NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Orion Crew Module Model

A half-scale model of the Orion Crew Module is lifted at the Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) Facility Tuesday, Sept. 22, at NASA Langley Research Center in preparation for a pendulum swing test where it will land on Kennedy Space Center simulated sand.

The test helps engineers understand how a contingency land landing on sand would impact the crew module after a launch pad abort scenario.

Credit: NASA/Sean Smith