We are gearing up for the announcement by NASA today which will name the Orion Contractor.

The United States begins its next step in human space flight with the announcement by NASA on today (Thursday) of a contractor to design and build spaceships to fly to the moon.

Lockheed Martin Corp and a partnership of Northrop Grumman Corp. and Boeing Co are vying for the work, estimated to be worth more than $18 billion over the next decade.

The Orion missions will include flights to the International Space Station, the moon and then Mars.