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The return of Orion
NASA tested the Orion capsule ejection system which is to be used in the event of problems on the launch pad on 6 May 2010 at White Sands in New Mexico. Here, technicians are examining the capsule following its parachuted return to the ground. Although he cancelled the return to the Moon programme, President Barack Obama announced on 15 April that Orion would continue to be developed so that it could become an emergency spaceship for the International Space Station.
Credit: US Army’s White Sands Missile Range

Video of the so-called “pad abort” test (Enjoy Space)

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