DirtyDeeds Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/12/05/delta-4-heavy-blasts-off-with-orion-capsule/Today they launched the Orion capsule to test its heat shield, to test computer function in the Van Allen radiation belts, to test its ejection system, and to test its parachutes. It splashed down in the Pacific about half an hour or so ago, and from initial data, everything went well. This capsule is part of the system that supposedly will bring humans back to the Moon, to asteroids, and to Mars. Personally, and selfishly, I was hoping that the launch would be delayed until late January so that I could be in the local area and see it It looked beautiful from the television. This is exciting, but I'm only cautiously excited; who knows what will be happening with NASA in the coming decade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Meh, call me when they find ET. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxlisOld Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Nova Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 That thing looks bad ass.Out of curiosity, why he need for so much propulsion? Does it not lose its tanks when it hits space? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDeeds Posted December 5, 2014 Author Share Posted December 5, 2014 That thing looks bad ass.Out of curiosity, why he need for so much propulsion? Does it not lose its tanks when it hits space?This thing was orbiting at something like 3,500 miles above Earth, fairly far out there, plus a space capsule is a pretty sizable piece of equipment, since it would hold several people. By comparison, Shuttle, even though it was bigger, only orbited at around 200-400 miles, so this vehicle had to go a bit further, at higher velocity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Nova Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 That thing looks bad ass.Out of curiosity, why he need for so much propulsion? Does it not lose its tanks when it hits space?This thing was orbiting at something like 3,500 miles above Earth, fairly far out there, plus a space capsule is a pretty sizable piece of equipment, since it would hold several people. By comparison, Shuttle, even though it was bigger, only orbited at around 200-400 miles, so this vehicle had to go a bit further, at higher velocity. Ok, that was pretty much the answer I was looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gracii Guns Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Cooooooooool.I was thinking that MYGNR could all club together and buy some land on Mars, kind of like a timeshare holiday destination. But then I remembered that we struggle to raise the funds to keep this forum running, so a place on Mars would be a bit of a long shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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