NEXT GENERATION SPACECRAFT PREPARES FOR TESTING AT LOCKHEED MARTIN

DENVER - Shown here is the first Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) being hoisted into position in the Reverberant Acoustic Lab at Lockheed Martin’s Waterton Facility near Denver, Colorado. Built to spaceflight specifications, the crew module is being readied for a series of ground tests that will simulate the harsh environments of a deep space exploration mission.  This vehicle will subsequently undergo a series of drop tests next year at the new Hydro Impact Basin at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia.

The Orion/MPCVspacecraft will serve as the nation's next generation spacecraft to take humans far beyond low Earth orbit to multiple destinations throughout our solar system.  Lockheed Martin is working closely with NASA to achieve Orion/MPCV initial crewed operations by 2016, consistent with the NASA Authorization Act of 2010.

To view NASA video animation of the testing process, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMPBDR-AD9o.

Additional information about the Orion/MPCV is available at www.lockheedmartin.com/orion.