NEW ORLEANS, La. - Lockheed Martin has begun its first friction stir weld process on an Orion crew module ground test article at the Michoud Assembly Facility. This ground test article will help validate the process, which will be used for all crew module welds. The weld system is part of the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing, managed by the University of New Orleans Foundation in partnership with NASA and Louisiana. Weld operations on the test article will continue for three months. The structure will then undergo mechanical assembly, integration and testing in New Orleans and Denver. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, slated to make its first crewed flight in 2015. (Source: PRNewswire, 04/20/09)
