After a successful test flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft Launch Abort System (LAS), Lockheed Martin and NASA are bringing a 45-foot-long launch abort system mock-up, known as the LAS pathfinder, to Denver to be displayed outside of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for two days only - September 28 and 29. The full-scale mockup is too big to bring into the museum, so it will be displayed outside on a flatbed tractor-trailer in front of the main/north entrance. All museum visitors will be able to see the impressive system and learn about the test and the mission of the Orion crew exploration vehicle.
Lockheed Martin led the team that developed this innovative abort system that will significantly improve astronaut safety for future human space flight. The Launch Abort System is designed to immediately pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle during an emergency on the pad or during the climb to orbit. The Launch Abort System's flawless test flight took place on May 6, 2010, at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces, N.M. During the test, the system fired the abort motor thrusting the crew module mock-up off the pad, reaching a speed of about 445 mph in three seconds.
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