WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion spacecraft was lifted using a special crane for removal of its heat shield. In the background, technicians move the heat shield on a work stand. The spacecraft completed the first flight test in December, was retrieved from the Pacific Ocean, and transported 2,700 miles overland to Kennedy from Naval Base San Diego in California. Analysis of data obtained during its two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 will provide engineers detailed information on how the spacecraft fared. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion