Armed Forces News

The crew of the amphibious transport dock Anchorage successfully recovered NASA’s Orion crew module Dec. 5, following its four-hour flight. The module, which someday will carry U.S. astronauts into space, was launched earlier that day from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The recovery operation took place in waters off the coast of Baja California. Anchorage also retrieved Orion’s forward bay cover and parachutes. The vessel then set a course to Florida with Orion onboard, where NASA researchers and engineers will pore over the data it collected while orbiting the Earth.