NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Griffin Corpening, Mark Geyer, Mark Kirasich and Don Reed from the Orion MPCV office and the Johnson Space Center accept the Stellar Award for their team’s work on NASA’s Pad Abort Test.   › View larger

Because of their work on the Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle Pad Abort 1 flight test, several teams from JSC received Stellar Awards as part of the Rotary National Awards for Space Achievement (RNASA). Each year, RNASA solicits nominations for Stellar Awards for individual and team achievements from the government, military and industry. This year, 115 individuals and 36 teams were nominated. The nominations are reviewed by an evaluation board of distinguished scientists, engineers, managers, and academicians who select the winners based on the accomplishments that hold the greatest promise for furthering future activities in space.

In the Team Category, the Orion teams were honored with three different awards, with JSC, Orbital Sciences and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company receiving individual recognition. Each of the teams was honored for the outstanding teamwork, leadership and technical excellence in the development of the launch abort system and the execution of the pad abort test. This was the first full-scale abort test in the United States in more than 45 years. The test successfully demonstrated the capability of Orion's Launch Abort System to propel the crew module to safety in the event of an emergency. The recipients were honored at a gala in downtown Houston with astronauts Stephanie Wilson and Ricky Arnold presenting.

For more information on the Stellar Awards, visit:

http://www.rnasa.org/stellar/stellarwinners2011.html

For more information on the Orion Pad Abort 1 test visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzIcDDJyTRI