Aeroshells for the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test are at Space Launch Complex 46 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after rolling out from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Friday, Aug. 17, 2018. The aeroshells, which encompass the entire solid rocket motor used for the ascent test booster, will be utilized in pathfinding activities before rolling back to the VAB for final preparations. Scheduled for April 2019, the AA-2 Flight Test will verify the Launch Abort System (LAS) can steer the Orion crew module — and astronauts aboard — to safety in the event of a life-threatening incident shortly after liftoff. During the test, a booster, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle, will launch to an altitude of 31,000 feet, traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett