Orion Launch Today
Discussion
Kateg28 said:
I wasn't that bothered about space flight until I went to Florida in the Summer and we went to KSC. It was awesome. We attended an astronaut training experience and actually did a shuttle mission simulation and I was the Public Address Officer (they liked my British accent) in Mission Control. I now feel I could phone up and help with this mission.
Me first.I've been a space nut since before Apollo. I find then whole thing fascinating and have loved every minute of the 50 odd years I've been following NASA's space adventure.
Currently this is the biggest launcher, but they're working on a bigger one as part of the Orion programme
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System
rhysenna said:
Sorry for all the questions but has NASA got a rocket that can take Orion into outer space?
This one 
Only joking.
The sensible answer is "not yet". The Delta IV Heavy is not powerful enough (nor is it "man rated") to allow it to carry a fully kitted out and manned Orion Command Module and definitive Service Module combination.
The rocket that is being designed to do this is called the "Space Launch System" or SLS. The SLS will be built in a number of versions, one of which will be even more powerful than the Saturn V. The SLS is built from components developed for the Space Shuttle.
It has FOUR Shuttle Main Engine Derivatives (SMEs) and two Solid Rocket Boosters similar to the Shuttle's but consisting of five segments rather than the Shuttle booster's three.
MrCarPark said:
Eric Mc said:
I was just thinking how reliable the Saturn family was. I can't remember a single Apollo flight of any sort being delayed seriously because of holds such as this.
I was wondering what Gene Krantz must be making of it I was thinking of people like Von Braun and his team who are probably looking down and saying "I told you zat ve vere better off with ze kerosene".
Eric Mc said:
rhysenna said:
Sorry for all the questions but has NASA got a rocket that can take Orion into outer space?
This one Only joking.
The sensible answer is "not yet". The Delta IV Heavy is not powerful enough (nor is it "man rated") to allow it to carry a fully kitted out and manned Orion Command Module and definitive Service Module combination.
The rocket that is being designed to do this is called the "Space Launch System" or SLS. The SLS will be built in a number of versions, one of which will be even more powerful than the Saturn V. The SLS is built from components developed for the Space Shuttle.
It has FOUR Shuttle Main Engine Derivatives (SMEs) and two Solid Rocket Boosters similar to the Shuttle's but consisting of five segments rather than the Shuttle booster's three.
rhysenna said:
More powerful than Saturn V! What sort of thrust are we talking about ?
8 million pounds plus.Back in the early 1960s, when it was assumed that they way to get to the moon was simply by fitting the Apollo Command and Service module with legs and landing it directly (what was known as Direct Ascent), Von Braun and his team proposed a monster rocket called Nova, which had EIGHT F1 engines (the Saturn V had five F1s). The Nova would have developed 12 million pounds of thrust.
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