Orion saw successful parachute tests at U.S. Army Yuma Proving ground in Arizona last week. This is the second test in a series of eight that will certify Orion's parachutes for human space flight. The Orion spacecraft can carry humans on long trips into deep space, but once it returns to Earth, it needs a little help touching down. Like the Apollo spacecraft, Orion relies on a parachute system to lower it down through Earth's atmosphere, and safely return astronauts to the ground. A model of Orion was dropped from a C-17 aircraft flying at an altitude of 25,000 feet. NASA is currently investigating the possibility of flying two astronauts on a test flight of the Orion spacecraft as early as 2019. Credit: NASA/Orion #progress #EM1 #explore #deepspace #nasa #space #flight #parachutes #army