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SAN DIEGO, Calif. – On the third day of preparations for recovery of Orion after its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, the USNS Salvor is in the Pacific Ocean, nearby the USS Anchorage, about 600 miles off the coast of Baja, California. The Salvor will be used to recover Orion in the event that the spacecraft cannot be recovered using the well deck of the USS Anchorage. NASA, Lockheed Martin and U.S. Navy personnel are preparing for recovery of the crew module, forward bay cover and parachutes after the spacecraft's return from space and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the recovery efforts. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. During its two-orbit, 4.5-hour flight, Orion will venture 3,600 miles in altitude and travel nearly 60,000 miles before returning to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston