Who will win the space race to land on Mars?
All eyes are currently on Mars so could the Orion space capsule be the first to take humans there?
Mars is never far from the news. Indeed, only yesterday India's space agency became the latest one to have a go at reaching the 'red planet', alongside the US, Russia and Europe. Meanwhile, the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, last week saw the switching-on of what could be a landmark space vehicle fit for future trips to Mars.
With the space shuttle programme over, the search is on to find a new reusable spacecraft to take astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and beyond. Regular visits to low-Earth orbit are one thing, but Nasa is after something that can transport humans far beyond, to other worlds in our solar system.
The US space agency's answer is the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle – known simply as Orion – which can take up to six astronauts on journeys as long as 210 days to near-Earth asteroids, the moon and even Mars.
Description: space race to land on Mars
All eyes are currently on Mars so could the Orion space capsule be the first to take humans there?
Mars is never far from the news. Indeed, only yesterday India's space agency became the latest one to have a go at reaching the 'red planet', alongside the US, Russia and Europe. Meanwhile, the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, last week saw the switching-on of what could be a landmark space vehicle fit for future trips to Mars.
With the space shuttle programme over, the search is on to find a new reusable spacecraft to take astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and beyond. Regular visits to low-Earth orbit are one thing, but Nasa is after something that can transport humans far beyond, to other worlds in our solar system.
The US space agency's answer is the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle – known simply as Orion – which can take up to six astronauts on journeys as long as 210 days to near-Earth asteroids, the moon and even Mars.
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