Washington, D.C., March 30, 2009--Crowds gather on the National Mall to see a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle, NASA's next-generation craft for carrying humans to the moon and beyond.

Similar in shape to the Apollo moon landers, the 16.5-foot-wide (5-meter-wide) Orion craft has enough habitable space to carry four people to the moon or six to the International Space Station. NASA officials hope to send people to the ISS aboard Orion by 2015 and on to the moon by 2020.

• More Photos in the News
• Today's 15 Most Read Stories
• Free Email Newsletter: Photo of the Month