Pad Abort 1 Test Successful

Image above: Pad Abort 1 launched May 6 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Credit: NASA
NASA's Pad Abort 1 flight test, a launch of the abort system designed for the Orion crew vehicle, lifted off at 9 a.m. EDT Thursday at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) near Las Cruces, N.M. The flight lasted about 135 seconds from launch until the crew module touchdown about a mile north of the launch pad.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/orion/index.html

Crew Launch Escape Test a Success
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An emergency system that would carry crew members to safety in the event of an aborted rocket launch was tested successfully on May 6 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The 'Pad Abort-1' flight test is part of NASA's ongoing mission to develop safer vehicles for future human spaceflight.