Nasa picks deep-space astronaut ship (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Jonathan Amos
BBC science correspondent

Nasa has confirmed that the vehicle it will use to send astronauts to places like asteroids will be based on its Orion capsule concept.

Orion was the ship being built to return America to the Moon before the project was cancelled last year by President Barack Obama.

The US space agency says the financial investment and the engineering lessons learned should not be wasted.

It wants the new Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle to benefit from that heritage.

Mr Obama has said he would like humans to visit a space rock in the 2020s. The MPCV would be the ship that takes them there. It would also have a role in any human mission to Mars - the destination Nasa is aiming to reach in perhaps the 2030s.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13532968

[bananas]

1. This will be interesting - SpaceX, Boeing, and others are all designing capsules and BEO craft

Sounds like a race - a space race!
SpaceX Dragon is being designed to land on Mars. - here's a cool video: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x586339

[Ghost Dog]

2. Orion capsule concept (moon mission) video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PMvS1hQKxM