NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Orion spacecraft will take astronauts to the space station and into orbit around the moon. Image Credit: NASA

Orion ("o-rie-un") will be a new NASA spacecraft. It is being built as a part of a new NASA program to explore space. Orion will be important when astronauts go to the moon.


What Was Apollo?

The Orion spacecraft will be like NASA's Apollo capsule. The Apollo capsule was used for traveling to the moon years ago. The Apollo capsules were launched on Saturn rockets. Apollo could hold three astronauts. The shape of Orion looks a lot like the Apollo capsule. But Orion will be more than twice as big. Orion’s missions will be like Apollo's, to carry astronauts into Earth orbit and to the moon.


What Will Orion Do?

The shape of Orion will be very similar to the Apollo capsule used in the 1960s and '70s. Image Credit: NASA

The Orion capsule will be able to take up to six astronauts to the International Space Station. Orion will carry up to four astronauts to the moon. It will also have room for supplies. Orion will be launched on an Ares I ("air-eez one") rocket. The Ares I will put Orion in Earth orbit. Once there, Orion can dock with the space station. Earth orbit could also be the first step on a trip to the moon. Solar panels will help Orion stay in orbit for months. A heat shield will keep the crew safe as Orion goes through Earth's atmosphere. Parachutes will help the capsule and crew land safely in water on Earth.


How Will Orion Take Astronauts to the Moon?

The Ares I rocket will deliver Orion to Earth's orbit. From there, a second rocket will help with the trip to the moon. The Ares V (5) rocket is much bigger than the Ares I. For moon missions, an Ares V (5) rocket will be launched first. It will carry the Altair moon lander. An Ares I will launch the Orion to Earth orbit. Orion will then connect with the Altair. The top stage of the Ares V (5) will push the two vehicles out of Earth orbit. They will go to the moon and orbit it. Then the astronauts will land on the moon in Altair. Orion will orbit around the moon with no one aboard. At the end of the mission, Altair will take off from the moon and connect with Orion. Orion will return the crew safely to Earth.

This picture shows what Altair might look like docked with Orion in space. Image Credit: NASA

When Will Orion Fly?

Orion's first flight to the space station is planned by 2015. Test flights without a crew will begin just before that. The first mission to the moon is planned to take place by 2020. Orion could be part of a flight to Mars. But that won't happen for a long time.


More About Orion
Orion
Constellation
Exploration
Apollo
What Is Ares?
What Is Altair?
Constellation Mission Video: New Spacesuits


David Hitt/NASA Educational Technology Services