Orion capsule takes water landing test

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In a first of its kind test for NASA’s Orion capsule, pararescue jumpers from the Air Force 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Air Force Base practiced attaching inflatable collars around the module as it floated in the Trident Basin.
The buoyancy of the crew capsule of Orion, NASA’s next generation spacecraft, has already been tested in a pool.

Today, the capsule was lowered with a crane into the Trident Basin at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in a water landing test.

“It’s been going very well,” said Michael Generale, NASA test director for port test. “Our next step is to take it out to sea.”

The crew module of Orion is part of NASA’s new space exploration vehicle that will replace the Space Shuttle after it is retired in 2010 and will one day take humans to the moon.

flatoday.com


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[Rick]

This appears to have been a very succesful test, unless I missed somethimg. :rolleyes:

[J.McDonald]

Cool.
Is land landing totally off the table now? How does water landing affect Orion reuse?

[Rick]

I'm trying to find the answers for you John. :)