Constellation Hardware
Descriptions of launch vehicles (rockets) and spacecraft being built to take astronauts back to the moon and onward to Mars
Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle
 |
Ares I is a two-stage rocket designed to carry four to six astronauts in the Orion crew vehicle into Earth orbit. The Orion crew vehicle will then dock with the Earth Departure Stage carried on the Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle (described below). The Ares I rocket may also be used to ferry supplies to Earth orbit for the International Space Station or transfer to the Moon. Additional details are available in a brief factsheet and on the Ares I website. The first test launch of the Ares I rocket occurred in October 2009 and was a great success. Nonetheless, the development of that rocket was canceled soon thereafter. The capability to carry crew into space is currently being planned for a new rocket that will be called the Space Launch System. |
Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle
The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle will be similar an Apollo design, but larger, so that it can support four astronauts for missions to the Moon. (It will also be able to accommodate six astronauts going to the International Space Station.) The Orion will have a launch abort system to carry the crew to safety in case of an emergency during launch. It will also be used by astronauts for descent to the Earth’s surface when returning from the Moon. Like the Apollo capsule, the Orion will have a heat shield that protects the spacecraft during atmospheric re-entry. Like Apollo, it will also deploy parachutes when it reaches the lower atmosphere. Unlike Apollo, Orion will probably land within the continental United States, rather than at sea. Additional details are available in a brief factsheet, the Orion website, and the Orion MPCV website.
Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle and Space Launch System for Cargo and Crew
Ares V is a two-stage rocket designed to be the heavy lifter of NASA’s new space transportation system. For lunar exploration activities, it will carry the Earth Departure Stage (EDS), which contains Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM). Once in Earth orbit, the Earth Departure Stage docks with the Orion Crew Vehicle delivered by Ares I (described above). The EDS propels the crew and their lunar lander to the Moon. Once in lunar orbit, the EDS is jettisoned. Additional details are available in a brief factsheet and on the Ares V website.
As the lunar exploration program evolved, modifications to the Ares V launch concept were made. The revised vehicle has the generic name Space Launch System or SLS. Unlike the Ares V, however, the SLS will also have the capacity to carry the Orion crew vehicle. The initial lift capacity is designed to be 70 t (Tonnes) and eventually evolve into a 130 t lift capacity. Additional details are available in a brief factsheet.
Once in lunar orbit, the crew enters the Lunar Surface Access Module for their descent to the lunar surface. The LSAM undocks from Orion, which will remain in lunar orbit and retrieve the crew after they depart the lunar surface. Unlike Apollo’s orbiting Command Module, Orion will not have any crew during lunar surface operations. The LSAM will be called Altair. The system is currently in a preliminary design stage, so few additional details are currently available. The system, however, is being designed to carry a crew of four astronauts to the lunar surface and support them for weeklong lunar surface missions.
JSC2007-E-113280 --- NASA's Constellation Program is getting to work on the new spacecraft that will return humans to the moon and blaze a trail to Mars and beyond. This illustration represents the current concept of the lunar lander, Altair. The ascent module and airlock are adjacent to the astronaut on the main deck of the vehicle. The lander can also be used to deliver cargo without crew, in which case the ascent module and airlock will not be present.
Several types of crew mobility systems are being investigated, including unpressurized systems that are essentially modern versions of the Apollo LRV and pressurized systems that are a completely new concept. Both types of rover systems were tested at the Black Point Lava Flow lunar analogue terrain in northern Arizona in October 2008. As details of these systems become available, they will be posted here.
Next Generation Rover for Lunar Exploration (2008)
D.A. Harrison, R. Ambrose, B. Bluethmann, and L. Junkin, JSC released document, IEEEAC paper #1196, 13 pages.
Small Pressurized Rover Concept (2008)
NASA fact sheet, NF-2008-10-464-HQ, 4 pages.
