credit NASA / caption: 24 July 1969, the Apollo 11 command module up righting balloons can be clearly seen
It looks like NASA’s Orion crew exploration vehicle is going to have even more similarities with the space agency’s Apollo command module. The Orion project office tells Hyperbola that come 2015 (take your pick on Orion-Ares crewed flight dates) the sea landing of the six crew International Space Station mission spacecraft will have balloons to ensure it can right itself if it flips upside down in the swell. NASA says
The system is early in design but here is the baseline:
Crew Module Up righting System consists of:
– 3-52″ up righting airbags integrated in the forward bay
– Stored gas inflation system
– 24 hour up righting capability
