Orion - Blog Posts

Best News I've heard in a Long Time, I enjoyed you're work Barda.

ORION, my second graphic novel with DC Comics, comes out in 2026!

there's a cat in my neighborhood with three little spots on his waist, so i've taken to calling him Orion 🌌

So excited!!!! First launch I seen live.

We are going to the Moon!

At 1:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 16, 2022, our Orion spacecraft launched aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from historic Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a path to the Moon, officially beginning the Artemis I mission.

This mission is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, the SLS rocket, and Kennedy ground systems. This is the very first time this rocket and spacecraft have flown together, and it’s the first of many Artemis missions to the Moon. Artemis I is uncrewed, but it lays the groundwork for increasingly complex missions that will land humans on the lunar surface, including the first woman and the first person of color to do so.

With Artemis, we will build a long-term human presence on the Moon and prepare humanity for future exploration plans to Mars and beyond.

See more photos of Artemis I on our Flickr.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

What is Artemis I?

On November 14, NASA is set to launch the uncrewed Artemis I flight test to the Moon and back. Artemis I is the first integrated flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and Exploration Ground Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. These are the same systems that will bring future Artemis astronauts to the Moon.

Standing 322 feet (98 meters) tall, the SLS rocket comprises of a core stage, an upper stage, two solid boosters, and four RS-25 engines. The SLS rocket is the most powerful rocket in the world, able to carry 59,500 pounds (27 metric tons) of payloads to deep space — more than any other vehicle. With its unprecedented power, SLS is the only rocket that can send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and cargo directly to the Moon on a single mission.

Before launch, Artemis I has some big help: the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC is the largest single-story building in the world. The VAB was constructed for the assembly of the Apollo/Saturn V Moon rocket, and this is where the SLS rocket is assembled, maintained, and integrated with the Orion spacecraft. 

The mobile launcher is used to assemble, process, and launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. The massive structure consists of a two-story base and a tower equipped with a number of connection lines to provide the rocket and spacecraft with power, communications, coolant, and fuel prior to launch.

Capable of carrying 18 million pounds (8.2 million kg) and the size of a baseball infield, crawler-transporter 2 will transport SLS and Orion the 4.2 miles (6.8 km) to Launch Pad 39B. This historic launch pad was where the Apollo 10 mission lifted off from on May 18, 1969, to rehearse the first Moon landing.

During the launch, SLS will generate around 8.8 million pounds (~4.0 million kg) of thrust, propelling the Orion spacecraft into Earth’s orbit. Then, Orion will perform a Trans Lunar Injection to begin the path to the Moon. The spacecraft will orbit the Moon, traveling 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the Moon — farther than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown.

The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts on deep space missions farther than ever before. Orion contains the habitable volume of about two minivans, enough living space for four people for up to 21 days. Future astronauts will be able to prepare food, exercise, and yes, have a bathroom. Orion also has a launch abort system to keep astronauts safe if an emergency happens during launch, and a European-built service module that fuels and propels the spacecraft.

While the Artemis I flight test is uncrewed, the Orion spacecraft will not be empty: there will be three manikins aboard the vehicle. Commander Moonikin Campos will be sitting in the commander’s seat, collecting data on the vibrations and accelerations future astronauts will experience on the journey to the Moon. He is joined with two phantom torsos, Helga and Zohar, in a partnership with the German Aerospace Center and Israeli Space Agency to test a radiation protection vest.

A host of shoebox-sized satellites called CubeSats help enable science and technology experiments that could enhance our understanding of deep space travel and the Moon while providing critical information for future Artemis missions.

At the end of the four-week mission, the Orion spacecraft will return to Earth. Orion will travel at 25,000 mph (40,000 km per hour) before slowing down to 300 mph (480 km per hour) once it enters the Earth’s atmosphere. After the parachutes deploy, the spacecraft will glide in at approximately 20 mph (32 km per hour) before splashdown about 60 miles (100 km) off the coast of California. NASA’s recovery team and the U.S. Navy will retrieve the Orion spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean.

With the ultimate goal of establishing a long-term presence on the Moon, Artemis I is a critical step as NASA prepares to send humans to Mars and beyond.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Orion, The Great Hunter

Sirio, Constelación de Orión y parte de la constelación de Tauro. Sus estrellas son algunas que nos indican el tiempo de frío en el hemisferio Norte.

Fotografía tomada desde Marble Canyon, Arizona.

Crédito: Evan Amos

https://instagram.com/evanamos

~Antares

Nebulosa de la llama y cabeza de caballo. La nebulosa de la llama se encuentra cerca de la estrella Alnitak, la cual forma el asterismo conocido como cinturon de Orión junto a las estrellas Alnilam y Mintaka.

Crédito: Pit Cave Produccions

https://instagram.com/pitcave

~Antares

Con los tiempos de frío en el hemisferio norte sabemos que es hora de estar admirando a la nebulosa de Orión (M42), pero si tenemos el equipo adecuado seremos capaces de captar otros cuerpos cerca de esa región como lo son el hombre corredor (Sh2-279), Cabeza de caballo (Bernard 33 en IC 434) y la Flama (NGC 2024)

Crédito: Daniel Velázquez

https://instagram.com/dnvlgm

~Antares

Rocky Planets

Stars shining over the Atlantic

We will not leave the crew hanging!

The crew module uprighting system rotates Orion should it come to rest upside down when landing in the water.

What is an upcoming project/mission you're most excited for?

It is likely that I’ll be assigned a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) within the next few years.  We’ve had a continuous presence on the Space Station for 17 years now, along with our international partners (Russian Space Agency, European Space Agency, Japanese Space Agency, and Canadian Space Agency).  Missions on the ISS typically last 6 months.  I’m incredibly excited to contribute to the impressive array of scientific experiments that we are conducting every day on ISS (I am a scientist after all!), and very much look forward to the potential of going for a spacewalk and gaining that perspective of gazing down on the fragile blue ball that is our home from above.  Beyond that, being part of test missions on the Orion spacecraft (currently under construction at NASA!) would be an extraordinary opportunity.  The current NASA plan is to send astronauts in Orion in a mission that will go 40,000 miles beyond the Moon in the early 2020s, reaching a distance further than that ever travelled by humans.  I’d certainly be game for that! 

Belated Jack Kirby-Tribute! Late Happy 105th! Don’t really feel he gets as much recognition as the Co-Creator of many characters among fans as he might deserve. Not as many talks about him as they do Stan Lee Yeah, due to his many apperances, everybody knows and loves Stan but he just did half of the work, maybe less. Sometimes, he just left the a note ”make them fight this guy” and Jack had to evolve the plot from there. With dynamic poses and impressive amount of details, Kirby drew many classic characters and designed big names like Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Thor and The Hulk and even the one that got to assemble them all as The Avengers in their first fight against Loki. Or design the first ever big Cosmic threath, Galactus, the planet-eater. And the nine realms of Asgard or the mysterious Negative Zone! Or introduce Black Panther, Marvel’s first black Superhero and the nation of Wakanda. Even back in the 40s when Stan Lee picked up lunch or refilled the ink, Jack together with Joe Simon were the ones that created Captain America AND the one to draw his return to the modern times. And during his time at DC, he created and wrote the New Gods who happens to involve Darkseid himself, who has the held the title of DC’s Big bad ever after and together with fellow New God Metron, the inspirations for Marvel’s Thanos. After that, he returned to Marvel and not really effected but created the lore of the origin of Marvel Universe with Eternals and Celestials, who had a hand in creating the universe itself and giving mankind the ability to develope superpowers. TL;DR fans of these characters and their stories have a lot to thank this man for . Open for Commissions! If you thought this was good, please leave a like, check out my other stuff and why not leave a comment. . #fanart #digitalart #jackkirby #jackkingkirby #theking #tribute #captainamerica #eternals #newgods #orion #mrmiracle #bigbarda #darkseid #hulk #thor #ikaris #xmen #cyclops #jeangrey #marvelgirl #fantasticfour #mrfantastic #invisiblewoman #invisiblegirl #antman #thewasp #antmanandthewasp #blackpanther (på/i Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiAAceksT2R/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Orion

My photo

Fun fact:

Orion's belt is located on the celestial equator

My favorite constellation 🩵🩵🩵

ORION CONSTELLATION

04/02/2023

Orion Nebula

The Boogeyman Nebula, LDN 1622 // Timothy Martin

Hhhhhh I hate posting late ;^; Muffinwolf! belongs to @mkitkat . Orion belongs to @inkchara23 . Pastel belongs to @torosiken . Wolf!pastel belongs to @nekophy . Little jammy hood au belongs to @blogthegreatrouge .