NASA to test spacecraft that could take humans to Mars

NASA is launching its boldest test flight in decades this week. An unmanned capsule will head off today to reach a distance of 3,600 miles from Earth - the farthest space mission with a craft designed to accommodate humans since the final Apollo 17 trip to the moon in 1972.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the program is dubbed Orion.

“My hope is that when we fly the capsule on Thursday, it will energize the public and energize that middle schooler [who] isn’t quite sure what he wants to do, but he likes math and science,” said Richard Boitnott, an engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center.

Read more from Bloomberg Businessweek.

The launch can be watched live at USA Today.