Pad Abort-1
2010 rocket test flight / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Pad Abort-1?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) was a flight test of the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS). PA-1 was the first test in a sequence of atmospheric flight tests known as Orion Abort Flight Test (AFT).
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 (2010-05-06UTC13:03Z) UTC |
Rocket | Orion Launch Abort System |
Launch site | White Sands LC-32E[1] |
End of mission | |
Landing date | May 6, 2010, 13:04:35 (2010-05-06UTC13:04:36Z) UTC |
|
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 differed from production Orion vehicles in a number of ways. For example, the FTA did not have a crew on board, and the avionics were a prototype of what is planned for production Orions.[2]
The PA-1 test took place on May 6, 2010 at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It was also the final flight done under the auspice of the Constellation program before it was cancelled.