Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. NASA Successfully Tests Orion's Launch Abort System VOANews The U.S. space agency NASA has successfully tested the Orion spacecraft's launch abort system, designed to save crew members should an emergency occur during a launch. A test version of the Orion crew module blasted off from the Space Launch Complex at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida early Tuesday. During the approximately three-minute test flight, called Ascent Abort-2, the test spacecraft traveled to an altitude of nearly 10 kilometers, at which point it experienced high-stress aerodynamic conditions expected during ascent. References Visible links Hidden links: 1. file://localhost/science-health/americans-nasa-focus-asteroids-not-moon