Jeff Seibert/Troy McClellan/Full dome fx photo
The launch of NASA’s unmanned Orion spacecraft on a Delta IV Heavy rocket Friday, Dec. 5, marked a new dawn for future manned spaceflight. It was also the first time, since Apollo 17 went to the moon in December 1972, that a man-rated U.S. spacecraft has traveled beyond low Earth orbit.
This unmanned test, called Exploration Flight Test 1, was designed to test Orion’s systems and, more critically, its heat shield that will protect astronauts from the blazing 4,000-degree heat of reentry. The test was deemed highly successful, and Orion performed flawlessly, paving the way for future manned flights to the moon, asteroids and eventually Mars. The launch took place at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Troy McClellan is a resident of Riverview and regularly photographs launches at the Cape. Fellow photographer Jeff Seibert set up the remote camera for the shot at right.
