A Rare First Look at the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle

Posted by SpaceSightSeer on March 30, 2009 under Spacecraft | Read the First Comment

On Monday (March 30, 2009) visitors to the National Mall in Washington, DC were treated to a rare first look at NASA’s Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. The full scale mockup of the capsule, which has had infrequent public display, was en route to Florida from NAVSEA Carderock in Bethesda where it underwent water testing.

Orion is under development as part of NASA’s Constellation program. NASA plans for Orion include future lunar missions and as an emergency return vehicle for the International Space Station. The crew module, reminiscent of the Apollo capsule, is noticeably larger as it is designed for a crew of 6.

This slide show contains a handful of pictures I was able to take myself. Click on any image view it full size in a new window.