Pad Abort 1 (Orion)

Pad Abort 1

File:450775main wstf0510e04493 hires.jpg 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 (2010-05-06UTC13:03Z) UTC
Rocket	Orion Launch Abort System
Launch site	White Sands LC-32E
End of mission
Landing date	May 6, 2010, 13:04:35 (2010-05-06UTC13:04:36Z) 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.

The PA-1 Test took place at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Gallery

• 450775main wstf0510e04493 hires.jpg

  Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) launched May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

• 450782main wstf0510e04498 hires.jpg

  Parachute descending

• 450944main jsc2010e068745.jpg

  PA-1 Crew Module post landing

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

External links

Orion Pad Abort 1 Video Highlights at Vimeo – http://vimeo.com/11631855