Orion Crew Modules from Coast to Coast

Here’s a look at just a few of the crew modules being developed around the country for Constellation’s Orion crew exploration vehicle.

Surrounded by work platforms at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, the full-scale Orion crew module is undergoing preparations for the first flight test of Orion's launch abort system, called Pad Abort 1 (PA-1), targeted for November at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The test module has recently completed a series of high-intensity acoustic tests, simulating the noise made by the launch abort system motors, to evaluate how high frequency vibrations could affect the module's structure or its electronics. Image credit: NASA/Tony Landis

The boilerplate Orion crew module for the PA-1 flight test is tilted on jacks during weight and balance testing at NASA Dryden in late 2008. This module is now at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. to help teams prepare for PA-1. Image credit: NASA/Tony Landis