Super Guppy Transports Orion for Testing

NASA is designing the Orion spacecraft that will return man to the Moon, and then beyond to Mars. NASA has been building the spacecraft but now need to test it in the vacuum of space. In order to transport the spacecraft from Florida to Ohio, where the worlds largest vacuum chamber exists, NASA flew Orion in "The super guppy" During this phase, the spacecraft will be subjected to extreme temperatures, ranging from -250 to 300-degrees Fahrenheit, to replicate flying in-and-out of sunlight and shadow in space. The second phase is an electromagnetic interference and compatibility test, lasting about 14 days. This testing will ensure the spacecraft’s electronics work properly when operated at the same time.

NASA’s Orion crew and service modules are being prepared for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) inside the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But before they hitch a ride to deep space, they are being prepared for a different kind of flight. Soon, the joined modules will be readied for a trip aboard NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft from Kennedy to the agency’s Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, for thermal vacuum and electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing. In this unique facility, which houses the world’s largest space simulation chamber, Orion will be put through extensive testing to ensure it can survive and operate in the harsh environment of deep space.

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