How the Orion Spacecraft works（原声文稿）

Transcript of 猎户座飞船怎么把人送上月球：逐层拆解NASA新一代载人飞船 （中文完整文稿）。

This is the Orion spacecraft.

It is a modern spacecraft that can fit a crew of four and is meant for returning astronauts to the moon.

My team has worked very hard on this video and we're excited to finally show it to you.

Let's take a look at the parts of the spacecraft, how it launches on the giant SLS rocket and an inside tour of the capsule.

The Orion spacecraft is an important step for allowing people to actually live on the moon and even beyond.

The Orion spacecraft looks a lot like the Apollo spacecraft.

This is the one that took astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 70s.

Space programs after that have had one thing in common. They've stayed in low Earth orbit.

This is the space that is literally right outside our atmosphere. If you zoom out, it's almost like they never left.

Of course, we've been doing incredible things in space and learning along the way, but at some point, it's time to explore farther.

Now that we have the Orion spacecraft, we're leaving Earth's orbit once again as part of the Artemis program.

And in fact, Artemis II was the first mission in more than 50 years that took astronauts around the moon.

Of course, in future missions we'll actually land on the moon.

The Apollo spacecraft could hold three astronauts, but the Orion spacecraft can hold four, which has been done before, and let's not forget about the space shuttle with up to eight astronauts.

However, Orion can support its crew for a bit longer, three weeks in total, and even longer if it's attached to a space station.

After all these years, we keep returning to the same cone shape that started in the 1960s.

The shape is well suited to keep the astronauts safe as they return from their trip to the Moon.

Let's get familiar with Orion.

At the top is the crew module, sometimes just called the capsule.

This is where the crew lives during their trip to and from the Moon, and it's also the only part of the spacecraft that returns to Earth at the end of a mission. Below that is the service module.

It provides the vehicle's power, thermal control, which means keeping the temperature comfortable, propulsion, or in other words the engines, and consumables like air and water.

Just like all the other spacecraft we've seen, Orion needs a large rocket to get into space.

This one is called the Space Launch System, or SLS.

This rocket was specifically built to carry the Orion spacecraft.

The spacecraft parts are built in places all over Europe and the United States.

The final assembly happens at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This happens in the Operations and Checkout Building.

This is where all the parts of the spacecraft are put together.

Then when it's time for a mission we'll come to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Some of NASA's most famous rockets have been stacked in this building starting in the 1960s.

Now that we're doing SLS the process will be very similar to what we've seen before.

First we stack the rocket which includes the two solid rocket boosters and the core stage at the very center.

Then the upper stage, the Orion spacecraft, and the launch abort system at the very top. The entire rocket stack is 98 meters tall.

Here's a comparison with previous NASA space programs.

And in fact, some of the engines that flew on the space shuttle have been repurposed for the SLS rocket.

Keep in mind, NASA is currently working on a modified version of the SLS with a different upper stage, so it might look a little different in future missions.

The Orion spacecraft can get the astronauts to the moon, but But it can't actually land on the moon, so we're missing something.

If you look at the Apollo spacecraft, it had the lunar module to actually land on the moon. What about Orion?

For the Artemis program, it will rely on one of these moonlanders.

They'll pick one depending on the mission, and it will be launched on its own rocket.

Then it will meet up with Orion around the Earth or the Moon. They call this a rendezvous.

The lander is what gets the astronauts down to the surface, and then back up again at the end.

The Orion spacecraft will get the astronauts safely back home to Earth.

NASA is still working out the details of how this will work, and it turns out that it's complicated.

This is because Orion can't do it all on its own, get to the moon, in low lunar orbit, and then back home again at the end. Its fuel tanks just aren't big enough.

This is why the landers are so important here.

Orion started in 2006 as part of an earlier program that would have relied heavily on this lander to get us into low lunar orbit.

Which means Orion's service module was designed smaller and less powerful.

That program was cancelled in 2010, but Orion survived and continued development as part of other programs that were also cancelled.

Now we're here with the Artemis program, and we have a spacecraft design that is slightly underpowered.

The first two Artemis missions didn't land on the moon, and Artemis 2 was a flyby, which didn't take as much fuel, so Orion could do it all on its own.

For the first moon landing, planned as Artemis 4, Orion will finally get to rendezvous with one of these landers while being very careful to make sure that it has enough fuel to make it home at the end of the mission. Let's take a deeper look at the Crew Module.

Inside it has a pressure vessel. This is where the crew lives and it's made up of seven pieces.

There are windows, and around here is the side hatch to get inside.

Keep coming around and we have the batteries, antennas for communication, and at the top are the parachutes for the very end of the mission.

There are also propellant and helium tanks, and these fuel the capsule's 12 thrusters.

This is all protected by a multi -panel back shell and a forward bay cover. cover.

These structures are covered in heat -resistant tiles, with a metallic coating on top which gives it that silver look.

On top of that is a docking mechanism that will first be used during Artemis III.

The whole vehicle is protected by the largest heat shield ever created for a crew capsule.

It's made of an ablative material, which means it's designed to burn away during reentry.

Of course, this comes at the end of the mission after separating from the service module.

After that, it's just like other spacecraft. Parachutes deploy, and a smooth splashdown in the ocean.

While each Apollo capsule could only be used once, the Orion capsule is designed to be reusable, after of course replacing some parts like the heat shield.

Right before a mission, they do what's called a rollout.

This is very similar to past space programs. There's the mobile launcher and the crawler transporter underneath.

It will take the better part of a day to get all the way to Launch Complex 39B.

On launch day, they ride up an elevator.

This is called the Crew Access Arm.

They will walk across this to get to the Orion spacecraft.

The spacesuits they are wearing are called the Orion Crew Survival System, or OX.

It's a spacesuit that's designed to be used during the dangerous parts of a mission, like the launch and re -entry at the very end.

If there was an emergency in space, the crew could survive in the suits for up to six days.

For walking on the moon, a separate suit called the AXEMU will be used.

When they get into the capsule, they'll sit in these four seats. The first two seats are for the commander and pilot.

Above them is the main console that has three displays and several physical switches to control the spacecraft.

Once the crew is secured in their seats, the crew module hatch is closed and carefully locked into place.

and then the hatch on the Launch Abort system, and the crew access arm is retracted, and it's time for the launch.

The boosters burn for about 2 minutes before falling away, just over a minute later 3 panels fall away which exposes the spacecraft.

Then the Launch Abort system because it's no longer needed.

The core stage burns for another 5 minutes, then the upper stage with Orion separates and the service modules solar panels are deployed. We're now in space, but not in orbit yet.

About 40 minutes later comes the insertion burn. This puts us into a parking orbit around the Earth. Less than an hour later, the upper stage will send Orion towards the Moon.

Then comes spacecraft separation, and Orion will be flying on its own. It takes about four days to get to the Moon.

During the mission, the service module provides a lot of what is needed to operate the spacecraft. Let's take a look. Along the outside are the four solar arrays.

They produce enough electricity for two average size homes. They can be angled to track the sun.

This is the crew module adapter.

It's the connecting point between the crew module and the service module. The crew module will stay connected until the very end of the mission.

Along the side is a star tracker for navigation and antennas for communication. On the other side of the spacecraft you'll find the umbilical.

This connects the two modules together and allows things like oxygen and water to flow into the crew module The old Apollo spacecraft was temperature controlled by slowly spinning so that no side of the spacecraft was too hot or too cold They called this the barbecue roll But Orion works differently It's usually angled with the engines facing the Sun so that the radiators can release the heat back into space Now let's focus on just the service module again and pull away some of these panels It's not a pressurized environment, which means the astronauts don't go in here.

There's no air to breathe. At the front are the avionics and computers.

These larger tanks have fuel and oxidizer, and the helium tanks provide the pressure. The service module has 33 engines.

The main engine is called an AJ -10.

Once again, we are reusing engines that were already used on the space shuttle.

These are the eight auxiliary thrusters.

They are used for minor burns or as a backup to the main engine. Finally, there are 24 attitude control thrusters.

These are mainly used to rotate the spacecraft.

For the most part, the spacecraft is already traveling where it needs to go.

The computer does most of the flying, but if needed, the astronauts can fly with two controls on the inside.

This is the rotational hand controller.

This changes where the spacecraft is pointing, just by moving the controller in the direction you want to go.

And then twist the controller to roll the spacecraft.

Then, we have the translational hand controller.

Use to move the vehicle up, down, left or right, and then push in to thrust forward or pull out to go backwards.

It's like playing an old arcade game, but a little more advanced.

Let's pull back a little bit now and actually explore the inside of the capsule. This is where the crew lives.

Once they're on their way to the moon, it's time to make it a place to live in.

They'll take off their spacesuits, and their seats can be taken down as well. Well, it all goes in the stowage area until they need it again.

It's still quite cramped inside. Imagine living in here for more than a week at a time.

These panels right here is where the life support system is, providing fresh air and comfortable living conditions for the astronauts.

There's also some emergency equipment, like a fire extinguisher, breathing masks. Up here is a smoke detector.

And this orange pouch here is actually a ladder in case they need to climb out on earth. Now for the cabin floor.

This is where you'll find the storage lockers packed with everything that the crew needs. Clothes, hygiene kits, meals, laptops, and electronics.

While space is limited, astronauts do get to carry a few personal items, like family photos.

This space is clearly marked for first aid, and over here is a water dispenser.

This can also be used to rehydrate their food if needed.

If you are willing to wait, you can use the food warmer to heat up your food. Let's come back over here.

This door leads to the Universal Waste Management System, which is just a fancy name for the toilet.

The area inside has orange panels for insulation since the equipment is quite loud.

This in fact is the first deep space toilet.

Apollo astronauts in the 1960s didn't have anything like this.

Above the toilet is the flywheel exercise device.

Unfold it, put your feet here, and then pull up on the handles. particles. This is how they exercise in space. It prevents their muscles from getting weak.

When it's time to sleep, astronauts unpack their sleeping bags.

Since they're weightless in space, they have to secure the sleeping bags so they don't float around while sleeping.

There are two compartments in the floor that can be used as a radiation shelter, where the crew can protect themselves from radiation.

It works by having the crew stack up cargo and storage bags around themselves to block incoming solar particles.

They would need to use this if there was ever a major solar flare when they are away from the Earth.

Other space programs don't need this because of Earth's magnetic field.

In low Earth orbit, they are protected from most of the radiation.

After almost four days in space, they finally reach the Moon.

For the Artemis -2 mission, it was just a flyby of the Moon with amazing pictures, of course.

For future Artemis missions, they will actually need to get into lunar orbit to prepare to land. land. This is where they rendezvous or join up with the lunar lander.

If you remember from earlier, each mission will involve one of these two landers.

When they are ready, the lander will be used to fly two or more people to the surface of the moon while the Orion spacecraft will wait in orbit.

NASA plans to land astronauts on the moon starting with Artemis -4.

We'll explore new areas like the South Pole, where there could be water in places where the sun cannot reach.

The first moon landing will be simple with very few supplies but with each mission we'll add to it gaining the ability to travel on a surface and stay for longer periods of time.

The goal is of course a full moon base where we learn to live off the moon's resources.

This will help us expand farther towards Mars and even beyond.

And it all starts with the Orion spacecraft.