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Here are the five things you need to know about NASA's Orion spacecraft that's headed to Mars. VPC
NASA's Orion spacecraft sits on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Fla., after several launch delays on Dec. 4, 2014.(Photo: NASA)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Several issues, including technical problems, have delayed the launch of NASA's new exploration capsule on its first test flight at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
An 8:26 a.m. launch was put on hold after NASA said a fuel and drain value did not close. No new liftoff time was set.
The unmanned Orion capsule is poised to launch for the first time atop a 243-foot United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket.
A planned 7:05 a.m. launch was delayed when a boat strayed into the launch zone, and then a minor technical issue with the rocket was cleared.
New launch times for the $375 million Exploration Flight Test-1 mission were set for 7:17 a.m. and 7:55 a.m., but both times computers automatically stopped the countdown with less than four minutes to go because of strong winds.
Thursday's launch window extends to 9:44 a.m. A new launch time has been set for 8:26 a.m.
The mission aims to loft the test version of the Orion capsule 3,600 miles up during two orbits, setting up a 20,000-mph re-entry through the atmosphere and splashdown in the Pacific four-and-a-half hours after liftoff.
NASA is developing Orion to fly astronauts to deep space destinations including an asteroid and eventually Mars. The first flight with astronauts will happen no sooner than 2021.
LIVE BLOG: Follow NASA's Orion test flight rocket launch
NASA anticipated 26,000 guests for the historic send-off — the roads leading into Kennedy Space Center were packed well before dawn — and the atmosphere was reminiscent of the shuttle-flying days. "Go Orion!!" urged a hotel billboard in nearby Cocoa Beach.
Launch commentator Mike Curie noted Thursday was the 16th anniversary of the launch of the first U.S. piece of the International Space Station, by shuttle Endeavour. "That was the beginning of the space station, and today is the dawn of Orion," he said.
Orion is aiming for two orbits on this inaugural run. On the second lap around the home planet, the spacecraft should reach a peak altitude of 3,600 miles, high enough to ensure a re-entry speed of 20,000 mph and an environment of 4,000 degrees. Splashdown will be in the Pacific off the Mexican Baja coast, where Navy ships already are waiting.
NASA's Mission Control in Houston was all set to oversee the entire 4½-hour operation. The flight program was loaded into Orion's computers well in advance, allowing the spacecraft to fly essentially on autopilot. Flight controllers could intervene in the event of an emergency breakdown.
The spacecraft is rigged with 1,200 sensors to gauge everything from heat to vibration to radiation. At 11 feet tall with a 16.5-foot base, Orion is bigger than the old-time Apollo capsules and, obviously, more advanced. As NASA's program manager Mark Geyer noted, "The inside of the capsule is totally different."
NASA deliberately kept astronauts off this first Orion.
Managers want to test the riskiest parts of the spacecraft — the heat shield, parachutes, various jettisoning components — before committing to a crew. The earliest Orion might carry passengers is 2021; asteroids are on the space agency's radar sometime in the 2020s and Mars, the grand prize, in the 2030s.
Lockheed Martin Corp., which is handling the $370 million test flight for NASA, opted for the powerful Delta IV rocket this time around. Future Orion missions will rely on NASA's still-in-development megarocket known as SLS, or Space Launch System. The first Orion-SLS combo launch is targeted for 2018.
NASA's last trip beyond low-Earth orbit in a vessel built for people was Apollo 17 in December 1972.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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