Danger
Orion will be launched atop the Space Launch System (SLS), NASA’s most powerful rocket, during the Artemis missions. The Orion spacecraft includes a rocket larger than the Statue of Liberty, the abort motor, the jettison motor, will work together to quickly lift the crew capsule away from the SLS to abort the flight in the event of an emergency.
“If something goes wrong with the rocket, milliseconds make a big difference,” said Pamela Petranovich, managing director of the abort system.
Save the Astronauts!
If anything bad were to happen with the spacecraft carrying astronauts into space. Then the aboard system would kick in and go from zero to 405 miles per hour in two seconds. It would overall save the crew and the $23.7 billion spacecraft from death. After it is a safe distance from the rocket, it will drop the Orion spacecraft into the Atlantic ocean. Orion will deploy its parachutes. And safely splash down safely.
The idea came from a man named Maxime Faget (1921-2004.) who also suggested the idea of the space shuttle.
Not the First
The Launch Abort System (LAS) is also based on the Launch Escape Tower (LET). Which was used in the Apollo program’s Saturn V rocket. Although it was never used, LET may have saved the astronauts lives. However the sensors used to detect a harmful explosion on LET could have failed. But now with better technology LAS will be able to save the crew ten times faster than LET.
“We’re making motors that we expect will never be used, however, their ability to perform is unmatched,” said Breanne Sutton, lead engineering analyst for Northrop Grumman.
More About Orion
Orion is a class of partially reusable crewed spacecraft to be used in NASA's Artemis program. The spacecraft is a Crew Module space capsule designed by Lockheed Martin and the European Service Module. The probe will help land the first woman and man of color on the moon by 2025.
Artemis l, an uncrewed Orion mission will fly to the moon and back. It is due for launch in March of 2022.
Artemis ll, the first crewed mission of the program will launch humans to orbit the moon in 2024. Orion will also help NASA carry humans to Mars one day.
