Orion in the Well Deck of USS Anchorage

NASA’s Orion spacecraft is pulled safely into the well deck of the U.S. Navy’s USS Anchorage, following its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Orion launched into space on a two-orbit, 4.5-test flight at 7:05 am EST on Dec. 5, and returned safely to Earth, where a combined team from NASA, the Navy and Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin retrieved it for return to shore. Over the next several days, the team will perform an initial check out of Orion while the Anchorage transports the spacecraft back to shore. It is expected to be off loaded at Naval Base San Diego on Monday. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.