Orion Spacecraft Descends to the Pacific on Three Silk Mains

NASA's Orion Crew Module descends to the Pacific Ocean under its three main parachutes as part of the Orion Program's first exploration flight test. USS Anchorage (LPD 23) is supporting the first exploration test flight for the NASA Orion Program. EFT-1 is the fifth at sea testing of the Orion Crew Module using a Navy well deck recovery method. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Charles White/Released)

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Launched for Cape on Delta IV Heavy

A Delta IV heavy rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 7:05 a.m. EST carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. The two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. The amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) will recover the Orion crew module after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean using a Navy welldeck recovery method. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of NASA/Released)

HSC-8 Helo Trains for Orion EFT-1

An MH60-S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 takes off from the amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) as part of at-sea training. Anchorage is participating in the first Exploration Flight Test (EFT-1) for the NASA Orion program. EFT-1 is the fifth at-sea testing of the Orion crew module using a Navy well deck recovery method. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary Keen

NASA Visits USS San Diego in Preparation for Space Capsule Recovery

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Corey T. Jones, Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Senior project managers from NASA managing the Orion spacecraft's Exploration Flight Test (EFT-1) visited San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22), Sept. 12 in preparation for a test to retrieve the Orion space capsule in January off the coast of Southern California.

NASA representatives met with Rear Adm. Frank Ponds, commander Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 3 and Capt. William R. Grotewold, the ship's commanding officer to discuss plans for the upcoming recovery mission.

"We had a chance to display the ship's capability, show the crew's enthusiasm and demonstrate that our amphibious capability is multi-dimensional - just one more thing that our Navy can do," said Ponds. "The LPD 17-class ships have one of the most robust command and control communications systems in our Navy inventory."

The uncrewed EFT-1 flight will take Orion to an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface,, After the test flight, Orion will reenter the atmosphere at a speed of more than 20,000 miles per hour, returning to Earth faster than any current human spacecraft. Orion will land in the Pacific, where the U.S. Navy will locate and recover the craft into the ship's well-deck. The test flight is intended to test the capsule's avionics, heat shield and parachutes.

"It's all about relationships, to make sure our priorities are the same and clearly everyone is on the same page and we're excited about it," said Mark Geyer, NASA Orion program manager. "This ship that is going to support our mission possesses an incredible capability."

NASA and the Navy have a long history of working together, notably with the recent stationary recovery of Orion in the well-deck of the USS Arlington (LPD 24) while berthed at Naval Station Norfolk's Pier 12 Aug. 15.

"NASA did a trade study whether they wanted Orion to land on the ground or in the water," said Andy Quiett, Detachment 3 deputy operations lead for the Orion program and DoD liaison for NASA, "and because of the size, weight and the deep space requirements of the vehicle, they determined it needed to land in water."

Orion's unique life support, propulsion, thermal protection and avionics systems enable extended duration for deep space missions with the goal to eventually land on Mars.

"We are working hard to go to Mars and EFT-1 is our first step in that direction," said Dan Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator for NASA's exploration systems. "EFT-1 will be the furthest we've sent a human spacecraft since our moon travels in 1972, so we need to get the design experience, we need to get the test experience and we need to get the operations experience such as the recovery operations that we're looking at here."

EFT-1 is to be the first of many such future recovery missions.

"It's important to participate in an event that's bigger than us," said Grotewold. "This is going to go on for the entire life of this ship and to be able to get in on the ground floor for something like this in an awesome opportunity for all of us."

ESG 3 and USS San Diego operate within Third Fleet's area of responsibility.

Joint, interagency and international relationships strengthen U.S. 3rd Fleet's ability to respond to crises and protect the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners.

USS Arlington Hosts NASA Space Craft Recovery Tests

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric Brown, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- After three days of practice, NASA conducted a stationary recovery test of their latest space craft, the Orion, in the well deck of the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24) while berthed at Naval Station Norfolk's Pier 12 on Aug. 15, 2013.

This successful test of the four-man, 16-foot capsule paves the way for future testing of NASA's Orion Program, including a West Coast underway recovery test in January, and the recovery of a low-orbit module following splashdown in the fall of 2014. NASA plans its first unmanned Orion voyage to take place in 2017, and a manned expedition in 2021.

"Arlington is all about ownership and standards, and Arlington is setting the standards for the other ships in our class that will be assisting in the recoveries of Orion space craft." said Arlington Commanding Officer Cmdr. Darren Nelson. "To be able to work with NASA on the next manned space capsule is a dream come true for many Arlington crew members - they are very excited about this unique opportunity."

Arlington Sailors and Marines assisting with the recovery in front of, adjacent to, and above the well deck throughout the week were joined by more than 75 NASA engineers, designers and technicians from Langley Research Center, Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center.

The testing was overseen by NASA Recovery Director Louie Garcia.

"We performed the recovery several times earlier this week, and have gotten proficient at it," he said. "Today we did everything all together, perfecting the operation as if the capsule had left its orbit and splashed down, sending the small boats out to conduct a safety assessment, hook the taglines up and tow it into the well deck. The capsule was floated in over a cradle in the ballasted ship, and then settled into the cradle when the ship was deballasted.

"We have a requirement that we have the crew hatch opened within two hours of splashdown. We are trying to verify if that is a realistic goal, and so far it has been."

The U.S. Navy has worked with NASA with space craft recoveries for programs including Mercury (1959-1963), Gemini (1961-1966) and Apollo (1961-1972). The last recovery done by the U.S. Navy was in 1975.

Arlington's namesake predecessor, the major communications relay ship USS Arlington (AGMR 2) assisted with the recoveries of Apollo 8 in 1968, and 10 and 11 the following year.

"My crew and I are very proud to continue the legacy of Arlington and the NASA space program," Nelson said.
NASA has been planning the Orion recovery tests for more than five years.

The most challenging part of the Orion recovery was in the "choreography" of all the moving parts, Garcia said.

"We have never done this before, and we are working with Arlington, which of course has never done anything like this before either," he explained. "Also, we are working with people we've just met, and learning how to mesh different government organizations together so that their strengths and skills can accomplish the recovery of the capsule."

Arlington, a San-Antonio class warship, has many unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including the ability to embark helicopters, launch and recover small boats, three dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities.

"This is a cost-effective partnership," Nelson noted. "The Navy has the necessary at-sea recovery experience and capabilities and is always willing to work with government and private partners when directed and when it makes the most sense in terms of capability and economy."

The recovery testing aboard Arlington has proven that the U.S. Navy can safely support NASA's requests for operational support without adversely impacting the Department of Defense's primary warfighting mission.

"This is a building block for the United States to conduct manned space flight again," Garcia said.

The ship is named for Arlington County, Va., home of the Pentagon, in honor of the 184 victims and heroes who lost their lives during the terrorist attack there on 9-11.

Arlington is the eighth in Navy's San Antonio class of ships, designed to be the most survivable amphibious vessels ever put to sea. The third in the U.S. fleet to bear the name, Arlington was be commissioned on April 6, 2013. The ship combines 21st century amphibious shipbuilding and warfighting technologies to support current and future

Marine Corps aircraft and landing craft, and will be capable of taking nearly 1,200 Sailors and Marines into harm's way.