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Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully carried out a Pad Abort Test of the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on May 6, 2015 at approximately 9 a.m. EDT (13:00 GMT). The test was conducted at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) and was an important step toward having the spacecraft ferry astronauts to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). After about half a second of vertical flight, Dragon pitched toward the ocean and continued its controlled burn. The SuperDraco engines throttled to control the trajectory based on real-time measurements. SpaceX has stated that Dragon traveled from 0-100 mph in 1.2 seconds, reaching a max velocity of 345 mph. It then deployed its parachutes and splashed down off shore in the Atlantic Ocean. Photos courtesy: Michael Howard, Carleton Bailie, Mike Deep, Michael Seeley
