Orion exploration vehicle undergoes testing

[Airborne Systems North America] Santa Ana, Calif., U.S.A.

NASA has taken a major step toward building the next crew exploration vehicle by completing the Orion Project’s preliminary design review (PDR), which evaluated the vehicle’s capability to support three types of missions: flights to the International Space Station, weeklong missions to the moon and missions to the moon for up to 210 days. Among the hundreds of tests completed was a pendulum-swing drop test of the Orion test article to help determine the best technology for returning Orion to Earth. Airborne Systems, formerly Irvin Aerospace Inc., supplied the inflatable impact bags used to cushion the test article.