Engineers at the gantry conducted a successful first drop test of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) boilerplate test article, or BTA, on Tuesday, July 12.
The Orion MPCV is based on the Orion design requirements for traveling beyond low Earth orbit. Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.
The BTA, which weighs 22,700 pounds (10,297 kg) was going about 24 mph (38.6 kph) at impact.
Expanding the capabilities of the gantry, NASA’s recently constructed Hydro Impact Basin is furthering the knowledge and testing of space vehicle landing systems like the MPCV. Additional drop tests at greater velocities will be conducted throughout the summer.
Credit: NASA/Sean Smith