Descendent of Gemini: Orion

If the goal now is to land humans to Asteroids and Mars, we had better give ourselves the ability to develop and test technology and procedures as well as train astronauts for the challenge of flying in space. Currently Russia in cooperation with the European Space Agency and China are looking at the psychological aspects of a flight to Mars. But it does not include flying but just being locked in a big Earth-bound simulator. We know the effects of long-term micro-gravity exposure in space through the ISS and Russia’s multiple space stations like MIR.

President Obama has called for pushing technology so we can get places faster. In the near future, a plasma engine is going to be brought to the ISS for testing. But the ISS doesn’t fly the way a spacecraft would. It doesn’t need to change orbit, plane nor change orientation and speed. We need a spacecraft that actually tests out the plasma engine in orbit doing more advanced maneuvers. Of course this can be done unmanned but eventually a manned spacecraft will be needed as Astronauts will need to understand the operation of such a system. 

President Obama cancelled the Constellation program but saved the Orion capsule. While not the ideal spacecraft for long-term, deep space operations, it is a perfect vehicle for testing new technologies and relearning how to fly out of LEO. While doing 

Using a modified Orion vehicle and a Research Propulsion Module, as well as navigational, environmental, trajectory, and deflector systems would be tested. The ultimate goal of the program is to push the limits of speed in space using a path between the Earth and the Moon. 

The Orion spacecraft has the ability to reenter the atmosphere but since the missions will include a Earth Break to Orbit burn and docking with the ISS or Space Dry Dock, the Orion is used for three missions before being returned to Earth. By the Orion N mission, Space Agencies of the world should be prepared for Mars and Asteroid missions using a spacecraft with the most advanced propulsion, communications, navigation and environmental systems ever developed. This would, however, not mean the end of the Orion missions. Continued research would be conducted on progressively improved propulsion, environmental, navigational and deflector systems. Orion Operations becomes the NACA of space flight. 

Like the Apollo Program, the missions would have labels to define goals of the mission. A mission type can be assigned to any mission when testing redesigned equipment or alternative equipment. If a test of a certain engine is to be done, NASA can assign a letter to the mission. This defines the parameters and goals of the mission. Even if an E mission has been completed, it may need to be redone using new technologies. 

Orion missions have crews of three persons including a Commander, Systems Engineer, and Flight Engineer. The Commander is the chief pilot and responsible for the major decisions made during the flight. The Systems Engineer is responsible for monitoring and if needed repairing propulsion and environmental systems. The Flight Engineer is responsible for monitoring and if needed repairing navigational and technical systems. All three crew members need to understand the other’s role and monitor systems if needed. The crews who fly these mission should be made of most experienced astronauts with test pilot backgrounds. 

Before the first manned flights, there would be two unmanned flights to test the CSM, Orion C, is to test the spacecraft’s basic functions and operation in Low and High Earth Orbits. This would be a basic Orion spacecraft with command and service modules. It can be launched on a Delta IV or Atlas rocket, both of which are human rated and have a proven safety record. 

The second flight, Orion D, would test the spacecraft with a separately launched Research Propulsion Module. This module would have fuel tanks, multi-directional nozzles and a docking mechanism to allow for the Orion CSM to dock and operate as one vehicle in space. The Orion would back into the RPM and use it for TLI and Earth Break To Orbit Maneuvers. 

During this mission, the Orion and propulsion are launched separately. The crew would dock with the RPM. They would test the RPM in multiple functions for orbital and deep space flight. The crew would then fly to High Earth Orbit and perform an emergency separation test with the RPM and emergency landing. 

The Orion E mission would test the RPM-CSM stack out to mid-lunar transit points, arrest momentum, turn around, fire back toward earth, perform an emergency separation with the RPM, an Earth Break to Orbit using the CSM engine and finally rendezvous with the ISS. At the ISS, the CSM would be heavily inspected. After inspection, the Command module would return to Earth. 

The Orion F mission is an all up test of the RPM-CSM stack and deep space systems including the Trajectory Correction Array (TraCA), Deep Space Onboard Navigational System (DSONS) and the Deflector Array (DefA). While keeping a fix on a point in space, the TraCA automatically determines the need for mid-flight corrections based on destination. The DSONS is a navigational system that uses star charts in its database to determine its location and distance from locations. The DefA is a sensor system that searches all directions of space recognizing micrometeorites, solar flares, and other cosmic events that could seriously harm the spacecraft while traveling at high speeds. It is similar to an aircraft’s gust alleviation system for avoiding clear air turbulence. This mission is as long and tedious compared to the previous and succeeding missions as it is a full shakedown of the these three critical systems. It will also make fixes to the star charts for points on the flight out. 

After one day in orbit to prepare all the systems and docking with the RPM, the Orion F would do slow flight out to the moon, whip around the back side and fly back toward Earth. It would then do an Earth Break to Orbit Maneuver and finish with a docking at the ISS or SDD. The crew would then transfer to a Earth bound shuttle and return. The Orion CSM is then refueled and prepared for its next flight. 

Orion G is the first High Speed Lunar Whip flight. During this flight the RPM working with the TraCA, DEONS, and DefA adjusts speed and trajectory to compensate the gravitational pull of the Earth and the Moon. The goal is to reduce the flight out and back to 5 days. The crew has 1 day in orbit to mate with the RPM, test systems and prepare for TLI. The stack will attempt to break the Optimal Earth-Lunar Operation (OELO) flight time by one day. At the return of trip, the crew will do a EBTO and return to the SDD for a full inspection of the RPM-CSM stack. The crew will return on a shuttle while the CSM crew module will return to Earth after the SDD inspection. 

Orion flights H through N are gradual speed tests using continuous thrust from the RPM. Each flight’s aim is to reduce the time it takes to fly from the Earth to the Moon and back with an EBTO at the end. The Orion spacecraft for the H through N missions is launched in one rocket. The CSM-RPM is launched together as one integrated spacecraft. The crew module can reenter the atmosphere in an emergency, using its lifting body however the spacecraft is designed to stay in space. At the end of life, it would be scrapped or sent to burn-up in the atmosphere. 

Each mission from H through N attempts to increase speed and decrease time for OELO through upgrades. The N mission shall attempt to fly OELO in 26 hours which includes a 3 hour Earth Orbit prep. This means that the spacecraft compensates for gravity and trajectory as it moves at higher and higher speeds. The average speed for the N mission would be around 24,000 miles per hour but could reach as fast as 30,000 mph on the return. Each mission ends with a EBTO and SDD docking. 

Orion X is the ultimate speed, technology and endurance test for the program. The manned spacecraft would basically fly Earth-Lunar figure 8s for one month using an Advanced Orion Stack. The Advanced Orion Stack would assembled in space and include massive engines, increased crew quarters, storage space, and massive fuel storage capacity. The mission would also include speed increases and decreases, orbital changes, out of plane maneuvers while in transit, in-transit refueling and the most extreme tests of the entire navigation, trajectory and deflector system. 

Mission	Objective	Duration
Orion A	Unmanned tests of Orion CSM	2 - 3 days
Orion B	Unmanned Orbital test of RPM	2 - 3 days
Orion C	LEO and HEO manned shake-down of Orion CSM	5 days
Orion D	HEO test of Research Propulsion Module with emergency separation test.	5 days
Orion E	TLI burn. Travel to mid-lunar transit point. Emergency return. Earth Break to Orbit  (EBTO) burn test. Dock with ISS.	6 days
Orion F	TLI burn. Full lunar transit. Lunar flyby, Test of Trajectory Correction Array (TraCA) in cooperation with the Deep Space Onboard Navigational System (DSONS). Test Deflector array. (DefA), EBTO burn. Dock with ISS or SDD	7 days
Orion G	TLI, Lunar flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 1, High Speed Trans-lunar Ops (HSTLO), TLI 3:2, EBTO, Earth Reentry	6 days
Orion H	TLI, Lunar flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 1, HSTLO 2:2, EBTO, Space Dry Dock	5 days
Orion I	TLI, Lunar flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 1, HSTLO 2:1, EBTO, Space Dock	4 days
Orion J	TLI, Lunar flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 1, HSTLO 1:1, EBTO, Space Dock	3 days
Orion K	TLI, Lunar flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 1, HSTLO 1:.8, EBTO, Space Dock	2.8 days
Orion L	TLI, Lunar flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 1, HSTLO .8:.6, EBTO, Space Dock	2.3 days
Orion M	TLI, Lunar flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 1, HSTLO .6:.4, EBTO, Space Dock	2 days
Orion N	TLI, Lunar flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 3 hrs, HSTLO .6:.4, EBTO, Space Dock	26 hours
Orion X	TLI, 1 month Lunar-Earth Flyby, TraCA/DSONS, DefA, Earth orbit 3 hrs, HSTLO .6:.4, EBTO, Space Dock	30 days

By testing all these systems while traveling between the Earth and the moon, NASA and its partners could build up enough technological and flight experience to move on to Martian and Asteroid flights. 

Getting to Mars in less than 100 days would be very valuable and cost less than taking 1 year. The ultimate goal of the Orion High Speed flight test to test propulsion systems that can reduce the Earth to Mars transit to around 30 days or a consistent speed of around 50,000 miles per hour. But since there is no limit to speed in transit, if the engines are efficient enough and can be fired continuously, then reaching Mars could take as little as a week.