With the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in November 2010, the Constellation Program was supposed to replace the shuttle for American manned space operations beginning in 2015. On April 15, 2010, President Barack Obama effectively cancelled the Constellation Program in favor of privatizing manned space flight in the realm of low Earth orbit (LEO). Private space companies will now develop capabilities for the transportation of astronauts and cargo into space. The President commissioned NASA to continue developing a less advanced version of the Orion spacecraft from the Constellation Program to serve as a reserve method of bringing home astronauts from the International Space Station.
Below is an unaltered description of the former Constellation Program as it stood before cancellation:
Orion Capsule
The Spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the moon & beyond is called Orion. Orion was formerly known as the Crew Exploration Vehicle. To the naked eye, it may look nearly identical to the Apollo command & service modules. That is because the concept designs of Orion use Apollo as the template. Therefore, Orion will be a near carbon copy of the Apollo spacecraft. One difference is worth mentioning: the orion capsule will be larger than the Apollo command module. It will be able to carry four astronauts (possibly six) as opposed to three. The Orion spacecraft is capable of carrying crews to the international space station, the moon, and possibly even Mars. U.S. astronauts are slated to return to the moon no later than 2020.
The Ares Rockets
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Ares 1 Rocket Purpose: Crew launch vehicle. Launches Orion crew capsule into Earth orbit and to dockings with the international space station. |
Ares 5 Rocket Purpose: Heavy lift vehicle. Launches heavy payloads into Earth orbit, or an Orion crew capsule
and lunar module to the moon. Upper stage is capable of propelling an
Orion capsule on interplanetary trajectories to planets including Mars. |
Elements of the Apollo program show up again with the new Ares family of rockets. Reminiscent of the Legendary Saturn family of rockets, the Ares family consist of two primary operational vehicles.
Like the Saturn 1B, the Ares 1 rocket will launch crews into low Earth orbit. From there, the Orion spacecraft will be able to fly missions alone in orbit or link up with the international space station. The first stage of the Ares 1 is a modified single solid rocket booster. This solid propellent rocket, borrowed from space shuttle technology, will provide the initial thrust toward orbit. A second liquid propellent stage will power the vehicle the rest of the way to orbit.
The Ares 5 will serve the purpose that the enormous Saturn V vehicle served in the Apollo program. Raw power will push heavy payloads into low to high Earth orbits. These payload flights will be unmanned. An unmanned lunar module may also be carried into orbit by an Ares 5 where a manned Orion capsule launched by an Ares 1 would dock with it. The first stage will be a liquid fuel based system that will provide the majority of the thrust and speed needed. This stage will be augmented by two solid rocket boosters. The second stage has been named the "Earth Departure Stage." It will serve the purpose that the SIV-B served on the Saturn V. This stage will be powered by modified Saturn J2 engines. It will propel an Orion capsule and lunar module to the moon. Note: the speed required for an object to break free of Earth's gravitational pull approaches 7 miles per second, or nearly 25,000 m.p.h. The speed required to maintain low Earth orbit is 17,500 m.p.h.
The Constellation Program and its vehicles are safety centric. NASA is using proven parts from various space vehicles in order to give the Constellation system a very high realiablity rate. Simplicity, and returning to the past, is sometimes the gateway to the future. Constellation will most likely make its first flight around 2014-2015 (Program has been Cancelled).
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