Orion testing continues at Michoud

NEW ORLEANS - The first Orion capsule passed a structural proof pressure test at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility on Aug. 30. The proof test article will be used for ground and flight evaluations, which will correlate test data with analytical models to validate Orion’s flight design engineering. Lockheed Martin is outfitting the test unit with its final configuration of interior and exterior mass and volume simulators. Around December the Orion will be delivered to the company’s Denver, Colo., facility for performance testing in an acoustic chamber. (Source: Aviation Week, 09/10/10)