Space Launch and Engineering

Images depicting space launch preparations, including spacecraft components and astronauts working on the International Space Station.

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KODIAK ISLAND, Alaska -- At the Launch Service Structure, Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), the fairing is lowered over the Kodiak Star spacecraft in preparation for launch. The first orbital launch to take place from KLC, Kodiak Star is scheduled to lift off on a Lockheed Martin Athena I launch vehicle on Sept. 17 during a two-hour window that extends from 5 p.m. ADT. The payloads aboard include the Starshine 3, sponsored by NASA, and the PICOSat, PCSat and Sapphire, sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program. KLC is the newest commercial launch complex in the United States, ideal for launch payloads requiring low-Earth polar or sun-synchronous orbits

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The nose of Atlantis is seen in this closeup, along with the braces that attach it to the external tank at right. Space Shuttle Atlantis is making its second rollout attempt to Launch Pad 39A. An attempt to roll out on Jan. 2 incurred a failed computer processor on the crawler transporter and the Shuttle was returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building using a secondary computer processor on the vehicle. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the International Space Station, carrying the U.S. Laboratory, named Destiny. The lab will have five system racks already installed inside the module. After delivery of electronics in the lab, electrically powered attitude control for Control Moment Gyroscopes will be activated. Atlantis is scheduled for launch no earlier than Jan. 19, 2001, with a crew of five

S116-E-05750 (11 Dec. 2006) --- The International Space Station's new P5 truss section is moved out of Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay by a cabin-bound STS-116 crewmember, using the shuttle's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm. The truss section will be handed to the station's Canadarm2 and will remain suspended over Discovery's port wing overnight, awaiting installation in the first of three planned spacewalks on Dec. 12.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - A technician prepares for payload bay closure on Space Shuttle Endeavour. Inside the bay is the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello (foreground), carrying supplies, equipment and experiments for the International Space Station. Sharing the payload bay are several carriers with varying experiment packages, such as Starshine-2, a Get-Away Special. Endeavour is scheduled to launch Nov. 29 on this first Utilization Flight, STS-108, to the International Space Station. Endeavour will also carry the replacement Expedition 4 crew to the Station and return to Earth with the Expedition 3 crew

iss039e019134 (5/7/2014) - View of the High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) flight assembly installed on the exterior of the Columbus European Laboratory module. The High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment places four commercially available HD cameras on the exterior of the space station and uses them to stream live video of Earth for viewing online. The cameras are enclosed in a temperature specific housing and are exposed to the harsh radiation of space. Analysis of the effect of space on the video quality, over the time HDEV is operational, may help engineers decide which cameras are the best types to use on future missions. High school students helped design some of the cameras' components, through the High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program, and student teams operate the experiment.

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S126-E-008118 (18 Nov. 2008) --- Interior view of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module attached to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony node. Leonardo was moved from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and linked to the station on Nov. 17, carrying two water recovery systems racks for recycling urine into potable water, a second toilet system, new gallery components, two new food warmers, a food refrigerator, an experiment freezer, combustion science experiment rack, two separate sleeping quarters and a resistance exercise device (aRED) that allows station crewmembers to perform a variety of exercises.

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Technicians inspect the payload bay of the space shuttle Atlantis during the STS-135 Crew Equipment Interface Test ( CEIT ) in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, April 8, 2011, in Florida. ( NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool )

S88-E-5019 (12-05-98) --- This medium closeup electronic still camera (ESC) photograph shows Endeavour's docking system in the cargo bay. Though partially obscured, Unity can be seen in its stowed position in aft payload pay. The arm of the remote manipulator system (RMS) is seen in its berthed position on the right. The photo was taken prior to astronaut Nancy Currie's moving of the 12.8-ton Unity connecting module to link it with Endeavour's docking system. The photo was taken at 09:36:33 GMT, Dec. 5, and downlinked later to flight controllers in Houston.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians install a heat shield around one of space shuttle Endeavours replica shuttle main engines.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

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Crew Cabin of Space Shuttle Atlantis

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Forward Attach Point is installed on the orbiter Discovery, near the nose landing gear. Insulating blankets and tiles, part of the Thermal Protection System, have been installed around it. The equipment attaches the External Tank to the orbiter. Discovery is the orbiter designated for the Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The launch window is May 12 to June 3, 2005.

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S126-E-008117 (18 Nov. 2008) --- Interior view of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module attached to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony node. Leonardo was moved from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and linked to the station on Nov. 17, carrying two water recovery systems racks for recycling urine into potable water, a second toilet system, new gallery components, two new food warmers, a food refrigerator, an experiment freezer, combustion science experiment rack, two separate sleeping quarters and a resistance exercise device (aRED) that allows station crewmembers to perform a variety of exercises.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, is lowered toward the base for installation. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14.

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Hinode (Sunrise), formerly known as Solar-B before reaching orbit, was launched from the Uchinoura Space Center in Japan on September 23, 2006. Hinode was designed to probe into the Suns magnetic field to better understand the origin of solar disturbances which interfere with satellite communications, electrical power transmission grids, and the safety of astronauts traveling beyond the Earths magnetic field. Hinode is circling Earth in a polar orbit that places the instruments in continuous sunlight for nine months each year and allows data dumps to a high latitude European Space Agency (ESA) ground station every orbit. NASA and other science teams will support instrument operations and data collection from the spacecrafts operation center at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agencys (JAXAs) Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science facility located in Tokyo. The Hinode spacecraft is a collaboration among space agencies of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Euro

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay doors are ready for closing. Seen here is the integrated cargo carrier - lite. Atlantis is being secured for launch on Dec. 6 on mission STS-122 to the International Space Station. The Columbus laboratory module, built by the European Space Agency, is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The carrier holds three elements: a nitrogen tank assembly that is part of the external active thermal control system on the International Space Station, the European Technology Exposure Facility composed of nine science instruments and an autonomous temperature measurement unit, and the SOLAR payload designed for sun observation.

STS-133 MPLM RACK REMOVAL AND CONVERSION TO PERMANENT MODULE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, stowage of a Ku-band antenna in space shuttle Endeavours payload bay is under way in preparation for final closure of the shuttles payload bay doors.The antenna, which resembles a mini-satellite dish, was used to transmit audio, video and data between the shuttle and ground stations on Earth. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ku-band antenna is stored in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The antenna, which resembles a mini-satellite dish, transmits audio, video and data between Earth and the shuttle. Next, the clamshell doors of the payload bay will close completely in preparation for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building next month. There, it will be attached to its external fuel tank and a set of solid rocket boosters for launch on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.Targeted to launch Nov. 1, STS-133 will carry the multipurpose logistics module, or PMM, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, or R2, to the station. Discovery will leave the module behind so it can be used for microgravity experiments in fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology.

The solar panel-covered, unpressurized trunk of the SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply ship is pictured behind an antenna on the International Space Station during its undocking from the Harmony module's space-facing port.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Russian-built Docking Module is lowered for installation into the payload bay of the space shuttle Atlantis while it is in bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility. The module will fly as a primary payload on the second Space Shuttle/Mir space station docking mission, STS-74. During the mission, the module will first be attached with the orbiter's robot arm to the Orbiter Docking System in the payload bay of the orbiter Atlantis and then be docked with the Mir. When Atlantis undocks from the Mir, it will leave the new docking module permanently attached to the space station for use during future shuttle Mir docking missions. The new module will simplify future Shuttle linkups with Mir by improving orbiter clearances when it serves as a bridge between the two spacecraft. The white structures attached to the module's sides are solar panels that will be attached to the Mir after the conclusion of the STS-74 mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis payload bay doors have been opened, revealing the payload bay. Atlantis is being prepared for display in the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, a 90,000-square-foot facility, scheduled to open June 29, 2013. The new $100 million facility will include interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. Visitors to the exhibit will get an up close look at Atlantis with its payload bay doors open, similar to how it looked in space.

ISS033-E-016526 (28 Oct. 2012) --- The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is pictured just prior to being released by the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm on Oct. 28 to allow it to head toward a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians monitor the second half of the payload fairing as it is moved toward the GOES-O satellite to complete encapsulation. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The GOES satellites continuously provide observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. The GOES-O satel

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis is lowered alongside the external tank and solid rocket boosters waiting below, already secured atop the mobile launcher platform. On this mission, Atlantis will deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's largest contribution to the station, Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The laboratory will expand the research facilities aboard the station, providing crew members and scientists from around the world the ability to conduct a variety of experiments in the physical, materials and life sciences. Mission STS-122 is targeted for launch on Dec. 6.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers are disconnecting and dismantling components on shuttle Endeavour's cockpit.The work is part of Endeavour's transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavour's STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

ISS041-E-020918 (23 Sept. 2014) --- The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft approaches the International Space Station on Sept. 23, 2014 for grapple and berthing. European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, both Expedition 41 flight engineers, were at the controls of the robotics workstation in the Cupola when the Canadarm2 grappled Dragon at 6:52 a.m. (EDT). Dragon will spend the next four weeks attached to the Harmony node as the Expedition 41 crew unloads 4,885 pounds of (2,216 kg) crew supplies, hardware, experiments, and computer gear and spacewalk equipment.

. Gateway Close-up - Airlock Module. A close-up of a government-reference airlock module for the Gateway Space Station. Mission planning calls for an airlock to be delivered and integrated to Gateway by the crewed Orion spacecraft on the Artemis VI mission after launching on an Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B rocket.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In Space Systems International's Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians detach the overhead crane that moved the second solar array for integration and testing to the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft.Following final tests, the spacecraft will be integrated to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for the targeted June launch. Aquarius, the NASA-built primary instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft, will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission.

ISS020-E-040494 (17 Sept. 2009) --- A close-up view of a portion of the unpiloted Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) as it arrives at the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, all Expedition 20 flight engineers, used the stations robotic arm to grab the cargo craft and attach it to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony node. The attachment was completed at 5:26 (CDT) on Sept. 17, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers are disconnecting and dismantling components on shuttle Endeavour's cockpit.The work is part of Endeavour's transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavour's STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of NASAs deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. During this flight, the uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown, over the course of about a three-week mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A, Discoverys payload bay doors close on the payloads inside. On the Integrated Cargo Carrier seen here is the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) on the left. The EAS contains spare ammonia for the Stations cooling system. Ammonia is the fluid used in the radiators that cool the Stations electronics. The EAS will be installed on the P6 truss holding the giant U.S. solar arrays, batteries and cooling radiators. Other payloads in the bay are the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, filled with laboratory racks of science equipment and racks and platforms of experiments and supplies, and various experiments attached on the port and starboard adapter beams. Discovery is scheduled to be launched Aug. 9, 2001

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a United Space Alliance technician communicates with his co-workers regarding the readiness of space shuttle Endeavour to be lifted.Next, Endeavour will be hoisted over a transom and lowered into High Bay 1, where it will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Rollout of the shuttle stack to Kennedys Launch Pad 39A, a significant milestone in launch processing activities, is planned for early January 2010. The Italian-built Tranquility module, the primary payload for Endeavour's STS-130 mission, will be installed in the payload bay after the shuttle arrives at the pad. Launch is targeted for early February.

Day In The Life of Artemis Employees

iss053e130267 (Oct. 24, 2017) --- The Kestrel Eye IIM (KE2M) CubeSat is deployed from the tip of the Dextre attached to the Mobile Servicing System. The KE2M is carrying an optical imaging system payload that is being used to validate the concept of using microsatellites in low-Earth orbit to support critical operations.

S115-E-05999 (14 Sept. 2006) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis astronauts spread a second set of wings for the International Space Station today. The new solar arrays were fully extended at 7:44 a.m CDT. The new arrays span a total of 240 feet and have a width of 38 feet. They are attached to the station's newest component, the P3/P4 integrated truss segment. The installation of the P3/P4, which occurred Tuesday, and the deployment of the arrays set the stage for future expansion of the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, a display inside the "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility features a 43-feet-tall full-scale replica of the Hubble telescope hung through an opening in the second floor.The new $100 million facility will include interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit is scheduled to open June 29, 2013.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Insignia for the Mars Exploration Rovers mission has been placed in the center of the cruise stage. There are two rovers, identical to each other, and each will land at different regions of Mars. They are designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The first rover has a launch window opening May 30, and the second rover a window opening June 25.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A closeup shows the Integrated Cargo Carrier (top) and SPACEHAB Double Module (below) ready to be moved into the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) at Launch Pad 39A. Part of the Rotating Service Structure, the PCR is an environmentally controlled facility supporting cargo delivery to the pad and vertical installation in the orbiter cargo bay. The primary payloads on mission STS-101, the module and ICC contain internal logistics and resupply cargo for restoring full redundancy to the International Space Station power system in preparation for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda. The payloads will be transferred to Space Shuttle Atlantis after Atlantis rolls out to the pad. Launch of Atlantis on mission STS-101 is scheduled no earlier than April 17, 2000

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload for mission STS-118 is being installed in the payload bay on Space Shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A. Seen here, from top, are the orbiter docking system, the SPACEHAB tunnel adapter and the SPACEHAB module. The payload also includes the S5 truss and the external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug.7.

Space Station Concept McDonnell Douglas

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., a worker helps guide the second half of the fairing as it is moved into place around the GOES-N spacecraft. It will be attached to the first half already in place. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) are sponsored by NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. GOES-N is targeted to launch June 23 from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the space shuttle Endeavour's flight deck has completed final preparations for the orbiter's cross-country ferry flight to California.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

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An Orion class command module, lower left, with a crew of three approaches an awaiting rocket already in Earth orbit

Shown is a concept illustration of the Ares I crew launch vehicle during launch and the Ares V cargo launch vehicle on the launch pad. Ares I will carry the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle with an astronaut crew to Earth orbit. Ares V will deliver large-scale hardware to space. This includes the Altair Lunar Lander, materials for establishing an outpost on the moon, and the vehicles and hardware needed to extend a human presence beyond Earth orbit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A closeup of the landing radar installed on the Phoenix spacecraft. Testing will follow. The Phoenix mission is the first project in NASA's first openly competed program of Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.

Technicians move mission specialist seat into place inside space shuttle Atlantis as the spacecraft is prepared for public display. The work is taking place as Atlantis sits inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-115 Mission Specialist Joseph Tanner takes a closer look at the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Known as Kibo, the JEM consists of six components: two research facilities - the Pressurized Module and the Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. Equipment familiarization is a routine part of astronaut training and launch preparations.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the lifting mechanism that raised the GOES-O and Delta IV upper stage to vertical is being detached from the spacecraft-Delta stack. GOES-O is one of a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The multi-mission GOES series N-P will be a vital contributor to weather, solar and space operations and science. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, are actively engaged in a cooperative program to expand the existing GOES system with the launch of the GOES N-P satellites. Launch of the GOES-O is targeted for no earlier than April 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in bay 3 of the Orbiter Processing Facility check the installation of the orbiter boom sensor system in Discovery's payload bay. The boom was removed last week in order to inspect the power system, which is routine after every flight. Discovery returned from mission STS-121 in late July, and is now being processed for mission STS-116, scheduled to launch in mid-December.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians monitor progress as the tail cone moves into position for attachment to the space shuttle Endeavour. The tail cone covers the engines in the aft providing aerodynamic stability during the cross-country ferry flight.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

Technicians inspect the payload bay of the space shuttle Atlantis during the STS-135 Crew Equipment Interface Test ( CEIT ) in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, April 8, 2011, in Florida. ( NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool )

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iss050e031326 (1/16/2017) --- Photo documentation of the Japanese-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-6 (J-SSOD-6) deployment of the ECG Cubesat. The EGG Satellite (re-Entry satellite with Gossamer aeroshell and GPS/Iridium) developed at the University of Tokyo, demonstrates a deployable aeroshell to first act as a drag device and then protect the satellite during the initial stages of re-entry.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside space shuttle Atlantis' crew compartment, a United Space Alliance employee closes the vehicle's hatch for towback from the Shuttle Landing Facility runway to Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After every shuttle landing, about 150 trained workers assist the crew out and then make the vehicle safe for towing atop a large diesel-driven tractor. Atlantis touched down on Runway 33 after 12 days in space, completing the 4.8-million mile STS-132 mission to the International Space Station. Inside the processing facility, Atlantis will be prepared for the unlikely event it is needed as a rescue spacecraft for the final planned shuttle flight, Endeavour's STS-134 mission.

CAPSTONE is expected to be the first CubeSat to fly in cislunar space - the orbital space near and around the Moon. The mission will demonstrate an innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation solution at the Moon from a near rectilinear halo orbit slated for Artemis Gateway.

ISS026-E-020910 (27 Jan. 2011) --- Backdropped by a cloud-covered part of Earth, the unpiloted Japanese Kounotori2 H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV2) approaches the International Space Station. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched HTV2 aboard an H-IIB rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan at 12:37 a.m. (EST) (2:27 p.m. Japan time) on Jan. 22, 2011. HTV2 is the second unpiloted cargo ship launched by JAXA to the station and will deliver more than four tons of food and supplies to the space station and its crew members.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the bottom of the external tank for space shuttle Atlantis is seen as it is lifted out of the checkout cell. The tank will be moved to high bay 3 and lowered toward the solid rocket boosters for mating. The tank and boosters will be secured on the mobile launcher platform below. Atlantis' STS-125 mission is the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

iss065e009467 4/29/2021 --- A view of the Spaceborne Computer-2 High Performance Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Computer System on the ISS (Spaceborne Computer-2) aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The study explores how space exploration can be advanced by the use of the commercial off-the-shelf computer systems. Spaceborne Computer-2 further tests additional techniques for recovering or mitigating errors in the extreme environment of unprotected solar radiation, galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and other events.

S118-E-07033 (13 Aug. 2007) --- While anchored to the foot restraint on the Canadarm2, astronaut Dave Williams, STS-118 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, participates in the mission's second planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 28-minute spacewalk, Williams and astronaut Rick Mastracchio (out of frame), mission specialist, removed a faulty control moment gyroscope (CMG-3) and installed a new CMG into the station's Z1 truss. The failed CMG will remain at its temporary stowage location on the station's exterior until it is returned to Earth on a later shuttle mission. The new gyroscope is one of four CMGs that are used to control the station's attitude in orbit.

S134-E-006505 (17 May 2011) --- The Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), pictured on the second flight day of STS-134, on left side of this photo showing Endeavour's vertical stabilizer and cargo bay, is a 50-foot boom carried onboard each of NASA's space shuttles. The boom can be grappled by the Canadarm and serves as an extension of the arm, doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet (30 meters). At the far end of the boom is an instrumentation package of cameras and lasers used to scan the leading edges of the wings, the nose cap, and the crew compartment after each lift-off and before each landing.

Practicing Repair Maneuver

Satellite, computer artwork.

Portable street WC toilet cabin on Earth orbit Portable street WC toilet cabin on Earth orbit. elements furnished by Nasa Copyright: xZoonar.com/StanislavxRishnyakx 16000576

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Changeout Room on Launch Pad 39B, the payloads for Return to Flight mission STS-114 are being transferred to Discoverys payload bay. Seen here is the External Stowage Platform 2. Other payloads includes a Control Moment Gyro and the Thermal Protection System Detailed Test Objective box, which is placed on the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier, and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello. Already installed in the payload bay are the airlock, the Canadarm 2, or Shuttle arm, and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. The launch window for mission STS-114 extends from July 13 to July 31.

NASA/SpaceX Crew-6 Rollout for Launch. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon spacecraft Endeavour rolls out to Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 22, 2023, for NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander, and Warren Woody Hoburg, pilot, along with mission specialists Sultan Alneyadi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut, and Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut, are slated to launch to the International Space Station at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A. Crew-6 is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the seventh flight of Dragon with people as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two launch and entry seats were installed on the space shuttle Endeavour's aft flight deck as part of final preparations for the orbiter's cross-country ferry flight to California.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians install the shuttle orbiter repackaged galley (SORG) in the middeck of space shuttle Discovery.After Discoverys final mission, STS-133, the SORG was removed and sent to a United Space Alliance lab in Houston where it was cleaned and deserviced. Water in the microbial check valve and the orbiter water system was drained and dried. The SORG was returned to Kennedy Space Center. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39A, a worker reaches toward the plastic-covered replacement Power Drive Unit (PDU) for Space Shuttle Atlantis as it is lifted by crane toward the tail. The PDU controls the rudder/speed brake on the orbiter. Atlantis is scheduled to lift off April 24 at 4:15 p.m. EDT on mission STS-101, the third flight to the International Space Station. The primary mission is to carry logistics and supplies to the Space Station, plus the crew will be preparing the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An artists conception of the autonomous Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous (DART) spacecraft as it approaches the Multiple Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site Communications (MUBLCOM) satellite. NASA is testing the DART as a docking system for next generation vehicles to guide spacecraft carrying cargo or equipment to the International Space Station, or retrieving or servicing satellites in orbit. Before the new system can be implemented on piloted spacecraft, it has to be tested in space. The computer-guided DART is equipped with an Advanced Video Guidance Sensor and a Global Positioning System that can receive signals from other spacecraft to allow DART to move within 330 feet of the target. DART is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California no earlier than Oct. 18. It will be released from a Pegasus XL launch vehicle carried aloft by an Orbital Sciences Corporation aircraft. The fourth stage of the Pegasus rocket will remain attach

S129-E-007126 (20 Nov. 2009) --- Astronaut Charles O. Hobaugh, STS-129 commander, uses a communication system on the middeck of Space Shuttle Atlantis while docked with the International Space Station.

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iss056e130478 (8/10/2018) --- A view of the BIRDS-2 Satellite Deployment during JSSOD-9 operations. The JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) provides a novel, safe, small satellite launching capability to the International Space Station (ISS). Once the J-SSOD including satellite install cases with small satellites are installed on the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) by crewmembers, it is passed through the JEM airlock for retrieval, positioning and deployment by the JEMRMS.

ISS041-E-020882 (23 Sept. 2014) --- The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft approaches the International Space Station on Sept. 23, 2014 for grapple and berthing. European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, both Expedition 41 flight engineers, were at the controls of the robotics workstation in the Cupola when the Canadarm2 grappled Dragon at 6:52 a.m. (EDT). Dragon will spend the next four weeks attached to the Harmony node as the Expedition 41 crew unloads 4,885 pounds of (2,216 kg) crew supplies, hardware, experiments, and computer gear and spacewalk equipment.

STS088-354-031 (14 Dec. 1998) --- Toward the STS-88 mission's end, the astronauts deployed a small 590-pound satellite called SAC-A for the Argentinean National Committee of Space Activities. Equipped with five technology experiments, SAC-A was ejected from a canister in Endeavour's cargo bay at 10:31 p.m. (CST) as the satellite flew over the northern Indian Ocean. The satellite is expected to remain in orbit from five to nine months sending back data to Argentine researchers on Earth.

From the Payload Changeout Room, members of the STS-100 crew look over part of the mission payload, the SSRMS, in Space Shuttle Endeavours payload bay. The SSRMS, or Canadian robotic arm, is capable of handling large payloads and assisting with docking the Space Shuttle. It is crucial to the continued assembly of the International Space Station. The crew is at KSC to complete Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that were postponed earlier. The TCDT includes emergency escape training, payload bay walkdown, and a simulated launch countdown. The primary payload also includes Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Raffaello. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100 is targeted for April 19 at 2 41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the orbiter Atlantis, Center Director Roy Bridges (seated at bottom left) and Associate Director for Advanced Development and Shuttle Upgrades JoAnn Morgan (standing second from left) learn about the new Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS) from Laural Patrick (standing left), a systems engineer with MEDS, and George Selina (at right), with United Space Alliance. Also called the "glass cockpit," the new full-color flat panel MEDS upgrade improves crew/orbiter interaction with easy-to-read, graphic portrayals of key flight indicators like attitude display and mach speed. The installation makes Atlantis the most modern orbiter in the fleet and equals the systems on current commercial jet airliners and military aircraft. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on mission STS-101 in early December

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of an Almaz capsule, the basis of Excalibur Almaz Inc.'s Human Spacecraft design. In 2011, NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP and the Houston-based company entered into an unfunded Space Act Agreement during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industrys own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems ATK, Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Sierra Nevada Corp., Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA.

ISS038-E-003871 (19 Nov. 2013) --- Three nanosatellites, known as Cubesats, are deployed from a Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD) attached to the Kibo laboratorys robotic arm at 7:10 a.m. (EST) on Nov. 19, 2013. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, monitored the satellite deployment while operating the Japanese robotic arm from inside Kibo. The Cubesats were delivered to the International Space Station Aug. 9, aboard Japans fourth H-II Transfer Vehicle, Kounotori-4.

A view of the SpaceChain 2.0 investigation in the cupola module aboard the International space Station (ISS). The SpaceChain 2.0 investigation verifies the hardware and software required to extend robust blockchain capabilities into the developing space economy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director Jim Kennedy is ready to exit Endeavour after watching and talking to workers inside. Kennedy is taking an opportunity to learn first-hand what workers are doing to enable Return to Flight. Endeavour is in an Orbiter Major Modification period.

STS-100 Mission Specialist Chris A. Hadfield, who is with the Canadian Space Agency, pauses for the photographer while looking over part of the mission payload, the Canadian robotic arm (SSRMS). The SSRMS is capable of handling large payloads and assisting with docking the Space Shuttle. It is crucial to the continued assembly of the International Space Station. Hadfield and the rest of the crew are at KSC to complete Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that were postponed earlier. The TCDT includes emergency escape training, payload bay walkdown, and a simulated launch countdown. The primary payload also includes Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Raffaello. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100 is targeted for April 19 at 2 41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A

LCROSS impact artwork credit line required Northrup Grumman

weißes LED Licht weißes LED Licht Copyright: xZoonar.com/RolandxNiederstrathx 4059975

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Starshine-2 experiment rests inside a canister in the payload bay of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The deployable experiment is being carried on mission STS-108. Starshine-2's 800 aluminum mirrors were polished by more than 25,000 students from 26 countries. Top priorities for the STS-108 (UF-1) mission of Endeavour are rotation of the International Space Station Expedition Three and Expedition Four crews, bringing water, equipment and supplies to the station in the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, and completion of robotics tasks and a spacewalk to install thermal blankets over two pieces of equipment at the bases of the Space Station's solar wings. Liftoff of Endeavour on mission STS-108 is scheduled for 7:41 p.m. EST

Satellite in space among the stars

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In this closeup of Space Shuttle Endeavour at Launch Pad 39A, the crew entry can be seen just to the left of the orbiters name. Prior to launch, the orbiter access arm with the White Room at the end will extend to the entry, enabling the crew to enter the orbiter. In the background, the Atlantic Ocean can be seen. Endeavour is expected to lift off on mission STS-100 on April 19, carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, to the International Space Station

ISS037-E-021216 (28 Oct. 2013) --- The European Space Agencys fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-4), also known as the “Albert Einstein,” begins its relative separation from the International Space Station during the Expedition 37 mission. The ATV-4 undocked from the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 4:55 a.m. (EDT) Oct. 28, 2013. The ATV, filled with trash and unneeded items, is scheduled to be sent into Earths atmosphere for a planned destructive re-entry over an uninhabited area of the south Pacific Ocean on Nov. 2.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Atlantis prepares to land on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility to complete a 12-day, 18-hour, 34-minute-long STS-104 mission. Main gear touchdown occurred at 11:38:55 p.m. EDT. At the controls is Commander Steven W. Lindsey. Other crew members on board are Pilot Charles Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Michael Gernhardt, Janet Lynn Kavandi and James F. Reilly. This is the 18th nighttime landing for a Space Shuttle, the 13th at Kennedy Space Center. The mission delivered the Joint Airlock Module to the International Space Station, completing the second phase of the assembly of the Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A view of the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115 as it soars over the Space Coast, taken from NASA's WB-57 aircraft. Atlantis is heading for a rendezvous with the International Space Station, delivering the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment for installation. Liftoff was on-time at 11:14:55 a.m. EDT. After several launch attempts were scrubbed due to weather and technical concerns, this launch was executed perfectly. The girder-like truss includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics and will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation capability for the completed station. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-107 Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon checks equipment during crew training at SPACEHAB, Cape Canaveral, Fla. STS-107 is a research mission, and the primary payload is the first flight of the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM). The experiments range from material sciences to life sciences (many rats). Among the experiments is a Hitchhiker carrier system, modular and expandable in accordance with payload requirements. STS-107 is scheduled to launch in June 2002.

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