Orion Launch Vehicle Final Assembly An Orion’s Arm future history project image. Ten thousand ton payload landing craft mounted atop the nuclear impulse-charge magazine stack. I selected the camera angle (looking down into the vehicle construction shaft) to reveal details obscured in previous views of the Mars Settlement project launch site. The track-mounted construction platform (gantry and tower crane removed) is clearly visible in this view. The nearly completed Orion launch vehicle is lowered within the shaft placing the area under assembly at ground level. Red capped tubes are the tops of the impulse-charge magazines visible just below the internal bracing structure of the vehicle. The landing-craft is mounted just above the point where the hull begins to curve inward (compare against the fully assembled launch vehicles in the middle distance). The landing-craft seen here is enclosed within its aero-shell (with white/black pattern). Mounted around the exterior of the aero shell are the primary powered descent engines – a ten thousand ton payload, while well within the capability of Orion to loft and deliver, is well beyond the capacity of any parachute design; after aero braking the vehicle transitions to a two-stage powered descent mode: primary powered descent is accomplished via 4 Open-Cycle GCNTR (Gas Core Nuclear Thermal Rockets – disposed of along with the aero-shell and heat shield once the vehicles is sub-mach) terminal powered descent to touch-down is accomplished via 7 F-1 equivalent chemical rockets. This image details the Mars Settlement vehicle launch site during in the decade before the Year Zero mark on my future history timeline. See future history timeline link below. The aero-shell design is a new modeled feature of this revisualization; consequentially I have replaced my previous atmospheric-entry post with a new image. Link: Aero Braking Future History Timeline Context Link: Orion’s Arm Future History Timeline. Related Images: Right Before Mars Settlement Project Orion Launch Syria Planum Landing Terrains are cris333’s Klendathu and Tectonics Arathi Peaks No. 3 re-textured. Warehouse is a Google SketchUp Pro model. All other models are my own Bryce creations, constructed in Bryce 6.3, rendered in Bryce 7 Pro. As always thank you for your interest, thoughtful comments, and encouragement.