NASA Orion Spacecraft in Dallas

A test version of NASA’s Orion spacecraft is making a cross-country journey giving residents in three states the chance to see a full-scale test version of the vehicle that will take humans into deep space. Dallas is honored to be the one stop in Texas for this amazing spacecraft. Engineers, program officials, astronauts and NASA spokespeople will be available periodically. The full-scale test vehicle was used by ground crews in advance of the launch abort system flight test that took place in New Mexico in 2010. The crew module will make stops during a trip from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The planned stops include Jan. 24-25 at Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City; Jan. 27-29 at Victory Park and the American Airlines Center in Dallas; and, Feb. 1-2 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. Engineers, program officials, astronauts and NASA spokespeople will be available to speak with the media and the public.

She Is Dallas Info:   The spacecraft will be located at the American Airlines Center from January 27 to 29, 2012.   It is open for public viewing on All-Star Way at the following times: Friday, January 27 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Saturday, January 28 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., Sunday, January 29 3:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.   This is a FREE event.   For more information, visit the American Airlines website.   There are also some great videos about the Orion spacecraft on the NASA website.   You can also follow Orion spacecraft on Facebook or NASA_Orion on Twitter.

The full-scale test vehicle was used by ground crews in advance of the launch abort system flight test that took place in New Mexico in 2010.   Orion will serve as the vehicle that takes astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit, and the first orbital flight test is scheduled for 2014.