Orion Spacecraft Completes Successful Test Flight

Nasa successfully launched its new Orion spacecraft on a mission that the US space agency hopes will foreshadow the first human expedition to Mars.

At 7.05am ET (12.05pm GMT) on Friday a dense bloom of fire and smoke shrouded the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the Orion capsule rose into clear skies on the Delta IV heavy rocket.

NASA Set To Test Orion Deep-Space Capsule On Thursday

Ken O’Brien

NASA announced on Monday that it is set to test the spacecraft that it says will eventually deliver astronauts to Mars.

The agency announced on Monday that the Orion space capsule will get an uncrewed test flight early Thursday morning.

NASA Video Shows Mars 4 Billion Years Ago As Lush, Verdant World

NASA has prepared a new video to illustrate its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission's investigation of dramatic climate change on Mars. Today, Mars is a cold and barren desert world, with no sign of life, at least on the surface. However, billions of years ago when the Red Planet was young, it appears to have had a thick atmosphere that was warm enough to support oceans of liquid water – a critical ingredient for life.

The animation was created by the NASA Goddard Conceptual Image Lab.

Curiosity’s Landing On Mars

Ken O’Brien

The most complicated landing in NASA’s history will take place Monday, August 6 at 1:31am EDT when Curiosity, the 1-ton Mars rover, lands on the red planet.

What are being called “Seven minutes of terror” will be televised live in New York City’s Times Square.

Seven minutes are the window wherein NASA has to bring Curiosity from its 13,000 mph traveling speed down to 1.7 mph for a safe landing from 300 million miles away. At 180 mph, Curiosity will be released via a “sky crane” method with a backpack fitted with retrorockets controlling the descent speed lowering the rover by three nylon cords. Probably one of the most nerve-wracking parts is the uncertainty: because of Mars’ distance it takes 14 minutes for signals from the craft to come to NASA engineers here on earth.