CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission rolls out of the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida bound for the launch pad.A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission rolls out of the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida bound for the launch pad.A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012.
SuperStock offers millions of photos, videos, and stock assets to creatives around the world. This image of CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission rolls out of the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida bound for the launch pad.A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012. by Piemags/PL Photography Limited is available for licensing today.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Delta IV first stage that will be used to launch the GOES-O satellite has been offloaded on the dock on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It will be transported to Complex 37. The satellite is part of the series developed by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Program, a joint effort of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA. Currently, the GOES system consists of GOES-12 operating as GOES-East in the eastern part of the constellation at 75° west longitude, and GOES-10 operating as GOES-West at 135° west longitude. These spacecraft help meteorologists observe and predict local weather events, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, fog, flash floods, and other severe weather. In addition, GOES observations have proven helpful in monitoring dust storms, volcanic eruptions and forest fires. GOES-O is targeted for launch on July 20 aboard a Boeing Delta IV rocket.
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The United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage has arrived at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. A crane has been attached to the first stage to begin the lift to the vertical position. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket in November. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Centaur second stage for the Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is moved into the hangar at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.
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A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core is offloaded from the company's Mariner ship at Port Canaveral in Florida. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission.The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top exits the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Orion crew module, stacked atop its service module, arrives at the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft was moved from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, where it was fueled ahead of its December flight test. In the LASF, the Launch Abort System will be installed around the Orion spacecraft. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety inc
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers unload the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Juno spacecraft from a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, a Ukranian/Russian cargo aircraft.Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, mission.NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard an Atlas V rocket. Launch is targeted for Aug. 23.
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The booster of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will launch the Solar Orbiter spacecraft is lifted into the vertical position at the Vertical Integration Facility near Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Jan. 6, 2020. Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA. The mission aims to study the Sun, its outer atmosphere and solar wind. The spacecraft will provide the first images of the Suns poles. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is managing the launch.
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NASAs Orion spacecraft, wrapped up for shipping, is carefully aligned for loading into the agencys Super Guppy aircraft at the Launch and Landing Facility runway at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 21, 2019. The spacecrafts crew and service modules are flying to NASAs Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, for full thermal vacuum testing. In this unique facility, the crew and service modules will be put through extensive testing to ensure they can survive the rigors of launch, space travel, re-entry and splashdown. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop the agency's Space Launch System rocket on Artemis I.
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - Another Solid Rocket Booster arrives at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will be mated with a Boeing Delta II rocket for the launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-N) spacecraft. Launch of NOAA-N aboard the Boeing Delta II rocket is currently scheduled for May 11, 2005. NOAA-N is the fourth in the series of support dedicated microwave instruments for the generation of temperature, moisture, surface, and hydrological products in cloudy regions where visible and infrared (IR) instruments have decreased capability.
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A solid rocket booster (SRB) is lifted for mating to a United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The SRB will be help boost NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-S, to orbit. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites that will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The truck transporting Columbus, the European Space Agency's research laboratory, arrives at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The module arrived on a Beluga Airbus May 30 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center from the manufacturer in Germany. In the SSPF, the module will be prepared for delivery to the International Space Station on a future space shuttle mission. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide researchers with the ability to conduct numerous experiments in the area of life, physical and materials sciences.
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The United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage leaves the Atlas Space Operations Center aboard a transport trailer for delivery to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket in November. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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The second stage of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy is being mated to the common booster core inside the Horizontal Integration Facility near Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers roll the transportation case protecting the Russian-built Mini Research Module1, or MRM1, from the cargo bay of a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, a Ukranian/Russian aircraft.The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module, named Rassvet, will be permanently attached to the International Space Station's Zarya module on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission. An Integrated Cargo Carrier will join the MRM in Atlantis' payload bay. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock, and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also will be delivered to the station. Launch is targeted for May 14, 2010.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, a crane lifts Columbus, the European Space Agency's research laboratory, off an Airbus Transport International platform toward a flat bed truck. The truck will transport the module to the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The module arrived on a Beluga Airbus May 30 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center from the manufacturer in Germany. In the SSPF, the module will be prepared for delivery to the International Space Station on a future space shuttle mission. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide researchers with the ability to conduct numerous experiments in the area of life, physical and materials sciences.
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The United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster for NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) is moved inside the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center near Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The satellite is slated to launch aboard the Atlas V rocket March 1.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A solid-fueled booster is lifted off a trailer at Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida where a United Launch Alliance Delta II is being prepared for launch. The Delta II will carry NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft into lunar orbit. The GRAIL mission is a part of NASA's Discovery Program. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed. GRAIL is scheduled to launch September 8, 2011.
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NASAs Orion spacecraft, wrapped up for shipping, arrives at Kennedy Space Centers Launch and Landing Facility runway for loading into the agencys Super Guppy aircraft on Nov. 21, 2019. The spacecrafts crew and service modules are flying from the Florida spaceport to NASAs Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, for full thermal vacuum testing. In this unique facility, the crew and service modules will be put through extensive testing to ensure they can survive the rigors of launch, space travel, re-entry and splashdown. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop the agency's Space Launch System rocket on Artemis I.
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Workers secure the United Launch Alliance booster for NASAs Mars Perseverance rover as it is offloaded from the Antonov 124 cargo aircraft at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida on May 19, 2020. The Mars Perseverance rover is scheduled to launch in mid-July atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Pad 41 at CCAFS. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.
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