What is the constellation of the project?

Contellation Project Constellation is a plan for the United States government through the NASA space agency to land a man on the moon, creating a permanent base and preparing the ground for a possible mission to Mars. As it is expected, the constellation of the project consists of design, construction, testing and the use of heavy boosters (Ares I, Ares IV, Ares V), two new spacecraft (ORION and LUNAR LANDER vehicles) and lunar booster (Earth departure phase).

Contellation of the project can be considered a modernized version of the Apollo project in the 1960s, with more regard to the permanent monthly base and the future mission to Mars. The constellation of the project is expected to cost $ 20 billion in twenty years (2004 - 2024), while the cost of spacecraft does not exceed $ 3.5 billion. For comparison, the Apollo project costs $ 28 billion USD ($ 2006), while the shuttle costs $ 145 billion ($ 2006). And the Moon by 2020. This is a more relaxed timelineBefore the Apollo program, which was announced in 1961 and reached the month until 1969.

To achieve the moon, the Apollo Lunar Railway (Lor) was used and fired a two -piece vessel in the lunar orbit. One part of the craft (lunar module) separated from the other (command module), descended to the Moon, and then created a meeting with the command module at Lunar Orbit. These crafts then returned to the ground together. The constellation of the project will place more emphasis on meeting the Earth's orbit (EOR). In EOR, supplies and fuel are lowered separately from astronauts. These spacecraft then join the Earth's orbit before their journey to the Moon. Upon arrival at the Moon, the Orion crew vehicle is left in orbit without a crew, while the crew of four people will visit Altair Lunar Lander to visit the Moon. At the end of the stay, Altair reaches with Orion and returns to the ground. This Kombi Mission AccessNaje Eor and Lor.

NASA tests the Antarctica inflatable station for the use of astronauts of the constellation of the project. This could be the core of the future lunar base.