Terminus of an Arc An Orion’s Arm future history image. At orbital apogee the Orion spacecraft orient prior to Mars transfer burn. They will make the crossing at 125,490 fps – a 39 day fast transfer trajectory to Mars (85,562 mph/137,700 kph). The vehicles have shed the forward payload shroud. From this angle details of the pusher-plate, the bomb aperture (centered in the pusher-plate), and the bomb placement gun (located ahead of the pusher-plate and inside the ring of the second-stage shock absorbers) with its conical plasma shield. The first-stage shock absorbers are gas filled torridal bags – visible as black bands along the body of the pusher-plate – the two sets of shock absorbers are de-tuned in relationship to one another in order step down the powerful 150 km/sec (300,000 mph) slam of the plasma (generated by the nuclear impulse device) to something man and machine can stand. This sequence of images depicts events in the decade before the Year Zero mark on my future history timeline – see link below. Future History Timeline Context Link: Orion’s Arm Future History Timeline. Related Images: Orion Launch Vehicle Final Assembly Right Before Mars Settlement Project Orion Launch Aero Braking Syria Planum Landing Background image courtesy NASA/JPL. All 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.