Project Orion
Project Orion was a product of the Atomic Age, a time when the power of the atom was seen as the solution to any number of problems. Though the thought of a spaceship propelled by a series of nuclear explosions seems nightmarish (especially for the astronauts), Project Orion reached an advanced level before reason prevailed. Here’s a video of what a voyage on an Orion ship would look like:
Project Orion - from launch to orbit (from StevPhillips)
Early concepts foresaw nuclear power being used to launch the rocket; the version shown in the video has the bombs not being used until the craft escaped the atmosphere. Of course, it would still be carrying dozens of nuclear charges on board, making every launch a nail-biting event.
Originally conceived in the late 1950s at the height of the Cold War, the master plan for Project Orion called for a 4,000 ton spacecraft making trips to Mars in 1965 and Saturn by 1970.
Today, Project Orion has been revived… though thankfully sans nukes. The name refers to NASA’s renewed push to send astronauts to the Moon and Mars using a new generation of conventionally-powered rockets and spacecraft.
200,000 Chinese Engineers
While NASA’s Project Orion is America’s prime venture; China has grand plans of her own. Approximately 200,000 engineers and scientists have hoisted the Middle Kingdom into the space race. If the above images of the newest Shenzhou-class vehicles are any indication, much more than the East may be red in the coming years.
South Korea: 2020 and Beyond
South Korea also has an ambitious space program. Planning is at an advanced stage for the nation’s first moon shot in 2020. South Korea has constructed their Naro Spaceflight Center in the southern part of the country, far from Kim Jong-Il’s prying eyes.
Japan’s $26 Billion Dream
Japan’s space agency (JAXA), goaded onward by those of its neighbors, has shown off some very advanced concepts that have immense potential - with matching price tags. The Earth-Moon manned transport shown above is estimated to cost upwards of $26 billion by the time it’s completed in the mid 2020s.
India Reaches for the Stars
Even India has gotten into the game. The country is flush with highly-educated young engineers who have devoted themselves to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) India’s space agency. The GSLV Mark III rocket shown above-left will be ready to launch astronauts into orbit by 2014. With a bigger budget than NASA and almost as many employees, India is sure to build upon its recent successful Lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1.
The Russian Kliper
Russia was the first nation to loft both a satellite and a human being into orbit, and the original spacefarers aren’t done yet. Petrodollars have reflated the country’s economy and with it, its space program. The chunky ship above may not look like a clipper but that’s its name: Kliper. The six-passenger module will work much like the soon-to-be-retired space shuttle as it is launched into orbit on top of a massive Proton rocket.
Virgin Galactica Spaceship Two
Let’s not forget the private sector, led by Virgin Galactic with its spectacular Spaceship Two. Behind the sci-fi moniker are the hard-charging personality of founder Richard Branson and some of the best space techies on the planet.
Virgin Galactic also plans on establishing the world’s first privately owned & operated spaceport, an artist’s rendering of which is shown above.
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