YUMA, Ariz., April 19 (UPI) -- The parachute system for a space capsule intended carry astronauts deeper into space than ever before has successfully completed a drop test, NASA said.
A dart-shaped test vehicle with a parachute compartment designed for the Orion crew vehicle was dropped from a C-130 aircraft from 25,000 feet above the Arizona desert to test the entry, descent and landing parachutes in preparation for the Orion vehicle's first orbital flight test set for 2014, the agency said Thursday.