A pad abort test is a kind of test of a
launch escape system
A launch escape system (LES) or launch abort system (LAS) is a crew-safety system connected to a space capsule that can be used to quickly separate the capsule from its launch vehicle in case of an emergency requiring the abort of the launch, suc ...
which conducted by setting the system along with the
spacecraft
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
still on the ground and let the system activate to carry the spacecraft flying away, then separate in the air and make the spacecraft land safely. The purpose of the test is to determine how well the system could get the crew of a spacecraft to safety in an emergency on the
launch pad
A launch pad is an above-ground facility from which a rocket-powered missile or space vehicle is vertically launched. The term ''launch pad'' can be used to describe just the central launch platform (mobile launcher platform), or the entire ...
. As the spacecraft is set still on the ground, the test is also called "zero-
altitude
Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
abort test" in against "high-altitude abort test".
Project Mercury
''Section sources.''
The
Mercury program
Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...
included several pad abort tests for the
launch escape system
A launch escape system (LES) or launch abort system (LAS) is a crew-safety system connected to a space capsule that can be used to quickly separate the capsule from its launch vehicle in case of an emergency requiring the abort of the launch, suc ...
with a
boilerplate crew module.
* 1959 July 22 – First successful pad abort flight test with a functional escape tower attached to a Mercury boilerplate
* 1959 July 28 – A Mercury boilerplate with instruments to measure
sound pressure level
Sound pressure or acoustic pressure is the local pressure deviation from the ambient (average or equilibrium) atmospheric pressure, caused by a sound wave. In air, sound pressure can be measured using a microphone, and in water with a hydrophone ...
s and vibrations from the
Little Joe test
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
and Grand Central abort rocket/escape tower
Project Apollo
The
Apollo program included several pad abort tests for the launch escape system with a boilerplate crew module.
*
Pad Abort Test-1 was conducted on November 7, 1963, and
*
Pad Abort Test-2 was conducted on June 29, 1965.
Both tests were conducted at the
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area and firing range located in the US state of New Mexico. The range was originally established as the White Sands Proving Ground on 9July 1945. White Sands National P ...
.
Shenzhou
China Manned Space Program
The China Manned Space Program (CMS; ), also known as Project 921 () is a space program developed by the China, People's Republic of China and run by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), designed to develop and enhance human spaceflight capabili ...
included one pad abort test for
Shenzhou spacecraft, called "zero-altitude flight test"( zh, 零高度飞行试验), conducted on October 19, 1998 9:00 am, one year prior to
first Shenzhou spacecraft mission with a successful result.
Orion
![450775main wstf0510e04493 hires](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/450775main_wstf0510e04493_hires.jpg)
The
Orion pad abort test was conducted on May 6, 2010 at the
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area and firing range located in the US state of New Mexico. The range was originally established as the White Sands Proving Ground on 9July 1945. White Sands National P ...
in New Mexico.
The
Launch Abort System
A launch escape system (LES) or launch abort system (LAS) is a crew-safety system connected to a space capsule that can be used to quickly separate the capsule from its launch vehicle in case of an emergency requiring the abort of the launch, suc ...
lifted the
Orion Boilerplate to a height of approximately 6000 feet above the ground and landed 6,900 feet downrange about 150 seconds later. The Abort test resulted in no damage to the test article and the mission was considered a complete success.
Commercial Crew
Dragon 2
The
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
Dragon 2
Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has also launched private missions such as Ins ...
Pad Abort Test was conducted on May 6, 2015 at approximately 0900
Eastern Daylight Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...
(EDT). (A video clip released by SpaceX shows the timestamp of the moment of launch as 13:00:00). The vehicle splashed down safely in the ocean to the east of the launchpad 99 seconds later.
A fuel mixture ratio issue was detected after the flight in one of the eight SuperDraco engines, but did not materially affect the flight.
More detailed test results were to be subsequently analyzed by both SpaceX and NASA engineers.
Starliner
The pad abort test of Boeing's
Starliner craft was conducted at 14:15 UTC on November 4, 2019 at the
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area and firing range located in the US state of New Mexico. The range was originally established as the White Sands Proving Ground on 9July 1945. White Sands National P ...
. The capsule was lifted to and landed with airbags approximately 90 seconds after liftoff. Though the test was deemed a success, one of three main parachutes failed to deploy properly.
ISRO pad abort test
![ISRO Pad abort test Crew Module lifting off](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/ISRO_Pad_abort_test_Crew_Module_lifting_off.jpg)
On 5 July 2018,
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...
successfully conducted a pad abort test at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. A first in a series of tests to qualify a crew escape system.
After a smooth countdown of five hours, the crew escape system, along with the simulated crew module with a mass of 12.6 tonnes, lifted off at 07.00 AM (IST) at the opening of the launch window from its pad at
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre - SDSC (formerly Sriharikota Range - SHAR) is a rocket launch centre (spaceport) operated by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is located in Sriharikota, Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. Sriharikota R ...
, Sriharikota. The test was over in 259 seconds, during which the crew escape system along with crew module soared skyward, then arced over the Bay of Bengal and floated back to Earth under its parachutes about 2.9 km from Sriharikota.
See also
*
Soyuz T-10-1
Soyuz 7K-ST No.16L, sometimes known as Soyuz T-10a or Soyuz T-10-1, was an unsuccessful Soyuz mission intended to visit the Salyut 7 space station, which was occupied by the Soyuz T-9 crew. However, it never finished its launch countdown; the ...
, a Soyuz mission which ended with the use of the launch escape system
References
{{reflist
Human spaceflight
Safety engineering