NASA aims to launch an early test flight of its Orion crew exploration vehicle from Cape Canaveral in 2014 to test its heat shield and other atmospheric reentry systems, officials said today.The most likely launch vehicle: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy that would fly out of Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Officials at NASA Headquarters said the agency is proposing to add the unmanned flight test to the Orion development contract it has with American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin.
The flight test would support the development of the Space Launch System, a heavy-lift rocket NASA aims to develop to send astronauts on missions beyond Earth orbit.
Exploration Flight Test, or EFT-1, would fly two orbits to a high-apogee, with a high-energy re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. Orion will make a water landing in the Pacfic Ocean. The spacecraft would be recovered by Kennedy Space Center workers using operations planned for future human exploration missions.
2 comments:
Actually, this would be a perfect flight for the ATK/Astrium "Liberty" launch vehicle, which will be ready long before 2014.
Liberty is cheaper and far simpler than Delta IV heavy, though essentially equal in power. And it is a derivative of NASA's Ares I, which was designed specifically to put the Orion capsule in Earth orbit.
Under no circumstances should NASA modify the Ares I mobile launch tower now sitting out at KSC for SLS use(now slated for 2017 or later) unless and until Liberty has been allowed to use that platform for its initial test flights -- including this one!
Doesn't it appear that all of NASA's posts are so glamorous and seeming well-intentioned? Think again. They have an agenda to militarize space with their warmongering technology, at the expense of our atmospheric envelope and all life that depends upon our 'ocean of air'.
At NASA's environmental cleanup page,
http://www.ssc.nasa.gov/environmental/cleanup/clean.html, it says, "We take full responsibility for any problems caused by past practices and ensuring the protection of the environment and the health of the surrounding community."
That's all well and good, now what about the ongoing SOLID ROCKET FUEL program? Is this present technology ensuring the protection of the environment?
Here is the censored TRUTH of how NASA really salutes its veterans:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-08/space-shuttles-and-rocket-launches-caused-1-billion-toxic-pollution
Float to space instead of rocketing there, and accomplish everything at 25 miles altitude that was being done, 14X further, at 250 miles out.
Also, documentation of how Nazi turned into NASA, and still continues to wage war upon our environment:
http://darinselby.1hwy.com/floattospace.html
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