Test set for abort system on new space shuttle

PROMONTORY, Utah (AP) — Alliant Techsystems Inc. will test a powerful solid-rocket motor that would separate a crew capsule from the next generation of space shuttles in an emergency on launch or in low orbit.

The five-second test of the abort motor is scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Promontory, about 70 miles north of Salt Lake City.

NASA contractors are developing a rocket that will have an Apollo-style capsule on top, dubbed Orion, to carry astronauts.

The abort motor has four nozzles that can pull the capsule away from the main rocket.
In the test, the 17-foot motor will be fixed to the ground and fired upside-down, shooting flames 100 feet high.

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