THE MAX LAUNCH ABORT SYSTEM – CONCEPT, FLIGHT TEST, AND EVOLUTION Michael G. Gilbert(1), PhD (1) Principal Engineer, NASA Engineering and Safety Center 11 Langley Blvd., MS 116,Hampton VA 23681 USA Email:
[email protected] Abstract escape system Maxime Faget [1]. The effort was intended to provide The NASA Engineering and Safety Center programmatic risk-reduction for the (NESC) is an independent engineering Constellation Program (CxP) Orion Crew analysis and test organization providing Exploration Vehicle (CEV) project. support across the range of NASA programs. In 2007 NASA was developing The CEV project baseline Launch Abort the launch escape system for the Orion System (LAS) development is an evolution spacecraft that was evolved from the of the Apollo towered-rocket design, Fig. traditional tower-configuration escape 2. Unlike the Apollo LAS, the CEV LAS systems used for the historic Mercury and incorporated an attitude control motor to Apollo spacecraft. The NESC was tasked, ensure stable flight following the escape as a programmatic risk-reduction effort to motor burn. At the time the MLAS project develop and flight test an alternative to the was initiated, the CEV LAS was Orion baseline escape system concept. experiencing development delays related This project became known as the Max to the LAS attitude control motor. Launch Abort System (MLAS), named in Therefore, the MLAS project was to honor of Maxime Faget, the developer of consider escape system concepts that the original Mercury escape system. Over would not require active attitude control or the course of approximately two years the stabilization following escape motor NESC performed conceptual and tradeoff burnout.