NASA MLAS Launch | Tests Alternate Launch Abort System For Astronaut Escape - 08 July 2009

Max Launch Abort System - NASA Engineering & Safety Center
NASA has successfully demonstrated an alternate system for future astronauts to escape their launch vehicle. A simulated launch of the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS, took place Wednesday morning at 6:26 a.m. at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va.

The unpiloted launch tested an alternate concept for safely propelling a future spacecraft and its crew away from a problem on the launch pad or during ascent. The MLAS consists of four solid rocket abort motors inside a bullet-shaped composite fairing attached to a full-scale mockup of the crew module.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA
• MLAS
• Launch
• Tests
• Alternate
• Abort
• System
• Astronaut
• Escape
• Lunar
• Mission
• 2009
• rocket
• moon
• crew
• Orion
• Constellation
• program
• video
• space

[megiepie339]

my dad helped build that, hes the guy behind the laptop

[FoxMeister14]

A rocket propelled russian doll

[SuperNorfolksouthern]

2:01 LAUNCH

[MrDoulikepancakes]

@wiseman85 very true. also it would bust every fruckin blood vessel in body

[skinnywhop87]

so is this made for cases like the challenger or columbia? What's the practical use of this vehicle?

[bradkrit]

@gk123434534 We were, the smartest guy I know ran thousands of simulations to make sure that wouldn't happen.

[bradkrit]

@megiepie339 Sam?

[jmantheburninator]

Cool I'm quite pleased to see that there's something being done to protect those guys if things go bad. Now to see if this thing actually gives them enough time to get away from an explosion.

[journeyquest1]

The flying shop vac.

[wiseman85]

You are a fucking idiot. This is designed for the early to fairly late stages of launch. So taking that into account they built a multi stage parachute system. You cannot unleash one massive ass parachute at 120,000ft and several thousand mile per hour, you would possibly destroy the parachute and if the chute stays together you would kill the occupants. So you propel them away from the burning aircaft....stabalize their fall...then slowly reduce their decent to a survivable speed.