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User:MadeYourReadThis/Orion-Apollo timeline comparison

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Lunar Program timeline comparison
Purpose Apollo Program Constellation Program
Call Sign Location Date Result Call Sign Location Date Result
Engineering review of selected design 1960-1965 2006–2007
unmanned pad abort testing PA-1 White Sands Missile Range November 7, 1963 success though the spacecraft stability was less than predicted PA-1 March 2010 White Sands Missile Range TBD
PA-2 White Sands Missile Range June 29, 1965 highly successful PA-2 Spring 2010 White Sands Missile Range TBD
ascent abort test (transonic) AA-1 [1] June 13, 2008 Promontory, Utah Success[2]


NASA hopes to follow this schedule in development of the Orion:

  • 2006–2007 — Engineering review of selected design
  • 2009 (TBD) — PA-1 (Pad Abort-1) unmanned pad abort test.[3]
  • 2009 (Sep) — AA-1 (Ascent Abort-1) unmanned ascent abort test (transonic)
  • 2010 (Spring) — PA-2 unmanned pad abort test
  • 2010 (August) — AA-2 unmanned ascent abort test (Max Q)
  • 2011 (February) — AA-3 unmanned ascent abort test (low-altitude tumble test)
  • 2012 (September) — Ares I-Y unmanned ascent abort test (high altitude)
  • 2012 — First unmanned flight of Orion in Earth orbit.[4]
  • 2014 (September) — First manned flight of Orion in Earth orbit.
  • 2015–2018 — First unmanned flight of Altair.
  • 2016–2018 First manned flight of Altair.
  • 2019 First manned lunar landing with Orion/Altair system.
  • 2020 Review of Mars missions
  • 2031 The Mission to Mars has tentative dates
  1. ^ "Orion Ascent Abort Test animation". NASA. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  2. ^ "NASA conducts first abort test for Orion". UPI. June 17, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference final was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Malik, Tariq (2006-09-06). "Rocket Tests Planned for NASA's Next Spaceship". space.com. Retrieved 2007-03-03.