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NASA’s Ames Conducts Wind Tunnel Tests of Orion Abort System
04.02.08
 
NASA’s Ames Conducts Wind Tunnel Tests of Orion Abort System

Engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., conducted wind tunnel tests of the Alternate Launch Abort System (ALAS) for the Orion Spacecraft that will launch atop the Ares I launch vehicles.

Image above: A 7.5 percent scale model of the Orion spacecraft and its launch abort system undergoes wind tunnel testing.
Photo Credit: NASA Ames Research Center / Dominic Hart

Engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., conducted wind tunnel tests of the Alternate Launch Abort System (ALAS) for the Orion spacecraft that will launch atop the Ares I launch vehicles. Ames researchers measured steady and unsteady surface pressures and 3-D flow field velocities using advanced instrumentation. A 7.5 percent scale ALAS model covered with pressure-sensitive paint was tested in the Ames Unitary Wind Tunnel. Engineers tested the model from low speeds through supersonic speeds and high dynamic-pressure conditions to simulate the extremes of launch aerodynamics during a variety of potential Orion abort conditions.
 
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