The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations next manned spacecraft that will carry astronauts beyond Earth orbit. Travels to nearby asteroids, the Moon, and eventually to Mars are expected with this new spacecraft. As some media have erroneously stated astronauts will live aboard Orion on their journey to Mars. That is simply not the case. Orion, as it stands now, can only sustain a crew of four for up 21 days. A crewed Mars mission may last 2 to 2½ years counting the time spent on the surface. Orion will in fact be the main spacecraft carrying a much larger vehicle to Mars from Earth. Multiple launches of the Space Launch System now underdevelopment will place equipment into space where they will be attached together, or even plainly docked together. The finished structure containing habitation and support modules such as power facilities will journey to the red planet with Orion. Once at Mars a landing spacecraft carried along will be the spacecraft used to land astronauts on the surface. Equipment and facilities will have to be deposited on the Martian surface to support a crew of astronauts for quite possibly a year or more. Some of this support equipment may be sent a couple years before the astronauts venture to the fourth planet from the Sun. A return spacecraft from the surface to Mars orbit will also need to be sent along, which most likely will be the landing craft. Orion and the structure in Mars orbit will have to support the crew on their return to Earth. Travels each way may take 4 to 6 months, depending on the advancement of engine technology in the coming decade or more. The shorter the traverse the more time the astronauts will stay at Mars, which could be a year to a year-and-a-half. The journey of humans to Mars will be a massive undertaking, but it can be achieved. Even with only todays technology, as many scientists believe, a manned mission to Mars could happen within 10 years, rather than by the early 2030s as NASA plans. That is if the people wish to make it happen. Take a look here at NASAs plans for that bold undertaking of sending people to the red planet: Orion Journey To Mars Length: 4 minutes. youtu.be/ThVdnyokBME From NASA. Published on December 5, 2014.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 17:00:01 +0000