material on it around just to demonstrate the potential of nuclear power and, of course, to enrage visiting eco-wackies.