The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy that will lift Orion to an orbit has been loaded with liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen to power its engines. The Delta IV Heavy uses three core stages bolted together for the first stage. Each core holds about 110,000 gallons of the liquid hydrogen and 40,000 gallons of liquid oxygen for a total load of 330,000 gallons of hydrogen and 120,000 gallons of oxygen. The rocket will turn those super-cold propellants into about 2 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, enough to push the 1.63 million pounds of rocket, spacecraft and fuel straight up into the sky. The second stage uses the same kind of propellants but in much less quantity – 4,500 gallons of liquid oxygen and about 10,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen.
The second stage will make two critical burns during Orion’s mission, the first to get it into an initial orbit of 115 miles by 552 miles, then to push Orion into its high orbit reaching 3,609 miles above Earth. The second stage will separate to leave Orion on its own for re-entry at the end of the mission.
Go ORION. Mars awaits you!!!!!!!