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NASA’s Orion Spacecraft to Visit Virginia Air & Space Center

Orion at Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center last week. Courtesy NASA.

Hampton, VA, USA (April 30, 2012) /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In addition to giving visitors a glimpse into NASA’s past, a new summer exhibit at the Virginia Air & Space Center (VASC) will focus on the future.

A full-scale test version of NASA’s Orion spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the museum by 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 1.

The 18,000-pound Orion test vehicle, built at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., was used in the successful test of Orion’s launch abort system, Pad Abort 1 in May 2010. A pad abort would provide escape capability to protect the crews in the event of an emergency during launch or initial ascent.

Today, NASA is building the first space-bound Orion capsule, which will launch on Exploration Flight Test-1 or EFT-1, an uncrewed launch planned for 2014. This test will see Orion travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years.

The VASC is the official visitor center for NASA Langley, offering more than 100 interactive exhibits that detail NASA’s historic achievements, including the Apollo 12 Command Module and a moon rock retrieved during the Apollo 17 mission. The Orion capsule will be located in the Center’s main gallery near the Apollo 12 Command Module and is the first piece of the VASC’s planned exhibits to celebrate a summer of exploration.

“We are thrilled to be able to display the full-scale test version of NASA’s Orion spacecraft this summer. As the visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center we are excited to share the NASA story with our members and visitors and showcase the latest in NASA technology,” said Brian DeProfio, Interim Director of the Virginia Air & Space Center.

On May 26, VASC will open Destination Station, a hands-on exhibit that showcases and celebrates the achievements and innovative discoveries made aboard the International Space Station, an internationally-developed research facility located in Earth’s lower orbit. On Aug. 20, a full-scale model of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will be on display at VASC, offering visitors an up-close look at NASA’s current Mars mission.

For more information about Orion, visit
http://www.nasa.gov

To follow Orion on Facebook or Twitter, visit:
http://twitter.com/NASA_Orion
http://www.facebook.com/NASAOrion

For more information about the Virginia Air & Space Center, visit
www.vasc.org

Joe Kleiman
Joe Kleimanhttp://wwww.themedreality.com
Raised in San Diego on theme parks, zoos, and IMAX films, InPark's Senior Correspondent Joe Kleiman would expand his childhood loves into two decades as a projectionist and theater director within the giant screen industry. In addition to his work in commercial and museum operations, Joe has volunteered his time to animal husbandry at leading facilities in California and Texas and has played a leading management role for a number of performing arts companies. Joe previously served as News Editor and has remained a contributing author to InPark Magazine since 2011. HIs writing has also appeared in Sound & Communications, LF Examiner, Jim Hill Media, The Planetarian, Behind the Thrills, and MiceChat His blog, ThemedReality.com takes an unconventional look at the attractions industry. Follow on twitter @ThemesRenewed Joe lives in Sacramento, California with his wife, dog, and a ghost.

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