Orion Test Article Vertical Drop (9 ft)
Water impact test of an 18,000-pound (8,165 kilogram) test version of the Orion spacecraft dropped from nine feet (2.75 meters) at NASA's Langley Research Center on Friday, Sept. 7, 2012.
Swing drop testing began last summer at Langley's Hydro Impact Basin to certify the Orion spacecraft for water landings. This week, the team is conducting tests where Orion is being dropped vertically into the pool for the first time, which will help fine-tune the way NASA predicts Orion's landing loads.
The Hydro Impact Basin is 115 feet long, 90 feet wide and 20 feet deep (35 x 27 x 6 meters). It is located at the west end of Langley's historic Landing and Impact Research Facility, or Gantry, where Apollo astronauts trained for moon walks.
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