The facility could include living quarters for astronauts and a powerful radar antenna, stretching at least 164 feet (50 metres) high.

Orion will start out supporting week-long missions and then will be able to support up to 210-day missions when astronauts eventually live and work at outposts on the moon.

Even Sunita Williams, who spent 195 consecutive days on the space station - a female record - had her long dark hair chopped to shoulder length but still had problems.