Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1979
michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov
Josh Byerly
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
josh.byerly@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 12-119
NASA CONTINUES ORION PARACHUTE TESTING FOR FUTURE TEST FLIGHT
HOUSTON -- NASA today successfully conducted a drop test of the Orion
crew vehicle's entry, descent and landing parachutes high above the
Arizona desert in preparation for the vehicle's orbital flight test,
Exploration Flight Test -1, in 2014. Orion will carry astronauts
deeper into space than ever before, provide emergency abort
capability, sustain the crew during space travel and ensure a safe
re-entry and landing.
A C-130 plane dropped a dart-shaped test vehicle with a simulated
Orion parachute compartment from an altitude of 25,000 feet above the
U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Grounds. Orion's drogue chutes were deployed
at 20,000 feet, followed by the pilot parachutes, which then deployed
the main landing parachutes. The test vehicle landed on the desert
floor at a speed of almost 25 feet per second, well below the maximum
designed touchdown speed of the spacecraft.
This particular drop test had two primary objectives. The first
determined how the entire system would respond if one of the three
main parachutes inflated too quickly, which occurs if a reefing
stage, which helps the parachutes open gradually, is skipped. The
second objective was to validate the drogue parachute design by
testing at a high dynamic pressure that closely mimicked the
environments expected for Exploration Flight Test-1. This test
flight, scheduled for 2014, is designed to test a number of Orion's
systems, including the avionics, navigation and thermal protection
systems and will send Orion more than 3,000 miles into space.
Since 2007, the Orion program has conducted a vigorous parachute air
and ground test program and provided the chutes for NASA's successful
pad abort test in 2010. The tests improve understanding about the
chutes' technical performance for eventual human-rated certification.
The next parachute test will be conducted this summer.
For more about Orion, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/orion
