from a top secret government lab...

[pokerfan]

[peacetalksforall]

1. Light bulb out on a flying saucer baby.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Info?

Some kind of heat shield? Soyuz series?

[pokerfan]

3. Ding ding ding - we have a winner

It is a heat shield but not Soyuz. It's the shield for the CEV.

As seen on http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/02/16/big-picture-constellation/">yesterday's Bad Astronomer blog:

Judging from the email piling up in my inbox, I am the last person to notice that The Big Picture has taken on NASA’s next-generation Constellation rocket, posting incredibly beautiful images of the vehicle that will take over from the Space Shuttle. They are all cool, but I can’t help loving this one in particular. It’s the heat shield of the Orion crew module, upside-down for inspection. Hey… where was The Sun? With a little Photoshopping they’d have a great story here!

[moggie]

4. That's strangely beautiful

Meanwhile, from a less secret government lab:

[Phoonzang]

5. I findi it amazing that they're going to fit 7 people in the CEV.

But I guess it's fairly roomy inside:

[RT Atlanta]

6. up to 6 astronauts

is what I have heard will be permitted through certain flight configurations.

[sofa king]

7. Wow, that's a big-ass heat shield.

It's a shame the rocket they're going to tack that thing on is a piece of shit destined to fail.