Does anyone else still have #LaunchFever from Orion's first flight on Friday? We do too, so we're going to keep on posting. “We as a species are meant to press humanity further into the solar system and this is a first step,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate. “What a tremendous team effort.” Orion launched Friday, December 5th at 7:05 a.m. EST to begin what would prove to be a perfect flight. Riding atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy, the largest rocket in the American inventory, Orion flew to an altitude of 3,604 miles on its second orbit and plunged into Earth’s atmosphere at 20,000 mph before slowing down, releasing its parachutes and landing gently in the Pacific Ocean within sight of NASA and USNavy recovery teams. Credit: Bill Ingalls | NASA #Orion #OrionLaunch #ImOnBoard #NASA #space #exploration