“NASA launches Orion capsule successfully”

NASA has successfully for the first time an Orion capsule, the successor of the space Shuttle, the air in the shot. The capsule should eventually be used for langeafstandsreizen, for example to Mars.

The launch was Thursday have been postponed, because there is a boat close to the launch pad came, and the weather conditions after adverse. That weather seemed to Friday, initially not much better – especially the hard wind was a problem – but something after one hour in the afternoon, the Shuttle-successor, however, was successfully launched.

It is going to be a test flight: the capsule rises to a height of 5800 kilometers, after which he made two laps around the earth. The total test flight will only viereneenhalfuur take; then lands the object in the sea. With the proefmissie wants the NASA, among others, the amount of radiation, temperature and pressure in the cabin to measure, to know whether the capsule is suitable for manned travel.

The Orion is regarded as the successor of the space Shuttle. Unlike the Shuttle, which is now no longer in use, used the new capsule parachutes for the landing, while the space Shuttle like an airplane landing made. The capsule is conical because the vessel because of this, more aerodynamic and stronger and better against the press and against the heat in the retreat by the earth’s atmosphere could. The design looks like this on the old Apollo capsule. Orion consists of three parts: a Service Module at the bottom, above the Crew Module with space for astronauts and on top of the Launch Abort System with, among other parachutes.

The Orion is designed for long manned space flights. For such flights, there is a maximum of four astronauts sit in the capsule, but for shorter flights, such as to the ISS, there is a maximum of six. According to NASA the Orion even can be used for manned trips to Mars and asteroids. The next test of Orion in 2018.