NASA's Max Launch Abort System is Deemed a Success

This morning at 6:26 am in Wallop's Island, Virginia, NASA tested the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS at their flight facility. The MLAS is a system that astronauts can use to escape from their launch vehicle.

The MLAS aims to propel future spacecraft and its crew away from a launch pad if a problem arises there, or on the way up.

A simulation of an emergency situation was done and 33 foot tall MLAS vehicle was launched approximately 1 mile into the sky. There were no people on the flight during this mockup. During the demonstration, four rocket motors burned out and then seven seconds into the flight, the crew module was separated and landed via parachute into the Atlantic Ocean.

This test helped NASA scientists in coming up with a new parachute escape technique for Orion spacecraft. The MLAS was the first test which included a vehicle of such weight and class, which was a success.

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/missions/mlas.html