MSFC, Space and Rocket Center plan Orion events
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville will host several events in celebration of the first flight test of the Orion spacecraft.
On Thursday, Dec. 4, Orion will launch atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37 in Florida.
During its two-orbit, 4.5-hour flight, Orion will venture 3,600 miles in altitude and travel nearly 60,000 miles before returning to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
A group of social media users will tour the MSFC Wednesday, Dec. 3. Marshall representatives will overview the center's contributions to Orion's first flight. Participants will get the chance to see the multi-spacecraft adapter test identical to the one connecting Orion to the Delta IV.
There also will be a live NASA TV broadcast from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida featuring Orion and NASA representatives describing the mission and NASA's plans for the future.
Starting at 5 a.m. Dec. 4, the USSRC will provide live coverage of the launch -- scheduled for 6:05 a.m. CST -- in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration Digital Theater. The launch window extends to 8:44 a.m. CST, with liftoff targeted for the beginning of the window. Marshall representatives will be on hand to answer questions about the launch.
Educational activities for kids will be held immediately following the launch through splashdown -- scheduled for 10:29 a.m. CST if launch occurs at the start of the window.
Events at the USSRC are free and open to the public and will include students attending Space Camp; local schools; NASA team members; and United Launch Alliance employees who worked on the Delta IV Heavy rocket in nearby Decatur, Alabama.
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