NASA has just announced the first step of a mission that will send humans to Mars. The step will take place this Thursday when they perform a test launch of their Orion space capsule. The Orion space capsule is the spacecraft that will take humans to an asteroid, which the crew can surf to the Red Planet
We’re sending humans to Mars! Watch our #JourneytoMars briefing live today at 12pm ET: http://t.co/6XtjOi1yJo #Orion http://ift.tt/1yceK1z — NASA (@NASA) December 2, 2014
NASA is very confident in their mission, announcing that they are on their way to taking humans to new distances. According to The Huffington Post, Orion will be launched with the Space Launch System rocket in Thursday’s test. Then, the spacecraft will orbit Earth for four and a half hours. The mission, called Exploration Flight Test-1, will be unmanned, testing systems and using 1,200 sensors that will “measure the impact loads when we land and during ascent,” says Mark Geyer, Orion program manager.
#Orion is poised for its 1st trip to space. We’re 2 days away & weather remains 60% go: http://t.co/FlflOpK5SN http://ift.tt/1vi2Gd5 — NASA (@NASA) December 2, 2014
Audio and temperature data will be collected during launch and landing, helping NASA understand the kind of environment the astronauts will be in.
The spacecraft will fly 5,800 kilometers in the air, which is 15 times the height of the International Space Station. As for landing, the capsule that will put humans on Mars will dive into the Pacific Ocean, and the U.S. Navy will retrieve it.
If everything goes as planned, the Orion will carry four crew members to an asteroid. From there, they will ride in style to Mars. NASA predicts this will happen by mid-2030.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire