NASA unveils Orion space capsule

Without a heat shield or wiring, and with only welded metal panels to see, NASA's first space-bound Orion crew module was unveiled July 2. It's planned for a 2014 launch on an unmanned test flight.

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) director Robert Cabana said: "As KSC celebrates its 50th anniversary I can't think of a more appropriate way to celebrate than by having the very first Orion crew vehicle here. Orion is ushering in a new era of space

The Orion's spacecraft olive-green aluminum-lithium metal panels are still to be covered by an advanced version of the thermal protection tiles that were earlier used on the space shuttle. The Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 

NASA's first space-bound Orion crew capsule on display in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building in Florida, July 2, 2012. The spacecraft is set to launch on an unmanned test flight in 2014.