Final Orion Parachute Test for Missions with Astronauts

An Orion test capsule was dropped from a C-17 aircraft at an altitude of more than six miles to verify the spacecraft’s complex system of 11 parachutes, cannon-like mortars, and pyrotechnic devices work in sequence to slow the capsule’s descent for a safe landing on Earth. This test and a series of others have evaluated Orion’s parachute performance during normal landing sequences, several failure scenarios, and a variety of potential aerodynamic conditions, to ensure the safe return of astronauts from deep space missions. It occurred Sept. 12 at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, and was the final test to certify the system for missions with crew.