Late in the evening of March 27, the Orion crew module simulator was loaded on a C-17 aircraft for its next step on a mission to complete the next generation of NASA's apce transportation system. The Orion crew module simulator weighs nearly 20,000 pounds.

Next stop -- NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, for more flight test work -- including the installation of flight computers, instruments and other electronics.

Late this year, the full-size structural model will be propelled off a simulated launch pad at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to test Orion's astronaut escape system, which will ensure a safe, reliable escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

Orion is the Constellation Program's new crew exploration vehicle, set to carry as many as four crew members to lunar orbit and return its crew safely to Earth after missions to the moon's surface. The 16.5 foot wide, cone-shaped capsule also will provide transport services to the International Space Station for as many as six crew members.

FMI: www.nasa.gov