NASA astronauts practice Orion exit procedures in the Gulf of Mexico July 13, 2017, preparing for the next generation of deep space missions since the Apollo era. Photo: NASA/Josh Valcarcel (jsc2017e095666)
EGRESS! EGRESS! EGRESS! A voice bellows over the shipboard intercom, signaling the start of the next training objective. All eyes are focused on the capsule now as it bobs gently on the the water's surface. Suddenly, a bright piece of pumpkin orange fabric emerges in the sunlight as the first of four astronauts begins to wrench themselves through the narrow hatch.
Though spotters and safety divers surround the mockup spacecraft, the crew proceeds as if alone. They've trained for this in the pool countless times, but today is different. Five miles off shore in the Gulf of Mexico, this is as close as they'll get to a real open water scenario. It's an opportunity for the crew to test themselves against the challenges of a splashdown landing, and for NASA's team of engineers to gather priceless data on the hardware's performance.
Only a month into working at NASA, I'm right where the action is, shooting from the bow of a small boat only a few meters away from the astronauts. I knew virtually nothing about Orion before I was assigned to photograph it, but it's been easy to get up to speed being surrounded by the people bringing the project to life. While reminiscent of the Apollo era command modules, the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is technologically more advanced than its predecessors and designed to support a crew of up to four or six, rather than three. It’s also under development for launch on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which will be the most powerful rocket ever built. Together, Orion and the SLS will form the platform for NASA’s future deep space missions.
U.S. Navy divers practice with NASA's Orion Spacecraft Crew Module Uprighting System at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at Johnson Space Center. In the event of an upside down or turnover landing, the bags will inflate to turn Orion right side up. Photo: NASA/Josh Valcarcel (jsc2017e088124)