NASA is a step closer to launching astronauts from American soil again. <\/p>\n
The space agency announced Tuesday that Boeing and Space-x will ferry crew members to the International Space Station starting in 2017. <\/p>\n
Right now, the United States pays Russia $70 million per seat for the ride into orbit. The new agreement also helps NASA's other mission: returning to deep space, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy. <\/p>\n
NASA's new Orion spacecraft is located 65 miles out in the Pacific Ocean. It's designed to take American astronauts back into deep space. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Orion capsule <\/p>\n
Radislav Sinyak <\/p>\n
\"It will be the first time in 40 years that this nation, the most powerful nation in the world, has ever designed and built a spacecraft intended to carry humans beyond low earth orbit, and that's a big, big deal,\" said Charles Boden, head of NASA. <\/p>\n
Boden was on board the Navy ship to oversee a test run of recovering Orion after it comes back to Earth. And if it all sounds a bit familiar, it should; Orion is the distant relative of Apollo, which also touched down in the Pacific. <\/p>\n
11 Photos <\/p>\n
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NASA sets its sights back on deep space<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NASA is a step closer to launching astronauts from American soil again. The space agency announced Tuesday that Boeing and Space-x will ferry crew members to the International Space Station starting in 2017. Right now, the United States pays Russia $70 million per seat for the ride into orbit Continue reading