Author: Paul Rincon Science Editor, BBC News website
Orion is a new type of spacecraft designed by NASA for humans to visit destinations such as the moon and Mars. This is our guide to the replacement of space shuttles in the United States.
When astronauts return to the moon in this decade-according to a NASA project called Artemis-they will travel in Orion.
Orion is a future-oriented vehicle with a distinctly retro atmosphere. The conical shape of the capsule is reminiscent of the Apollo module that visited the moon half a century ago.
This is not surprising-the physics of returning to Earth from space has not changed. When passing through our atmosphere at supersonic speeds, teardrop-like objects are stable.
But when Neil and Buzz landed in the quiet sea in July 1969, Orion was full of unimaginable technology.
These advanced capabilities are essential for deep-space travel. In deep-space travel, the challenges faced by astronauts are different from those encountered in places closer to the earth, such as the International Space Station (ISS).
Orion is composed of four main elements:
As the successor to the space shuttle, the Orion envisioned under George W Bush's tenure has cost more than $18 billion since it began work in 2006.
The structural pillars of the passenger compartment are called pressure vessels and are made of aluminum-lithium alloy. It is full of honeycomb-structured pockets, which reduces weight while maintaining strength.
The pressure vessel is made of different parts, which are fused together using a process called friction stir welding. This turns the metal into a plastic-like state, which is then stirred under pressure to form a seamless weld.
Then the olive-green container is closed under the panel, which is covered with heat-resistant tiles.
The metal coating on the tiles further protects the process from extreme heat and cold.
The bottom of the crew compartment is covered by the largest heat shield ever designed for human missions. When Orion returns to Earth, it bears the brunt of the extreme heat.
There are four adjustable seats in the cabin of Orion, which can accommodate a variety of body types and body types. When the astronauts are strapped inside, they can look out through the four windows located above the headrest.
Once Orion reaches orbit after launch, the crew can dismantle and put away some or all of the seats to make more room for themselves.
A console with three displays and 67 physical switches allows pilots and commanders to monitor the spacecraft during flight. In contrast, each space shuttle has 10 displays and more than 1,200 switches, dials and gauges.
"You don't have to carry all the switches and all the wiring with you, so you can save weight," Jeff Fox, head of NASA's Orion cockpit, told the NASA podcast. The software now assumes the functions previously performed by these physical switches.
Although the console allows manual control by crew members, the four Orion flight computers can manage navigation and other key operations without manual intervention. This allows the astronauts to deal with other tasks freely.
These computers are based on a type specially built for commercial airliners, but have been modified and reinforced for the harsh environment of space travel, where gravity, vibration, and radiation can damage sophisticated hardware.
"That's why we have four flying computers. It's not because we expect them to burn out due to electrical failures. This is to deal with the deep space environment," said Rob Chamber of Lockheed Martin, who built Orion for NASA. Si told BBC News.
In high-risk parts of missions, such as launch and ascent, astronauts will wear brightly colored orange spacesuits called the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS).
It plays the same role as the "pumpkin suit" used on the space shuttle, providing air, cooling, and communication — and protecting the wearer from decompression events, in which case air will be lost from the cabin. But there are many improvements: OCSS is tailored for each astronaut, providing greater comfort and mobility than shuttle suits.
Orion is designed to operate outside the protective magnetic bubble surrounding the earth-and to protect the astronauts on the space station. In outer space, the daily radiation dose received by astronauts is approximately three times the radiation dose they receive on the International Space Station.
Space radiation comes from different sources, but the most insidious threat comes from solar particle events (SPE). This is where the sun regularly releases clouds of charged particles into space.
These bombings increase the long-term risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease.
When the Orion astronauts receive the SPE notification, they will climb down and enter the locker under the floor of the capsule. They are close to the heat shield, which is one of the most protected areas of the spacecraft.
In order to complete the dense radiation bunker, the crew must use storage bags containing supplies and equipment to build a "pillow fortress" around themselves.
Jason Hutt, head of system integration for NASA's Orion crew, said that each 3-foot-deep locker can hold two people. "They will bring some food, they will bring their laptops," Hutt told NASA's podcast.
"You will be good friends with your locker buddies," Hutt said.
Radiation is not the only threat during flight. If a small space rock or a piece of orbital debris pierces a pressure vessel, it may cause air leakage. Orion was designed to allow the crew to safely return to Earth through an airtight cabin.
The crew can survive in OCSS protective suits, but the onboard electronic equipment also needs to work properly. These generate a lot of heat, and this heat is usually dissipated with the help of fans or airflow. However, these heat loss solutions cannot work in the absence of air, so Orion's electronics are specially designed so that the spacecraft frame can absorb heat and suck it away.
Orion was lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket-which is more powerful than the Saturn V in the Apollo era.
From launch to return, the Orion Crew Module is connected to the cylindrical European Service Module (ESM), which provides air, water, electricity, and propulsion.
The ESM is 4.5m wide and 3m long, and was provided by the European Space Agency (Esa) for the Orion mission. It has four 7m long solar cell arrays extending outward from the main body. These tilt and rotate to track the sun and generate enough electricity to power two three-bedroom homes.
The ESM has three different types of engines that can propel the passenger compartment to the destination and maneuver in multiple directions.
For the first mission to the moon in the 2020s, Artemis-3, Orion will dock with a landing craft (expected to be Elon Musk’s interstellar spacecraft) in lunar orbit. The crew will then transfer from Orion to the lander, which will then disengage from the docking and transport passengers to the surface of the moon.
For future missions, the plan is to have Orion and a lander dock, with a small space station called Gateway in lunar orbit. This configuration can support more complex tasks.
The crew returned the seat to the original position, ready to re-enter. The shock absorber under the seat protects the astronauts from splashing water.
The Orion capsule separates from the service capsule and activates its thrusters to begin the process of returning to Earth.
When the passenger compartment passes through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds, the heat shield must withstand temperatures of approximately 2,760 degrees Celsius (5,000 degrees Fahrenheit).
It is covered by a mass of material called Avcoat, which is "ablated"-it burns slowly when it re-enters, taking heat away from the capsule.
When the crew cabin landed on Earth, a total of 11 different parachutes — made of a mixture of Kevlar and nylon — were deployed to slow the aircraft to the 17 mph required to safely splash into the Pacific Ocean. speed.
An amphibious transport ship will be waiting nearby to pick up the astronauts. The ship dragged the Orion capsule to a flooded well deck and lifted it into a recovery cradle, ready to return to the mainland.
Five people died after car drove into Wisconsin state parade
With the return of Covid restrictions, protests in Europe
Despite protests, Austria resumed its blockade
UN ignores Beirut bombing investigation request for evidence
Claims for looted artworks question the reconstructed museum
TB Joshua's widow and the fight for his church
Under Solskjaer's leadership, what went wrong with Manchester United?
99-year-old cyclist who won the world silver medal
Why does this mother take her child to the IS capital?
The art of great urban wildlife photos. Video art of great urban wildlife photos
"Telling stories gave me hope"-war photographer. Video "Telling a story gave me hope"-war photographer
How an Austrian woman rescued 7,700 children from a Nazi concentration camp
"If I had 20 pounds at the end of the month, I would be very happy"
With the rising cost of living, the family is "just managing"
Women, myths and keen connoisseurs
Greg James chats with superstar Adele
© 2021 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. Read our external link method.