NASA News: Orion Pressure Vessel Arrives as Mars Mission Preparations Continue
The Mars mission has just gotten much bigger and more ambitious than ever as the Orion crew module pressure vessel has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday.
For those who may be wondering what the pressure vessel does and why it was necessary for NASA to share the news, it will simply provide life support for the astronauts who will be traveling on board the Orion.
However, it wasn't really the pressure vessel set for testing in 2018 that caught the attention of people who were at the site when the vessel arrived. It was the giant cargo jet that carried the vessel: the Super Guppy.
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According to RT News, the humungous jet weighs about 101,500 pounds if it doesn't carry anything inside — a total mass that will quench a lot of buildings and properties if it was used in a movie. The interiors reach 25 feet in height and width — big enough to house some migrants and refugees. At 111 feet long, it can definitely be the perfect refuge for some people the world considers as "homeless." On the other hand, it is also a very vital tool for the NASA. Not only did it carry Orion's pressure vessel to safety from New Orleans but it can carry other stuff as well since it can fly with the weight of up to 150,000 pounds in cargo.
Meanwhile, it is unclear when the Super Guppy will set foot in public again, but it should be expected to be flying around whenever it is needed for other missions.
The pressure vessel carried by Super Guppy will take part in the test flight called the Exploration Mission 1 or EM-1, which is scheduled for 2018. The mission is expected to see the Orion passing by the moon and back to Earth within a span of three weeks.
Set to be launched from NASA'S Space Launch System, EM-1 is just part of the bigger picture — a dream that one day, NASA can send a manned mission to Mars to give earthlings a view of the beloved planet.
It is also part of the Earth's dream of one day sending man to other areas beyond Mars, and possibly, even to other galaxies.
