What a way to start Thursday. NASA's Orion will be launching early in the morning of Dec. 4, taking the first step toward bringing humans to Mars by testing the mission spacecraft.
Set atop a Delta 4 Heavy rocket, Orion will be blasting off to space from Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Mission managers approved the launch, saying no major technical issues are in the way so there was no need for delay.
As a test flight, the launch will not include crew members in the spacecraft. Propelled by the beefiest rocket in the world today, the Orion spacecraft is expected to orbit the planet twice, aiming to travel 3,600 miles or over 14 times higher than the International Space Station.
It is necessary to reach that altitude because that height will give the spacecraft the necessary momentum it needs to enter the Earth back again, hurtling 20,000 mph over the Pacific. The 11-minute period between re-entry and splashdown is what NASA considers the most critical part of the test flight as it will allow the agency to test important parts of the spacecraft, such as the heat shield (the largest of its kind ever built), parachutes and all other sections that are supposed to come off during ascent and entry. Computers onboard will be gauged as Orion passes through the Van Allen belts around the Earth.
Aside from getting the chance to test out technologies that will support man's journey to the Red Planet, the launch is creating excitement because it has been a while since the United States launched a spacecraft beyond low-Earth Orbit.
"In the sense that we are beginning a new mission, it is, I think, consistent with ... the beginning of shuttle, the beginning of Apollo. It's a new mission for us, starting in the region of the moon and then beyond," said Mark Geyer, Orion program manager.
Around 26,000 guests are expected to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center to witness the launch. The space center's press site has been packed since Dec. 3, accommodating 650 journalists eager to capture the moment of Orion's first flight. Kennedy hasn't seen this much action since 2011 after the last shuttle flight.
Orion's test flight will last four and a half hours. It cost $375 million to carry out so NASA has high hopes for the launch's success. When the spacecraft lands back on Earth about 600 miles off the coast of Baja California, it will be recovered through the combined effort of the U.S. Navy and NASA.
