NASA plans backup escape system

A small team of NASA engineers and contractors created and tested what it called the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS. "Max" is a nod to the late Maxime Faget, the designer of the Mercury capsule, the first U.S. manned spacecraft, and to Faget's engineering design philosophy: Build rapidly and test. Well done NASA..another safety system..

Yes, that was a highly successful launch in July of an alternative lauch abort escape system for Orion. It was a completely successful flight. It's simply looking at alternatives to the current Constellation configuration of a launch escape tower which is mounted above the CEV.

Yes, that was a highly successful launch in July of an alternative lauch abort escape system for Orion. It was a completely successful flight. It's simply looking at alternatives to the current Constellation configuration of a launch escape tower which is mounted above the CEV. couldn't the crew cabin be seperated from orion like a life boat. maybe hardened to make it nearly impossible to destroy in case of an explosion.

couldn't the crew cabin be seperated from orion like a life boat. maybe hardened to make it nearly impossible to destroy in case of an explosion. That's a rather daunting engineering challege, and I think an un-necessary thing to have on a craft like Orion, daniel. Orion, like the Apollo CM, is a rather hearty piece of engineering. Making it impervious to the effects of a booster explosion...well, I'm not sure such a thing is actually possible, let alone cost effective, or feasible from a mass standpoint. Besides, the effects of an explosion, even for a craft that could withstand it structural... [More]