Space Shuttle Launch

Photographs of Space Shuttle rollouts at Kennedy Space Center, highlighting the vehicles on crawlers, surrounded by launch facilities and postures.

Rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery and Crawler

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On a beautiful Florida morning, a crawler transporter moves Space Shuttle Discovery (right, nearly hidden behind its external tank and solid rocket boosters) from Pad 39B back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at left to repair damage to the external tank's foam insulation caused by hail. The external tank-solid rocket booster stack for mission STS-93 was moved out of High Bay 1, which awaits Discovery's arrival with its door open. The necessary repair work could not be performed at the pad due to limited access to the damaged areas. The work is expected to take two to three days, allowing Discovery to roll back to Pad 39B by midweek for launch of mission STS-96, the 94th launch in the Space Shuttle Program. This is only the 13th time since 1981 that a Shuttle has had to roll back from the pad. Liftoff will occur no earlier than May 27. STS-96 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying such payloads as a Russian

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crawler-transporter beneath space shuttle Endeavour and the mobile launcher platform makes its slow journey from Launch Pad 39B to Launch Pad 39A, a 3.4-mile trip. First motion was at 8:28 a.m. EDT. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14 on the STS-126 mission. On this 27th mission to the International Space Station, Endeavour will carry the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo that will hold supplies and equipment, including additional crew quarters, additional exercise equipment, spare hardware and equipment for the regenerative life support system.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Atlantis reverses direction and begins rolling back out to Launch Pad 39B. It had been moved off the launch pad due to concerns about the impact of Tropical Storm Ernesto, expected within 24 hours. The forecast of lesser winds expected from Ernesto and its projected direction convinced Launch Integration Manager LeRoy Cain and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach to return the shuttle to the launch pad

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery, targeted for launch on August 7, 1997, on mission STS-85, rolls out to Launch Complex 39A. STS-85 will feature the second flight of the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTA-SPAS)

Rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery and Crawler

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After a journey of more than 8 hours from the Vehicle Assembly Building, Space Shuttle Atlantis sits on Launch Pad 39B. At left is the Rotating Service Structure, which will roll on its axis to enclose the Shuttle until launch. Towering above the Fixed Service Structure next to it is the 80-foot tall lightning mast that provides protection from lightning strikes. On the right is the elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. Part of the Sound Suppression Water System, the water in the tank is released just before ignition of the orbiters three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters and flow through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the pad area. The Shuttle is targeted for launch no earlier than July 12 on mission STS-104, the 10th flight to the International Space Station. The payload on the 11-day mission is the Joint Airlock Module, which will allow astronauts and cosmonauts in residence on the Station to perform future spacewalks wit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Early morning finds space shuttle Endeavour has moved into place beside the rotating and fixed service structures on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Riding atop a crawler-transporter attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, Endeavour's 3.4-mile trek, known as "rollout," began at the Vehicle Assembly Building at 7:56 p.m. EST March 10 and ended at 3:49 a.m. EST, nearly eight hours later. This is Endeavour's final scheduled rollout. Endeavour and its six-member crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station on the shuttle's final spaceflight, STS-134. Launch is targeted for 7:48 p.m. EDT April 19.

The Crawler Transporter brings the Space Shuttle Discovery on its Mobile Launcher Platform into position at Launch Pad 39B following rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Fixed Service Structure and the Rotating Service Structure permanent parts of the launch pad are left of the Shuttle.

S96-11816 (1 June 1996) --- The space shuttle Atlantis completes the final Earth-bound leg of its journey into space, arriving at the top of the hardstand at Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis is slated for liftoff later this year on the STS-79 mission, the fourth United States Space Shuttle and Russian Mir Space Station docking flight.

Rollout of Space Shuttle Discovery

Russian space rocket Vostok, Moscow, Russia, East Europe

After successfully arriving at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39B, Exploration Ground Systems mobile launcher continues its journey atop crawler-transporter 2 up to the pad surface on June 28, 2019. The mobile launcher began its final solo trek to the pad at midnight on June 27, departing from NASAs Vehicle Assembly Building. The mobile launcher will remain at the pad over the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agencys Space Launch System rocket and Orion in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis atop the mobile launcher platform sits on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left is the Vehicle Assembly Building. Atlantis has been joined by space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B. This is probably the final time two shuttles will be on launch pads at the same time with the space shuttle fleet set for retirement in 2010. Endeavour will be prepared on the pad for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary following space shuttle Atlantis' launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. After Atlantis is cleared to land, Endeavour will move to Launch Pad 39A for its upcoming STS-127 mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch June 13.

STS-131 DISCOVERY AT PAD 39A AFTER ROLLOUT - HARDDOWN

The Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft is raised into a vertical position on the launch pad on Monday, May 26, 2014, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for May 29 and will send Expedition 40 Soyuz Commander Maxim Suraev, of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst, of the European Space Agency, ESA, and Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman of NASA on a five and a half month mission aboard the International Space Station.

France, Midi-Pyrenees Region, Haute-Garonne Department, Toulouse, Cite de l'Espace space park, Ariane 5, French Space Rocket

Discovery on Launch Pad

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is lowered onto the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in the mate-demate device during mating operations.The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An overhead crane in the mate_demate device at the Shuttle Landing Facility lowers the orbiter Atlantis onto its wheels. A tail cone covers the aft engines. Atlantis was removed from the back of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft after a ferry flight from California. Atlantis landed Feb. 19 at Edwards Air Force Base concluding mission STS-98. The ferry flight began March 1; unfavorable weather conditions kept it on the ground at Altus AFB, Okla., until it could return to Florida. Atlantis will be transported to the Orbiter Processing Facility to prepare it for mission STS-104, the 10th construction flight to the International Space Station, scheduled to launch June 8

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A late-day sun spotlights Space Shuttle Atlantis as it rolls up the ramp to Launch Pad 39B atop the crawler-transporter. The crawler has a leveling system designed to keep the top of the space shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5-percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Also, a laser docking system provides almost pinpoint accuracy when the crawler and mobile launcher platform are positioned at the launch pad. At left are the open rotating service structure and the fixed service structure topped by the 80-foot lightning mast. The shuttle had been moved off the launch pad due to concerns about the impact of Tropical Storm Ernesto, expected within 24 hours. The forecast of lesser winds expected from Ernesto and its projected direction convinced Launch Integration Manager LeRoy Cain and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach to return the shuttle to the launch pad.

SDO ATLAS V ROLLOUT FROM VIF TO PAD 41

GOES-P LIFT & MATE TO DELTA IV

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a crawler transporter moves space shuttle Discovery along the crawlerway from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A to prepare for the STS-124 mission. The 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31.

NASA's specially modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is positioned under the Space Shuttle Discovery to be attached for their ferry flight to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After its post-flight servicing and preparation at NASA Dryden in California, Discovery's return flight to Kennedy aboard the 747 will take approximately 2 days, with stops at several intermediate points for refueling.Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission.During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station.Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on t

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Rocket Garden at the KSC Visitor Complex features eight authentic rockets from the past, including a Mercury-Atlas rocket. The garden also features a climb-in Mercury, Gemino and Apollo capsule replicas, seating pods and informative graphic elements.

This helicopter view of Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida shows the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket as it stands ready to boost NASA's Orion spacecraft on a 4.5-hour mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The work to secure Space Shuttle Discovery is under way at Launch Pad 39B following its move from the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion for the 4.2-mile journey was at 1 58 a.m. EDT. The Space Shuttle rests on a Mobile Launcher Platform that sits atop a Crawler-Transporter. This is the second rollout of Discovery. The orbiter was returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building for connection to an improved External Tank. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission STS-114 is targeted for a launch window extending from July 13 to July 31.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Positioned on its 12-wheeled, 24-tire transporter, the payload canister with the STS-124 mission payload, Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System, or RMS, inside, slowly passes the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on its journey to Launch Pad 39A. At the pad, the payload will be transferred into the payload changeout room on the rotating service structure. The transporter is 65 feet long and 23 feet wide. The transporters wheels are independently steerable, permitting it to move forward, backward, sideways or diagonally and to turn on its own axis like a carousel. It is equipped with pneumatic-actuated braking and hydrostat¬ic leveling and drive systems. It is steered from a two-seat operator cab mounted at one end. From the payload changeout room, the pressurized module and RMS then will be transferred into space shuttle Discoverys payload bay. Launch is targeted for May 31.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Atop the crawler/transporter, the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis rolls out to Launch Complex 39A in preparation for mission STS-86, which is targeted for a September launch. STS-86 will be the seventh of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle orbiter with the Russian Space Station Mir

An Atlas Rocket Ready For Liftoff

GOES-P LIFT & MATE TO DELTA IV

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core is transported by truck to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37 Horizontal Processing Facility after arriving at Port Canaveral. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.

In preparation for Space Shuttle Mission STS-87, Columbia rolls out to Launch Complex 39B atop the crawler-transporter. STS-87 will be the fourth flight of the United States Microgravity Payload and the Spartan-201 deployable satellite. Launch is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 19.

Rocket at Kennedy Space Center, Spaceport, Cape Canaveral, Merritt Island, Florida

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dwarfing the accompanying vehicles, Space Shuttle Discovery, resting on the Mobile Launcher Platform atop the Crawler_Transporter, heads along the crawlerway to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Discovery is rolling back from Launch Pad 39B (in the background). Once inside the VAB, Discovery will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be lifted and attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2-mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery, targeted for launch on August 7, 1997, on mission STS-85, rolls out to Launch Complex 39A. STS-85 will feature the second flight of the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTA-SPAS)

STS-130 Endeavour Rollout - Includes 1st Motion

Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion stacked on the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle at United Launch Alliance Launch Complex 37B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 24, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

View of Space Shuttle Enterprise in launch position on the Space Launch Complex (SLC) #6, commonly known as "SLICK 6", during the ready-to-launch checks to verify launch procedures. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

An Atlas-F launch vehicle lifts off carrying the Navy Orbiting Survival Satellite. No. 1 of 3 views. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery, targeted for launch on August 7, 1997, on mission STS-85, rolls out to Launch Complex 39A. STS-85 will feature the second flight of the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite. .

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As the sun rises over the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, operations are under way at the mate-demate device to lift space shuttle Discovery on top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in preparation for its departure from Kennedy on Tuesday. A tail cone has been installed over Discoverys three replica shuttle main engines to reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during the ferry flight.The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virg

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As the sun sets behind Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X rocket awaits the approaching liftoff of its flight test.This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27.

STS-132 ATLANTIS ROLLOUT FROM VAB TO PAD 39A

MOSKAU, RUSSLAND - 23. APRIL 2024: Trägerrakete Vostok im Pavillon Space auf der VDNCH. Wandernde Moskauer und Touristen MOSCOW, RUSSIA - APRIL 23, 2024: Booster rocket Vostok at the pavilion Space on VDNCH. Walking Muscovites and tourists. LicenseRF Copyright: xZoonar.com/AlexanderxStrelax 23349344

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The upper part of the space shuttle vehicle showing the "beanie cap" in place.

The Soyuz rocket is seen on its launch pad shortly before being lifted into its upright position on Monday, Sept. 23, 2013, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for September 26 and will send Expedition 37 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov, NASA Flight Engineer Michael Hopkins and Russian Flight Engineer Sergei Ryazansky on a five and a half-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis, secured to its mobile launcher platform, slowly rolls past the Launch Control Center. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 6:38 a.m. EDT Oct. 14. The 3.4-mile trip, known as rollout, is expected to take about six hours.Liftoff of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 12.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis approaches the floor of the mobile launcher platform in high bay 3. Behind the shuttle are the external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters already stacked there. Atlantis will be mated to the tank and boosters. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A to prepare for launch on the STS-125 mission targeted for 1:34 a.m. EDT Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis rolls toward Bay 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building. There Atlantis will be demated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters in anticipation of its transfer to the Orbiter Processing Facility.

GRAIL - 1st Stage Booster Arrival & Erection

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - With the cloud-spotted blue sky as a backdrop, Space Shuttle Discovery stands ready to undergo launch preparations for mission STS-105. At the bottom of the photo is seen the crawler track on the mound. The crawler-transporter that moved the Shuttle from the Vehicle Assembly Building is beginning to back out from under the mobile launcher platform. Discovery is scheduled to launch in early August on mission STS-105. Photo by Scott Andrews using a Nikon D1X camera

A high angle, pre-sunrise overall view of the Space Shuttle Enterprise in launch position on the Space Launch Complex (SLC) #6, commonly known as "SLICK 6", during the ready-to-launch checks to verify launch procedures. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 61 crewmembers Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos, and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates will launch September 25th on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station.

Space Shuttle lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, at night.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia sits atop its Mobile Launcher Platform in the open doorway of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle never left the VAB due to a steering problem on the crawler-transporter under the MLP. The problem was a faulty bearing in the steering linkage of Power Truck Drive D, which was detected before the C-T left the VAB. Rollout has been rescheduled for Jan. 24

Space Shuttle

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Space Shuttle Discovery (foreground) and Space Shuttle Atlantis (background) both stand ready on their Launch Pads ( 39A and 39B respectively). Space Shuttle Discovery rolled out July 2 to be prepared for launch on mission STS-105 in August. Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch Thursday, July 12, on mission STS-104. Towering above each Shuttle on the left is the 80-foot lightning rod that helps protect each Shuttle from lightning strikes

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis passes through the gate and approaches the top of Launch Pad 39A after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hannas shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery, atop the mobile launcher platform and moved by the crawler-transporter underneath, makes its final approach up the ramp to Launch Pad 39B for launch of mission STS-116. The mission is 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. The launch window for mission STS-116 opens Dec. 7.

Rocket Garden im Kennedy Space Center, Florida Rocket Garden in Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. Rocket Garden im Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. Copyright: xZoonar.com/UlfxNammertx 21791433

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler transporter slowly moves the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), carrying a set of twin solid rocket boosters, along the crawlerway in support of engineering analysis vibration tests on the crawler and MLP. In the distance, at left, is Launch Pad 39A. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

The Soyuz rocket is seen on the launch pad as the service structure arms are closed around it, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 54 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, flight engineer Scott Tingle of NASA, and flight engineer Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to launch at 2:21 a.m. Eastern Time (1:21 p.m. Baikonur time) on Dec. 17 and will spend the next five months living and working aboard the International Space Station.

USA, California, Los Angeles, Tail section of space shuttle Endeavour

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-87: Columbia

An overview of various rockets on display.. Base: Kennedy Space Center State: Florida(FL) Country: United States Of America(USA)

STS-134 Payload Canister Returns back to the CRF from Pad 39A

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39B, the crawler-transporter moves Space Shuttle Atlantis along the ramp and away from the rotating and fixed service structures, at right, on its rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion off the pad was at 10:04 a.m. EDT. The crawler is 131 feet long, 113 feet wide and 20 feet high. It weights 5.5 million pounds unloaded. The combined weight of crawler, mobile launcher platform and a space shuttle is 12 million pounds. Unloaded, the crawler moves at 2 mph. Loaded, the snail's pace slows to 1 mph. The rollback is a safety precaution as the area waits for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ernesto. The storm is forecast to be bringing 58-mph to 70-mph winds in the next 24 hours. The shuttle will be moved into high bay 2, on the southwest side of the VAB, for protection from the storm.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Bathed in xenon lights, space shuttle Atlantis passes the Turn Basin as it makes its final journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion was at 8:42 p.m. EDT. It will take the crawler-transporter about six hours to carry the shuttle, attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, to the seaside launch pad. The milestone move paves the way for the launch of the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for July 8.STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

The three Expedition 38/39 backup crew members, left, watch as the Soyuz TMA-11M rocket is rolled out to the launch pad by train on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for November 7 and will send Expedition 38 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA and Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Under the mate/demate device at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Atlantis is fitted with a sling to lift it for attachment to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, a modified Boeing 747. Atlantis landed at Edwards on May 24, which concluded mission STS-125, after two landing opportunities at Kennedy were waved off due to weather concerns. Atlantis is being returned to Florida on a ferry flight on the SCA. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009.

A view of the rocket booster-mounted Columbia space shuttle orbiter being moved out of an assembly building by a mobile launcher platform. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - One of two solid rocket boosters is lifted above a mooring at Port Canaveral in Florida. Liberty Star, one of NASAs two booster retrieval ships, towed the spent booster from space shuttle Atlantis final launch to the port. The shuttles two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered in the Atlantic Ocean after every launch by Freedom Star and Liberty Star. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff, and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown.After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be deserviced and stored, if needed. Atlantis began its final flight, STS-135, at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station.

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 61 crewmembers Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos, and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates will launch September 25th on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station.

June 16, 2009 - Viewed across the Indian River Lagoon, space shuttle Endeavour waits for launch after rollback of the rotating service structure at left. The shuttle will carry the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section on STS-127. The mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the space station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-51 Discovery

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Endeavour hangs suspended from a crane inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Endeavour will be lifted into high bay 1 and stacked with its external tank and solid rocket boosters. Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is rolled out to Pad-0A, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grummans 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. The CRS-13 Cygnus spacecraft is named after the first African American astronaut, Major Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. and is scheduled to launch at 5:39pm EST Sunday, Feb. 9.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This eagle's eye view of STS-1 shows the space vehicle for the first Space Shuttle mission shortly after it was moved out of the Vehicle Assembly Builidng at 8 a.m. today for the 3.5-mile journey to Complex 39's Pad A. The Shuttle rests atop the Mobile Launcher Platform from which launch is scheduled no earlier than March 1981. Thousands of visitors and hundreds of news media representatives viewed the beginning of the move under leaden skies and in unseasonably cold temperatures in the low 40s.

STS-132 ET-136 OFFLOAD FROM BARGE AND XFER TO VAB

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Framed by branches across the Indian River Lagoon, space shuttle Endeavour waits for launch after rollback of the rotating service structure, or RSS, at left. First motion of the RSS was at 10:15 a.m. EDT. First motion of the RSS was at 10:15 a.m. EDT. The rollback is in preparation for Endeavour's liftoff on the STS-127 mission with a crew of seven. This is the second launch attempt for Endeavour after the June 13 launch was scrubbed due to a hydrogen leak at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate during tanking June 12. The launch will be Endeavour's 23rd flight. The shuttle will carry the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, on STS-127. The mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the space station. Endeavour's launch is scheduled for June 17 at 5:40 a.m. EDT.

A Scout launch vehicle is erected on a launch tower. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

STS053-S-054 (2 Dec 1992) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery, with a crew of five astronauts onboard, launches from Kennedy Space Center s (KSC) Pad 39A at 8 24 00 a.m. (EST), December 2, 1992. The photograph was taken from the top of the giant Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The all-military crew supporting the Department of Defense (DOD) flight included astronauts David M. Walker, Robert D. Cabana, Guion S. Bluford, Jr., James S. Voss and Michael R. U. (Rick) Clifford.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, enclosed in its payload fairing, enters a NASA Kennedy Space Center gate as it travels from the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., to its launch site. TDRS-K will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - One of two solid rocket boosters is lifted above a mooring at Port Canaveral in Florida. Liberty Star, one of NASAs two booster retrieval ships, towed the spent booster from space shuttle Atlantis final launch to the port. The shuttles two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered in the Atlantic Ocean after every launch by Freedom Star and Liberty Star. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff, and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown.After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be deserviced and stored, if needed. Atlantis began its final flight, STS-135, at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station.

DN-ST-87-09501. Base: Cape Canaveral State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Columbia rolls out!</a

The Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft is transported by railcar to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in Kazakhstan for an October 10th launch date. The Soyuz will carry Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor to the International Space Station. Whitson and Malenchenko will spend six months on the station. Shukor, who is flying under an agreement between Malaysia and the Russian Federal Space Agency, will return to Earth October 21 with two of the Expedition 15 crew members currently on the complex.

Rocket Space Ship. Military missile flying high in blue sky

USA, Florida, Cape Canaveral, Rocket display at the Kennedy Space Center. (Large format sizes available)

Space Shuttle

Various gather around a U.S. spacecraft on display at the visitors center. Base: Kennedy Space Center State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft is positioned near a bunker at the launch pad following its rollout, Thursday, July 12, 2012 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the morning of July 15 local time.

An Air Force Titan IV Centaur Launch Vehicle sits poised on Complex 40 ready to carry a classified Department of Defense payload into orbit. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Monday, March 19, 2018 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 55 crewmembers Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel of NASA and Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch at 1:44 p.m. Eastern time (11:44 p.m. Baikonur time) on March 21 and will spend the next five months living and working aboard the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As the sun rises at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way to back NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, away from the mate-demate device. Space shuttle Endeavour has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone and secured atop the aircraft for its upcoming ferry flight.The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

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