Getting to Mars is something we have worked out in this project. To get to Mars, we’ll use the spacecraft called the Orion and the Space Launch System(SLS) rocket. The Space Launch System is a heavy-lift launch vehicle that will carry the Orion into deep space. The Orion is designed similarly to the Apollo, in terms of the Orion’s shape. The Orion is designed to carry astronauts into deep space, with the end goal of carrying them to Mars in the future. The Orion contains three parts, the Launch Abort System(LAS), the crew module and the service module. The Launch Abort System is designed to propel the crew’s module to safety if there is an emergency during the launch or climb to orbit. The service module will hold the Orion’s propulsion and power systems. There are solar panels on the service module that will allow it to create electricity which can power the ship.

The Orion also has a shielding that covers the entire spacecraft. This shielding will protect space’s high levels of harmful radiation without adversely affecting the ship’s computer system. This shielding will also protect the ship from high temperature that occur in a high speed entry through a planet’s atmosphere. Along with the Orion’s new parachute that were inspired from the Apollo, the Orion will be able to effectively land safely from a high speed re-entry. In test fights to the moon, the Orion was able to land safely on Earth at 20,000 miles per hour while the shielding reached temperatures of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit upon re-entry. The Space Launch System and Orion are still in testing but show promise of making it to Mars and back.