Media Invited to View White Sands Launch From NASA Langley

HAMPTON, Va. – On May 6 NASA’s next flight test called Pad Abort-1 will lift off from the pad at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range, near Las Cruces, N.M.

The media are invited to view the launch scheduled at 9 a.m. (EDT) on NASA TV at NASA Langley Research Center’s Reid Conference Center Thursday, May 6. The Reid Center will open one hour before the launch at 8 a.m., with coverage beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Media interested in attending should contact Kathy Barnstorff at 757-864-9866 by close of business Wednesday, May 5.

A center spokesperson will be available to answer any questions about the flight test.

PA-1 is the first fully integrated test of the launch abort system that was developed for the Orion crew exploration vehicle as part of an ongoing mission to develop safer vehicles for human spaceflight applications.

The LAS was designed to offer a safe, reliable method of removing the astronaut crew from danger should an emergency occur on the launch pad or during the vehicle’s climb to orbit. It employs ground-breaking rocket technology never tested before. The development of the Orion launch abort system is led by NASA Langley in partnership with Marshall Space Flight Center. Langley also designed and produced the crew module simulator that will be used for the flight test

For more information on PA-1, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion