NASA's Orion Spacecraft Nears Completion, Ready for Fueling
NASA is making steady progress on its Orion spacecraft, completing several milestones this week at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the capsule's first trip to space in December. Engineers finished building the Orion crew module, attached it and the already-completed service module to the adapter that will join Orion to its rocket and transported the spacecraft to a new facility for fueling.
"Nothing about building the first of a brand new space transportation system is easy," said Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager."But the crew module is undoubtedly the most complex component that will fly in December. The pressure vessel, the heat shield, parachute system, avionics -- piecing all of that together into a working spacecraft is an accomplishment. Seeing it fly in three months is going to be amazing."Finishing the Orion crew module marks the completion of all major components of the spacecraft.
