Click here for live coverage of NASA's Orion flight test.
According to a release from NASA Langley Research Center, Orion, NASA's new spacecraft built to send humans farther than ever before, is launching into space for the first time this morning.
The uncrewed Orion capsule is scheduled to lift off at 7:05 a.m. atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37 in Florida. Orion will travel to an altitude of 3,600 miles - 15 times higher than the International Space Station - orbit the Earth twice, then splash down in the Pacific Ocean four and half hours later and be recovered.
NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, has played a significant role in Orion's testing and development. Not only did researchers splash test a capsule mock-up more than a dozen times in 2011 and 2012, they have plans to do the same thing in 2016 with a more advanced, high-fidelity model that will be outfitted with the same heat shield that is on the Orion spacecraft.
Langley also led the development of Orion's launch abort system - a rocket-propelled emergency escape system for use in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during initial ascent. Researchers have also tested Orion, launch abort system models and Space Launch System models in Langley wind tunnels. Click here to learn more about Langley's Contributions to Orion.
Langley's official visitors' center, the Virginia Air & Space Center (VASC) in downtown Hampton, will open its IMAX theatre at 6:15 a.m. for a free public viewing of the 7:05 a.m. launch and splash down four and a half hours later.
Entities 0 Name: Orion Count: 9 1 Name: Langley Count: 4 2 Name: NASA Count: 3 3 Name: Hampton Count: 2 4 Name: Pacific Ocean Count: 1 5 Name: NASA Langley Research Center Count: 1 6 Name: Florida Count: 1 7 Name: Virginia Count: 1 8 Name: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Count: 1 9 Name: Delta IV Heavy Count: 1 10 Name: Earth Count: 1 11 Name: Virginia Air & Space Center Count: 1 12 Name: Langley Research Center Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1wt2TvD Title: NASA: Orion capsule launch a 'go' for Thursday morning Description: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The capsule NASA is designing to fly astronauts to an asteroid or perhaps someday Mars will get its first taste of space after a planned maiden launch Thursday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Mission managers on Tuesday gave a "go" to proceed toward a 7:05 a.m.
Post a Comment for "UPDATE: NASA Orion launch postponed due to valve issue, NASA says - wtkr.com"