NASA's Orion Tests Mars Mission
Scientists launched the unmanned capsule in a historic dry run to deep space.
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NASA's Orion capsule, on top of the Delta IV rocket, lifts off on its first unmanned orbital test flight from Space Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Friday in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The heavy-lift United Launch Alliance rocket boosted the capsule to an altitude of 3,600 miles, and Orion returned for a splashdown west of Baja California in the Pacific Ocean after a 4 1/2-hour flight.
Marta Lavandier/AP
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NASA's Orion spacecraft, atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, lifts off on its first unmanned orbital test flight on Friday. Scientists plan to eventually send Orion – and astronauts – to Mars, and say its first crewed mission will head for asteroids in 2021.
John Raoux and Chris O'Meara/AP
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The Delta IV rocket, with Orion mounted on top, is seen on the launchpad early Friday morning.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
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A view of the lights from the launchpad early Friday. The launch of the deep-space capsule is a historic moment in the history of NASA, which hasn't launched a spacecraft designed for humans since the Apollo 17 mission to the moon in 1972.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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The rocket blasts off from the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Friday.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/AP
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The United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket, carrying NASA's first Orion deep-space exploration craft on top, shoots through the sky during takeoff Friday.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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This photo provided by NASA-TV shows the view from the Orion spacecraft as it climbs to orbit Friday. "I would describe it as the beginning of the Mars era," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
NASA-TV/AP
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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and his wife, Jackie Bolden, watch Orion's liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Friday.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/AP
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Photographers follow the launch of the NASA Orion space capsule on Friday.
John Raoux/AP
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Spectators gather to watch Orion's liftoff Friday from Satellite Beach, Fla.
Tim Shortt/Florida Today/AP
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The Orion spacecraft descends to the Pacific Ocean on Friday.
NASA-TV/AP
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In this screen grab from NASA-TV, the Orion capsule floats after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith height of 3,600 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.
NASA/AP
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Next:
Spectacular Snapshots of Space
