NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

By: Emily Outen



The Orion crew module mock-up, recently delivered from NASA Langley, was primed and painted at Edwards Air Force Base in California as another step towards NASA's first test of the astronaut escape system.

Image right: The simulated Orion Crew Module before its departure from NASA Langley. Credit: Sean Smith.

The crew module was flown on a C-17 cargo plane from NASA Langley where it was fabricated. The full-size structural model will be equipped with flight instruments and other electronics at Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.

The Orion crew module will be propelled off a simulated launch pad at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico late this year. This demonstration will test Orion's astronaut escape system and will ensure a safe, reliable escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.



NASA Langley Research Center
Managing Editor: Jim Hodges
Executive Editor and Responsible NASA Official: H. Keith Henry
Editor and Curator: Denise Adams