From left, John Casper, Orion special assistant for program integration and a former astronaut; Larry Gagliano, Marshall Center deputy project manager for the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS); and Brent Gaddes, Spacecraft & Payload Integration Adapter Subsystem manager at Marshall, take a look at the completed adapter for Orion’s first orbital test flight, Exploration Flight Test (EFT)-1, later this fall. At an event at Marshall on Jan. 30, more than 150 Marshall and Orion team members, industry partners and other special guests celebrated the contributions the center has made toward EFT-1. Along with the adapter work, the Flight Programs & Partnerships Office at Marshall provided support to EFT-1 and the Orion program by fabricating more than 300 pieces of EFT-1 flight hardware and conducting testing of the LAS thermal production material. The LAS, positioned on a tower atop the crew module, activates within milliseconds to propel the crew module to safety in the event of an emergency during launch or climb to orbit.
Image credit: NASA/MSFC/Emmett Given