THE HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT BLOG: From the Space Shuttle to Beyond

NASA

Orion Update... The Ground Test Article (GTA) that underwent a series of acoustic testing at Lockheed Martin's Waterton Facility in Colorado last year was recently delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The GTA was transported to KSC's Operations and Checkout (O&C) Facility...which is where future Orion spacecraft (such as the EFT-1 vehicle, which will soon achieve initial assembly completion at the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, and will arrive at KSC around mid-June to finish construction) will complete final assembly and testing before launch. The GTA will be used for pathfinding operations in the O&C, including simulated manufacturing and assembly procedures. After these operations are concluded, the GTA will then be transported (with new backshell panels installed) to NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia for splashdown testing at the center's Hydro Impact Basin.

The illustration at the top of this entry shows the size of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle in relation to that of an Apollo spacecraft.


NASA


NASA


NASA