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| Orion test flight delayed due to wind, balky valves | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The historic blast off of Orion, NASA’s much-heralded, next-generation spacecraft, was repeatedly delayed Thursday because of gusty winds, balky valves and a boat that moved too close to the launch site. But as the launch window began to close, NASA officials were still hopeful that the launch would happen Thursday morning in what would be a historic test flight designed to ultimately bring humans to Mars. | |
| The uncrewed spacecraft was to lift off at 7:05 a.m. from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket, en route to a 4.5 hour flight that would take it twice around Earth and to an altitude of 3,600 miles-- farther than any spacecraft designed for humans has traveled in more than 40 years. | The uncrewed spacecraft was to lift off at 7:05 a.m. from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket, en route to a 4.5 hour flight that would take it twice around Earth and to an altitude of 3,600 miles-- farther than any spacecraft designed for humans has traveled in more than 40 years. |
| The launch was delayed after a boat moved in range of the rocket and gusty winds. Then, three minutes before Orion was set to launch, officials aborted the mission again, this time because "fill and drain valves" did not function correctly. The launch window extends to 9:44 a.m. | |
| A NASA official said on the agency's live web stream that there have been a "number of minor issues" but no "show stoppers." And that the Orion "stands ready for launch," as crews wait for the wind to die down. | A NASA official said on the agency's live web stream that there have been a "number of minor issues" but no "show stoppers." And that the Orion "stands ready for launch," as crews wait for the wind to die down. |
| The months-long hype and anticipation leading up to Orion's test flight reached a crescendo Wednesday as NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden cast the launch in historic terms, saying that "Neil Armstrong and the Apollo astronauts paved the way for this day." | The months-long hype and anticipation leading up to Orion's test flight reached a crescendo Wednesday as NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden cast the launch in historic terms, saying that "Neil Armstrong and the Apollo astronauts paved the way for this day." |
| Speaking on NASA TV Thursday morning he said, that "Mars is the ultimately goal for this generation." | Speaking on NASA TV Thursday morning he said, that "Mars is the ultimately goal for this generation." |
| (Watch the launch live here.) | (Watch the launch live here.) |
| The Orion does not have any people on board. That's not expected to happen for another seven or eight years. But the test flight will go a long way to eventually getting humans further than they've every gone before, NASA officials say. One of the key tests will be Orion's heat shield, which will face temperatures of 4,000 degrees when the capsule barrels into the atmosphere at 20,000 mph. Officials from NASA and Lockheed Martin, the massive Bethesda-based contractor that built Orion, will also be watching to see how it performs the various "separating events," and how it handles the extreme radiation of deep space. | The Orion does not have any people on board. That's not expected to happen for another seven or eight years. But the test flight will go a long way to eventually getting humans further than they've every gone before, NASA officials say. One of the key tests will be Orion's heat shield, which will face temperatures of 4,000 degrees when the capsule barrels into the atmosphere at 20,000 mph. Officials from NASA and Lockheed Martin, the massive Bethesda-based contractor that built Orion, will also be watching to see how it performs the various "separating events," and how it handles the extreme radiation of deep space. |
| Another key test will be the series of parachutes that deploy to slow Orion down before it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, which is expected to occur four hours and 25 minutes after takeoff. | Another key test will be the series of parachutes that deploy to slow Orion down before it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, which is expected to occur four hours and 25 minutes after takeoff. |
| Mark Geyer, NASA's Orion Program Manager, said that the flying the Orion without a crew will allow NASA to test the most risky systems: "We intend to stress the systems and make sure they behave as we designed them to.” | Mark Geyer, NASA's Orion Program Manager, said that the flying the Orion without a crew will allow NASA to test the most risky systems: "We intend to stress the systems and make sure they behave as we designed them to.” |
| The last time a spacecraft designed for human travel left Low Earth Orbit was the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, also the last time astronauts walked on the moon. Since then, human flights have been restricted to Low Earth Orbit, home to the International Space Station. But Thursday's flight will go 15 times as far. | The last time a spacecraft designed for human travel left Low Earth Orbit was the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, also the last time astronauts walked on the moon. Since then, human flights have been restricted to Low Earth Orbit, home to the International Space Station. But Thursday's flight will go 15 times as far. |
| Sometime in the 2020s, NASA plans to capture an asteroid with a robotic spacecraft, then drag it to the moon’s orbit where it would connect with the Orion. Astronauts would then be able to take samples from the asteroid. | Sometime in the 2020s, NASA plans to capture an asteroid with a robotic spacecraft, then drag it to the moon’s orbit where it would connect with the Orion. Astronauts would then be able to take samples from the asteroid. |
| The big target, however, remains Mars. And Thursday’s test flight will help “put Mars within the reach of astronauts in the 2030s,” NASA says. | The big target, however, remains Mars. And Thursday’s test flight will help “put Mars within the reach of astronauts in the 2030s,” NASA says. |
| While the Orion was initially part of a program, called Constellation, designed to return to moon, its mission changed after the Obama administration killed Constellation and made Mars the goal. Thursday's mission will use a Delta IV Heavy rocket, made by United launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. But future Orion missions would use the new Space Launch System rocket, which is still being developed. | While the Orion was initially part of a program, called Constellation, designed to return to moon, its mission changed after the Obama administration killed Constellation and made Mars the goal. Thursday's mission will use a Delta IV Heavy rocket, made by United launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. But future Orion missions would use the new Space Launch System rocket, which is still being developed. |
| Bolden said that Thursday's test flight is " a continuation of what Apollo started." | Bolden said that Thursday's test flight is " a continuation of what Apollo started." |
| "We've taken a 40-year hiatus," he said. "And now we're back on track." | "We've taken a 40-year hiatus," he said. "And now we're back on track." |