Orion Pad Abort-1 Test Being Readied at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

UPDATE HERE: A full-scale mock-up of NASA's Orion launch abort system began a week-long flatbed trailer ride across the country, en route to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The LAS Pathfinder Vehicle will be at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, New Mexico on Monday, March 9, from noon until 3:30 pm. Media are invited to attend. Contact Cathy Harper [SFF Advocate] at the NM Museum of Space History for information or logistical questions at 575-437-2840 ext. 41153 or cathy.harper@state.nm.us.

The Pad Abort-1 Test will be the first of a series of flight tests of the full Orion Launch Abort System (LAS), which is being developed by NASA, Lockheed Martin and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va. These tests will be conducted at the NASA White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in the coming spring. [video]