Up, up, and away 🎈 Astronaut Shannon Walker prepares to release a weather balloon from the deck of the USS Portland alongside members of the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron ahead of the splashdown of the Orion spacecraft on Dec. 11. NASA's Landing and Recovery team works alongside the deptofdefense to safely recover Orion after #Artemis missions to the Moon. Image Description: Astronaut Shannon Walker holds up a large pale-colored balloon in one hand and a small plastic device in the other while standing on the deck of the USS Portland. She is wearing a blue flight suit. In the background, the ocean appears calm and the sky glows gold and blue. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett #Balloon #Orion #Splashdown #PacificOcean #WeatherBalloon #Astronaut #LunarMission