NASA's Orion crew module, enclosed in its crew module transportation fixture and secured on a flatbed truck nears the entrance gate to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion made the overland trip from Naval Base San Diego in California. Orion was recovered from the Pacific Ocean after completing a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 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 led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts.

From left, incoming KSC Director James W. Kennedy looks on as departing KSC Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. shakes hands with the 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. J. Gregory Pavlovich. The occasion is the unveiling of the new sign on the NASA Causeway naming the bridge for Bridges who is leaving KSC to become the director of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. The bridge spans the Banana River on the NASA Causeway and connects Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

Incoming KSC Director James W. Kennedy (left) and departing KSC Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. (center) view the new sign on the NASA Causeway naming the bridge for Bridges who is leaving KSC to become the director of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. At right is the 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. J. Gregory Pavlovich. The bridge spans the Banana River on the NASA Causeway and connects Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

An aerial view reveals the Orion crew module, enclosed in its crew module transportation fixture and secured on a flatbed truck that is proceeding along the NASA Causeway at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the background is the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building. Orion made the 2,700 mile overland trip from Naval Base San Diego in California. The spacecraft was recovered from the Pacific Ocean after completing a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 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 led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts.

NASA's Orion crew module, enclosed in its crew module transportation fixture and secured on a flatbed truck nears the entrance gate to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the background is a full-scale mockup of the Mercury Redstone rocket that boosted NASA astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom on their 1961 sub-orbital missions that began America's human spaceflight program. Orion made the overland trip from Naval Base San Diego in California. Orion was recovered from the Pacific Ocean after completing a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 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 led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

This helicopter view of the NASA Causeway connecting NASA's Kennedy Space Center with Cape Canaveral Air Force Staton shows the thousands of vehicles parked where guests gather to see the launch of the Orion Flight Test. The liftoff was postponed because of an issue related to fill and drain valves on the Delta IV Heavy rocket that teams could not troubleshoot by the time the launch window expired.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

NASA's Orion crew module, enclosed in its crew module transportation fixture and secured on a flatbed truck nears the entrance gate to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the background is a full-scale mockup of the Mercury Redstone rocket that boosted NASA astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom on their 1961 sub-orbital missions that began America's human spaceflight program. Orion made the overland trip from Naval Base San Diego in California. Orion was recovered from the Pacific Ocean after completing a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 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 led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

This helicopter view of the NASA Causeway connecting NASA's Kennedy Space Center with Cape Canaveral Air Force Staton shows the thousands of vehicles parked where guests gather to see the launch of the Orion Flight Test.