Orion Recovery Testing Begins

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Orion Underway Recovery Testing Begins off the Coast of California

About a hundred miles off the coast of San Diego, in the Pacific Ocean, a U.S. Navy ship’s well deck filled with water as underway recovery operations began Feb. 18 on a test version of NASA's Orion crew module to prepare for its first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1, in September. Orion was undocked from its cradle and allowed to float out to sea.

Building on the knowledge gained from previous Orion recovery tests performed in calm waters near NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, the agency's Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program began the next phase, seeking turbulent water off the west coast in which to practice recovering the Orion crew module, one parachute and a forward bay cover, which keeps Orion's parachutes safe until being jettisoned, just before the parachutes are needed.

Read more...

Edited February 28, 2014 by Waspie_Dwarf
corrected tags.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Space Station Live: Orion Recovery Testing

NASA Public Affairs Officer Dan Huot talks with Mike Sarafin, lead flight director for Orion Exploration Flight Test-1, about the Orion EFT-1 mission's recovery testing this week in southern California.

Credit: NASA

Source: NASA - Multimedia

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Orion Testing Provides Lessons And Data For Splashdown Recovery Operations

The first full joint testing between NASA and the U.S. Navy of Orion recovery procedures off the coast of California was suspended after the team experienced issues with handling lines securing a test version of Orion inside the well deck of the USS San Diego.

NASA and the Navy were conducting tests to prepare for recovery of Orion after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean at the end of its first space flight, Exploration Flight Test-1, in September. The testing was planned to allow teams to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, hardware and personnel that will be needed for recovery operations.

Read more...