NASA Announces Next Deep Space Transportation System
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Artist's rendering of the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle on a deep space mission. Image credit: NASA
Today NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced that the newest deep space transportation system will be based on the original designs for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. The original designs will be used to develop a new spacecraft known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).
“We are committed to human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and look forward to developing the next generation of systems to take us there,” Bolden said. “The NASA Authorization Act lays out a clear path forward for us by handing off transportation to the International Space Station to our private sector partners, so we can focus on deep space exploration. As we aggressively continue our work on a heavy lift launch vehicle, we are moving forward with an existing contract to keep development of our new crew vehicle on track.”
The MPCV will be developed by Lockheed Martin and will carry four astronauts for up to a three-week mission. Similar to the original Apollo capsules, the MPCV will also land in the pacific ocean, however the MPCV will be larger than Apollo, featuring an inner volume of 690 cubic feet, with about 300 cubic feet of living space. The design criteria claims to be ten times safer during launch and landing than the space shuttle.
“This selection does not indicate a business as usual mentality for NASA programs,” said Douglas Cooke, associate administrator for the agency’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington. “The Orion government and industry team has shown exceptional creativity in finding ways to keep costs down through management techniques, technical solutions and innovation.”
If you’d like to read more about the MPCV, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv
Source:NASA/JSC Press Release
Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer
2012-12-04 08:06:05
Source: http://www.dearastronomer.com/2011/05/24/nasa-announces-next-deep-space-transportation-system/
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