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SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Orion boilerplate test vehicle floats in the Pacific Ocean during Underway Recovery Test 4A. Orion was lowered into the water with a stationary crane from the USS Salvor, a safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship. Nearby, U.S. Navy personnel in a Zodiac boat have attached a flotation collar and tether lines to Orion to bring the test vehicle closer to the ship. NASA, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy are conducting crane recovery tests to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module on its return from a deep space mission. The underway recovery test will allow the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, new hardware and personnel in open waters. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is conducting the underway recovery test. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett