飞向天空:猎户座测试使月球、火星任务更加接近

一个功能齐全的发射中止系统(LAS)附带一个测试版本的猎户座载人飞船与美国宇航局的Ascent Abort-2（AA-2）在诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司提供的助推器上进行了飞行测试。2019年7月2日，美国东部时间上午7点，在佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角空军基地46号发射台发射升空。

在AA-2期间，助推器将LAS和猎户座送入31,000英尺的高空，以1.15马赫(超过1,000英里/小时)的速度飞行。LAS的三个发动机将共同工作，将船员舱从助推器上拉出，并为其溅落在大西洋做好准备。飞行测试将证明，在上升过程中发生不太可能发生的紧急事件时，中止系统可以将机组人员拉到安全地带。

图片来源:NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O’Connell

A fully functional launch abort system (LAS) with a test version of the Orion crew spacecraft attached soars upward on NASA’s Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test atop a Northrop Grumman provided booster on July 2, 2019, after launching at 7 a.m. EDT, from Launch Pad 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

During AA-2, the booster sent the LAS and Orion to an altitude of 31,000 feet, traveling at Mach 1.15 (more than 1,000 mph). The LAS’ three motors will work together to pull the crew module away from the booster and prepare it for splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The flight test will prove that the abort system can pull crew to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency during ascent.

Image Credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O’Connell