NASA - UPDATE: NASA Invites Media to View Orion Stationary Recovery Testing

Tenth Parachute Test for NASA's Orion Adds 10,000 Feet of Success
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A test version of the Orion capsule descends on two parachutes after being dropped from a C-17 35,000 feet above the Arizona desert on Wednesday, July 24.

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A test version of the Orion capsule touches down in the Arizona desert following a parachute test on Wednesday, July 24.

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A test version of the Orion capsule is righted following its touchdown after a parachute test. Although the parachute system is tested in the desert, Orion will land in the Pacific Ocean.

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WASHINGTON -- A complicated, high-altitude test Wednesday demonstrated NASA's new Orion spacecraft could land safely even if one of its parachutes failed.

The 10th in a series of evaluations to check out the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle's parachute system dropped the test capsule from a C-17 aircraft at its highest altitude yet, 35,000 feet above the Arizona desert. One of three massive main parachutes was cut away early on purpose, leaving the spacecraft to land with only two. The test at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground was the highest-altitude test of a human spacecraft parachute since NASA's Apollo Program.

During previous tests, a mock capsule was dropped from a height of 25,000 feet and the parachutes deployed at no higher than 22,000 feet. The extra 10,000 feet of altitude at the beginning of Wednesday's test made the demonstration the best so far of Orion's parachute flight and landing.

"The closer we can get to actual flight conditions, the more confidence we gain in the system," said Chris Johnson, project manager for the Orion capsule parachute assembly system at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "What we saw today -- other than the failures we put in on purpose -- is very similar to what Orion will look like coming back during Exploration Flight Test-1's Earth entry next year."

During its return from space, Orion's parachute system will begin to deploy 25,000 feet above the ground.

Engineers gathered data on the effects of losing a parachute during the descent. The team already proved Orion can land with just two of its three main parachutes, but this was the first opportunity to study how one parachute pulling away in mid-flight might affect the remaining two.

"We wanted to know what would happen if a cable got hooked around a sharp edge and snapped off when the parachutes deployed," said Stu McClung, Orion's landing and recovery system manager at Johnson. "We don't think that would ever happen, but if it did, would it cause other failures? We want to know everything that could possibly go wrong, so that we can fix it before it does."

The test was part of a series of parachute tests that will enable NASA to certify Orion to carry humans into space. The system already has met the necessary requirements for Orion's first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), in September 2014. During that flight, Orion will travel 3,600 miles into orbit then return to Earth at speeds as fast as 20,000 mph, putting the parachute system to the test again as it lands in the Pacific Ocean.

UPDATE: NASA Invites Media to View Orion Stationary Recovery Testing

NASA is offering media the opportunity to view key testing of splashdown recovery operations for the agency's Orion spacecraft on Thursday, Aug. 15, at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

NASA and the U.S. Navy are conducting tests to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module and forward bay cover on its return from deep space missions. The stationary recovery test will allow the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in a controlled environment before conducting a second recovery test next year in open waters.

A media briefing also will take place during a portion of the testing. The briefing participants include:

-- Scott Wilson, manager, Offline Processing and Infrastructure for Development, Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program
-- Jim Hamblin, landing and recovery element operations manager, GSDO Program
-- Navy Commander Brett Moyes, Future Plans Branch chief, U.S. Fleet Forces

International media who want to attend must respond by 4 p.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 9. U.S. media must respond by noon Wednesday, Aug. 14. To respond, contact Sasha Congiu by email at

 sasha.r.congiu@nasa.gov or by phone at 757-272-9859.

Journalists should arrive by 12:30 p.m. at the Naval Station Norfolk Tour & Information Center for transportation to the testing area. Live trucks should arrive no later than 10:30 a.m. The information center is located at 9079 Hampton Blvd. in Norfolk. Close-toed shoes and pants are required.

Orion is America's new spacecraft that will take astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have an emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space. The first spacecraft will launch on Exploration Flight Test-1 in September 2014, an uncrewed mission that will allow engineers to examine many of Orion's systems.

For more information about the Orion Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion

For more information about the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems

NASA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui

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