Apollo 8-type test for Orion considered

Like Apollo 8 in December 1968, mission planners are considering a test-flight in lunar orbit for Orion, as part of the run-up to surface expeditions, in tandem with Constellation's Altair lander.

Shelby G. Spires, The Huntsville Times

Engineers and managers at Marshall Space Flight Center have been conducting initial studies that would configure the in-development Ares V heavy lift rocket into a vehicle that could be used to take a crew to orbit the moon or place large probes in space, Marshall managers said this afternoon.

"We are back in the concept stage," Ares V managers Steve Creech told members of the Augustine review panel, which is chartered to look at NASA's future. "It is cheap to look at different alternatives, and we continue to look at options."

Currently, NASA chief plan is to use a smaller Ares I rocket for crew missions, and the larger Ares V for cargo missions. This plan would use only the large rocket.

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