NASA's Orion completes first test flight

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CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - DECEMBER 05: The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying NASA's first Orion deep space exploration craft takes off from its launchpad on December 5, 2014 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The heavy-lift rocket will boost the unmanned Orion capsule to an altitude of 3,600 miles, and returning for a splashdown west of Baja California after a four and half hour flight. . (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) — CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - DECEMBER 05: The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying NASA's first Orion deep space exploration craft takes off from its launchpad on December 5, 2014 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The heavy-lift rocket will boost the unmanned Orion capsule to an altitude of 3,600 miles, and returning for a splashdown west of Baja California after a four and half hour flight.

NASA's Orion spaceIt was a no go for NASA's Orion spacecraft yesterday thanks to bad weather, but in the early morning hours today there was lift off!

It was a no go for NASA's Orion spacecraft yesterday thanks to bad weather, but in the early morning hours today there was lift off! The flight kicked off a new era in space exploration, with the Orion spacecraft completing a four and half hour unmanned flight - two orbits around the earth. It splashed down in the Pacific ocean the same day.

Bruce Betts is the Director of Science and Technology for The Planetary Society and he joins A Martinez in the studio to discuss the significance of this event and how it could be related to our future missions to Mars.