NASA's test flight of the Orion spacecraft is underway!!!!!!!!

History is being made at this very moment, ATS. The first test flight of the SLS with the Orion Spacecraft is going off without a hitch and it is now travelling around the Earth. I am so.o.o.o...happy! Seeing the rocket as it travels into Space brought a tear to my eye when I saw it on the news. The new age of Spaceflight has begun! This is the first of many test flights and the rocket will not be ready to take humans to Deep-Space destinations until around at least 2025, but this is a day of rejoice! What says ATS?

NASA is making a second attempt at an uncrewed test flight of its new Orion spacecraft today, after yesterday's launch was scrubbed. The test flight will begin with a sunrise liftoff — should all go well, of course. Orion is the most-ambitious spacecraft since its lookalike Apollo. If NASA is successful, ultimately Orion could be used to ferry people to Mars in the coming decades. Today there are no people aboard, though some important cargo is: a cookie from Sesame Street's Cookie Monster.

You can watch a livestream here:
www.theverge.com...

Here's the link:
www.theverge.com...

a reply to: lostbook

Gotta start somewhere..

a reply to: lostbook

It was a Delta, not SLS. The first SLS flight will be next year.

Specifically the lift vehicle for the capsule was a Delta IV Heavy.

The Orion Capsule is what is being tested.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: lostbook

It was a Delta, not SLS. The first SLS flight will be next year.

I'm amped up, nonetheless. No more dinosaur Space Shullte(s). No more LEO only. Moving forward.......

If NASA is successful, ultimately Orion could be used to ferry people to Mars in the coming decades.

Id' settle for the ISS.

Today there are no people aboard, though some important cargo is: a cookie from Sesame Street's Cookie Monster.

They aren't using crash test dummies?

a reply to: intrptr

Why the ISS? SpaceX can handle that along with the other Space companies vying for contracts to re-supply the ISS. NASA's aim now is for Deep-Space. This larger, more powerful rocket which is similar to the Saturn rocket, is made for just that.

I'd be game for some crash-test dummies however...

a reply to: lostbook

Right, it's a great space ship that can used in a multitude of ways: LEO and ISS, the Moon, Mars, Asteroids.

the SLS launch vehicles will be the next exciting tests that they do.

They aren't using crash test dummies?

Nope, they no longer have the funding...

Rumour has it that Cookie monster volunteered to get away from this mad world...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

originally posted by: eriktheawful
a reply to: lostbook

Right, it's a great space ship that can used in a multitude of ways: LEO and ISS, the Moon, Mars, Asteroids.

the SLS launch vehicles will be the next exciting tests that they do.

Agreed. I'm excited for the SLS. It's a much needed improvement over Constellation. Here's what WIKI says:

On September 14, 2011, NASA announced its design selection for the new launch system, declaring that it would take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before and provide the cornerstone for future US human space exploration efforts.[8][9][10] Four versions of the launch vehicle have been planned at various times – Blocks 0, I, IA, IB and II. Each configuration utilizes different core stages, boosters and upper stages, with some components deriving directly from Space Shuttle hardware and others being developed specifically for the SLS.[11] Block II of the SLS, the most capable variant, was initially depicted as having five RS-25E engines, upgraded boosters and an 8.4-meter diameter upper stage with three J-2X engines.[12][13] Along with its baseline 8.4 meter diameter payload fairing a longer but thinner 5-meter class payload fairing with a length of 10 m or greater is also considered for propelling heavier payloads to deep space.[14] Since then a number of changes have been made, with Block 0 and Block IA no longer in design and the final Block II design being dependent on an ongoing booster competition and further analysis. The initial Block I two-stage variant will have a lift capability of between 70,000 and 77,000 kg, while the proposed Block II final variant will have similar lift capacity and height to the original Saturn V.[15] By November 2011, NASA had selected five rocket configurations for wind tunnel testing, described in three Low Earth Orbit classes; 70 metric tons (t), 95 t, and 140 t.[16]

Yeah, baby!

originally posted by: Rodinus


My God, its full of cookies...

Someone on twitter mentioned their watching this mission in their classroom.

Brings back memories of when I was in school watching Apollo back in the "olden days".

originally posted by: intrptr

If NASA is successful, ultimately Orion could be used to ferry people to Mars in the coming decades.

Id' settle for the ISS.

That's not its mission. That's for Space-X and Boeing's vehicles.

Orion is about getting NASA out of the space transportation business and back to the space exploration business.

originally posted by: lostbook

originally posted by: eriktheawful
a reply to: lostbook

Right, it's a great space ship that can used in a multitude of ways: LEO and ISS, the Moon, Mars, Asteroids.

the SLS launch vehicles will be the next exciting tests that they do.

Agreed. I'm excited for the SLS. It's a much needed improvement over Constellation.

Agreed. For all the crap the Obama admin gets (unfairly I'd add) over NASA on ATS few seem to remember that Constellation the program the previous administration championed was never going anywhere and sucked a TON of money from space science programs like the Terrestrial Planet FInder.

a reply to: JadeStar

Orion is about getting NASA out of the space transportation business and back to the space exploration business.

The mission should be to ferry to and from the ISS, first. That was always the sell--- the shuttle and ISS were staging for further "exploration". Yah, well. BS…

Now what is it? The same "mission" but this time with new manned spaceships?

Imo just cover for spying or intercepting other nations satellites.

"Exploration" is the ruse. Interplanetary probes and landers are doing that just fine.

I always used to wonder what the shuttle brought home in its cargo bay…

a reply to: lostbook

If it flys, I love it. But as a person that has seen UFOs and a triangle, I look at all of this current business as pointless busywork ill-conceived and destined to go nowhere, especially to Mars. What are we told: The presently used Saturn IV base unit w/boosters can loft the capsule into orbit. Then what? Another rocket, a deep space booster needs to power the capsule out of orbit and on the way to Mars. As it approaches Mars, it needs to slow the capsule down. From orbiting the planet, a lander, away of getting that crew down to the surface is required and then back up to the deep space boosters. More of a challenging job than the Moon LEMs. Then they need that same deep space booster rocket to get them back to Earth orbit, slow and finally down, safely to the surface.

When that first manned capsule reaches Mars, what are they going to do, swing around the planet, do a simple "looksee" as a "proof of concept" mission as was done with the first Apollo? Who in their right mind would volunteer for for such a long mission only to basically look out the window from Mars' orbit?

Will multiple unmanned units be sent before to establish an automated base before the human crew gets on the surface? We can't expect that first crewed capsule to carry much of that hardware. How many successful unmanned, pre-supply missions will be necessary? This "men on Mars" business is extremely complicated and failures of those very complex plans are destined to happen in small and large ways. Granted, most of the US mission to Mars since the very first have been successful to some degree. Some have failed completely and the Russians have made over thirty attempts with a score of virtually zero. And we talk about sending humans there?

The sheer logistics of this undertaking with unproven hardware and the involvement of the critical human element tallies up to a view that all of this current excitement by NASA is bogus, thousands and thousands of jobs financed by government and not from the real economy. What other reasons may push this charade? I surmise that we are on Mars already with the triangles which are military devices crewed entirely by military people. They lack the skills to properly investigate what lays before them on the red plains. Mars needs scientists. The next step is to haul scientists and engineers up there to figure things out, to create and to build for a continued presence. To do that, the public discussion must be moved from simply talking about seemingly valid missions to Mars with typically known hardware, to creating strong interests about a long-term relationship with the planet. Such is being done. So, if you are a scientist or engineer taken with the mystery of Mars, get on the list "volunteer" for service on Mars. A sly recruiter may call you tomorrow. You may be leaving for Mars quicker than you think.

a reply to: intrptr

And no one noticed their satellites going missing? The shuttle was incapable of landing with a satellite in the bay, it would be too heavy.

As for the ISS, private companies will resupply it fine. Orion will take us out into the solar system. Yes unmanned probes work, but manned missions will do so much more.

a reply to: Zaphod58

The shuttle was incapable of landing with a satellite in the bay, it would be too heavy.

Who said anything abut "whole" satellites?

"Messing' with", theft of parts, whatever.

a reply to: intrptr

Which would require long obvious spacewalks. And be obvious as hell. "Hey, the shuttle is awfully close to our satellite." Followed shortly after by, "Hey, our satellite stopped working." Pretty sure it would be figured out pretty quick.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I didn't know satellites had "security cams" to catch burglars.

The shuttle missions to refurb Hubble included every aspect of what I am suggesting, you can tell me all day they never considered that option for other satellites…