Space Operations and Launch Control

Images depicting space operations, including launch control rooms, media events, and discussions about space vehicles and missions.

PHOTO DATE: 08 July 2011LOCATION: Bldg. 30 south - WFCR, SMGSUBJECT: STS-135 Flight Controllers on Console during last space shuttle launchWORK ORDER: 01815-BS___07-08-11-STS 135 LAUNCH WFCR

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Tom Engler, deputy director of the Center Planning and Development Directorate at Kennedy Space Center, speaks to members of the media during an Open House event at Hangar N at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of PaR Systems' partnership with Kennedy. Under a 15-year lease agreement, PaR Systems is utilizing Hangar N and its unique nondestructive testing equipment. Behind Engler is the robotic inspection cell that contains an automated X-ray system once used to scan the aft skirts of the solid rocket boosters for the space shuttle. The partnership agreement was established by Kennedy's Center Planning and Development Directorate. The agreement is just one example of the types of partnerships that Kennedy is seeking to create a multi-user spaceport.

NASA Ares I-X Assistant Launch Director Pete Nickolenko, left, and NASA Ares I-X Launch Director Ed Mango monitor the launch countdown from Firing Room One of the Launch Control Center (LCC) at the Kennedy Space Center during the planned launch of the Ares I-X rocket from pad 39b at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. The flight test of Ares I-X will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

Stephen Koerner, Director of the Flight Operations Directorate at NASAs Johnson Space Center, Norm Knight, deputy director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Steve Stich, deputy manager of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, and Hans Koenigsmann, vice president for build and flight reliability at SpaceX are seen monitoring 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

Edwards, Calif. - ED-0155-13 - Steve Lindsey, Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, director of flight operations and former space shuttle astronaut, left, talks to NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, center, and agency Dryden Flight Research Center Deputy Director Patrick Stoliker about the company's Dream Chaser flight test vehicle. It will undergo ground and approach-and-landing flight tests at Dryden in the coming months as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, development work. SNC is one of three companies working with CCP during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative, which is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers.

PHOTO DATE: 08 July 2011LOCATION: Bldg. 30 south - WFCR, SMGSUBJECT: STS-135 Flight Controllers on Console during last space shuttle launchWORK ORDER: 01815-BS___07-08-11-STS 135 LAUNCH WFCR

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Launch. Norm Knight, director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, left, and Joe Acaba, Chief of the Astronaut Office, 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, Thursday, March 2, 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Prior to the arrival of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, to the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Professor Sam Ting, AMS Principal Investigator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology speaks with the media.AMS is a state-of-the-art particle physics detector is designed to operate as an external module on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for dark matter. AMS will fly to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch Feb. 26, 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - From left, Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director; Pete Nickolenko, assistant launch director; and Dana Hutcherson, flow director for space shuttle Endeavour, watch the liftoff of Endeavour through the windows of Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch of Endeavour on the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station was at 4:14 a.m. EST. This was the second launch attempt for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 crew and the final scheduled space shuttle night launch. The first attempt on Feb. 7 was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is the Tranquility node, a pressurized module that will provide additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. The cupola resem

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Port Canaveral, Fla., NASA and United Launch Alliance managers brief members of the news media on the arrival of the ULA Atlas V rocket that will boost the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft to the Red Planet. From the left, are Chuck Tatro, NASA's MAVEN mission manager, Vernon Thorp, ULA's NASA and Commercial Program manager and Omar Baez, NASA's launch director.MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch in November 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space Florida Chief Operating Officer Jim Kuzma comments on the prospect of a new agency partnership during a news conference at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. NASA has selected Space Florida, the aerospace economic development agency for the state of Florida, for negotiations toward a partnership agreement to maintain and operate the historic Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF. NASA issued a request for information to industry in 2012 to identify new and innovative ways to use the facility for current and future commercial and government mission activities. Space Florida's proposal is aligned closely with Kennedy's vision for creating a multiuser spaceport. The SLF, specially designed for space shuttles returning to Kennedy, opened for flights in 1976. The concrete runway is 15,000 feet long and 300 feet wide. The SLF is capable of handling all types and sizes of aircraft and horizontal launch and landing vehicles.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Bob Cabana (with microphone) congratulates the mission management team after the successful launch of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-119 mission. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the space station and Discovery's 36th flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Members of the news media and company officials gather for a ceremony by The Boeing Company discussing the CST-100 spacecraft inside Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives remarks on the agencys Artemis program, Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in front of the core stage for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Through Artemis NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.

During his first official visit to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tours the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018. Bridenstine was briefed on work taking place on NASAs Orion spacecraft, which will launch aboard the agencys Space Launch System rocket on trips to deep space.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Test Directors Steve Payne and Charlie Blackwell-Thompson smile approvingly after space shuttle Atlantis' successful launch on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis with its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, lifted off at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2011 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the station. Atlantis also will fly 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 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station,

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At a media event in Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center, NASA management talk about the Ares I-X being assembled at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Shuttle Test Director Jeff Spaulding, Deputy Mission Manager Carol Scott, Constellation Projects Office Director Pepper Phillips and Chief of the NASA Launch and Landing Division Pete Nickolenko. The upper stage simulators will be used in the test flight identified as Ares I-X in 2009. The segments will simulate the mass and the outer mold line and will be more than 100 feet of the total vehicle height of 327 feet. The simulator comprises 11 segments that are approximately 18 feet in diameter. Most of the segments will be approximately 10 feet high, ranging in weight from 18,000 to 60,000 pounds, for a total of approximately 450,000 pounds.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach points to some of the tiles recovered from the orbiter as he explains to the media about activities that have taken place since the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. STS-107 debris recovery and reconstruction operations are winding down. To date, nearly 84,000 pieces of debris have been recovered and sent to KSC. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden at podium after tour of the Orion mockups in Bldg. 9 at Johnson Space Center in Houston followed by a short Q&A in front of the mockup on Sept. 26, 2011. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Robert Lightfoot, associate administrator, NASA, talks during a press conference held after the successful launch of the Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Cygnus is on its way to rendezvous with the space station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Mark Geyer, Orion program manager, takes part in a briefing inside the Young-Crippen Firing Room at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA officials discussed the goals and expectations for a September 2014 flight test called Exploration Flight Test-1 or EFT-1 as part of the agency's goal of launching astronauts into deep space.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach waves his STS-135 shuttle launch team member flag in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center following the successful launch of space shuttle Atlantis from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis began its final flight, the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8.STS-135 will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station. Atlantis also is flying 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 Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Axiom-2 Launch Show & Liftoff. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson watches as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) on May 21, 2023. Ax-2 is the second all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, sending Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi to the orbiting laboratory, where they will spend about 10 days conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities. Liftoff occurred at 5:37 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - David Beaman, NASA Space Launch System spacecraft and payload integration manager, addresses the audience assembled in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay for an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Florida.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Bill Parsons talks to guests at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Operations Support Building II (behind him). He and other key Center personnel and guests attended the significant event. The Operations Support Building II is an Agency safety and health initiative project to replace 198,466 square feet of substandard modular housing and trailers in the Launch Complex 39 area at Kennedy Space Center. The five-story building, which sits south of the Vehicle Assembly Building and faces the launch pads, includes 960 office spaces, 16 training rooms, computer and multimedia conference rooms, a Mission Conference Center with an observation deck, technical libraries, an Exchange store, storage, break areas, and parking.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, Deputy Director William Parsons (left) greets STS-116 Mission Specialist Robert Curbeam after his arrival for the Crew Equipment Interface Test. Mission crews make frequent trips to the Space Coast to become familiar with the equipment and payloads they will be using. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7.

John London, an engineer for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, left, and Chip Hardy, Kestrel Eye program manager for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, speak to members of social media in the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on research planned for launch to the International Space Station. The scientific materials and supplies will be aboard a Dragon spacecraft scheduled for launch from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A on Aug. 14 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the company's 12th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The crew of space shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission arrive at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility to take part in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. Here, Commander Mark Kelly is greeted by Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. Behind Leinbach is Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff. TCDT is a rehearsal for launch that includes practicing emergency procedures, handling on-orbit equipment, and simulating a launch countdown. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- During opening ceremonies for the new 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, center director Bob Cabana speaks to guests gathered for the ceremony.The new $100 million facility includes 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 formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.

Oliver Steinbock, left, principal investigator, Florida State University, and Richard Grugel, principal investigator, NASAs Marshall Spaceflight Center, speak to members of the media during a briefing in the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on research planned for launch to the International Space Station. The scientific materials and supplies will be aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company's 15th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

Kennedy Space Center Associate Director Kelvin Manning, right, speaks with a guest during a ceremony marking NASA's Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution (SPIE) organization formally turning over processing of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) to the center's Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Directorate. The ICPS is the first integrated piece of flight hardware to arrive in preparation for the uncrewed Exploration Mission-1. With the Orion attached, the ICPS sits atop the SLS rocket and will provide the spacecraft with the additional thrust needed to travel tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon.

NASA Launch Director Michael Leinbach congratulates the launch team in the NASA Kennedy Space Center Firing Room Four of the Launch Control Center (LCC) shortly after the space shuttle Atlantis, STS-135, launched 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.

In the Kennedy Space Center's Press Site auditorium, Clay Flinn, launch weather officer with the 45th Space Wing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, speaks to members of the media at a prelaunch news conference for NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M. It is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:03 a.m. EDT Aug. 18.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA Chief Scientist Waleed Abdalati addresses news media in Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At the pad, a United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Atlas V rocket is being prepared for launch of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, satellites. Speaking to members of the media are, from the left, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, James Sponnick, ULA vice president of Mission Operations and Abdalati.Bolden took a few dozen members of the news media on a tour of the space agency's Kennedy Space Center and adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 23, 2012 to show the progress being made for future government and commercial space endeavors that will begin from Florida's Space Coast.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The crew of space shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission arrive at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility to take part in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. Mission Specialist Mike Fossum is greeted by Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. TCDT is a rehearsal for launch that includes practicing emergency procedures, handling on-orbit equipment, and simulating a launch countdown. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA, Kennedy Space Center and State of Florida dignitaries helped launch the opening of the newest attraction at Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex, the Shuttle Launch Experience. Speaking to attendees is Center Director Bill Parsons. The attraction includes a simulated launch with the sights, sounds and sensations of launching into space. Find out more about the Visitor Complex and the Shuttle Launch Experience at http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/visitKSC/attractions/index.asp.

Dr. Richard Blakeslee of NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, speaks to members of social media in the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on instruments to be delivered to the International Space Station on the SpaceX CRS-10 mission. Blakeslee explained that the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) is designed to measure the amount, rate and energy of lightning around the world. A Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to be launched from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A on Feb. 18 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the company's 10th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Lockheed Martin and NASA personnel accompany Joanne Maguire, executive vice president of Space Systems for Lockheed Martin, and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, far right, during a tour of Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor to NASA for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, which will be processed in the refurbished Operations and Checkout building.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden helps mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, during a visit to the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew module has been stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing cell. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecrafts 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Cape Canaveral forecast facility in Florida, Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters briefs the media on how the launch weather forecast is developed. Attendees also were able to meet the forecasters for the space shuttle and the expendable launch vehicles. Also participating were members of the Applied Meteorology Unit who provide special expertise to the forecasters by analyzing and interpreting unusual or inconsistent weather data. The media were able to see the release of the Rawinsonde weather balloon carrying instruments aloft to be used as part of developing the forecast.

PHOTO DATE: 07-06-11LOCATION: Bldg. 30SUBJECT: STS-135 Flight Controllers on Console WORK ORDER:01910-BS___STS 135 FLIGHT DIRECTORS-07-06-11

NASA mission managers monitor the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis from firing room four of the NASA Kennedy Space Center, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, Cape Canaveral, FL. Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew began the 11-day STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle will transport spare hardware to the outpost and return a station crew member who spent more than two months in space.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Program Director Wayne Hale talks to reporters about the rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery to Launch Pad 39B. First motion from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building was at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The rollout is an important step before launch of Discovery on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery's launch is targeted for July 1 in a launch window that extends to July 19. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the station.

Robert Lightfoot, associate administrator, NASA, talks during a press conference held after the successful launch of the Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Cygnus is on its way to rendezvous with the space station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Program Director Wayne Hale talks to reporters about the rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery to Launch Pad 39B. First motion from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building was at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The rollout is an important step before launch of Discovery on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery's launch is targeted for July 1 in a launch window that extends to July 19. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the station.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Behind Ochoa is United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden talks to media underneath NASAs mobile launcher (ML) support structure. Center Director Bob Cabana also attended the media event held to detail MLs use with NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket, which will take astronauts into deep space on missions to asteroids, the moon or Mars. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall ML structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. The ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches.

Gene Boland, chief scientist of Techshot, participates in a Whats on Board science briefing at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 5, 2020. The briefing provided a closer look at some of the payloads launching on SpaceXs 20th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-20) mission to the International Space Station. The companys Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:50 p.m. EST on March 6, 2020.

In the Press Site auditorium of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Dan Hartman, NASA deputy manager of the International Space Station Program, speaks to media at a post-launch news conference following the liftoff of SpaceX CRS-12, a commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. SpaceX CRS-12 lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy's Launch Complex 39A at 12:31 p.m. EDT.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As a rosy dawn creeps over the horizon, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Operations Michael Foale (left) and astronaut Bill Readdy (center) talk to Steve Fossett about the anticipated flight of the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. Fossett will pilot the GlobalFlyer on a record-breaking attempt by flying solo, non-stop without refueling, to surpass the current record for the longest flight of any aircraft. Fossett is expected to take off from the KSC SLF. Later, takeoff of the GlobalFlyer was postponed due to a fuel leak that appeared during the last moments of loading. The next planned takeoff attempt is 7 a.m. Feb. 8 from the SLF.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Launch. Benji Reed, senior director of Human Spaceflight Programs at SpaceX, is seen alongside NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson as they monitor 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.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is seen in firing room four during the countdown of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-4 mission with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti onboard, Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth 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. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti launched at 3:52 a.m. ET, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Scott Colloredo, chief architect for the Kennedy Space Center's Ground System Development and Operations Program, speaks to about 45 of NASAs social media followers during two days of presentations on the Kennedy'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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Roy Tharpe, president of Space Gateway Support at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, a Space Shuttle Program time capsule has been enshrined capsule in a secured vault within the walls of the 90,000-square-foot Space Shuttle Atlantis home.The time capsule, containing artifacts and other memorabilia associated with the history of the program is designated to be opened on the 50th anniversary of the shuttle's final landing, STS-135. The new $100 million "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Near Launch Pad 39A, STS-118 Mission Specialist Dave Williams gets pointers from a Johnson Space Center crew photo trainer on using the camera and telephoto lens to photograph the external tank/solid rocket booster stack on Space Shuttle Endeavour. Williams and other mission specialists will take photos of the tank after separation from Endeavour after launch. The STS-118 crew is at Kennedy to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, including M-113 training, payload familiarization, emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. The payload aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour includes the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The STS-118 mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug. 7. NASA/George Shelton

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, speaks to the audience during the ceremony announcing the signing of an innovative agreement between NASA and Space Florida. NASA announced a partnership with Space Florida to occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3), the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center. Space Florida has an agreement for use of the OPF-3 with the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft. The 15-year use permit deal is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-135 Assistant Launch Director Pete Nickolenko and Kennedy's Associate Director for Business Operations Kelvin Manning, enjoy a lighthearted moment while watching shuttle Atlantis as it slowly backs out of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 during its final planned move to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The move called "rollover" is a major milestone in processing for the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Inside the VAB, the shuttle will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are expected to launch in mid July, taking with them the Raffaello multipurpose 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 h

Orion sits atop a transport vehicle as it departs from its home at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan.16, 2021. In view is Scott Wilson, manager of production operations for NASAs Orion Program. Orion will begin its trek to the Multi-Payload Processing Facility. There it will undergo ground processing with the Exploration Ground Systems team taking over ground processing ahead of the Artemis I launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Centers Apollo V_Saturn Center, First Lady Laura Bush (right) greets Scott Thurston (far left), NASA vehicle manager, and Tom Overton, vehicle integration manager. They are attending the historic launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114, scheduled to lift off at 10 39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B with a crew of seven. Mrs. Bush is only the third First Lady to witness a Space Shuttle launch at KSC. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will ins

A mockup of the cargo logistics module for Sierra Nevada Corporations Dream Chaser, the companys reusable spaceplane, arrived at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida in August. On Sept. 20, 2019, senior leadership had the opportunity to view the cargo module in the SSPF high bay. Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana, left, speaks to Steve Lindsey, vice president, Space Exploration Systems, Sierra Nevada Corporation. The SSPF is providing support for current and future NASA and commercial provider programs, including Commercial Resupply Services, Artemis 1, sending the first woman and next man to the Moon, and deep space destinations including Mars.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Program Director Wayne Hale talks to reporters about the rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery to Launch Pad 39B. First motion from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building was at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The rollout is an important step before launch of Discovery on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery's launch is targeted for July 1 in a launch window that extends to July 19. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the station.

During a "Powering Exploration Mission-1" ceremony in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 16, 2018, Phillippe Deloo, left, European Service Module program manager at the European Space Agency (ESA); and Mark Kirasich, Orion Program manager at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, answer questions. The event was held to mark a major milestone, the arrival of the European Service Module (ESM) for Orion's Exploration Mission-1. The service module, built by the European Space Agency, will supply the main propulsion system and power to the Orion spacecraft during EM-1, a mission to the Moon. The ESM also will house air and water for astronauts on future missions. EM-1 will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration to destinations beyond Earth orbit. EM-1 will be the first integrated test of NASA's Space Launch System, Orion and the ground systems at Kennedy.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, right, and Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, left, are seen following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-4 mission with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti onboard, Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth 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. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti launched at 3:52 a.m. ET, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six month mission onboard the International Space Station.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks to employees about the agencys progress toward sending astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars during a televised event, Monday, March 11, 2019, at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media, and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion spacecraft, which is scheduled to be flown on Exploration Mission-2, was on display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, launch team members monitor the countdown to the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Seen here are Assistant Launch Director Pete Nickolenko (right), Atlantis NASA Flow Director Angie Brewer and NASA Commentator and Public Affairs Officer George Diller.Atlantis with its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, lifted off at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2011 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the station. Atlantis also will fly 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

Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project Announcement. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks during a news conference on NASAs Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, DC. Through a Funded Space Act Agreement, The Boeing company and its industry team will collaborate with NASA to develop and flight-test a full-scale Transonic Truss-Braced Wing demonstrator aircraft.

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeings CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in Boeings Orbital Flight Test (OFT), NASA Operations Integration Manager Michael Hess 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This display of NASAs Constellation Program was part of a daylong event commemorating the agencys 50th anniversary during a Future Forum in Miami that focused on how space exploration benefits Florida's economy. The event, which included presentations and panels, was held at the University of Miami's BankUnited Center. Among those participating were NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale, astronaut Carl Walz, director of the Advanced Capabilities Division in NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, and Russell Romanella, director, International Space Station and Spacecraft Processing.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members pose for the traditional portrait after breakfast on launch day. From left are Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy and Dave Wolf, Pilot Doug Hurley, Commander Mark Polansky, and Mission Specialists Julie Payette, Tom Marshburn and Tim Kopra. Payette is with the Canadian Space Agency. Kopra is making his first shuttle flight and will remain on the International Space Station as the Expedition 20 flight engineer. Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission is scheduled for 5:40 a.m. EDT. A hydrogen leak during tanking for the June 13 launch caused the STS-127 mission to be scrubbed. The 7-inch quick disconnect and flight seal were removed from the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate and the seal replaced. The leak is similar to what happened during the first launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission in March 2009. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Modu

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Mike Griffin (left) and HDNet Chairman and President Mark Cuban shake hands after announcing an agreement for HDNet to provide high definition TV coverage of space shuttle launches through 2010. The announcement was made at a news conference held in Colorado Springs, Colo. The news conference was hosted by the Space Foundation during its 22nd National Space Symposium that ended today. HDNet will broadcast the shuttle flights in high definition TV, known as HDTV, which has at least twice the resolution of standard television formats. HDNet also will provide the agency a standard broadcast signal of launches for use by media networks and NASA TV. When possible, it will air HDTV coverage of NASA's expendable rocket launches on its network.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Merritt Island Launch Annex (MILA) Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network Station at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Jeff Volosin, associate director, Exploration and Communications, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, addresses those in attendance at a closing ceremony recognizing the station's 45 years of service.The station was originally established by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center as one of 17 Space Flight Tracking and Data Network stations around the world. Commissioned for the Apollo Program, the first launch it supported was the Apollo/Saturn 203 test flight from Launch Complex 37 on July 5, 1966. It also provided orbital support for low earth-orbiting scientific satellites. In recent history, the station has been used almost exclusively for space shuttle launch and landing support. Following the final launch and landing of the Space Shuttle Program in July 2011, the MILA station is officially decommissioned.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Former Kennedy Space Center Director Jay Honeycutt, left, is joined by Lee Solid, a retired senior executive with Rockwell and Boeing, in speaking 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.

Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, speaks at the dedication of the center's historic countdown clock. To the right is space center director Bob Cabana. Now located at the entrance to the visitor complex, the spaceport's historic countdown clock was used starting with the launch of Apollo 12 on Nov. 14, 1969. Originally set up at the space center's Press Site, the clock was used through the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, launched on July 8, 2011. The old countdown clock was replaced in 2014 with a modern light emitting diode, or LED, display.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks to members of the media at the arrival of NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceXs Crew-1 mission, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first operational 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, Noguchi are scheduled to launch at 7:49 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Program Director Wayne Hale talks to reporters about the rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery to Launch Pad 39B. First motion from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building was at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The rollout is an important step before launch of Discovery on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery's launch is targeted for July 1 in a launch window that extends to July 19. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the station.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Crew Arrival for Prelaunch Activities. Kennedy Space Center director Janet Petro delivers remarks after NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, arrivied at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the agencys SpaceX Crew-7 mission, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh 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 are scheduled to launch at 3:49 a.m. EDT on August 25, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the NASA News Center annex at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, social media participants listen to a briefing by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. The social media participants gathered at the Florida spaceport for the launch of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L spacecraft. Their visit included tours of key facilities and participating in presentations by key NASA leaders who updated the space agency's current efforts.

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 monitors 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.

HOUSTON - Chris Ferguson, director of Crew and Mission Operations for The Boeing Company, is interviewed by the media during the unveiling of a CST-100 mock-up at the company's Houston Product Support Center. Boeing's CST-100 is being designed to transport crew members or a mix of crew and cargo to low-Earth-orbit destinations, including the International Space Station. Boeing is one of three aerospace industry partners working with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, during its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative, which is intended to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers.

Microsoft and NASA Space Education Day. NASA Associate Administrator for the STEM Engagement Office, Mike Kincaid, provides remarks during Space Education Day, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at the Microsoft Technology Center in Arlington, Va. Microsoft hosted the event to showcase the collaboration, early successes, and future plans for high quality student engagement through activities that combined space content and technologies like artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Crew Walkout. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and Bob Cabana, NASA associate administrator wave as as NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A to board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-6 mission launch, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the third 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. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Crew Arrival for Prelaunch Activities. Junichi Sakai, manager of the International Space Station Program for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), speaks after NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina arrived at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceXs Crew-5 mission, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth 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. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini are scheduled to launch at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Pat Forrester, chief, Astronaut Office, Johnson Space Center, speaks to members of the media during a prelaunch news conference with NASA, SpaceX and the 45th Weather Squadron leaders Thursday, Feb. 28, prior to the Saturday, March 2 launch of the SpaceX Demo-1 Commercial Crew Program (CCP) mission to the International Space Station. The inaugural flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, known as Demo-1, is scheduled to lift off from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A Saturday at 2:49 EST. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the uncrewed spacecraft on a mission 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 Commercial Crew Program 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 International Space Station.

SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk, right, speaks to press with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, in front of the Crew Dragon that is being prepared for the Demo-2 mission, at SpaceX Headquarters, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 in Hawthorne, CA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 Commander Dominic Gorie inspects the window in space shuttle Endeavour. The crew is at Kennedy for crew equipment interface test, a process of familiarization with payloads, hardware and the space shuttle. The STS-123 mission is targeted for launch on Feb. 14. It will be the 25th assembly flight of the station.

Steve Lindsey, senior vice president of strategy for Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems and a former NASA astronaut, discusses the capabilities of the companys Shooting Star cargo module in the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 19, 2019. Shooting Star will attach to the back of the companys Dream Chaser spacecraft. The cargo module will deliver more than 12,000 pounds of supplies and other cargo to the International Space Station for NASA as part of the Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Amanda Mitskevich, program manager for NASA's Launch Services Program, speaks to about 45 of NASAs social media followers during two days of presentations on the Kennedy'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.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden talks with representatives of the news media at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California during activities leading up to the launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2.Final preparations for launch of OCO-2 at 5:56 a.m. EDT on July 1 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket are underway on the pad. OCO-2 is NASAs first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. The observatory will measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Former Vice President Al Gore speaks to news media at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida prior to the planned liftoff of NOAAs Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR. DSCOVR will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force. DSCOVR will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA's space weather alerts and forecasts.

Paul Patton, senior manager, front end innovation and regulatory for Delta Faucet, addresses NASA Social participants during a Whats on Board science briefing at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 5, 2020. The briefing provided a closer look at some of the payloads launching on SpaceXs 20th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-20) mission to the International Space Station. The companys Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:50 p.m. EST on March 6, 2020.

Artemis I Liftoff Activities. Artemis I Assistant Launch Director Jeremy Graeber monitors his console during 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.

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. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana holds the "T"-shaped tool he used to lock the space shuttle Endeavour's hatch. The orbiter is undergoing final preparations for its 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.

Phil Moyer, original project lead for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), tours the Vehicle Assembly Building on Nov. 22, 2019 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The VAB was recognized with the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark award by the Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers during a ceremony on Jan. 10, 2020. The VAB is the first building at Kennedy Space Center to earn this distinction. At the time of its completion, the 129-million-cubic-foot structure was the largest building in the world. Originally designed and built to accommodate the Saturn V/Apollo used in Project Apollo, the VAB was later modified for its role in the Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - During a news conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, agency and contractor officials discussed science and technology experiment payloads being transported to the International Space Station by the SpaceX-3 Commercial Resupply Services mission. Andy Petro of the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate participated in the briefing by telephone from NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C.Scheduled for launch on April 14, 2014 atop a Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon spacecraft will be marking its fourth trip to the space station. The SpaceX-3 mission carrying almost 2.5 tons of supplies, technology and science experiments is the third of 12 flights contracted by NASA to resupply the orbiting laboratory.

Artemis II Crew Viewing CTVs at O&C. NASA astronauts Jeremy Hansen, left, and Christina Koch view the crew transport vehicles (CTVs) outside of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. The CTVs will carry them, along with fellow NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, to Kennedys Launch Complex 39B for liftoff of the Artemis II mission. The specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly vehicles were manufactured by Canoo Technologies, Inc. of Torrance California.

Artemis I Liftoff Activities. Artemis I Assistant Launch Director Jeremy Graeber monitors 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.

Junichi Sakai, manager of the International Space Station Program for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) speaks to members of the media following the arrival of NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceXs Crew-1 mission, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first operational 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, Noguchi are scheduled to launch at 7:49 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

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