TMCnet News
Cities Nationwide Host Orion First Flight Viewing EventsMore than 200 science centers, museums and planetariums nationwide will host viewing events for the first test flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft, slated to launch on Dec. 4, 2014. The uncrewed mission, Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), marks a momentous move for the U.S. space program: a critical step on the path toward sending humans to explore deep space. The Orion spacecraft is a key component of NASA's human space exploration system, which will provide an entirely new capability of launching crew and cargo missions, extending human presence beyond Low Earth Orbit and enabling new exploration missions throughout our solar system. The EFT-1 launch window opens at 7:05 AM EST for lift-off from Launch Pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. During the flight, Orion will travel farther than any spacecraft designed for humans has traveled since the last Apollo spacecraft returned from the moon in 1972. Orion will travel 3,600 miles above Earth's surface, 15 times farther than the distance from Earth to the International Space Station, and will orbit Earth twice before splashdown. Some of the launch-viewing events will take place simultaneously with lift-off, while others will occur as Orion splashes down in the Pacific Ocean 600 miles off the coast of California. Those at the events will view Orion's real-time action through live streaming coverage from NASA TV. Many venues have hands-on activities, space exploration experts and presentations planned to coincide with the flight. In a special partnership with filmmaker Michael Beker, guests attending these events will have the exclusive opportunity to preview his short film "Delivery from Earth," the winning entry in the recent New Mexico Film Foundation competition sponsored by Lockheed Martin (News - Alert). NASA Orion First Flight viewing events are sponsored by ATK, Aerojet Rocketdyne, ISYS Technologies, Textron and Lockheed Martin. To learn more about Orion First Flight Viewing Events near you, visit ExploreDeepSpace.com. To learn more about the Orion industry partners making this mission and the events possible, visit:
ATK (News - Alert): www.atk.com More information about Orion and its missions can be found at: www.nasa.gov/orion
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