NASA takes Orion spacecraft out for a test return near Galveston

With assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and support staff, NASA Astronauts Daniel Burbank, Stanley Love, Mike Fincke and Victor Glover practice egress techniques from NASA's new Orion capsule about four miles off of Galveston Island in the Gulf of Mexico, Thursday, July 13, 2017. The testing is the first time since the Apollo program that NASA has practiced such egress techniques from a capsule in open water. less With assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and support staff, NASA Astronauts Daniel Burbank, Stanley Love, Mike Fincke and Victor Glover practice egress techniques from NASA's new Orion capsule about four ... more Photo: Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle Photo: Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close NASA takes Orion spacecraft out for a test return near Galveston 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

NASA on Thursday took its testing regimen to the Gulf of Mexico with a trial run of getting crew out of its Orion spacecraft off the coast of Galveston.

This spacecraft is being designed to take people to Mars and land in the ocean upon return.

Among those aboard the Coast Guard vessel watching the tests was astronaut Suni Williams, who will fly the first missions on the commercial spacecraft being built to take people to the International Space Station.

She says the commercialization of space frees up resources and people to focus on NASA's goals of exploration.

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About 4 miles off the coast, astronauts inside the Orion spacecraft practiced exiting in both emergencies and non emergency situations as a boat waited nearby.

Navy personnel could help NASA in getting crew off Orion during a live return, but the crew might have to get themselves out if water intrudes.