NASA Launch Control Activities

Images depicting NASA team members at mission control, monitoring launches and discussions, focusing on teamwork in a space environment.

STS-130 ascent flight controllers on console in WFCR with Flight Director Norm Knight during launch of Endeavour. Photo Date: February 8, 2010. Location: Building 30s - WFCR.

Artemis I Liftoff Activities. Derrol Nail, NASA Communications, leads commentary during Artemis I launch countdown inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 16, 2022. Liftoff of the agencys Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B was at 1:47 a.m. EST. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

STS-131 Flight Controllers on console during the launch of Discovery on STS-131. Photo Date: April 5, 2010. Location: Building 30 south - WFCR.

The Orion team reviews the launch procedure in Building AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station ahead of the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) on Dec. 4, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the firing room, NASA officials wait for the countdown of the second launch attempt of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-116. At the consoles, from left, are NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, Associate Administrator for Space Operations Mission William Gerstenmaier, Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats, Kennedy Space Center Director Jim Kennedy and Marshall Space Flight Center Director Dave King. This was the second launch attempt for mission STS-116. The first launch attempt on Dec. 7 was postponed due a low cloud ceiling over Kennedy Space Center. This is Discovery's 33rd mission and the first night launch since 2002. The 20th shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-116 carries another truss segment, P5. It will serve as a spacer, mated to the P4 truss that was attached in September. After installing the P5, the crew will reconfigure and redistribute the power generated by two pairs of U.S. solar arrays. Landing is exp

JSC2007-E-28288 (8 June 2007) --- In the space shuttle flight control room of Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center (MCC), flight directors Norm Knight and Steve Stich (foreground) monitor launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Atlantis' scheduled STS-117 launch. Liftoff occurred at 7:38 p.m. (EDT) on June 8, 2007 from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

NASA and SpaceX managers are seen during launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

STS-130 ascent flight controllers on console in WFCR with Flight Director Norm Knight during launch of Endeavour. Photo Date: February 8, 2010. Location: Building 30s - WFCR.

CAPE CANAVERAL - Chuck Duvale, deputy director of the Launch Services Program, second from left, and Bob Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director, oversee the countdown in the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC) before the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory on an Atlas V rocket. MSL lifted off at 10:02 a.m. EST Nov. 26, beginning a 9-month interplanetary cruise to Mars. MSL's components include a car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source.

STS-134 Orbit 1 flight controllers on console during AMS install with Flight Director Gary Horlacher in WFCR and Dana Weigel in FCR-1. Photo Date: May 19, 2011. Location: Building 30 - WFCR, FCR1 and backrooms.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Launch day finds members of the Launch Services Program team monitoring systems on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Mission Director's Center in Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.Liftoff of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft aboard the Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41 was on schedule at 1:28 p.m. EST Nov. 18 at the opening of a two-hour launch window. After a 10-month journey to the Red Planet, MAVEN will study its upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail from orbit above the planet. Built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo., MAVEN will arrive at Mars in September 2014 and will be inserted into an elliptical orbit with a high point of 3,900 miles, swooping down to as close as 93 miles above the planet's surface.

STS-130 ascent flight controllers on console in WFCR with Flight Director Norm Knight during launch of Endeavour. Photo Date: February 8, 2010. Location: Building 30s - WFCR.

Members of the Artemis I launch team are at their consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch countdown Aug. 29, 2022. Launch of the agencys Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft was waved off due to an issue during tanking. Launch is now no earlier than Sept. 3, at 2:17 p.m. EDT from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

Members of the launch team monitor the launch of NASAs Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite inside Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket carrying ICON was released from the companys L-1011 Stargazer aircraft at 9:59 p.m. EDT on Oct. 10, 2019, over the Atlantic Ocean about 50 miles from Daytona Beach following takeoff from CCAFS. ICON will spend two years studying the Earths ionosphere - the dynamic zone in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. The launch was managed by the agencys Launch Services Program.

JSC2007-E-053913 (23 Oct. 2007) --- Astronauts Lee J. Archambault (right) and Charles O. Hobaugh, spacecraft communicators (CAPCOM), monitor data at their consoles in the space shuttle flight control room of Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center (MCC) during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Discovery's scheduled STS-120 launch. Liftoff occurred at 11:38 a.m. (EDT) on Oct. 23, 2007 from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

Engineers with NASA and contractor Jacobs monitor their consoles during a countdown demonstration event of cryogenic propellant loading April 12, 2019, inside Firing Room 2 in the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The practice simulation involved loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System rockets core and upper stages to prepare for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During the tanking exercise, the team worked through surprise issues in real-time. The practice countdown events are training opportunities coordinated by EM-1 Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson with Exploration Ground Systems.

K-10 (red) plaentary rover at Marscape (Ames Mars Yard) with prototype flight control team remotely operating K-10 'Red' from Ames Future Flight Centeral (FFC) Simulator, L-R; Pascal Lee, Melissa Rice, David Lees, Trey Smith

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, launch controllers monitor the countdown to launch of space shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery and its six-member crew are on a mission to deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the orbiting outpost. Discovery is making its 39th mission and is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This is the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.

Teams conduct powerup and docking operations for the Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation (STORRM) in a payload support room at Johnson Space Centers Mission Control Center in Houston on May 18, 2011. STORMM was successfully demonstrated on Space Shuttle Endeavours STS-134 mission to the International Space Station..The goal of STORRM was to validate a new relative navigation sensor based on advanced laser and detector technology that will make docking and undocking spacecraft easier and safer. It also tested the hardware in the same environment that the sensors would experience on the first Orion rendezvous to another vehicle. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Artemis II Day of Launch Demo Test ISSV-1A. Members of the Artemis II launch team monitor activities during the launch day demonstration for one of the Artemis II integrated ground systems tests from Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 20. This is part of a series of tests to ensure the ground systems team is ready to support the crew timeline on launch day. Artemis II is the first mission with astronauts under Artemis that will test and check out all of the Orion spacecrafts systems needed for future crewed missions.

The Orion team watches the flight in Building AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) on Dec. 5, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

JSC2010-E-043673 (25 March 2010) --- NASA astronauts Gregory H. Johnson, STS-134 pilot; and Shannon Walker, Expedition 24/25 flight engineer, use the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements.

Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, left, and Benji Reed, director of crew mission management at SpaceX, right, monitor the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, members of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) launch team monitor GRAIL's launch countdown from the Mission Directors Center in Hangar AE. From left are Dana Grieco, launch operations manager, Analex, NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP); Bruce Reid, GRAIL mission manager, LSP; Al Sierra, manager of the Flight Project Office, LSP; Omar Baez, GRAIL assistant launch director, LSP; and Tim Dunn, GRAIL launch director, LSP; David Lehman, spacecraft mission director and GRAIL project manager, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); and John Henk, GRAIL program manager, Lockheed Martin Space Systems.Launch is scheduled for 8:37:06 a.m. EDT Sept. 8 from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global grav

The Orion team watches the flight in Building AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) on Dec. 5, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Press Site auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA managers brief media about the payload and launch status of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Seen here are Public Affairs Officer Candrea Thomas, NASA Test Director Jeremy Graeber, Payload Mission Manager Joe Delai and Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters (obscured).Atlantis and its crew are scheduled to lift off at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shu

JSC2000-01071 (31 January 2000) --- Astronaut Joe F. Edwards, Jr., spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), looks over notes at his console in Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC) while awaiting word regarding STS-99's launch status at Florida's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), several hundred miles away.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Dr. Mason Peck, center, NASA's chief technologist, talks with managers of the Morpheus lander that will soon begin flight and landing tests at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Members of the Launch Services Program team monitor systems on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Launch Vehicle Data Center in Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as the countdown progresses smoothly to launch.Liftoff of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft aboard the Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41 was on schedule at 1:28 p.m. EST Nov. 18 at the opening of a two-hour launch window. After a 10-month journey to the Red Planet, MAVEN will study its upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail from orbit above the planet. Built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo., MAVEN will arrive at Mars in September 2014 and will be inserted into an elliptical orbit with a high point of 3,900 miles, swooping down to as close as 93 miles above the planet's surface.

In the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium, agency and industry leaders spoke to members of the news media as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 rocket were being prepared for launch. From left are: Mike Curie of NASA Public Affairs, Mike Suffredini, NASA International Space Station program manager, Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX vice president of Mission Assurance, and Maj. Perry Sweat, U.S. Air Forces 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Artemis I Liftoff Activities. Artemis I launch team members are at their consoles in Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida during countdown and liftoff of the agencys Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B on Nov. 16, 2022. Liftoff was at 1:47 a.m. EST. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the newly remodeled Launch Control Center's Young-Crippen Firing Room at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineering directorate personnel demonstrate the recently added Space Command & Control System which will be used for launches of future human spaceflight vehicles.Known as Firing Room 1 in the Apollo era, it was re-named as a tribute to the Space Shuttle Program's first crewed mission, STS-1, which was flown by Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen in April 1981.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA spokesmen prepare to answer questions from news media representatives gathered in the NASA Newsroom to cover the countdown for the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114. Liftoff is planned for 3 51 p.m. EDT July 13. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys seven-person crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- From the firing room, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach, NASA Flow Director Stephanie Stilson and Deputy Orbiter Project Manager Ed Mango from NASA's Johnson Space Center watch the successful launch of space shuttle Discovery. Launch was on time at 5:02 p.m. EDT. Discovery is making its 35th flight. The STS-124 mission is the 26th in the assembly of the space station. It is the second of three flights launching components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. The shuttle crew will install Kibo's large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system, or RMS. The 14-day flight includes three spacewalks.

Global Sentinel participants from work together to solve challenging space scenarios during Global Sentinel 2024 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Feb. 13, 2024. USSPACECOM and representatives from partner nations come together each year at Global Sentinel to promote cooperation and safe, secure space operations. In addition to the United states, partner nations that attended this year included Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Thailand and Ukraine. Space Force

Engineers with Exploration Ground Systems at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida work on software for the launch of Artemis I. Reggie Martin (standing) and Danny Zaatari stay focused on the “Path to the Pad” inside the Launch Control Center on Sept 29, 2020. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach gives the "go" to launch space shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery and its six-member crew are on a mission to deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the orbiting outpost. Discovery is making its 39th mission and is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This is the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.

Members of the launch team monitor the launch of NASAs Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite inside Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket carrying ICON was released from the companys L-1011 Stargazer aircraft at 9:59 p.m. EDT on Oct. 10, 2019, over the Atlantic Ocean about 50 miles from Daytona Beach following takeoff from CCAFS. ICON will spend two years studying the Earths ionosphere - the dynamic zone in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. The launch was managed by the agencys Launch Services Program.

JSC2011-E-058624 (24 June 2011) --- STS-135 crew members participate in a flight data file review in the Flight Operations Facility at NASAs Johnson Space Center. Pictured seated from the left are NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander; Doug Hurley, pilot; along with Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, both mission specialists. Instructor Sandy Wayne assisted the crew members.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Launch. Richard Jones, manager of the Mission Management and Integration Office for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in SpaceXs Launch and Landing Control Center in HangerX at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov launched at 3:27 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

JSC2001-E-39087 (18 October 2001) --- Astronaut Kenneth D. Cockrell, STS-111 mission commander, uses the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for his duties aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps the entire team for dealing with ISS elements.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASAs Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), monitor activities during the first formal terminal countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2019. This was the first in a series of simulations to help the team prepare for the launch of Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

JSC2007-E-113616 (18 Dec. 2007) --- Astronauts John M. Grunsfeld (left) and Andrew J. Feustel, both STS-125 mission specialists, participate in a training session at consoles in the simulation control area in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Sonny Carter Training Facility (SCTF) near Johnson Space Center (JSC).

. Artemis-1 flight controllers during Orion Distant Retrograde Departure. Photo Date: December 1, 2022. Location: Building 30, MCC, FCR-1. Photographer: Robert Markowitz

NASA and Boeing managers take part in the Flight Readiness Review for NASAs Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) inside the Operations Support Building II at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, May 11, 2022. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 19. The uncrewed flight test will be Starliners second flight for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

PHOTO DATE: 05-11-09LOCATION: Bldg. 30 south - (Rooms)SUBJECT: STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift) - (Subject)

From Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Orion team conducted the successful flight test of the Launch Abort System on Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) on July 2, 2019.

A member of the launch team monitors the launch of NASAs Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite inside Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket carrying ICON was released from the companys L-1011 Stargazer aircraft at 9:59 p.m. EDT on Oct. 10, 2019, over the Atlantic Ocean about 50 miles from Daytona Beach following takeoff from CCAFS. ICON will spend two years studying the Earths ionosphere - the dynamic zone in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. The launch was managed by the agencys Launch Services Program.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Launch Attempt. Norm Knight, director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, left, and Joe Acaba, Chief of the Astronaut Office, right, are seen as they monitor the countdown of the attempted launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Todays launch attempt was scrubbed due to an issue with ground systems. The next launch attempt is targeted for 12:34am ET on Thursday, March 2.

jsc2019e029855 (05-22-2019) --- 2017 NASA astronaut candidate Loral OHara on works as a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center to learn communication protocol at NASA Johnson Space Centers Mission Control Center in Houston. CAPCOM is the individual who communicates with crew members during flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Launch Control Center, KSC officials turn from their computers to watch through the broad windows the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115. Second from left is NASA Test Director Pete Nickolenko. Mission STS-115 is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. sts-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- From the left, former NASA Director of Public Affairs Hugh Harris is joined by Jack King, former NASA chief of Public Information, John Tribe, retired chief engineer for Boeing/Rockwell Launch Support Services, and Roy Tharpe, president of Space Gateway Support, speak to about 45 of NASAs social media followers for two days of presentations on the Kennedy Space Center's past, present and future.The social media participants gathered at the Florida spaceport on Aug. 2 and 3, 2012 to hear from key former and current leaders who related stories of the space agency's efforts to explore the unknown. It was the first social media event totally run by Kennedy.

From Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Orion team conducted the successful flight test of the Launch Abort System on Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) on July 2, 2019.

JSC2006-E-54743 (20 Dec. 2006) --- Astronaut K. Megan McArthur, STS-116 Orbit 2 spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), talks with the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as they wind down toward the final 48 hours of an almost two-week mission in space.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Jeff Gramling, project manager for NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K, takes a question from an agency social media follower participating in the first day of activities of a NASA Social revolving around the satellite's mission. NASA Socials are in-person meetings for people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks. The satellite, known as TDRS-K, is set to launch at 8 48 p.m. EST on Jan. 30 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. About 50 followers were selected to participate in the TDRS-K prelaunch and launch activities and share them with their own fan base. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data r

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, members of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) launch team monitor GRAIL's launch countdown from the Mission Directors Center in Hangar AE. From left are Dana Grieco, launch operations manager, Analex, NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP); Bruce Reid, GRAIL mission manager, LSP; Al Sierra, manager of the Flight Project Office, LSP; Omar Baez, GRAIL assistant launch director, LSP; and Tim Dunn, GRAIL launch director, LSP.Launch is scheduled for 8:37:06 a.m. EDT Sept. 8 from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth.

Engineers and technicians in the control room at the Dryden Flight Research Center must constantly monitor critical operations and checks during research projects like NASA's hypersonic X-43A. Visible in the photo, taken two days before the X-43's captive carry flight in January 2004, are foreground to background; Tony Kawano (Range Safety Officer), Brad Neal (Mission Controller), and Griffin Corpening (Test Conductor).

Proteus DSA control room in Mojave, CA(L to R)Jean-Pierre Soucy; Amphitech International Software engineerCraig Bomben; NASA Dryden Test PilotPete Siebold; (with headset, at computer controls) Scaled Composites pilotBob Roehm; New Mexico State University (NMSU) UAV Technical Analysis Application Center (TAAC)Chuck Coleman; Scaled Composites PilotKari Sortland; NMSU TAACRussell Wolfe; Modern Technology Solutions, Inc.Scaled Composites' unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. An Amphitech 35GHz radar unit installed below Proteus' nose was the primary sensor for the Detect, See and Avoid tests.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, members of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) launch team monitor GRAIL's launch countdown from the Mission Directors Center in Hangar AE. From left are David Lehman, spacecraft mission director and GRAIL project manager, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); Tom Hoffman, deputy spacecraft mission director, JPL; and John Henk, GRAIL program manager, Lockheed Martin Space Systems.Launch is scheduled for 8:37:06 a.m. EDT Sept. 8 from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Firing Room 4, NASA management relish the successful launch of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-128 mission. From left are Robert Lightfoot, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center; Bob Cabana, director of Kennedy Space Center; Janet Kavandi, deputy director of Flight Crew Operations at Johnson Space Center; Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations; and Chris Scolese, NASA associate administrator. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on time at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The first launch attempt on Aug. 24 was postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions. The second attempt on Aug. 25 also was postponed due to an issue with a valve in space shuttle Discovery's main propulsion system. The STS-128 mission is the 30th International Space Station assembly flight and the 128th space shuttle flight. The 13-day mission will deliver more than 7 tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional env

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Members of the news media ask questions during a news conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Officials outlined the agencys plans for future human spaceflight, including an expedition to Mars. The briefing took place the day prior to launch of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission.MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch on Nov 18, 2013 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

NASA officials take questions from members of the media in the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium in Florida during the NASA Leadership Media Briefing ahead of the agencys Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), May 18, 2022. From left to right are Jasmine Hopkins, NASA Communications; NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana; Janet Petro, director, NASAs Kennedy Space Center; Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA; NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore; NASA astronaut Mike Fincke; NASA astronaut Suni Williams. Boeings CST-100 Starliner is targeted to launch at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 19, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA officials watch the liftoff of space shuttle Discovery through the windows of Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shuttle Discovery lifted off at 6 21 a.m. EDT on April 5, 2010. The seven-member STS-131 crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the stations truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the stations exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall.

NASA James Webb Space Telescope Mission Operations Manager Carl Starr monitors the progress of the Webb observatory as its second primary mirror wing is prepared to rotate into position, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, from NASAs James Webb Space Telescope Mission Operations Center at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Webb, an infrared telescope with a 21.3-foot (6.5-meter) primary mirror, was folded up for launch and underwent an unprecedented deployment process to unfold in space. As NASA's next flagship observatory, Webb will study every phase of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.

Date: 08-21-14Location: Bldg 36, 131Subject: ESA Astronaut Andreas Mogensen and NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik during NEEMO 19 communications training with instructors Marcum Reagan and Barbara Janoiko

Members of the Artemis I launch team monitor data at their consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a cryogenic propellant tanking demonstration on Sept. 21, 2022. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

JSC2007-E-053905 (23 Oct. 2007) --- Astronaut Lee J. Archambault, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room of Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center (MCC) during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Discovery's scheduled STS-120 launch. Liftoff occurred at 11:38 a.m. (EDT) on Oct. 23, 2007 from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

JSC2010-E-043661 (25 March 2010) --- NASA astronauts Gregory H. Johnson, STS-134 pilot; and Shannon Walker, Expedition 24/25 flight engineer, use the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements.

NASA and Boeing managers take part in the flight readiness review for Boeings upcoming Orbital Flight Test in Operations Support Building 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Dec. 12, 2019. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be the Starliners first flight to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Ted Mosteller (right), NASA test director, briefs the media about Firing Room 4 (FR4), which has been undergoing renovations for two years. FR4 is now designated the primary firing room for all remaining shuttle launches, and will also be used daily to manage operations in the Orbiter Processing Facilities and for integrated processing for the shuttle. The firing room now includes sound-suppressing walls and floors, new humidity control, fire-suppression systems and consoles, support tables with computer stations, communication systems and laptop computer ports. FR 4 also has power and computer network connections and a newly improved Checkout, Control and Monitor Subsystem. The renovation is part of the Launch Processing System Extended Survivability Project that began in 2003. United Space Alliance's Launch Processing System directorate managed the FR 4 project for NASA.

NASA Officials gather at Ames Research Center to discuss Spaceship development progress. Constellation is developing the Orion spacecraft and Ares rockets to support an American return to the moon by 2020.

Artemis I Liftoff Activities. NASA Test Director Danny Zeno monitors launch countdown activities inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 16, 2022. Liftoff of the agencys Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B was at 1:47 a.m. EST. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

STS-131 TCDT - T-0 LCC FIRING ROOM 4 ACTIVITIES

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, Space Systems, announces the steps the company will take to prepare for a November 2016 orbital flight of its Dream Chaser spacecraft from Floridas Space Coast during a news conference at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants, from left, are Bob Cabana, director of Kennedy Michael Gass, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, or ULA Frank DiBello, president and CEO of Space Florida Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC Space Systems Larry Price, Lockheed Martin Space Systems deputy program manager for NASA's Orion spacecraft and Steve Lindsey, Dream Chaser program manager for SNC Space Systems. The steps are considered substantial for SNC and important to plans by NASA and Space Florida for Kennedys transformation into a multi-user spaceport for both commercial and government customers. SNC said it plans to work with ULA to launch the Dream Chaser spacecraft into orbit atop an Atlas V roc

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility conference room at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mike Kinslow, STS-135 Payload Flow Manager from Boeing Space Operations describes the payload being prepared for shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Centers Press Site annex building in Florida, social media followers watch a movie titled, Building Momentum, during NASA Social media activities focused on the SpaceX 2 Commercial Resupply Mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is planned for March 1, 2013, at 10 10 a.m. EST, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Dragon will be making its third trip to the space station. It will carry supplies and experiments to the orbiting laboratory. The mission is the second of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Shuttle Launch Director Michael Leinbach talks on the phonein the Launch Control Center prior to the launch of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-124 mission on Saturday, May 31, 2008, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at 5:02 p.m. EDT.

Officials from NASA, Boeing, United Launch Alliance and the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron participate in a prelaunch briefing for Boeings Orbital Flight Test at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Dec. 17, 2019. From left to right are Marie Lewis, NASA Communications; Kathy Lueders, NASA Commercial Crew Program; John Mulholland, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program; John Elbon, chief operating officer, United Launch Alliance; Joel Montalbano, deputy manager, International Space Station Program; Pat Forrester, Astronaut Office chief, Johnson Space Center; and Will Ulrich, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be the Starliners first flight to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Launch. Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in SpaceXs Launch and Landing Control Center in HangerX at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov launched at 3:27 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Members of the media gather in Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium during a post launch news conference with agency and industry leaders following the March 2, 2:49 a.m. EST launch of the SpaceX Demo-1 Commercial Crew Program (CCP) mission to the International Space Station. The Crew Dragons trip to the space station is designed to validate end-to-end systems and capabilities, leading to certification to fly crew. NASA has worked with SpaceX and Boeing in developing the CCP spacecraft to facilitate new human spaceflight systems launching from U.S. soil with the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit destinations, such as the space station.

STS-130 ascent flight controllers on console in WFCR with Flight Director Norm Knight during launch attempt of Endeavour. Photo Date: February 7, 2010. Location: Building 30 south - WFCR.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Media attending a pre-launch news conference at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. heard from officials who discussed payloads to be launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. From the left are Mike Curie of NASA Public Affairs at the Kennedy Space Center, Mike Suffredini, NASA program manager for the International Space Station at the Johnson Space Center, Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, and Joel Tumbiolo, launch weather officer for the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Scheduled for launch March 1 atop a Falcon 9 rocket, the SpaceX Dragon capsule will be making its third trip to the space station. The mission is the second of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the orbiting laboratory.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The news media capture the words and images of the Return To Flight Task Group (RTFTG) which held its first public meeting at the Debus Center, KSC Visitor Complex. The group is co-chaired by former Shuttle commander Richard O. Covey and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, who was an Apollo commander. The RTFTG was at KSC to conduct organizational activities, tour Space Shuttle facilities and receive briefings on Shuttle-related topics. The task group was chartered by NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe to perform an independent assessment of NASAs implementation of the final recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

From left, Cesar Garcia, Solar Orbiter Project Manager, European Space Agency; Ian Walters, Solar Orbiter Project manager, Airbus Defence and Space; and Alan Zide, Solar Orbiter Program executive, NASA Headquarters, participate in a prelaunch news conference for the Solar Orbiter mission at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 7, 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. The spacecraft was developed by Airbus Defence and Space. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch. Solar Orbiter will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Feb. 9, 2020, from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Launch. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft is seen from inside firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center as it launches on NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Thursday, March 2, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev launched at 12:34 a.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA Shuttle Launch Director Michael Leinbach monitors the launch countdown from Firing Room Four of the Launch Control Center (LCC) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Friday, July 8, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The launch of Atlantis, STS-135, is the final flight of the shuttle program, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ed Hoffman, from left, Bob Sieck and Bob Cabana discuss techniques to handle a transition era during the second session in a weeklong series called "Masters with Masters" at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Hoffman, NASA's chief Knowledge officer, Sieck, a former space shuttle launch director, and Cabana, the director of Kennedy, focused on the transition from Apollo to the shuttle and the current transition under way following the shuttle fleet's retirement.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - NASA mentors and the student launch team for the StangSat and Polysat go through final checks in the CubeSat lab facility at California Polytechnic Institute, or CalPoly. The payloads, which include sensors and equipment carefully packaged into 4-inch cubes, will ride in the body of a Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket during a June 15 launch on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest la

Participants of the BRAVO Hackathon conduct research July 18, 2022, at Patrick Space Force Base, Fla. The event brought engineers, scientists, and coders together from four countries to solve problems with the launch mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Unable to photograph or video a KSC Shuttle landing, which instead occurred at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the media focus on the workers at the NASA News Center who follow the path of Discovery on television and computers. Due to weather concerns, the landing was deferred to the alternate site. The 13-day, 21-hour Return to Flight STS-114 mission ended on Runway 22 at 8 11 22 a.m. EDT with Mission Commander Eileen Collins on the controls. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks.

ROV (Remotely operated vehicle) Isis Control room on board James Cook research vessel for research into mid Atlantic ridge, May 2005

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Centers Press Site annex building in Florida, social media followers listen to NASA Social media coordinator Jason Townsend, far left, Bob Jacobs, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Communications, and Jack Fox, chief of the Surface Systems Office in Kennedys Engineering and Technology Directorate, describe the SpaceX 2 Commercial Resupply Mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is planned for March 1, 2013, at 10 10 a.m. EST, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Dragon will be making its third trip to the space station. It will carry supplies and experiments to the orbiting laboratory. The mission is the second of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media from around the globe gather at the NASA News Center at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Press Site in Florida to cover the prelaunch activities and lift off of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Volunteers can be seen at their desks answering questions and providing assistance. Atlantis began its final flight, with Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim on board, at 11:29 a.m. EDT July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Also in Atlantis' payload bay is the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 is the 33rd flight of

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Launch Control Center, NASA and KSC officials applaud the successful launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115. From right are NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, Associate Administrator for Space Operations Mission William Gerstenmaier, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach, NASA Flow Director Angie Brewer, and Public Affairs Officer George Diller, who provided commentary leading up to the launch. Mission STS-115 is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeings CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket in Boeings Orbital Flight Test (OFT), Steve Payne, Launch Integration Manager for NASAs Commercial Crew Program, participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. OFT is Boeings uncrewed flight test of Starliner and part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert M. Gates, right, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William H. Gerstenmaier, center, and other NASA mission managers monitor the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis and the STS-132 mission from Firing Room Four of the NASA Kennedy Space Center Launch Control Center, Friday, May 14, 2010 in Cape Canaveral Florida. Space shuttle Atlantis is embarking on its final planned mission. During the 12-day flight, Atlantis and six astronauts will fly to the International Space Station, leaving behind a Russian Mini Research Module, a set of batteries for the station's truss and dish antenna, along with other replacement parts. Atlantis' 32nd flight is scheduled to last 12 days and include three spacewalks and extensive robotics work.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Launch. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, and Bob Cabana, NASA associate administrator, right, monitor the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev launched at 12:34 a.m. EST on March 2, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Richard Jones, manager of the Mission Management and Integration Office for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission with NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide onboard, Friday, April 23, 2021, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission is the second crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Kimbrough, McArthur, Pesquet, and Hoshide launched at 5:49 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Stephen Koerner, director of the Flight Operations Directorate at NASAs Johnson Space Center speaks with Norm Knight, deputy director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission with NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi onboard, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Hopkins, Glover, Walker, and Noguchi are scheduled to launch at 7:49 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA Administrator meets with Japanese MEXT Minister for a Gateway IA Signing. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, joined by NASA Leadership, delivers opening remarks during a virtual meeting hosted by Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Keiko Nagaoka prior to signing a Gateway implementing agreement Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Twitter user Paul Thompson from Dallas, Texas, who goes by the twitter name @flyingphotog, uses his laptop during a two-day NASA Tweetup event held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. NASA Twitter followers in attendance will have the opportunity to take a tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, view the space shuttle launch and speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers.

of 2