1 Dec 2014 9:53 AM PT
The Big Bang Theory’s Howard Wolowitz isn’t the only one of the cast who will have gone to space. It seems that Mayim Bailik’s ancestors, or at least their images will have a joy ride to space as well.
NASA will be launching the unmanned Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) on Thursday December 4 at 7:05 AM ET, weather permitting. On board of that flight will be a number of souvenirs including photos of ancestors of The Big Bang Theory‘s Mayim Bialik given to NASA by Mayim herself.
The Orion will fly 15 times farther out than the International Space Station before returning to Earth to test its heat-shield (at temperatures near 4000 degrees Fahrenheit) at speeds near 80% to that if returning to the moon. If all goes well during the heat-shield test, upon re-entry it will deploy 11 parachutes taking it to a splash down in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles SW of San Diego to be recovered by the US Navy.
William Shatner is just as excited about the Orion venture and donated his “Captain Kirk in Environment Suit’ collectors edition action figure for the trip, symbolizing his role in Star Trek.. Director John Favreau offered up an Iron Man challenge coin to represent engineering, technology and flight.
“‘Iron Man’ transcends generations and even has had his own adventures in space making this contribution one that will further enhance the conversation among young people about the importance of space research and discovery for years to come,” Skylar Jackson, VP of Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) said.
Additionally cast photographs and Delorean Time machine model from Back to the Future actress Claudia Wells will be on board. Oscar the Grouch’s pet worm Slimey, who previously flew to the moon as part of the TV show, is launching on Orion, as are Ernie’s rubber ducky, Cookie Monster’s cookie and Grover’s cape (from when the furry blue monster becomes “Super Grover”). The Muppets’ items, once back from the mission, will take prized spots on the Sesame Street set where millions of children will be able to see them.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, located near Lockheed Martin’s space systems division in Colorado, is loaning part of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The prehistoric fossil “will make the flight as a reminder of how much life the Earth has seen during its existence,” NASA explained on its website.
In addition there will be artwork and other artifacts that will be on board, all to represent ingenuity and education of an entire generation.
Orion will open the space between Earth and Mars for exploration by astronauts. This proving ground will be invaluable for testing capabilities future human Mars missions will need. The area around our moon, in particular, called cis-lunar space, is a rich environment for testing human exploration needs, like advanced spacewalking suits, navigating using gravity, and protecting astronauts from radiation and extreme temperatures.
One of Orion’s early missions in the 2020s will send astronauts to explore an asteroid, which will be placed in a stable orbit around the moon using a robotic spacecraft. This Asteroid Redirect Mission will test new technologies, like Solar Electric Propulsion, which will help us send heavy cargo to Mars in advance of human missions. Astronauts aboard Orion will return to Earth with samples of the asteroid, having tested a number of collection tools and techniques we’ll use in future human missions to Mars or its moons.
Astronauts will board Orion for a first crewed flight in 2021. Many of Orion’s systems needed for that flight and others will be tested on Thursday with the first unmanned flight test.
Check out a step-by step guide of the process that the Orion will take to re-enter.