NASA has unveiled plans for its next-generation, post-Shuttle spacecraft to carry humans into earth orbit and beyond. The state-of-the-art, four-astronaut capsule, called the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle or MPCV, builds on earlier designs for the Orion crew capsule. And the versatile new craft features an enhanced emphasis on crew safety.
NASA Associate Administrator Douglas Cooke says it made sense to stick with Orion, a survivor of the recently-cancelled Constellation program that had aimed to return astronauts to the moon.
Weve made a lot of progress on Orion. We have a ground test article that is a full structure with a lot of the systems actually installed into it for testing. So, its well down the road. It answers the requirements and represents a significant investment in that path at this point, he said.
Lockheed Martin
The Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle being assembled and tested at Lockheed Martins Vertical Testing Facility in Colorado.
The Obama Administration cancelled the Constellation program in 2010 because it was behind schedule and over budget. Tariq Malik is managing editor of Space.com, an online newsletter. He says that while it could be used as a replacement for the retiring Space Shuttle fleet, that is not NASAs intent. Rather, Malik says, the redesigned capsule is the space agencys all-purpose vehicle for a variety of missions beyond earths orbit.
【英语四级阅读:最好的宇航器】相关文章:
最新
2016-10-18
2016-10-11
2016-10-11
2016-10-08
2016-09-30
2016-09-30