JSC2012-E-103253 (18 July 2012) — A C-17 plane dropped a test version of Orion from an altitude of 25,000 feet above the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in southwestern Arizona. This test was the second to use an Orion craft that mimics the full size and shape of the spacecraft. The main objective of the latest drop test was to determine how the ent
JSC2012-E-103253 (18 July 2012) — A C-17 plane dropped a test version of Orion from an altitude of 25,000 feet above the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in southwestern Arizona. This test was the second to use an Orion craft that mimics the full size and shape of the spacecraft. The main objective of the latest drop test was to determine how the entire system would respond if one of the three main parachutes inflated too quickly. Photo credit: NASA