Orion is getting
ready to launch. [ Music ]
>> [Background Music] My name is Kelly Smith,
and I work on navigation and guidance for Orion.
Orion is NASA's next-generation spacecraft.
Built with versatility in mind, it can take astronauts deeper
into space than we've ever gone before;
to an asteroid or even onto Mars.
For these missions, Orion has to be one tough spacecraft
withstanding high speeds, searing temperatures
and extreme radiation. Before we can send
astronauts into space on Orion, we have to test all
of its systems, and there's only one way to know
if we got it right; fly it in space.
For Orion's first flight, no astronauts will be aboard.
The spacecraft is loaded with sensors to record
and measure all aspects of the flight in every detail.
It all begins with the launch aboard a Delta Four
heavy rocket. [ Rocket Launch ]
As it punches into Earth orbit, Orion will jettison its
Launch Abort System. The Abort System is a safety
feature designed to pull Orion and its crew out of danger
if there were a problem with the rocket during ascent.
Orion's journey is just beginning.
As the spacecraft and the upper stage begin their first lap
around Earth, Mission Control in Houston is monitoring
the progress of the flight. Orion's over a hundred
miles up and going about 17,000 miles per hour.
Just as it passes over the Indian Ocean,
we lose communication. This is expected.
The communications link we have through satellites
to Orion is momentarily lost, but Orion continues
to receive and process data. Its computers can handle 480
million instructions per second. Imagine you are traveling
with Orion as the flight test continues.
One orbit completed, time to go. The upper stage of the rocket
fires again like the setup for a roller coaster ride;
this is the big climb we've been waiting for.
We are headed 3,600 miles above Earth, 15 times higher
from the planet than the International Space Station.
As we get further away from Earth,
we'll pass through the Vann Allan Belts,
an area of dangerous radiation. Radiation like this can
harm the guidance systems, onboard computers, or
other electronics on Orion. Naturally, we have to pass
through this danger zone twice, once up and once back.
But Orion has protection, shielding will be put
to the test as the vehicle cuts through the waves of radiation.
Sensors aboard will record radiation levels
for scientists to study. We must solve these
challenges before we send people through this region of Space.
For this flight, it's time to head home.
The upper stage of the rocket triggers separation.
Orion's jets fire to turn it into the proper position
to reenter Earth's atmosphere. No matter what happens
now, we're coming in. Seventy-five miles above Earth,
the spacecraft enters the atmosphere;
things happen quickly. We're now traveling more
than 20,000 miles per hour. Air particles pushed
out of the way heat up. An envelope of hot plasma
surrounds the vehicle as it plummets towards Earth.
The plasma reaches temperatures of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit;
almost twice as hot as molten lava.
This may be the most dangerous part of the flight.
Mission Control is monitoring all the data
from the spacecraft, and then we lose communication again.
No data can penetrate the plasma; Orion is on its own.
Orion is inside a fireball. Onboard systems ignite jets to
keep the ship pointed correctly so a specially constructed
shield takes the full brunt of the inferno.
This is the largest heat shield of its kind ever made.
Orion's computers that man the spacecraft have to bank
like an airplane keeping a precise path
to the landing site. Even though we've soared
from 20,000 miles per hour to about 300 miles per hour,
we're still traveling amazingly fast.
We must slow down to safely land in the ocean.
Luckily, we have parachutes. Specially designed for Orion,
the parachutes help us hit the brakes, but not too quickly.
One day people will be aboard so deceleration must happen
in stages to keep things comfortable for the crew.
The forward bay cover jettisons. Two drogue chutes deploy, and
slow the returning spacecraft down to 175 miles per hour.
[ Background Sounds ] Then the three main
parachutes open. Once fully engaged this
canopy would cover an American football field.
It takes parachutes this size and strength to slow our descent
to 20 miles per hour and then splash down.
For this first flight, we won't have astronauts inside,
but we still had some very precious cargo.
The flight data from this mission is stored inside the
Orion Spacecraft. While our flight might be over,
there is still a lot of work to do.
Onboard sensors recorded every detail from launch,
to flying in space, to reentry, to landing.
[ Music ] Flight tests are
difficult and complex, but they give us confidence
that the systems we have designed work
under real flight conditions. It's great to be a part of this
first space flight for Orion, and we're looking forward
to beginning a new chapter in human space exploration.
[ Music ]