The Goal

This is a little known fact to most Americans, but Project Constellation is a program for NASA devised in President Bush’s Vision For Space Exploration. Project Constellation is basically a program with the three main goals of retiring the space shuttle, returning men to the moon, and also to Mars. The project will utilize a new series of rockets and boosters specifically designed with new technology compared to those used for the original moon missions. These boosters include the Ares I and the Ares V which respectively launch the crew and the hardware necessary for missions. The Ares I will launch the crew out of earth orbit in the new and developing Orion spacecraft.

The Spacecraft

Orion and Ares will return mankind to the moon by 2020. This endeavor is long overdue, considering the fact that man was there last in 1972. Lockheed Martin currently has the privilege of designing man’s next ship to the stars and is hard at work. After the shuttle is retired in 2010, the Orion craft will be used by NASA for all of its crewed operations in space. These include any future US trips to the International Space Station which is also scheduled to be completed then.

The Design

The Crew Module and the Service module are designed based on the knowledge gained from both the Apollo program and the Space Shuttle. This interesting combination will be beneficial to the crew and command because it is much simpler than the old system. It uses a state of the art computer system where as the Apollo counterpart barely had any computer at all. The new module also features an autodocking system which is similar to the ones Russians and Europeans have been using in their space craft for a while. It will use a state of the art waste disposal system similar to the ones used on the space stations and shuttle. This will remove the old Apollo method of relieving oneself into bags. Another new improvement: the crafts now use parachutes and boosters to slow their descent on earth, allowing it to touchdown on land and not just water. The craft will also be partially reusable and utilize state of the art thermal protection. It will have about double the internal space of the Apollo version and contain four to six astronauts.

The Service Module, which sits aft of the Crew Module, will be very different from its predecessors. It will have a pair of retractable solar panels giving the crew an “infinite” supply of power. The module will have a cylindrical shape and it will house all of the propulsion for the craft. This new system is truly and big step in the future of NASA and space exploration. It encompasses the best technology and methods of new and old to form a spacecraft that will return man the moon and beyond.