NASA Unveils New Giant Rocket for Deep Space Missions

[Donger]

http://www.space.com/12941-nasa-unve...ch-system.html

NASA has finally revealed its design for the agency's next-generation heavy-lift rocket to carry astronauts on future deep space missions.

The agency announced today (Sept. 14) that the Space Launch System (SLS) will include hardware and technology that are legacies from the space shuttle and now-defunct Constellation programs. The $10 billion booster will use liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel, and will have solid rocket boosters for initial tests flights, agency officials said.

NASA administrator and former space shuttle astronaut Charles Bolden unveiled the new design during a press conference at the Senate Dirksen Building in Washington. [Photos and Video of NASA's New Giant Rocket]

"This launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure continued U.S. leadership in space, and inspire millions around the world," Bolden said in a statement. "President Obama challenged us to be bold and dream big, and that's exactly what we are doing at NASA. While I was proud to fly on the space shuttle, kids today can now dream of one day walking on Mars."

The rocket's first test flight is targeted for the end of 2017, agency officials said in a statement.

Last year, Obama challenged NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and on to Mars by the mid-2030s, shaping the agency's deep space exploration plan following the retirement of the 30-year space shuttle program. [Gallery: NASA's SLS Rocket for Deep Space Flights]

The Space Launch System is a cornerstone of the plan to launch a crewed space capsule on deep space missions beyond low-Earth orbit. This capsule, called the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), is based heavily on initial designs for NASA's Orion spacecraft in the moon-oriented Constellation program that was canceled last year.

"NASA has been making steady progress toward realizing the president's goal of deep space exploration, while doing so in a more affordable way," NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver said in a statement. "We have been driving down the costs on the Space Launch System and Orion contracts by adopting new ways of doing business and project hundreds of millions of dollars of savings each year."

Bolden was joined for the announcement today by U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who have both been steadfast SLS supporters.

The huge rocket has been embroiled in controversy, and lawmakers have accused the White House and NASA of stalling on fixing the rocket's design plans and inflating budget estimates for the new booster.

Last week, two U.S. senators accused the Obama administration of trying to sabotage the next-generation launch vehicle by "wildly" inflating the program's cost. The accusation came after internal NASA cost estimates totaling nearly $63 billion through 2025 were leaked in a report published in The Wall Street Journal.

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by Donger

"We have been driving down the costs on the Space Launch System and Orion contracts by adopting new ways of doing business and project hundreds of millions of dollars of savings each year."

[Donger]

Originally Posted by teedubya

The Orion ship does it's first test flight on December 4th with the help of some Delta IV rockets.

I've been invited to go as a "social media influencer", somehow... and am really stoked to see this in person. I'll be touring the facility and watching the launch live. I'm thinking that a GoPro might be the best way to video this... I don't want my face in my phone trying to take pictures.

http://www.space.com/27560-orion-cap...ght-video.html

Okay, that gave me a hard on, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by teedubya

The Orion ship does it's first test flight on December 4th with the help of some Delta IV rockets.

I've been invited to go as a "social media influencer", somehow... and am really stoked to see this in person. I'll be touring the facility and watching the launch live. I'm thinking that a GoPro might be the best way to video this... I don't want my face in my phone trying to take pictures.

http://www.space.com/27560-orion-cap...ght-video.html

That's badass!

[DaKCMan AP]

Some of my co-workers will be there to observe on Dec 4.

[teedubya]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Take me and I'll bring one of my canons that does video. Or borrow a 4k video camera.

Dave, I'd totally take you... they are quite secretive, however... and allow ZERO guests. I can't even bring one of my kids.

Let me find the link to future events, and I'll see if I can get you on their radar. I'll PM it to you when I find it.

[Discuss Thrower]

Wake me up when we're doing this:

[Bowser]

Now maybe they can go investigate that planet sized UFO in close orbit around the sun.

[Hydrae]

Cool!

[teedubya]

http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/11/06...-orion-launch/

Delta 4 passes countdown rehearsal before Orion launch



The Delta 4-Heavy rocket set to launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft undergoes a countdown rehearsal at Cape Canaveral on Wednesday.

CAPE CANAVERAL — A countdown dress rehearsal and rocket fueling exercise was completed Wednesday at Cape Canaveral for next month’s launch of NASA’s Orion crew module atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy booster.

Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal, the WDR rolled back the mobile gantry early in the morning and performed a full countdown to a simulated liftoff time later in the day.

“We just successfully completed our Wet Dress Rehearsal yesterday. We basically took the vehicle through a launch countdown. We fully tanked it, operated all of our systems. It was a good exercise and everything is working great,” said Ron Fortson, United Launch Alliance director of mission management.

The real liftoff day is coming Dec. 4.

Powered by three RS-68 main engines, the Heavy rocket will be launched from the Cape’s pad 37B for Exploration Flight Test No. 1, or EFT 1.

The mission will send Orion on a two-orbit mission around Earth to check out its systems in an uncrewed test.

The next major milestone in the launch campaign is planned for Monday night, when the 73-foot-tall, 48,000-pound Orion spacecraft is hauled to the pad for mating with the Delta 4-Heavy.

[teedubya]

Here is today's Reddit AMA from the NASA Engineers who built Orion.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comment...t_orion_nasas/

[BWillie]

I'm about old enough where I'm ready to discount space exploration. Maybe in about 15 years when I'm in my 40's I'll not see any need or funding for it since I only have 30 years left to live, and I don't give any shits what happens to the earth when my dead carcass is decomposing away. But I suppose if an asteroid starts heading for Earth it would be a good idea to have another place to live.

[teedubya]

Typical selfish 'Murican. "**** the future generations... POLLUTE ALL THE LAND. I'll be dead, I won't care!!"

[Donger]

Sweet. Keep them coming teedubya! Really excited about this next stage of NASA.

[teedubya]

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/the-most-a...-ea-1656233601

Guillaume Juin took 80GB of photos from the International Space Station crew members from 2011 to 2014 and made this stunning film. Without a doubt, it's the most formidable video of the views from the ISS I've ever seen. Watching it makes me extra-jealous of the people up there.

Play it huge on your TV or projection screen for maximum effect.

from Guillaume JUIN on Vimeo.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by teedubya

Typical selfish 'Murican. "**** the future generations... POLLUTE ALL THE LAND. I'll be dead, I won't care!!"

Exactly. I dont care what happens to this earth, anyone or thing once i take my dirt nap. I never fault anyone for keeping their own interests at heart.

In all probability, any space exploration is a waste of money for any current generation.