Crew Transportation With Orion 

Introduction and Background 

Orion is the NASA spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the Moon on the upcoming Artemis missions. It will launch on NASA’s new 

heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). Orion will serve as the vehicle that will take astronauts to space, provide 

emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during their missions, and provide safe reentry velocities from deep space as astronauts 

return to Earth. 

To protect astronauts on these long-duration missions and return them safely to Earth, Orion engineers have woven innovative 

technology, advanced systems, and state-of-the-art thermal protection into the fabric of the spacecraft. The team behind Orion has 

built upon the past 50 years of space exploration experience in human space flight, launch operations, robotic precursor missions, 

in-space construction, and mission management. 

Recovery of the Orion test module in the Pacific Ocean. (NASA) 

Artemis Missions 

Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the Moon in Greek 

mythology; she was also referred to as the “torch bringer.” Artemis now 

personifies NASA’s path to the Moon. As part of the broader Moon to Mars 

exploration objective, this program name is the umbrella under which NASA’s 

lunar plans will be branded. By 2024, the third Artemis mission will land the first 

woman and the next man on the Moon. 

Artemis I 

Artemis I is the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and the 

SLS rocket. This uncrewed mission will be the first in a planned series of 

exploration missions in the vicinity of the Moon and will travel 64,000 km (40,000 

miles) beyond the lunar surface. This first exploration mission will allow NASA 

Artemis Mission Logo. 

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Crew Transportation With Orion 

to use the area of space near the Moon as a proving ground to test technologies farther from Earth and demonstrate that Orion can 

get to a stable orbit in the lunar vicinity to support sending humans to deep space. 

Artemis II 

The second flight will take crew on a slightly different trajectory and test Orion’s critical systems with humans on board. The SLS will 

evolve from an initial configuration capable of sending a minimum of 70 metric tons to the Moon to a new and more powerful 

configuration that can deliver at least 105 metric tons. Future exploration missions will include visits to the Gateway, a space habitat 

in orbit around the Moon. NASA and its partners will use the Gateway to create a permanent presence in cislunar space that will drive 

activity with commercial and international partners, help explore the Moon and its resources, and leverage that experience toward 

human missions to Mars. 

Artemis III 

The third flight will deliver the first crew to the surface of the Moon since 1972. This flight will take the crew to the Moon’s south pole 

via a human landing system departing from the Gateway in lunar orbit. 

Orion: Learning From the Past With Apollo 

Orion will use an improved, larger, blunt-body module, much like the shape of the Apollo capsule. With a diameter of 16.5 ft (5 m), 

the Orion crew module will have 1.5 times the habitable volume of the Apollo capsule. With a habitable volume of approximately 

217.9 ft3 (6.17 m3), the Apollo could carry a three-member crew. The Orion crew module has a habitable volume of 316 ft3 (9 m3) and 

will be able to carry a four-member crew. During Orion’s planning process, NASA studied several different kinds of entry vehicles and 

rockets. Although Apollo-era researchers were consulted, NASA did not set out to make the Orion spacecraft identical to the Apollo 

spacecraft. Ultimately, the chosen module design met NASA’s mission requirements while being the safest and most effective. 

Resource 

Orion Fact Sheet: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/fs-2014-08-004-jsc-orion_quickfacts-web.pdf 

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Apollo capsule (left) and Orion module (right). 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Crew Transportation With Orion 

Orion: Expanded View 

Launch Abort System 

The Launch Abort System, positioned on a tower atop the crew module, 

can activate within milliseconds to propel the vehicle to safety and 

position the crew module for a safe landing. This was demonstrated 

during the Ascent Abort–2 (AA–2) Flight Test. 

Crew Module 

The crew module is capable of transporting four crewmembers beyond 

the Moon, providing a safe habitat from launch through landing and 

recovery. Inside the familiar deep-space capsule shape are advances in 

life support, avionics, power systems, and advanced manufacturing 

techniques. 

Service Module 

The service module provides support to the crew module from launch 

through separation prior to reentry. It provides in-space propulsion for 

orbital transfer, power and thermal control, attitude control, and highaltitude ascent aborts. While mated with the crew module, it also provides 

water and air to support the crew. 

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Crew Transportation With Orion 

The Process of Creating the Orion Crew Module 

The Orion crew module, or pressure vessel, is the primary 

structure that creates the atmosphere astronauts will breathe 

and work in while in the vacuum of deep space. Orion is 

specifically designed to withstand the harsh and demanding 

environment of deep space travel while keeping the crew safe 

and comfortable. 

The main structure of the pressure vessel is composed of 

seven large, machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded 

together to produce an airtight module that is strong yet 

lightweight. The module is welded together by a state-of-theart process called friction stir welding. Friction stir welding 

produces an extremely strong bond of the two aluminum 

components with a uniform welded joint. 

How Does Friction Stir Welding Work? 

A pin tool is rotated at between 180 to 300 revolutions (circular 

movements) per minute, depending on the thickness of the 

material. The pin tip of the dowel is forced into the material 

under pressure. The pin continues rotating and, as it rotates, 

friction heats the surrounding material and rapidly produces a 

softened area around the pin, which can be described as 

plasticized. This process under pressure creates a bond 

between the two pieces of material without melting the 

material. This results in a uniform bond between the two 

pieces of metal that creates a strong joint and increases 

safety. Using a process called nondestructive ultrasonic 

inspection, scientists can then evaluate the joint weld to make 

sure the weld is stable and capable of withstanding the 

dynamic forces of launch. 

Diagram showing the seven components of Orion’s primary structure and the 

order in which they are welded together. (NASA) 

Orion’s bulkhead and nose cone are joined using friction stir welding at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. (NASA) 

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Crew Transportation With Orion 

Orion Docking Capabilities 

Even before the first successful space flight, scientists and engineers envisioned spacecraft 

docking with space stations and other spacecraft to transfer people and supplies. This was first 

successfully accomplished in 1966, when American astronaut Neil Armstrong piloted NASA’s 

Gemini VIII spacecraft and docked with an Agena target vehicle. This important test showed 

that two spacecraft could be joined in space, an important step in the race to put a man on the 

Moon. (Three years later, Neil Armstrong would be that man!) 

Early docking systems had limitations, however. They used a system called probe and drogue. 

One spacecraft had a long rod (the probe), which would be inserted into a funnel (the drogue) 

on the target spacecraft. This system worked fine for two spacecraft designed to go together— 

one with a probe and the other with a drogue. However, if both spacecraft had probes, or both 

had drogues, they would not be able to dock with each other. 

Engineers then designed docking systems that were androgynous, meaning that the two 

identical docking systems could dock with each other. This made spacecraft, resupply vehicles, 

and space station docking more versatile. But with different countries’ space agencies and 

private companies using different systems, many craft were still unable to dock with each other 

without the addition of heavy and expensive adapters. 

Docking system with probe (bottom) 

and cone-shaped drogue (top). 

(NASA) 

Increasing cooperation among international space agencies and private companies led to the design of the International Docking 

System Standard (IDSS). Any craft that uses this new system will be able to dock with any other craft with the same system. The two 

craft will also be able to share air, water, power, communications, and even fuel. NASA has adopted this system, and its IDSScompatible docking adapters are called the NASA Docking System (NDS). Two NDS adapters have already been installed on the 

International Space Station. 

NASA’s newest spacecraft, Orion, incorporates an NDS as part of its design. Orion will have to dock with many different types of 

spacecraft in order to fulfill its many roles, such as docking with the planned Gateway platform in orbit around the Moon, docking with 

landers and other support craft, and even docking with a larger habitat craft for a mission to Mars. 

This computer rendering depicts an astronaut from the International Space Station performing a spacewalk to install the 

International Docking Adapter. (NASA Johnson YouTube) 

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