Orion Capsule Parachute
Assembly System (CPAS) drop test using the Parachute Test Vehicle at the U.S.
Army Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, Dec. 2012.
Credits: NASA
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NASA is inviting media to attend a test of the Orion spacecraft’s
parachutes on Wednesday, March 8, at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in
Arizona. Orion is scheduled for its second airdrop test, in a series of eight,
to qualify the parachute
system for crewed flights.
During the test, an engineering model of the Orion spacecraft will
be dropped from a C-17 aircraft flying at an altitude of 25,000 feet. This test
will simulate a descent sequence astronauts might experience if they have to
abort a mission after liftoff. The test sequence begins under simulated abort
conditions when Orion is traveling at the relatively slow speed of about 130
mph, as compared to 310 mph for a normal end of mission Earth re-entry.
The team will focus on two primary aspects of system performance
in this scenario: deployment of Orion’s two drogue parachutes at low speeds,
and deployment of its three main parachutes in preparation for landing.
Orion’s parachutes are critical to the safe return of the
spacecraft to Earth, whether during an abort sequence or at the end of a
successful deep space mission. They help stabilize and slow the crew module to
about 20 mph, enabling a safe splashdown in the ocean.
Orion is built to take astronauts farther into the solar system
than ever before. The spacecraft will carry astronauts to space, provide
emergency abort capabilities, sustain the crew during their mission and provide
safe re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere.
Find more information about Orion at: