NASA Orion Spacecraft Launches for Maiden Flight

      Since the 1960's the US has been doing almost constant missions into space. Since the moon landings in the 60's most of the flights have just been routine research flights to the International Space Station in orbit around Earth. After the cancellation of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, the only way for US astronauts to get to the space station has been to pay Russia for a seat in their spacecraft. Today the new era of NASA took off from the launch pad in Cape Canaveral. The new spacecraft called Orion takes a modern spin on the style of the old Apollo rockets in which a capsule at the top detaches and parachutes down into the ocean rather than landing like the shuttle.

Orion Spacecraft Leaves Cape Canaveral 5 December 2014

 The Orion capsule built by Lockeed Martin is capable of leaving low Earth Orbit and traveling a much greater distance than what has been possible in the past with the Space Shuttle. NASA hopes to use this shuttle in the future to go to asteroids and possibly Mars. The maiden flight lasted a little less than 4 and a half hours and went flawlessly. NASA hopes to do a manned flight by 2021.