Orion Spacecraft ---NASA's Future

The Orion, also known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, is a spacecraft designed to carry a crew of four astronauts into deep space. The Orion is made to carry whoever mans the vehicle from the moon, to Mars, or any possible galaxies beyond. On January 14th, 2004, George W. Bush announced the development of the Orion spacecraft. It was to be in production and finishing up near 2008 and to conduct its first manned mission by 2014. The first launch into space for the Orion is set in 2013 with abort tests in 2014. The first crew will ride the Orion into space in 2016. The Orion was idealized and developed in the United States of America by NASA. The mission of the Orion is to take astronauts deeper into space than ever before and discover and explore new galaxies. The only other spacecraft designed with the same mission in mind as the Orion was the Apollo Command Module. It will be improved and more capable than its predecessor and has high expectations. It is unknown whether or not the mission of the Orion will be successful, but if it is the world will gain knowledge of new galaxies, planets, constellations, and whatever else there is we have not yet discovered in space. The possibilities are seemingly endless for what the Orion can bring to us information -wise. Since the Orion is part of the Constellation Program and has dates set through 2031, the projected cost is currently at $217 billion. After costs for crew, development and testing are paid off there is estimation that each launch of the Orion will be a recurring $1 billion. Issues to look out for with the Orion are weather conditions. Other unforeseen emergencies will be prepared for by having an emergency abort pad built in for the crew to separate the module from the exploration vehicle. There has been generally positive review and reception of the proposition for Orion, but we cannot know how that will change with the completed mission(s) in years to come.