NASA has scrubbed a test off the California coast involving recovery of a mock-up of its newest space capsule after it was discovered that the cables weren't strong enough to handle the turbulence.
In a statement today, the space agency said crews had trouble tying down the Orion capsule inside the well deck of the USS San Diego during yesterday's exercise. It was not clear when it would be rescheduled.
Orion is designed to carry astronauts into deep space and return to Earth by splashing down into the ocean, similar to a technique used in the 1960s and 1970s before the space shuttle era.
NASA and the Navy have been practising for the recovery of Orion, which will make its first unmanned flight this fall.
