U.S. Navy personnel aboard a hull inflatable boat help recover NASA's Orion spacecraft after its first flight test in Earth orbit.

U.S. Navy personnel aboard a rigid hull inflatable boat help recover NASA's Orion spacecraft following its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after its first flight test in Earth orbit. The USS Anchorage is in the background. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin are coordinating efforts to recover Orion and secure the spacecraft in the well deck of the USS Anchorage. Orion 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 Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray