CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA will showcase its next-generation spacecraft and water landing testing, which will return humans to the moon, during two media events in April.

Media are invited to interview NASA engineers and personnel beside a full-size test mock-up of the Orion crew exploration vehicle at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 2, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. They will answer questions about the Orion crew module and NASA's Constellation Program, which is developing America's new spacecraft for human exploration of the moon and farther destinations in our solar system.

The spacecraft mock-up traveled from the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division in Bethesda, Md., to Kennedy Space Center, where it will be tested in open waters in April. The goal of the operation, dubbed the Post-landing Orion Recovery Test, or PORT, is to determine what kind of motion astronauts can expect after landing, as well as outside conditions for recovery teams.

Reporters planning to attend the visitor complex event need to call Amber Philman at, 321-867-2468 by close of business Wednesday, April 1.

Media also will be able to document the water testing, as well as interview NASA engineers April 7. Reporters should arrive at the Cape Canaveral Pass and ID Building by 8:30 a.m. for transportation to the event. Accreditation for international media is closed for the April 7 event. U.S. reporters without permanent Kennedy credentials should submit their requests online by noon Monday, April 6, at:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov

All participants attending the event must be dressed in full-length pants, flat shoes that cover the feet entirely and shirts with sleeves.

Dates and times are subject to change. Please call the Kennedy news center information line at 321-867-2525 for updates.

Orion is targeted to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015 and to the moon by 2020. Orion, along with the Ares I and V rockets, and the Altair lunar lander are part of the Constellation Program.

Video B-roll of the hardware arrival will be available on NASA Television's Video File. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the Orion crew capsule, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion

For information about the Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation