What will be the role of Orion in the Constellation Program?
GREGG: The Orion will be the next human-rated space vehicle that will return astronauts to the moon and on to Mars. The Orion vehicle consists of four primary modules. The Crew Module (CM) in which the astronauts and cargo will be transported, housing life support, avionics and thermal protection systems. The Service Module (SM) houses the systems for propulsion, electrical power and fluids storage. The Spacecraft Adapter (SA) will serve as the structural transition between the CEV and the launch vehicle, and the Launch Abort System (LAS), on top of the vehicle, is designed to pull the CM and the astronauts to safety in the event of an emergency. It does look similar to the Apollo Command Module and SM, but it will have avionics and other systems utilizing today’s proven technology, which is grounded in over 40 years of space flight experience. UPDATE: What were the key aspects of the Lockheed Martin proposal that helped that team win the Orion contract? THOMAS: First, NASA’s feedback
