Orion recovery testing

A test version of the Orion spacecraft is tethered inside the well deck of the USS San Diego on Feb. 18, 2014, prior to tests that will allow NASA and the Navy to practice the procedures they'll use to recover Orion from the Pacific Ocean on Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1). To safely bring Orion home after splashdown, it will be towed into the flooded well deck and secured in a specially-designed cradle before the water is drained.

A test version of the Orion spacecraft is tethered inside the well deck of the USS San Diego on Feb. 18, 2014, prior to tests that will allow NASA and the Navy to practice the procedures they'll use to recover Orion from the Pacific Ocean on Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1). To safely bring Orion home after splashdown, it will be towed into the flooded well deck and secured in a specially-designed cradle before the water is drained. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.