SCIENCE, SPACE & TECHNOLOGY »» SPACE »» SPACE EXPLORATION »» Feb 08, 2021

Our space program has achieved many major milestones over the last 50 years. We have safely landed men on the moon, placed the Hubble telescope in orbit, developed the space shuttle, helped construct the international space station, landed 4 rovers on Mars and sent robotic spacecraft to the far reaches of our solar system and beyond. Some support sending astronauts back to the moon to establish a semi-permanent base for future manned missions to Mars and other destinations. Our next generation of spacecraft, called the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, is somewhat similar in design to our Apollo-era spacecraft. The deep-space capable Orion consists of a cargo launch vehicle and a crew exploration vehicle. It accommodates 4 to 6 crewmembers and, like Apollo, Orion will reenter Earth