[meteorite-list] Deep Space Capsule Comes Alive With First Weld; Major Progress Made on Nation's New Space Exploration Plan

[Ron Baalke]

Sept. 9, 2011

Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-1979/5241 
michael.j.braukus at nasa.gov/j.d.harrington at nasa.gov 

Josh Byerly 
Johnson Space Center, Houston 
281-483-5111 
josh.byerly at nasa.gov 

RELEASE: 11-297

DEEP SPACE CAPSULE COMES ALIVE WITH FIRST WELD; MAJOR PROGRESS 
MADE ON NATION'S NEW SPACE EXPLORATION PLAN

NEW ORLEANS -- Construction began this week on the first new NASA 
spacecraft built to take humans to orbit since space shuttle 
Endeavour left the factory in 1991, and marked a significant 
milestone in carrying out the ambitious exploration vision President 
Obama and Congress have laid out for the nation. 

Engineers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans started 
welding together the first space-bound Orion Multi-Purpose Crew 
Vehicle. "The Orion team has maintained a steady focus on progress, 
and we now are beginning to build hardware for spaceflight," said 
Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer, NASA's Johnson Space Center, 
Houston. 

"This marks a major milestone in NASA's ambitious plans to send humans 
farther into space than the nation has ever been before," said NASA 
spokesman David Weaver, Headquarters, Washington. "We're not only 
working to send people into deep space, we are putting people to work 
right here in America." 

The first welds were completed Friday using an innovative new friction 
stir welding process, developed especially for Orion construction. 
The process creates a seamless, leak-proof bond that has proven 
stronger and higher in quality than can be achieved with conventional 
welding. 

After welding is completed at Michoud, the Orion spacecraft orbital 
test article will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in 
Florida, where the heat shield will be installed. At Kennedy, it will 
undergo final assembly and checkout operations for flight. 

A picture of Friday's work is available at: 

http://go.nasa.gov/OrionWeld 

To learn more about the development of Orion, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv 

For more information about what's next for NASA, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/next 
	
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