Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5) - Orion Boiler Plate Test

Models of the Orion spacecraft and Launch Abort System are on display for viewing at Naval Base San Diego in California. Service members, base employees and their families will had the opportunity to view a test version of the Orion crew module (in view in the background) before Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5). NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will head out to sea with the Orion test vehicle aboard the USS San Diego to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of Orion on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA 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 atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion.