four-person

Now renamed the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, NASA said it is intended to carry a four-person crew on a 21-day mission and splash down in the ocean.

NASA to Use Lockheed Vehicle Andy Pasztor 2011

NASA designated a four-person space capsule built by Lockheed Martin Corp. as its likely premier exploration vehicle to take future astronauts beyond earth orbit.

NASA to Use Lockheed Vehicle Andy Pasztor 2011

The craft's four-person crew unloaded almost six tons of groceries, spare parts and air onto the orbiting international laboratory.

Touchdown Brings Shuttle Era to a Close Arian Campo-Flores 2011

Gary Hershorn/Reuters Atlantis's four-person crew is embarking on a 12-day mission, the 135th of the shuttle program, which is aimed mainly at restocking the International Space Station with spare parts and a year's worth of provisions.

Atlantis Takes Off 2011

The four-person crew unloaded almost three tons of groceries, spare parts and air from the craft's payload bay and hauled the sundries aboard the orbiting international laboratory.

Atlantis Makes Landing 2011

The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its four-person crew landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida just before dawn, bringing to a close a program that began in 1981 and leaving the United States temporarily with no vehicle to transport astronauts into space.

Space Shuttle Era Closes with Atlantis' Landing 2011

So, to avoid wasting time and money developing two slightly different configurations, NASA decides on a four-person Orion to go to the ISS because they can use the exact same capsule without modification to go to the Moon sometime in the distant future.

Orion Slims Down - NASA Watch 2009

"While a four-person crew would save some mass, the issue of mass savings was not a major factor in the decision-making process."

Orion Slims Down - NASA Watch 2009

Atlantis' four-person crew is headed to the International Space Station to deliver a year's worth of supplies and spare parts to the orbiting lab.

Blast Off! NASA Launches Final Space Shuttle Mission 2011

The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its four-person crew landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida just before dawn, bringing to a close a program that began in 1981 and leaving the United States temporarily with no vehicle to transport astronauts into space.

Space Shuttle Era Closes with Atlantis' Landing 2011