Friday, December 18, 2009

Johnson Space Center

This is the flight deck of one of the Space Shuttle Trainers

Johnson Space Center

Here is an image from the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.

Johnson Space Center


Here are some images from my trip to Johnson Space Center.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Orion Capsule


The Orion Capsule will carry a crew of four atop the Ares-1 rocket. This is the first "proof of production" version of the capsule. Though it will never be launched, it will be built to flight standards. Odds are good that many aspects of the Orion will be modified during the engineering, production and testing phase of the program.

This is only a portion of the capsule's frame. There is a sleeve that will be attached below this section (visible directly behind the capsule), then the bulkhead on the bottom. There are two smaller cone shaped sections which will be attached above the section pictured here. Attached atop those is the tunnel and upper hatch.

Orion Capsule Bulkhead


This is the Bulkhead, or bottom of the Orion Capsule. The ablative heat shield will be attached to the bulkhead to protect the capsule during reentry through the Earth's atmosphere.

Orion Capsule Hatch


This is the main hatch opening on the Orion Capsule. The capsule will also have a tunnel hatch at the top to connect to the Altair lander.

Orion Capsule Window


This is one of four windows in the Orion Capsule. There will be one window for each astronaut on the crew.