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Pad Abort 1

Launch of the Pad Abort 1 test
Mission type	Technology demonstration
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	1 minute, 35 seconds
Distance travelled	2.1 km (6,900 ft)
Apogee	1.8 km (6,000 ft)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Orion boilerplate
Start of mission
Launch date	6 May 2010, 13:03:00 (2010-05-06UTC13:03Z) UTC
Rocket	Orion Launch Abort System
Launch site	White Sands, LC-32E
End of mission
Landing date	6 May 2010, 13:04:35 (2010-05-06UTC13:04:36Z) UTC
Orion program← MLAS TestExploration Flight Test-1 → Constellation program← Ares I-X

Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) was a flight test of the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS). PA-1 was the first test in a sequence of atmospheric flight tests known as Orion Abort Flight Test (AFT).

PA-1 tested the basic functionality of the launch abort concept from the pad in its preliminary Orion design configuration. It used the former conformal shape of the LAS adapter. The Flight Test Article (FTA) vehicle differed from production Orion vehicles in a number of ways. For example, the FTA did not have a crew on board, and the avionics were a prototype of what is planned for production Orions.

The PA-1 test took place on 6 May 2010 at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It was also the final flight done under the auspice of the Constellation program before it was cancelled.

Spacecraft location

The Orion capsule used in the test is on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Gallery

• Pad Abort-1 (PA-1) stack at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
• Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) launched May 6, 2010 at White Sands
• Parachute descending
• PA-1 Crew Module post landing
• PA-1 on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

1. "NASA Building Test Pad at White Sands for New Spacecraft". redOrbit. 3 February 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
2. Idicula; et al. "A Flight Dynamics Perspective of the Orion Pad Abort One Flight Test" (PDF). AIAA.
3. "The Virginia Air and Space Center to Begin Construction on New Gallery, IMAX Theater". Virginia Air and Space Center. Retrieved 24 September 2020.

External links

• Orion Pad Abort 1 Video Highlights at Vimeo – http://vimeo.com/11631855

v t e Constellation program
List of missions
Test flights	MLAS (Jul 2009) Ares I-X (Oct 2009)
Launch vehicles	Ares I Ares IV Ares V Lite Shuttle-Derived Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle Jupiter
Spacecraft	Crew Exploration Vehicle Orion Altair
Launch sites	Launch Complex 39 A B
Ground facilities	Kennedy Space Center Mission Control Center
Abort systems	Orion abort modes Launch Abort System (LAS) Max Launch Abort System (MLAS)
Related topics	Vision for Space Exploration Exploration Systems Architecture Study DIRECT Constellation Space Suit NASA Authorization Act of 2005 Augustine Commission Artemis program
Category Commons

v t e Orion spacecraft
Components	Crew module European Service Module Orbital Maneuvering System
Programs	Artemis Constellation Exploration Ground Systems
Launch vehicles	Delta IV Heavy Orion Abort Test Booster Space Launch System
Precursors or Cancelled	Crew Exploration Vehicle Ares V Ares I
Missions	Abort tests MLAS (Jul 2009) Pad Abort-1 (May 2010) Ascent Abort-2 (Jul 2019) Uncrewed Ares I-X (Oct 2009) Exploration Flight Test-1 (Dec 2014) Artemis I (Nov 2022) Crewed Artemis II (2025) Artemis III (2026) Artemis IV (2028) Artemis V (2030)
Future missions indicated in italics. Category

• Orion (spacecraft)
• Constellation program missions
• Test spaceflights
• 2010 in spaceflight
• 2010 in New Mexico
• Flight abort