Orion Launch Abort System, Part 1

  • Mines
The times they are a-changin’.

This post seems to be older than 16 years—a long time on the internet. It might be outdated.

Editor’s note: I’m trying for a multi-part series. I’m hoping to post manageable chunks everyday…or there ’bouts.

Quick background: Space Shuttle is severely outdated. New form of space transport needed. Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is the next generation. Lockheed Martin won contract in August 2006. New vehicle system is called Orion.

As part of my Introduction to Space Exploration class for last semester, we had to do group projects. Initially, our group wanted to go to Children’s Hospital and do space-related activities with them. Unfortunately, there was some bureaucracy involved and it ended up not happening. Scrambling to find something else, I asked Dad for the name of his old climbing buddy, Dan, who works at Boeing here in Denver, hoping he might be involved in whatever Boeing has space-related in Colorado. Boeing does have space stuff, unfortunately Dan was unable to help us. He was, however, able to give me a contact, Roger, at Lockheed Martin who is working on Orion. And that’s where we went on warm spring Friday a few months back.

Roger works on the Launch Abort System (LAS) for the Crew Module. And I have to say, it’s a very exciting project…at least from what he was able to show us.

Up next: What is Orion?

0