On the last episode of this podcast, we talked with Stu McClung, an engineer working on the Orion space capsule. If you remember, this is the capsule that’s going to take humans into deep space.

The interesting thing about the Orion capsule is that it’s being put together at Kennedy Space Center where it will eventually launch. That’s a new technique for NASA. In the past, capsules were shipped to KSC fully assembled.

Now, only the shell of the capsule is shipped to Kennedy. Once it arrives, some assembly is required, like outfitting the computers, consoles, outer shell and heat shield.

It’s all done at the revamped Operations and Checkout Facility. This long building was once used for final preparations of the Apollo missions, as well as final preparations for parts heading to the International Space Station.

Now, it’s redesigned to piece together Orion. Today, the Orion capsule that NASA plans to use on Exploration Mission 1 is being worked on. What they call the pressure vessel arrives from a factory in New Orleans. It’s basically just the inner shell of Orion with holes cut out for windows and hatches.

NASA Engineer Scott Wilson and his team handle the rest.

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If we’re going to go to Mars, we’re going to need a new spacecraft. That’s what NASA’s Orion capsule is for.

It looks like the capsules of the Apollo days. Engineers say the capsule’s shape is perfect for deep space exploration and re-entry into the atmosphere. But it’s a bit bigger than the Apollo command module. It was originally designed to hold six astronauts.

Engineers are borrowing what they learned from the shuttle program, too. Decades of space exploration are coming together for this crew capsule.

In 2014, NASA launched an Orion into a high orbit around the Earth to test the capsule’s structure and heat shield. They called that test flight EFT-1, and by all accounts the mission was a success.

Their sights are now set on Exploration Mission One, or EM-1, an unpiloted mission set for 2018 that will send the Orion capsule into space, past the moon and back.

So what goes into designing the next big thing in space exploration? And how are engineers preparing for the next test flight?

Orion Engineer Stu McClug gave me a call from his office in Houston to bring me up to speed on Orion and the new rocket they’re designing to blast it into deep space.

Listen to previous episodes:

RED ROVER, RED ROVER

THE MARTIAN

Listen by clicking on play button above, on the WMFE mobile app, or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or RSS Feed.

Before we send humans to new worlds, we’re sending robots first.

Currently, there are two rovers exploring the surface of Mars, Opportunity and Curiosity. They’re both responsible for uncovering scientific data from the red planet that help us better understand the surface of Mars – what was once there and what to expect when we get there?

Opportunity, launched in 2003, is uncovering what was once on Mars and searching for evidence of water by examining rocks found on the surface.

Curiosity, launched in 2011, followed in the footsteps of Opportunity by searching for clues to the red planet’s past. But this mobile lab has more sophisticated equipment and an array of high-definition cameras. We’re seeing images of the surface of Mars we’ve never seen before. Curiosity, with a social media personality of its own, is capturing the attention of folks back here on Earth with robotic Martian selfies posted to Twitter.

There’s a whole slew of new probes heading to Mars, and other destinations of our Solar System, that will help get humans to new worlds.

Emilee Speck writes for Orlando Sentinel’s ‘Go For Launch’ blog about these probes and rovers, and she joins me to bring us up-to-speed on what’s happening in space.

Listen to the next episode: BUILDING A DEEP SPACE CAPSULE

Listen by clicking on play button above, on the WMFE mobile app, or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or RSS Feed.

We’re going to Mars.

Not right now, but soon. There’s a lot of work that goes into sending humans to a completely different world. Engineering new spacecraft, and new space suits. We’ve gotta figure out if humans can live and work in space for a deep space journey. And how do you feed them? Are they going to go crazy on the trip?

And what can we expect when we get there? What’s the surface of Mars like? Can we live and work there?

But before we look to space, before we leave the atmospheres, and before we head to Mars, let’s start at a place a little more familiar to us. Hollywood.

The Oscar-nominated blockbuster movie “The Martian” follows stranded Mars astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon. Most of the technology in the movie is stuff NASA and other agencies use for deep space and planetary exploration.

“The Martian” is based on the novel with the same name, written by Andy Weir. He joins the program to talk about his inspiration for the book and his thoughts on planetary exploration.

Listen to the next episode: RED ROVER, RED ROVER