Orion in 2006

Not so long ago, NASA was gearing up for a next phase of space exploration that would eventually bring astronauts back to the moon, and beyond that to Mars. In this photo from August 2006, officials of the space agency could smile as they showed off a scale model of the Orion spacecraft, announcing that it would be built by aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin. An element of the Constellation program, Orion was intended to carry four crew members on lunar missions and six on junkets to and from the International Space Station.

On Monday, NASA's hopes and plans for Constellation came crashing down as President Obama unveiled his budget proposal for the 2011 fiscal year, canceling the program even as it raised overall funding for NASA.