A full-scale mock-up of NASA's Orion launch abort system began a week-long flatbed trailer ride across the country Tuesday, en route to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. Once at White Sands, the rocket-like structure will help NASA prepare for this year's abort system test, called Pad Abort 1.

During its journey, the LAS pathfinder will break from the drive to visit museums along the way. Museum visits include:

* Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, March 4
* Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City on Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7
* Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas, on Sunday, March 8
* New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, N.M., on Monday, March 9

For more about the launch abort system pathfinder and updates during the road trip, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion