NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

JSC2007-E-113280 (Dec. 2007) --- Three crewmembers work in the area of their lunar lander on the lunar surface in this NASA artist's rendering. NASA has selected Altair as the name of the lunar lander the Constellation Program will use to put humans on the moon. Project Altair Manager Lauri Hansen made the announcement at a recent industry event at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Altair will be capable of landing four astronauts on the moon, providing life support and a base for weeklong initial surface exploration missions, and returning the crew to the Orion spacecraft that will bring them home to Earth. Altair will launch aboard an Ares V rocket into low-Earth orbit, where it will rendezvous with the Orion crew vehicle. Please note that this artwork is not precise. NASA currently is seeking input from industry experts and is developing conceptual designs for Altair.

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JSC2007-E-113284 --- Orion (right) flies in space while docked with the Altair lunar lander in this NASA artist's rendering. Photo Credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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JSC2007-E-113283 --- Orion (right) flies in space while docked with the Altair lunar lander in this NASA artist's rendering. Photo credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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JSC2007-E-113282 --- Orion (right) flies in space while docked with the Altair lunar lander in this NASA artist's rendering. Photo credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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JSC2007-E-113281 --- This is a NASA artist’s rendering of the Altair Lunar Lander’s ascent stage docking with the Orion crew exploration vehicle after a mission to the lunar surface. Photo Credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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JSC2007-E-113278 --- This is a NASA artist’s rendering of an up-close view of the ascent stage and descent stage of the Altair lunar lander contained within the earth departure stage of an Ares V rocket. Photo Credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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JSC2007-E-113277 --- This is a NASA artist’s rendering of an up-close view of the ascent stage and descent stage of the Altair lunar lander contained within the earth departure stage of an Ares V rocket. Photo Credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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JSC2007-E-113276 --- This is a NASA artist’s rendering of the Orion crew exploration vehicle docking with the Altair lunar lander, contained within the earth departure stage of an Ares V rocket. This rendezvous will take place in low earth orbit before the earth departure stage, Orion and Altair make the transit toward the moon. The earth departure stage will be discarded on the way. Photo Credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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JSC2007-E-113275 --- This is a NASA artist’s rendering of the Altair Lunar Lander’s ascent stage orbiting the moon. Photo Credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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JSC2007-E-13274 --- This is a NASA artist’s rendering of the Altair Lunar Lander’s ascent stage docking with the Orion crew exploration vehicle after a mission to the lunar surface. Photo credit: NASA (caption 13 April 2009)

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