Posted: Thu, Jul 9, 2009, 6:31 AM ET (1031 GMT)
NASA carried out a successful test of a proposed alternative launch abort system for its Orion spacecraft on Wednesday. The Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) test took place Wednesday at 6:26 am EDT (1026 GMT) from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Four solid rocket motors boosted a capsule mockup to an altitude of one mile, where it then deployed parachutes to descend to a splashdown. The system is an alternative to the launch abort system (LAS) currently being developed for Orion, using a escape tower similar to that used with early capsule designs. Data from the MLAS test, though, could support the development of the LAS and other Orion systems.

Related Links:

•  Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot article
•  SPACE.com article
•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  AP article
•  NASA press release