Test Launch Marks New Phase for NASA

An early test version of NASA’s Orion crew capsule launched from Cape Canaveral on Friday and splashed down in the Pacific four-and-a-half hours later—a flight a NASA spokesman called “picture perfect.” The test launch was designed to examine how the craft handles the forces of launch and re-entry. While NASA has said the craft marks an important step towards exploration beyond Earth, some critics have challenged Orion’s usefulness. Eric Berger, a science reporter for the Houston Chronicle, discusses the test launch and the changing landscape of the spaceflight industry in his series of articles titled “Adrift.”