NASA Conducts Successful Pad Abort Demonstration Johnson Space
Center, Houston November 6, 2003 A launch pad abort test
vehicle, being designed in support of NASA's Orbital Space Plane
(OSP) program, proved stable in wind tunnel tests completed this
month. The successful tests set the stage for engine test
firings and parachute drop tests later this year. The Pad Abort
Demonstration (PAD) Project is designed to demonstrate a crew
rescue capability important to future space transportation
systems. The PAD will be a full-scale, reusable system
incorporating crew escape and survival systems, subsystems and
components using proven technologies to help NASA achieve its
goals of establishing safe, reliable and affordable access to
space. The PAD vehicle, being designed by Lockheed Martin,
demonstrated the stability and maneuverability under simulated
conditions approximating escape from a catastrophic launch
vehicle failure. The tests were conducted in September and
October at Lockheed Martin's High Speed Wind Tunn