Thursday, August 15, 2013

Recovering Orion at Sea...

A mockup of the Orion spacecraft is brought into the well deck of the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington during recovery tests on August 13, 2013.
NASA / U.S. Navy

A few days ago, U.S. Navy teams practiced recovery operations for the Orion spacecraft when they towed a mockup of the vehicle into the well deck of the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington. Unlike past NASA capsules like Apollo, Orion will not rely on helicopters to recover it from the sea after re-entering Earth's atmosphere at the end of a mission. With the demonstration taking place at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, the Navy is preparing for next year's Exploration Flight Test (EFT)-1...which will see Orion venturing more than 3,000 miles into space before returning to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. EFT-1 is set for September of 2014.

U.S. Navy teams prepare to secure a mockup of the Orion spacecraft during recovery tests at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, on August 13, 2013.
NASA / U.S. Navy

U.S. Navy teams prepare to secure a mockup of the Orion spacecraft during recovery tests at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, on August 13, 2013.
NASA / U.S. Navy

Members of the media watch as a mockup of the Orion spacecraft is secured inside the well deck of the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia...on August 15, 2013.
NASA / Dimitri Gerondidakis

U.S. Navy recovery teams return to the USS Arlington after successfully securing a mockup of the Orion spacecraft inside the well deck of the amphibious transport dock...on August 13, 2013.
NASA / Dimitri Gerondidakis

The Orion mockup after it was brought into the well deck of the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington during recovery tests at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia...on August 13, 2013.
NASA / U.S. Navy
Posted by Richard Par at 9:25 AM
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