Orion: 'Picture perfect' NASA successfully LANDS first vehicle for manned mission to Mars
"THE MOST perfect flight you can ever imagine," proudly announced NASA this afternoon after completing a successful test flight of its space capsule Orion.
It is hoped the small Orion crew vehicle will eventually take astronauts to Mars in the mid-2030s.
As Orion's parachutes erupted into life above the Pacific at 16:29 this afternoon – a NASA spokesperson branded the maiden flight "picture perfect".
The first humans who will set foot on Mars are alive on Earth today
After burning through searing temperatures of more than 2,000°C on re-entry, Orion dropped into the ocean four hours and 20 minutes after its launch.
NASA are so confident about the Space Agency's ability to reach Mars that Chief Administrator Charles Bolden announced: "The first humans who will set foot on Mars are alive on Earth today."
For its maiden flight Orion was attached to a Delta IV Heavy rocket, allowing the small vehicle to circle Earth twice before crashing into the Pacific at 20,000mph.
As the rocket blasted through the clouds, commentator Mike Curie said: "The dawn of Orion, for a new era of American space exploration!"
Orion successfully lands in the Pacific Ocean
Amazing visuals of #Orion's return from @NASAArmstrong Ikhana aircraft. pic.twitter.com/psYbvyxvxP
— Orion Spacecraft (@NASA_Orion) December 5, 2014
Orion took off today in Florida
Today's launch follows yesterday's failed attempt
Orion is now on its four and a half hour mission
NASA's Orion Test Flight Launch
Roughly three minutes into the launch, Orion separated from its two rocket boosters as planned, with commentators stating the mission is currently running accordingly.
The apparent success of the flight has prompted Charles Bolden, NASA’s Chief Administrator, to boldly state: "The first humans who will set foot on Mars are alive on Earth today."
Latest updates from NASA suggest the ships that will help recover Orion have been deployed near the splashdown site, where it is due to land around 4:30pm.
Orion was planned to be tested yesterday, but the mission was postponed following several push backs - including a boat getting to close to the launching area, winds and technical issues involving the fuel and drain valve.
NASA launched the space craft, which is unmanned, today at 12:05pm from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The mission will see the rocket fitted with 1,200 sensors to measure conditions throughout the flight, in order to determine if the trip would be suitable for humans.
"Orion's flight test is designed to test many of the riskiest elements of leaving Earth and returning home in the spacecraft," NASA stated.
"Testing these capabilities now will help ensure that Orion will be the next-generation spacecraft for missions in the 2020s that will put Mars within the reach of astronauts in the 2030s."