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Orion Crew Test Module Timelapse Build
Posted by Jesus Diaz at 11:00 AM on March 14, 2008
This timelapse video shows the construction of the first Orion crew module, the spacecraft that will take humanity to the Moon and Mars. As you can see, this version is not the full ship, as it lacks all computer, engine, and support systems, not to talk mention the proton torpedoes and turbolasers. However, the Apollo-style module is the first real tangible part of the Constellation Program, and will play a crucial part in its early development.
This timelapse video shows the construction of the first Orion crew module, the spacecraft that will take humanity to the Moon and Mars. As you can see, this version is not the full ship, as it lacks all computer, engine, and support systems, not to talk mention the proton torpedoes and turbolasers. However, the Apollo-style module is the first real tangible part of the Constellation Program, and will play a crucial part in its early development.
This capsule will be used in a 90-second flight and won't leave Earth's atmosphere, but it will demonstrate the features of the new ship, built using the same concept as the Apollo capsule but on a much larger scale: it will be 16.5 feet in diameter, with a mass of 22.7 metric tons, which gives it "two and a half times the volume" inside the Apollo capsule.
It's not a lot more, but it will be able to fit four crew members starting in 2014, the year in which will it travel to the International Space Station. Six years later, it will go to the Moon. [NASA]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Jesus Diaz
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
@Spaceboy: do you think the first Apollo capsule went to the moon? Of course this won't go to Mars. It's the first of the Orion capsules, to be used for a drop test.
Jesus Diaz
Spaceboy
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
this will never go to Mars.
Spaceboy
paulnptld
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
Imagine! Who'd have thought that in the 21st century man would actually walk on the moon?!
paulnptld
diverguy
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
We're never going to be building the Enterprise if we keep taking 40+ year leaps backwards in time.
diverguy
joer14
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
If you look real closely they are actually wrapping it with duct tape. :)
joer14
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
did someone else read "onion"?
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
Tensor
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
i love timelapse. but this one was too jerky for my taste, it needed more intermediate frames.
Tensor
TVGenius
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
Groovy... should be seeing that dropped from a plane here soon. Already tested the 'chute.
TVGenius
BorBor
Posted 1:03 PM 14/3/08
I still can't get over the fact that the next generation of manned space travel will look like it did 40 years ago during the Apollo missions.
BorBor
mmmiles
Posted 3:23 PM 14/3/08
@Simpsons-Movie-ruled: Like 8 times. I thought it was going to be a fake news piece for a moment.
mmmiles
paulnptld
Posted 3:23 PM 14/3/08
All we need now is a healthy cold war to kick start the space race again!
paulnptld
Oracle989
Posted 3:23 PM 14/3/08
The reason that it looks like Apollo is because that was, truly, one of the best designs, we know it works, and having the crew on top of the rocket is a hell of a lor safer than having them on the side. This can and will make it to Mars, they just need to send all of the supplies ahead of it at waypoints and put the crew in a drug induced coma for most of it. Not to mention, this doesnt carry it all up, there's actually 2 rockets that do it. You say 40 years back? The shuttle was a 25 year detour from progress (Apollo ended in the mid 70s, STS started in the early to mid 80s) Look at the Russians, they use a stick the capsule on top approach and have a creat track record lately.
Oracle989
tek_nic
Posted 3:23 PM 14/3/08
@Spaceboy: If you are talking about the design not going to mars - i would think so too. It's hard to see this as a part of a mission that needs a completely new approach (being that it closely resembles a certain other capsule).
To try and use the same design for the moon AND mars seems to be cutting ouselfs short imo. If it goes, cool... I just expected (and still hope for) more.
tek_nic
jchasse
Posted 5:06 PM 14/3/08
"west" I test my case
jchasse
jchasse
Posted 5:06 PM 14/3/08
Jesus we can figure a way to send a rocket to mars and west still can't build a blog tool with a spell checker.
Priorities people, priorities
jchasse
mcryder
Posted 8:40 PM 14/3/08
by the time we get back to the moon china will have a chucky cheese there.
And this is the best that you c - that the government, the *U.S. government* could come up with? I mean, you're NASA for crying out loud.
40 years and this is all we have to show. lets kick it into gear and really do something large.
mcryder
MACPollo
Posted 8:40 PM 14/3/08
Cool. According to the night/day pattern seen through the left-top corner of the picture frame the gizmo took at least 60 days to be built.
MACPollo
Way
Posted 2:44 AM 15/3/08
I am far too entertained just watching the "Wet Floor" pylons moving across the floor. They even jump up to the back wall at one point.
Way
Cliff_Dangers
Posted 2:44 AM 15/3/08
I think you've all missed something here... America "went" to the moon 40 years ago... they are using ruffly the same design for the "next" mission. When??.. in 2020. What the hell is taking so long? They supposedly went there 40 years ago and are using very similar designs. Shouldn't they be able to knock something like this out fairly quickly?
Cliff_Dangers
pliSkiNAKE
Posted 2:44 AM 15/3/08
@mcryder: Nice Armageddon quote there. That is exactly what I was thinking of when I read some of those posts. Even got the "c" in there when he changes his sentence around.
pliSkiNAKE
luciusad2004
Posted 2:44 AM 15/3/08
Wow we must have alot of rocket scientist reading Gizmodo. Color me impressed. I know where I'm going to come for information when i need to write a physics report or something. I just had no clue that you guys knew so much about rocketry and space travel.
If you guys can do it so much better why don't you fax a resume to NASA. Then you can tell them how to make everything more modern. I think we should start w/ some blue LED's, then add some brushed aluminum. Then we'll give it a more sleek design so that i doesn't have to much wind resistence on the way to mars. Finally some touch screen controls.
Hell, w/ those specs I bet it will make it to Jupiter. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.
luciusad2004
Barcard
Posted 2:44 AM 15/3/08
Yeah, I'm still pissed that 40 years ago we could go to the moon and today we can't. Progress!
BTW, the Apollo capsule went into lunar orbit, it never landed on the Moon, same for Orion. They still need to build the lander, which looks to be a big version of the old LEM.
Barcard
cheerfulcashew
Posted 5:36 AM 24/3/08
I think the best part is watching all the hard hats sitting around on the table in the lower left corner. I wonder if OSHA is watching?
cheerfulcashew