National Aeronautics and Space Agency’s Orion capsule has been launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at last. The unmanned version of a new crew capsule is designed to take humans beyond the space station in low-earth orbit to destinations such as the moon and Mars. This is only a brief flight to test critical technologies, such as its heat shield and parachutes. Orion will come down into Pacific waters off the coast of Mexico’ Baja Peninsula later today. The flight will last less than five hours. The US Navy divers in speedboats will fetch it and tow it into a support vessel. Today’s mission is only a small step is a long development program contemplated by NASA. The Mars mission may take another fifteen years or so. All this sounds pretty wonderful, but there is a palpable lack of excitement about it. Orion was supposed to be launched yesterday, but the launch was delayed because of high winds and faulty rocket valves. Hopefully, everything will go well the rest of today’s mission. As for the Mars mission, fingers crossed. It is good to remember that Orion was a giant hunter in Greek mythology whom Zeus placed among the stars as the constellation of Orion. Would that Zeus were so kind as to also place a bunch of humans anywhere in the constellation. Without his gentle assistance, the trip would take untold eons.