WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

The Orion crew module is recovered after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles off the coast of San Diego, California. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin coordinated efforts to recover Orion and secure the spacecraft inside the well deck of the USS Anchorage. After lifting off at 7:05 a.m. EST atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA's Orion spacecraft 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. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the recovery efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion