United space in Europe
Orion assembly
Science & Exploration

Space elves

11/12/2017 2679 views 60 likes 387929 ID
  • HI-RES JPG [559.19 kB]

Thank you for liking

You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!

The Christmas elves worked hard to have the chassis of the Orion service module ready before the end of the year. Engineers at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, have spent recent months assembling elements of the second European Service Module for NASA’s Orion vehicle – which will carry up to four astronauts on a voyage beyond the Moon.

As with building toys, the structure requires carefully piecing together panels, brackets and joints. But this is not toy: lives will depend on it and utmost accuracy is key in Orion’s choreographed assembly across borders.

In Europe, the assembly started with the module’s primary structure. The dark panels are lightweight composite material known as carbon-fibre reinforced-plastic. The honeycomb structure provides rigidity and will absorb the forces of launch.

Inside the four panels, two helium tanks will push propellant to Orion’s engines. The large holes keep the weight down but also allow engineers to reach the mass of meticulously laid cables – more than 11 km in total.

The silver circles are mounting points for equipment and cables. Most of these will be installed in Bremen, Germany, at the Airbus integration hall where the complete service module is assembled.

More on the Orion blog.

  • NASA–R. Sinyak
  • Human Spaceflight
  • Human spaceflight and robotic explorations image of the week
First Orion complete
Science & Exploration

First Orion complete

Image 248 views 8 likes
Orion at Kennedy Space Center
Science & Exploration

Orion at Kennedy Space Center

Image 177 views 6 likes
Science & Exploration

Orion on the move

Image 372 views 9 likes
The Orion spacecraft propulsion system ready for testing
Science & Exploration

Propelling Orion

Image 4618 views 106 likes
Orion unloading from Super Guppy
Science & Exploration

Orion unloading from Super Guppy

Image 147 views 6 likes