It’s the year 2033, and four U.S. astronauts are buckled inside the world’s most advanced crew capsule atop the world’s most powerful rocket on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Three ... two ... one ... and NASA’s colossal Space Launch System booster — even more powerful than the Saturn V Apollo moon rocket — gives a shuddering growl, blasts off from the pad and rips into the atmosphere.
About 100 miles up, the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle separates from the rocket and beelines for a rendezvous with a solar-powered deep-space port already assembled in orbit and stocked with crew provisions and science cargo.
The Orion docks with the spaceport, and the astronauts' transfer to what will be their in-space habitat as they embark on a risky 1,000-day journey to become the first Earthlings ever to visit the Martian system. Read more...
Three ... two ... one ... and NASA’s colossal Space Launch System booster — even more powerful than the Saturn V Apollo moon rocket — gives a shuddering growl, blasts off from the pad and rips into the atmosphere.
About 100 miles up, the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle separates from the rocket and beelines for a rendezvous with a solar-powered deep-space port already assembled in orbit and stocked with crew provisions and science cargo.
The Orion docks with the spaceport, and the astronauts' transfer to what will be their in-space habitat as they embark on a risky 1,000-day journey to become the first Earthlings ever to visit the Martian system. Read more...