Nasa's Orion finally rolls onto the launch pad in Florida
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The radical Orion spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts into deep space, has arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Engineers are now preparing Orion to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket in an unmanned test flight on December 4th.
The spacecraft is hoped to take astronauts to explore an asteroid and eventually make the 34 million mile (55 million km) journey to Mars.
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The countdown begins: The Orion craft, designed to carry astronauts into deep space, has arrived Cape Canaveral Air Station in Florida
'This is just the first of what will be a long line of exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit,' said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development.
'In a few years we will be sending our astronauts to destinations humans have never experienced. It's thrilling to be a part of the journey now, at the beginning.'
During the trip to Cape Canaveral from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center, the conical-shaped capsule was encased in its 52ft-tall (16 metre) protective fairing.
This fairing - or casing - which aims to stream line the launch of the rocket, will be jettisoned during Orion's ride to space.
Last month the Delta IV Heavy rocket, built by United Launch Alliance, made its move to nearby Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Deep space: The spacecraft is hoped to take astronauts to explore an asteroid and eventually make the 34 million mile (55 million km) to Mars
Safety checks: During the four-hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety such as the launch abort system
The Launch Abort System and upper stage, shown in the left of this image, have been transported to Cape Canaveral. Here, they will be joined with the Delta IV Heavy Rocket ahead of a test flight in December. The right image shows the stages Orion will go through during flight
The rocket's three Common Booster Cores were tested, processed and attached to each other to form the first stage that will connect to Orion's service module.
It then was raised last week from the horizontal position into its vertical launch configuration.
For Orion's dry run, the Lockheed Martin-built capsule will have hunks of aluminium in place of seats for ballast, and simulators instead of actual cockpit displays.
The Orion capsule is topped by a Launch Abort System that would life astronauts to safety during an emergency during a manned mission.
During its December launch, Orion will complete two orbits of Earth at an altitude of 3,600 miles (5,790 km) over 4.5 hours, during which ground control will test the spacecraft's systems.
Test flight: Orion will make two big laps around Earth before re-entering the atmosphere at 20,000 mph (32,200 km/h). Pictured is an artist's impression of the Orion craft in orbit
Ready for launch: Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, far left, answers a question during a news conference prior to the rollout of the Orion Spacecraft as participants, second from left, Ellen Ochoa, Johnson Space Center director, Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager and Mike Hawes, director of Human Space Flight Programs at Lockheed Martin listen
During its December 4 test flight, the unmanned capsule will shoot more than 3,600 miles (5,790km) into space.
It will then take two big laps around Earth before re-entering the atmosphere at 20,000 mph (32,200 km/h) and parachuting into the Pacific off the San Diego coast.
During the two-orbit, four-hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.
The data gathered during the mission will influence design decisions and validate existing computer models.
The spacecraft will also pass through the Van Allen radiation belts - two concentric rings encircling the Earth and held in place by a magnetic field.
Since the Van Allen belts were first discovered in 1958, astronomers have been trying to trace the source of the super-acceleration.
The acceleration is so high that satellites have to protect their sensitive components with shielding if their orbit spends significant time in the belts
The Orion capsule has been outfitted with sensors to take new readings on the belt and ensure that it doesn't interfere with any of the capsule's onboard electronics.
Orion will re-enter Earth's atmosphere at almost 20,000mph (32,180 km/h), and reach temperatures near 2,200°C (4,000°F).
At this stage, its parachute system will deploy to slow the spacecraft for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Orion has its roots in the post-Columbia shuttle era; it originated a decade ago as a crew exploration vehicle to get astronauts beyond low Earth orbit and managed to survive the cancellation of the Constellation moon project.
On future missions, Orion will carry astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before, including to an asteroid, and Mars.
Four hour mission: Orion (artist's impression pictured) will reach temperatures near 2,200°C (4,000°F) during its test flight in December
Big move: The Orion capsule is shown here being moved from the Launch Abort System Facility at Kennedy Space Center, last night
Rocket power: At the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF), at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, the three primary core elements of the ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket recently were integrated, forming the first stage of the vehicle that will launch Orion
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