Orion

15 Stories

NASA Is Ready to Go Back to the Moon

After successful Artemis 1, manned Artemis 2 mission on track to launch in late 2024

(Newser) - The report card for NASA's Artemis 1 mission is in, and it's a definite pass. The Orion spacecraft that orbited the moon as part of the unmanned 25-day, 1.4 million-mile mission last fall performed better than expected on its second test flight and its first into deep...

NASA's Orion Capsule Makes Crazy-Fast Return From Moon

Capsule hit atmosphere at 32 times the speed of sound

(Newser) - NASA's Orion capsule made a blisteringly fast return from the moon Sunday, parachuting into the Pacific off Mexico to conclude a 25-day test flight around the moon that should clear the way for astronauts on the next lunar flyby. The incoming capsule hit the atmosphere at Mach 32, or...

'Outstanding' Orion Still Faces One of Its Biggest Trials

Dec. 11 entry into Earth's atmosphere will test its heat shield

(Newser) - NASA's Orion spacecraft has reached its maximum distance from Earth, a record-setting 268,563 miles. The spacecraft that launched Nov. 16 reached the halfway point in its 26-day mission on Monday as it looped around the moon. It was 43,138 miles beyond the far side of the moon,...

NASA's Orion Capsule Breaks Record Set in 1970

Spacecraft designed to carry humans has now gone further than Apollo 13

(Newser) - Moonikin Campos, the mannequin in the commander's seat of NASA's Orion capsule, has now traveled further into space than any human. The uncrewed capsule broke a record around 8:40am EST Saturday when it reached 248,655 miles from Earth, the distance reached by the Apollo 13 command...

One of Orion's Stars Went Oddly Dim. Now We Know Why

Nope, Betelgeuse is not about to go supernova

(Newser) - A well-known star in the constellation of Orion—the one that makes up Orion's right shoulder—has been the subject of an 18-month mystery that has now been solved. Betelgeuse rapidly dimmed in late 2019 and early 2020 to a degree that had never been recorded before and one...

Coming in Jan.: Comet Visible to Naked Eye

Best viewing time for the comet will be mid-January

(Newser) - Comets are basically like cats, a senior researcher at Johns Hopkins University tells the Christian Science Monitor : "They're very interesting, and they do what they want." That may explain that even though scientists didn't think Comet C/2014 Q2 (also known as Comet Lovejoy) would prove to...

'YES! Splashdown!' Orion Returns to Earth

It traveled 60K miles

(Newser) - As the official Orion Spacecraft Twitter feed put it: "YES! Splashdown!" In just 4.5 hours , Orion traveled 60,000 miles and went farther into space than any ship designed for humans has gone in 42 years, reports NASA . Orion landed, stable and upright, in the Pacific at...

NASA Launches Orion, Begins the 'Mars Era'

Second time's the charm for 'Mars ship'

(Newser) - After yesterday's launch was canceled amid gusts of wind and technical problems, Orion successfully blasted off at 7:05am today as thousands of people watched in Cape Canaveral. "This is Day 1 of the Mars era," said NASA administrator Charles Bolden; the space agency plans for the...

NASA's 'Mars Ship' Takes Off Today


 NASA Scrubs 
 Launch of 
 'Mars Ship' 
UPDATED
Dec 4, 2014 8:45 AM CST

NASA Scrubs Launch of 'Mars Ship'

Valve problem delays Orion unmanned maiden voyage

(Newser) - The spacecraft that NASA hopes to one day send to Mars is cooling its heels on the Cape Canaveral launchpad this morning, its maiden voyage delayed by gusts of wind and leaky valves, reports the AP . NASA says it needs more time to address the valve issues, but the Orion...

Last Chance to Send Your Name to Mars!

NASA will put your name on microchip and blast it into space on Orion spacecraft

(Newser) - If you've concluded that a one-way ticket to Mars isn't for you, there's a tamer alternative: Send your name to Mars instead. Today is the last day to sign up to get your moniker on a "dime-sized microchip" that's being blasted into space on the...

NASA Reveals Massive Mars Rocket Plans

New $35B project could launch up to 165 tons into space

(Newser) - NASA today unveiled plans for a rocket that will power the next generation of space exploration, designed to take manned missions to distant asteroids and eventually Mars, Space.com reports. The uncreatively named “Space Launch System,” or SLS, uses bits of technology from the defunct space shuttle and...

Palin Policy Adviser Works for Foreign Governments

Orion Strategies a registered agent for Taiwan, Georgia

(Newser) - The company Sarah Palin is paying for foreign policy advice is also being paid to lobby lawmakers on behalf of Taiwan, Georgia, and Montenegro. Palin's political action committee isn't breaking any laws by hiring Orion Strategies, Reuters notes, but the firm's work on behalf of foreign governments raises questions about...

For Sale: Space Shuttle, $42M
 For Sale: Space Shuttle, $42M 
Dec 18, 2008 2:58 AM CST

For Sale: Space Shuttle, $42M

NASA seeking museums to purchase spacecraft after retirement

(Newser) - NASA is taking the unprecedented step of offering to sell the three space shuttles to museums when the workhorse vehicles are retired some time after 2010, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The space agency is seeking at least $42 million—including $6 million for shipping and handling, and the cost of...

Obama Will Face Shuttle Dilemma

NASA to transition team: We have a problem

(Newser) - America's aging space shuttle fleet will pose some tough questions for Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Bush administration has recommended the shuttle be mothballed by 2010. To avoid leaving a potentially crippling 5-year gap in America's manned space flight program, Obama's NASA team will need to decide...

NASA Sees Minivan for Moon
NASA Sees Minivan for Moon
Dec 9, 2007 11:30 AM CST

NASA Sees Minivan for Moon

The shuttle's replacement, due in 2015, will be a utilitarian craft

(Newser) - Engineers are busy at work building America's next spacecraft, the long overdue replacement of the 33-year-old shuttle, and NASA has this advice for those who can't wait to see the finished product: Think minivan, not Ferrari. Fast Company explores the work at Lockheed and finds the Orion to be utilitarian...

15 Stories