Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5)

U. S. Navy divers and other personnel enter the well deck of the USS San Diego after another day of Underway Recovery Test 5 using a test version of the Orion crew module and several rigid hull inflatable and Zodiac boats in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The test module is secured at the far end of the well deck. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy are conducting a series of tests to prepare for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing allows the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA's Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch on NASA's Space Launch System in late 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.