KSC-2013-1988

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Operations and Checkout Building OandC at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Scott Colloredo, chief architect for the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, speaks to news media representatives updating progress on preparing the Orion spacecraft for its first uncrewed mission, Exploration Flight Test-1 EFT-1 in 2014. The crew module is seen behind Hefner in its test stand. Launched atop NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket, Orion is now targeted to take astronauts in a sample return mission to an asteroid as early as 2021. On the third anniversary of President Barack Obama issuing his challenge to NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid, news media representatives were given an opportunity to see up-close the Orion spacecraft which could take astronauts on such a flight. They also heard from key leaders of that effort in Kennedy's OandC where Orion's assembly is taking place. Photo credit: NASA_Kim Shiflett