NASA fires successfully Orion abort motor

William Atkins
Saturday, 22 November 2008 19:23

Science - Space

The NASA article went on to say that, “The abort motor will provide a half-million pounds of thrust to lift the crew module off the Ares I rocket, pulling the crew away safely in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the first 300,000 feet of the rocket's climb to orbit.”

The motor uses reverse-flow propulsion technology. It was the first test of such technology since the start of the U.S. Apollo Program, which occurred in the 1960s.

The abort motor is over 17 feet in length and about three feet in diameter. During this test firing the motor, with its four exhaust nozzles, was positioned on a vertical test stand.

The motor fired for 5.5 seconds and delivered about one-half million pounds of thrust within the first three seconds.

The technology is called reverse-flow propulsion because the rocket exhaust exits the forward end of the motor through four nozzles, which are turned 155 degrees, creating a forward-pulling force.

Mark Geyer, Orion project manager (NASA Johnson Space Center) states, "This milestone brings the Constellation Program one step closer to completion of the Orion vehicle that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station in 2015 and return humans to the moon by 2020.”

He adds, “The launch abort system must be ready to operate in many different environmental conditions, and tests such as this one are critical to assure this safety feature will protect our astronauts."

To see a video of the test firing, go to the NASA Constellation Program website.