NASA launches unmanned Orion spacecraft
Following splashdown of the Orion module, U.S. Navy crews from the USS Anchorage begin recovering the parachutes while other teams begin safing the spacecraft as it floats in the Pacific Ocean Dec. 5, 2014. Earlier in the day, Orion made a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith height of 3,600 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.
Orion touchdown
Frame grab from NASA-TV, the Orion capsule floats in the Pacific Ocean after touching down Dec. 5, 2014, following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith height of 3,600 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.
Orion touchdown
After two laps of Earth, the Orion spacecraft, plunges back to earth at 20,000 mph Dec. 4, 2014.. The capsule landed back on earth four-and-a-half hours after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Orion touchdown
The Orion spacecraft, plunges back to earth at 20,000 mph Dec. 4, 2014. The capsule emerged intact from its 3,600 mile fall and deployed three orange-and-white-striped parachutes to brake its speed to 20 mph.
Orion launch
The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket with NASA’s Orion spacecraft mounted atop, lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37 at at 7:05 a.m. EST, Dec. 5, 2014, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The unmanned Orion spacecraft will orbit Earth twice, reaching an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles above Earth before landing in the Pacific Ocean.
Orion launch
The Delta IV Heavy rocket with the Orion spacecraft lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Dec. 5, 2014. Coming nearly three-and-a-half years after the final space shuttle launch, the maiden flight of Orion marked a major milestone for NASA.
Orion launch
Orion team members seen in this long exposure photograph watching the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket with NASA’s Orion spacecraft mounted atop, lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37 at at 7:05 a.m. EST Dec. 5, 2014, in Florida. The Orion spacecraft will orbit Earth twice, reaching an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles above Earth before landing in the Pacific Ocean.
Orion launch
Spectators watch the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying NASA's first Orion deep space exploration craft launch Dec. 5, 2014 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It's the first test of a new U.S. spacecraft designed to carry astronauts beyond low-Earth Orbit since the final Apollo moon mission more than four decades ago.
Orion launch
The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying NASA's first Orion deep space exploration craft takes off Dec. 5, 2014 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Orion launch
The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying NASA's first Orion deep space exploration craft takes off from the launch pad Dec. 5, 2014 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The heavy-lift rocket will boost the unmanned Orion capsule to an altitude of 3,600 miles, and returning for a splashdown west of Baja California after a four and half hour flight. .
Orion launch
The Delta 4 rocket begins lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Dec. 5, 2014 carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on its first test flight. The Orion capsule is on a test flight before carrying people to deep space destinations like Mars in the coming years. The launch is the first in more than 40 years of a US spacecraft intended to carry humans beyond the Moon.
Orion launch
News photographers and journalists watch as the sun rises on the Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft waiting for liftoff on the launch pad from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Dec. 4, 2014. The launch was postponed 24 hours due to high winds.
Orion launch
The Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft sits on the launch pad at sunrise awaiting liftoff at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Dec.4, 2014.
Orion launch
Bright lights illuminate the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, with NASA's Orion spacecraft mounted on top, in the early hours of the morning at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37 Dec. 05, 2014 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Orion's launch was scheduled for early morning.
Orion launch
Social media bloggers watch as the Mobile Service Tower rolls back from the Delta IV Heavy with the Orion spacecraft on launch pad 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Dec. 4, 2014.
Orion launch
The Mobile Service Tower rolls back from the Delta IV Heavy with the Orion spacecraft on launch pad 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Dec. 4, 2014.
Orion launch
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying NASA's first Orion deep space exploration craft sits on its launch pad as it is prepared for launch Dec. 4, 2014 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The heavy-lift rocket will boost the unmanned Orion capsule to an altitude of 3,600 miles returning for a splashdown west of Baja California after a four and half hour flight.