Orion test article at KSC

The Orion crew module structural test article (STA) arrived at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility Nov. 15 after a flight from Stennis Space Center, Miss., aboard NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft. The test article was transported to Stennis Space Center from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where it was built by Lockheed Martin. The container was offloaded and transported to the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout building the next day, where it was moved to a test tool called a birdcage where it was secured for further testing. The test article will undergo mechanical assembly for the next several months before being transported to Lockheed Martin in Denver for additional testing. Meanwhile, processing activity at KSC ramped up in preparation for the launch of the Orion atop the Space Launch System for Exploration Mission 1, slated for late 2018. The Orion crew module adapter for EM-1 was lifted for the first and only time Nov. 11, during its processing flow inside the O and C building high bay at KSC. (Source: Space Daily, 11/22/16)