WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- At Naval Base San Diego in California, members of the news media view NASA's Orion spacecraft in the well deck of the USS Anchorage before it is offloaded and prepared for return to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the media are NASA and U.S. Navy officials. After lifting off at 7:05 a.m. EST on Dec. 5 atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Orion completed a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission to test systems critical to crew safety, including the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin coordinated efforts to recover Orion after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The GSDO Program led the recovery efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion