Posted on 01/24/2015 5:50:40 PM PST by Olog-hai
I attended a lecture in ‘66 or ‘67 on celestial navigation at UNC given by a NASA scientist. If I remember correctly the astronauts were taught to use the constellation Orion to assist in navigation if the guidance platforms failed during a mission in space. Orion was selected since it was brightest and most recognizable constellation (according to the lecturer). I suspect this might be the reason for Orion’s presence on the Apollo mission patch.
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"If we had maintained the Saturn V as a launch vehicle, we would have put eight times as much into Earth's orbit. What's interesting to me is: We are going back to the Saturn V system for the future programs. The Orion spaceship is almost a carbon copy of the Apollo spacecraft."Correct, apart from the fact that the proposed heavy lift booster will need four solid rocket boosters -- extended versions of the design that got the Shuttle into orbit -- in order to do its job. The liquid-fueled part of the system can't get itself to orbit.
I once got completely lost in a rural area of the country and used Orion to navigate south where I knew an interstate lay. It was too late in the night to bang on someone’s door. I must have used fifteen different trails.
I was only 16 at the time, so I never even thought to ask, but I'll bet a lot of adults scratched their heads at that one.
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That works as long as you bear in mind that if Orion looks like he's waking up he's in the East, and if he's taking a header, he's in the West.
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