Pad Abort 1 (Orion)
 Launch of the Pad Abort 1 test | |
| Mission type | Abort test |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | 95 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 2.1 kilometres (6,900 ft) |
| Apogee | 1.8 kilometres (6,000 ft) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Orion boilerplate |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 6, 2010, 13:03:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Orion Launch Abort System |
| Launch site | White Sands LC-32E[1] |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | May 6, 2010, 13:04:35 UTC |
 | |
Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) was a flight test of the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS). Orion was a component of Constellation, a human spaceflight project within NASA, the space agency of the United States. PA-1 was the first test in a sequence of atmospheric flight tests known as Orion Abort Flight Test (AFT).
PA-1 tested the basic functionality of the launch abort concept from the pad in its preliminary Orion design configuration. It used the former conformal shape of the LAS adapter. The Flight Test Article (FTA) vehicle will differ from production Orion vehicles in a number of ways. For example, the FTA will not have a crew on board, and the avionics will be a prototype of what is planned for production Orions.[2]
The PA-1 Test took place at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Gallery
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Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) launched May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
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Parachute descending
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PA-1 Crew Module post landing
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- ↑ "NASA Building Test Pad at White Sands for New Spacecraft". redOrbit. February 3, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
- ↑ Idicula et al. "A Flight Dynamics Perspective of the Orion Pad Abort One Flight Test". AIAA.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pad Abort 1 (Orion). |
Orion Pad Abort 1 Video Highlights at Vimeo – http://vimeo.com/11631855
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