NASA is offering media the opportunity to view key testing of splashdown recovery operations for the agency's Orion spacecraft on Thursday, Aug. 15, at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

NASA and the U.S. Navy are conducting tests to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module and forward bay cover on its return from deep space missions. The stationary recovery test will allow the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in a controlled environment before conducting a second recovery test next year in open waters.

A media briefing also will take place during a portion of the testing.

Journalists should arrive by 12:30 p.m. at the Naval Station Norfolk Tour & Information Center for transportation to the testing area. The information center is located at 9079 Hampton Blvd. in Norfolk.

The media briefing participants include:

-- Scott Wilson, manager, Offline Processing and Infrastructure for Development, Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program
-- Jim Hamblin, landing and recovery element operations manager, GSDO Program
-- Navy Commander Brett Moyes, Future Plans Branch chief, U.S. Fleet Forces

International media who want to attend must respond by 4 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 12. U.S. media must respond by noon Wednesday, Aug. 14. To respond, contact Sasha Congiu by email at sasha.r.congiu@nasa.gov or by phone at 757-272-9859.

Orion is America's new spacecraft that will take astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have an emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space. The first spacecraft will launch on Exploration Flight Test-1 in September 2014, an uncrewed mission that will allow engineers to examine many of Orion's systems.

For more information about the Orion Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion

For more information about the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems

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