How much more elbow room does Artemis II's Orion have than Apollo?
USA Today • • nation
Key Points:
- The Orion spacecraft, carrying four Artemis II astronauts, is the largest crewed capsule sent beyond low Earth orbit, offering 330 cubic feet of habitable space—about 60% larger than the Apollo command module.
- With four astronauts aboard, Orion provides nearly 18% more habitable space per person compared to the three-person Apollo missions, equating to roughly the interior volume of two minivans combined.
- Space capsules like Orion remain small and capsule-shaped due to weight constraints and the need to withstand high-speed atmospheric reentry, despite early considerations of winged designs.
- Lockheed Martin designed and built Orion, opting for a capsule configuration over winged vehicles due to complexity and risk, leveraging extensive Apollo-era data for safety and reliability.
