Pad Abort-1

Pad Abort 1
	Launch of the Pad Abort 1 test
Mission type	Abort test
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	95 seconds
Distance travelled	2.1 kilometers (6,900 ft)
Apogee	1.8 kilometers (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
End of mission
Landing date	May 6, 2010, 13:04:35 UTC
	Constellation program ← Ares I-X EFT 1 → Orion program EFT-1 →

Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) was a flight test of the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS). Orion was a component of Constellation,^{[dubious – discuss]} 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.

Spacecraft location[]

The Orion capsule used in the test is on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia.^[3]

Gallery[]

Pad Abort-1 (PA-1) stack at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) launched May 6, 2010 at White Sands
Parachute descending
PA-1 Crew Module post landing
PA-1 on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center

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" (PDF). AIAA.
^ "The Virginia Air and Space Center to Begin Construction on New Gallery, IMAX Theater". Virginia Air and Space Center. Retrieved September 24, 2020.

External links[]

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

[1] "NASA Building Test Pad at White Sands for New Spacecraft". redOrbit. February 3, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.

[2] Idicula; et al. "A Flight Dynamics Perspective of the Orion Pad Abort One Flight Test" (PDF). AIAA.

[3] "The Virginia Air and Space Center to Begin Construction on New Gallery, IMAX Theater". Virginia Air and Space Center. Retrieved September 24, 2020.

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v t Constellation program
List of missions
Test flights	MLAS (Jul 2009) Ares I-X (Oct 2009)
Launch vehicles	Ares I Ares IV Ares V Lite Shuttle-Derived Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle Jupiter
Spacecraft	Crew Exploration Vehicle Orion Altair
Launch sites	Launch Complex 39 A B
Ground facilities	Kennedy Space Center Mission Control Center
Abort systems	Orion abort modes Launch Abort System (LAS) Max Launch Abort System (MLAS)
Related topics	Vision for Space Exploration Exploration Systems Architecture Study DIRECT Constellation Space Suit NASA Authorization Act of 2005 Augustine Commission Artemis program
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