1
00:00:08,270 --> 00:00:09,530
Orion is getting

2
00:00:09,530 --> 00:00:16,530
ready to launch.
[ Music ]

3
00:00:16,900 --> 00:00:23,900
>> [Background Music]
My name is Kelly Smith,

4
00:00:24,780 --> 00:00:27,750
and I work on navigation
and guidance for Orion.

5
00:00:27,750 --> 00:00:30,420
Orion is NASA's next-generation
spacecraft.

6
00:00:30,420 --> 00:00:33,180
Built with versatility in mind,
it can take astronauts deeper

7
00:00:33,180 --> 00:00:35,400
into space than we've
ever gone before;

8
00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:38,300
to an asteroid or
even onto Mars.

9
00:00:38,300 --> 00:00:41,300
For these missions, Orion has
to be one tough spacecraft

10
00:00:41,300 --> 00:00:43,579
withstanding high speeds,
searing temperatures

11
00:00:43,579 --> 00:00:46,890
and extreme radiation.
Before we can send

12
00:00:46,890 --> 00:00:50,130
astronauts into space on Orion,
we have to test all

13
00:00:50,130 --> 00:00:52,340
of its systems,
and there's only one way to know

14
00:00:52,340 --> 00:00:55,750
if we got it right;
fly it in space.

15
00:00:55,750 --> 00:00:59,850
For Orion's first flight, no
astronauts will be aboard.

16
00:00:59,850 --> 00:01:02,110
The spacecraft is loaded
with sensors to record

17
00:01:02,110 --> 00:01:06,530
and measure all aspects of
the flight in every detail.

18
00:01:06,530 --> 00:01:09,380
It all begins with the
launch aboard a Delta Four

19
00:01:09,380 --> 00:01:16,380
heavy rocket.
[ Rocket Launch ]

20
00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,729
As it punches into Earth orbit,
Orion will jettison its

21
00:01:37,729 --> 00:01:41,500
Launch Abort System.
The Abort System is a safety

22
00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:43,429
feature designed to pull Orion
and its crew out of danger

23
00:01:43,429 --> 00:01:47,440
if there were a problem
with the rocket during ascent.

24
00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:53,720
Orion's journey is
just beginning.

25
00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,310
As the spacecraft and the upper
stage begin their first lap

26
00:01:56,310 --> 00:01:59,190
around Earth, Mission Control
in Houston is monitoring

27
00:01:59,190 --> 00:02:02,890
the progress of the flight.
Orion's over a hundred

28
00:02:02,890 --> 00:02:07,149
miles up and going
about 17,000 miles per hour.

29
00:02:07,149 --> 00:02:10,030
Just as it passes
over the Indian Ocean,

30
00:02:10,030 --> 00:02:17,030
we lose communication.
This is expected.

31
00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:20,940
The communications link
we have through satellites

32
00:02:20,940 --> 00:02:24,580
to Orion is momentarily
lost, but Orion continues

33
00:02:24,580 --> 00:02:28,910
to receive and process data.
Its computers can handle 480

34
00:02:28,910 --> 00:02:33,690
million instructions per second.
Imagine you are traveling

35
00:02:33,690 --> 00:02:36,430
with Orion
as the flight test continues.

36
00:02:36,430 --> 00:02:40,530
One orbit completed, time to go.
The upper stage of the rocket

37
00:02:40,530 --> 00:02:43,390
fires again like the setup
for a roller coaster ride;

38
00:02:43,390 --> 00:02:50,390
this is the big climb
we've been waiting for.

39
00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:55,960
We are headed 3,600 miles
above Earth, 15 times higher

40
00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:02,810
from the planet than the
International Space Station.

41
00:03:02,810 --> 00:03:04,520
As we get further
away from Earth,

42
00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:06,210
we'll pass through
the Vann Allan Belts,

43
00:03:06,210 --> 00:03:13,210
an area of dangerous radiation.
Radiation like this can

44
00:03:13,780 --> 00:03:16,260
harm the guidance systems,
onboard computers, or

45
00:03:16,260 --> 00:03:19,580
other electronics on Orion.
Naturally, we have to pass

46
00:03:19,580 --> 00:03:25,100
through this danger zone twice,
once up and once back.

47
00:03:25,100 --> 00:03:29,890
But Orion has protection,
shielding will be put

48
00:03:29,890 --> 00:03:33,690
to the test as the vehicle cuts
through the waves of radiation.

49
00:03:33,690 --> 00:03:35,620
Sensors aboard will
record radiation levels

50
00:03:35,620 --> 00:03:38,250
for scientists to study.
We must solve these

51
00:03:38,250 --> 00:03:41,700
challenges before we send people
through this region of Space.

52
00:03:41,700 --> 00:03:45,640
For this flight, it's
time to head home.

53
00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,350
The upper stage of the
rocket triggers separation.

54
00:03:48,350 --> 00:03:51,490
Orion's jets fire to turn
it into the proper position

55
00:03:51,490 --> 00:03:54,440
to reenter Earth's atmosphere.
No matter what happens

56
00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,940
now, we're coming in.
Seventy-five miles above Earth,

57
00:03:58,940 --> 00:04:01,069
the spacecraft enters
the atmosphere;

58
00:04:01,069 --> 00:04:03,120
things happen quickly.
We're now traveling more

59
00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,330
than 20,000 miles per hour.
Air particles pushed

60
00:04:06,330 --> 00:04:09,130
out of the way heat up.
An envelope of hot plasma

61
00:04:09,130 --> 00:04:12,100
surrounds the vehicle
as it plummets towards Earth.

62
00:04:12,100 --> 00:04:15,400
The plasma reaches temperatures
of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit;

63
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,519
almost twice as hot
as molten lava.

64
00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:21,590
This may be the most
dangerous part of the flight.

65
00:04:21,590 --> 00:04:23,310
Mission Control is
monitoring all the data

66
00:04:23,310 --> 00:04:27,770
from the spacecraft, and then
we lose communication again.

67
00:04:27,770 --> 00:04:33,710
No data can penetrate the
plasma; Orion is on its own.

68
00:04:33,710 --> 00:04:37,800
Orion is inside a fireball.
Onboard systems ignite jets to

69
00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,969
keep the ship pointed correctly
so a specially constructed

70
00:04:40,969 --> 00:04:42,729
shield takes the full brunt
of the inferno.

71
00:04:42,729 --> 00:04:46,550
This is the largest heat
shield of its kind ever made.

72
00:04:46,550 --> 00:04:48,979
Orion's computers that man
the spacecraft have to bank

73
00:04:48,979 --> 00:04:51,279
like an airplane
keeping a precise path

74
00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:53,349
to the landing site.
Even though we've soared

75
00:04:53,349 --> 00:04:57,060
from 20,000 miles per hour
to about 300 miles per hour,

76
00:04:57,060 --> 00:04:59,319
we're still traveling
amazingly fast.

77
00:04:59,319 --> 00:05:03,210
We must slow down to
safely land in the ocean.

78
00:05:03,210 --> 00:05:08,860
Luckily, we have parachutes.
Specially designed for Orion,

79
00:05:08,860 --> 00:05:12,169
the parachutes help us hit the
brakes, but not too quickly.

80
00:05:12,169 --> 00:05:15,559
One day people will be aboard
so deceleration must happen

81
00:05:15,559 --> 00:05:19,229
in stages to keep things
comfortable for the crew.

82
00:05:19,229 --> 00:05:26,229
The forward bay cover jettisons.
Two drogue chutes deploy, and

83
00:05:27,979 --> 00:05:33,280
slow the returning spacecraft
down to 175 miles per hour.

84
00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:40,080
[ Background Sounds ]
Then the three main

85
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:47,080
parachutes open.
Once fully engaged this

86
00:05:47,289 --> 00:05:51,330
canopy would cover an American
football field.

87
00:05:51,330 --> 00:05:56,270
It takes parachutes this size
and strength to slow our descent

88
00:05:56,270 --> 00:06:01,889
to 20 miles per hour
and then splash down.

89
00:06:01,889 --> 00:06:06,259
For this first flight, we
won't have astronauts inside,

90
00:06:06,259 --> 00:06:08,909
but we still had some
very precious cargo.

91
00:06:08,909 --> 00:06:11,309
The flight data from this
mission is stored inside the

92
00:06:11,309 --> 00:06:14,469
Orion Spacecraft.
While our flight might be over,

93
00:06:14,469 --> 00:06:16,349
there is still a
lot of work to do.

94
00:06:16,349 --> 00:06:19,069
Onboard sensors recorded
every detail from launch,

95
00:06:19,069 --> 00:06:25,639
to flying in space, to
reentry, to landing.

96
00:06:25,639 --> 00:06:30,089
[ Music ]
Flight tests are

97
00:06:30,089 --> 00:06:33,020
difficult and complex,
but they give us confidence

98
00:06:33,020 --> 00:06:34,839
that the systems we
have designed work

99
00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:38,319
under real flight conditions.
It's great to be a part of this

100
00:06:38,319 --> 00:06:41,089
first space flight for Orion,
and we're looking forward