First Splashdowns For Orion

NASA's new moonship will come back to Earth the same way the old Apollo command modules did-- behind an ablative heat shield, under huge parachutes, and into the ocean. NASA has begin testing recovery procedures, and Orion's seaworthiness.

Seaworthiness, at first thought, would seem a low priority for a spacecraft, but Orion must float long enough for the crew to be recovered. Floating upright would be preferable. Hopefully, recovery will take only a few minutes, but Orion, like Apollo, Gemini, and Mercury, could possibly come home well away from the recovery team. In that case, especially, Orion needs to be able to float in ocean swells.

So far, so good.