Media are invited to view NASA’s Orion spacecraft Monday, Dec. 8 at Naval Base San Diego. Orion successfully completed its first flight test Friday, traveling 3,600 miles above Earth to test the spacecraft’s systems before it carries astronauts on deep space missions.
Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 600 miles southwest of San Diego after completing a two-orbit, 4.5 hour flight test that took it farther into space than any spacecraft built for humans has been in more than 40 years. NASA and the U.S. Navy, along with Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin, are in the process of recovering Orion and returning it to shore.
Media interested in attending must contact Brandi Dean at brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. EST, Sunday, Dec. 7. A specific viewing time will be made available once the USS Anchorage (LPD-23), which is transporting Orion back to land, determines a precise arrival time.
Journalists and live trucks must arrive at the Naval Base San Diego Pass and Decal Building, located at the intersection of 32nd Street and Harbor Drive, for transportation to the event. Media will be able to photograph Orion as it is offloaded from the USS Anchorage, and interview NASA officials and the commanding officer of the USS Anchorage.
The spacecraft then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where engineers will gather more information about Orion’s performance.
Orion’s flight tested many of the systems most critical to crew safety, including key separation events, parachutes and its heatshield. During Orion’s re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft endured speeds of 20,000 mph and temperatures near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
For more information about the Orion Program, visit:
For more information about the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, which is responsible for Orion’s recovery, visit:
http://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems
-end-
Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov
Amber Philman
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
amber.n.philman@nasa.gov
Brandi Dean
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov
LT Chelsea Irish
U.S. Navy – Expeditionary Strike Group THREE Recovery Operations
619-556-5478
chelsea.irish@navy.mil