Orion Completes Its First Space Test
NASA's Orion spacecraft launched on Exploration Flight Test-1 on December 5, 2014.
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The Event
NASA's Orion spacecraft launched on Exploration Flight Test-1 on December 5, 2014. The uncrewed flight tested important systems for future missions.
The Wider Story
A Delta IV Heavy carried the spacecraft on a demanding Earth-orbit mission. The return tested the heat shield and recovery operations.
Putting the Event in Perspective
The flight did not carry astronauts or visit the Moon.
Reading the Historical Record
It should not be illustrated with the later Space Launch System rocket.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a Delta IV Heavy lifting an Orion test spacecraft, then an illustrative capsule above Earth. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
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