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| Orion parachute drop. NASA photo |
NASA conducted a drop test of the Orion crew vehicle's parachutes over the Arizona desert last week in preparation for its orbital flight test in 2014. Orion will carry astronauts deep into space, and will include an emergency abort capability. A C-130 plane dropped the Orion test article from an altitude of 25,000 feet above the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Grounds. Orion's drogue chutes were deployed between 15,000 and 20,000 feet, followed by the pilot parachutes, which then deployed two main landing parachutes. (Source:
NASA, 12/21/11)
Gulf Coast note: Lockheed Martin builds Orion at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
