Space Shuttle Maintenance

Images showcasing the intricate process of maintaining and decommissioning space shuttles at a NASA facility, featuring technicians and specialized equipment in action.

STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-1 INSTALLATION

STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-1 INSTALLATION

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane lowers space shuttle Atlantis right orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod onto a pallet.The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Atlantis. Both OMS pods will be removed and sent to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where they will undergo a complete deservicing and cleaning and then be returned to Kennedy for reinstallation on Atlantis. Atlantis is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-3 INSTALLATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician monitors the progress of a special crane as it lifts the forward reaction control system away from space shuttle Atlantis. The system provided some of the maneuvering capabilities to the spacecraft during its missions. Atlantis glided to a landing, July 21, 2011, at Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, completing NASAs final space shuttle mission, STS-135. The shuttle is in OPF-2 being decommissioned and prepared for eventual display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a unique close-up view shows a large crane lowering the right orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod closer to space shuttle Atlantis. It is the last time an OMS pod will be installed on Atlantis. The OMS provided the shuttle with thrust for orbit insertion, rendezvous and deorbit, and could provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system.The OMS is housed in two independent pods located on each side of the shuttles aft fuselage. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers. Atlantis OMS pods were removed and sent to the test facility at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico to be cleaned of residual toxic propellant. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians on the Hyster forklift position replica shuttle main engine RSME number 2 for installation on space shuttle Atlantis. Three RSMEs will be installed on Atlantis. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis is scheduled to roll over to the visitor complex in November in preparation for the exhibits grand opening in July 2013.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Forward Reaction Control System (FRCS) of space shuttle Atlantis sits in the transfer aisle of Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 in anticipation of being installed. The FRCS provides the thrust for attitude (rotational) maneuvers (pitch, yaw and roll) and for small velocity changes along the orbiter axis (translation maneuvers). Processing of Atlantis is under way for mission STS-115, the 19th flight to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician dressed in a clean-room suit monitors the progress as a crane is used to lower a back shell tile panel for installation on the Orion crew module. Preparations are underway for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abor

SPACE X Capsule Lift & Mate to Cargo Ring

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers get ready to install the last engine in orbiter Atlantis after a welding and polishing process was undertaken on flow liners where cracks were detected. All engines were removed for inspection of flow liners. Atlantis will next fly on mission STS-112, scheduled for launch no earlier than Oct. 2.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft is readied for its encapsulation into the upper stage of its Soyuz booster July 8, 2012 in advance of its rollout to the launch pad July 12 and the launch of its occupants, Expedition 32/33 Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko, NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams and Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency July 15 for a four-month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help guide a special crane around space shuttle Atlantis so that work can begin to remove its forward reaction control system. The system provided maneuvering capabilities to the spacecraft during its missions. Atlantis glided to a landing, July 21, 2011, at Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, completing NASAs final space shuttle mission, STS-135. The shuttle is in OPF-2 being decommissioned and prepared for eventual display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Hyster forklift carries replica shuttle main engine 2, or RSME 2, for installation on space shuttle Endeavour. The orbiter is surrounded by work platforms allowing access to all areas of the spacecraft.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Preparations are under way to roll a Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon capsule secured atop from the processing hangar to the pad at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, built both the rocket and capsule for NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station. Rollout was complete at 9:55 p.m. EDT. SpaceX CRS-1 is an important step toward making Americas microgravity research program self-sufficient by providing a way to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to and from the orbiting laboratory. Launch is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7. NASA has contracted for 12 commercial resupply flights from SpaceX and eight from the Orbital Sciences Corp.

STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-2 INSTLN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media learn about the plans Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has to take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX is working to make its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule safe for humans for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) under the Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities. SpaceX already is developing these systems under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) Program to take supplies to the space station. Scott Henderson, director of SpaceX mission assurance, explained that the company is drafting designs to make the Dragon capsule crew-capable with life support systems while meeting CCP's safety requirements. One such option under discussion is a launch abort system that would push astronauts away from the launch pad in the event of an emergency, which isdifferent than traditional pull systems. It's the freedom to develop innovati

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - United Launch Alliance, or ULA, technicians monitor the progress as the Delta IV port booster is mated to the core booster inside the Horizontal Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test-1.During the mission, Orion will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, validate existing computer models and innovative new approaches to space systems development, as well as reduce overall mission risks and costs for later Orion flights. Liftoff of Orion on the first flight test is planned for December 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the engine shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers are moving engine No. 3, one of three space shuttle main engines from Endeavour, to a work stand for processing.The work is part of Endeavour's transition and retirement processing. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavour's STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

STS-132 ATLANTIS - ENGINE #2 LIFT TO TRANSPORTERAT ENGINE SHOP - XFER TO OPF-1 & INSTALL

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress of a special crane as it lifts the forward reaction control system away from space shuttle Atlantis. The system provided some of the maneuvering capabilities to the spacecraft during its missions. Atlantis glided to a landing, July 21, 2011, at Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, completing NASAs final space shuttle mission, STS-135. The shuttle is in OPF-2 being decommissioned and prepared for eventual display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

The Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle used to launch Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) is assembled at the United Launch Alliance facility in Decatur, AL on Dec. 11, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that will fly on the companys 22nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is now ready for its journey to space. On Thursday, May 27, teams transported the spacecraft from SpaceXs processing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station into the hangar at nearby Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A, where it was attached to the Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 is scheduled for 1:29 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 3.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The first Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) is installed on Space Shuttle Atlantis following the welding repair of the propulsion flow liners as preparations to launch mission STS-112 continue. Angela DiMattia is the move director for Rocketdyne. Rocketdyne employee Gerald Braham is seen here behind the engine offering additional guidance. Below him is Teryon Jones (right), also of Rocketdyne. Mission STS-112 is an assembly flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch no earlier than Sept. 28, 2002. Members of the STS-112 crew are Commander Jeffrey Ashby; Pilot Pamela Melroy; and Mission Specialists David Wolf, Piers Sellers, Sandra Magnus, and Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Space Agency.

STS-132 ATLANTIS ARM LIFT & INSTALL

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians complete the work to install space shuttle Endeavours left orbital maneuvering system OMS pod. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the transition and retirement processing of each shuttle. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., an engineer monitors the movement, or gimbaling, of the high-gain antenna on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO. All of the spacecraft science instruments are being tested in their last major evaluation before launch. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. In preparation for launch, engineers will perform a battery of comprehensive tests to ensure SDO can withstand the stresses and vibrations of the launch itself, as well as what it will encounter in the space environment after launch. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Dec. 4.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the right-hand orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod is being lifted by an overhead crane for installation on space shuttle Discovery. Discovery and its crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM, which will carry supplies and critical spare parts on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. The module will be left behind so it can be used for microgravity experiments in fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians remove engine No. 1, one of three space shuttle main engines from shuttle Endeavour using a specially designed engine installer, called a Hyster forklift.The work is part of Endeavour's transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavour's STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

T&R Endeavour, LH Oms Pod Lift and Move for Installation

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane slowly lifts shuttle Endeavour into a vertical position. The spacecraft will be moved into a high bay where it will be attached to the waiting external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.Endeavour and its STS-134 crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. Endeavour's final launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery is ready for the Orbiter Transport System, or OTS (left), to be rolled in underneath. The OTS will help move the orbiter on its rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Discovery is targeted to launch May 31 on the STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Discovery will transport the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module (JEM-PM) and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System (JEM-RMS) to the space station to add to the Kibo laboratory.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This panoramic image of space shuttle Discovery was photographed in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as the shuttle was being prepared for "rollover," or moved, to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - United Launch Alliance, or ULA, technicians monitor the progress as the Delta IV port booster is mated to the core booster inside the Horizontal Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test-1.During the mission, Orion will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, validate existing computer models and innovative new approaches to space systems development, as well as reduce overall mission risks and costs for later Orion flights. Liftoff of Orion on the first flight test is planned for December 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay door is closing. The designated shuttle for the STS-129 mission, Atlantis will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

. These photos show how technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans installed the third and fourth RS-25 engines onto the core stage for the agencys SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will help power NASAs first crewed Artemis mission to the Moon. Technicians added the first engine to the SLS core stage Sept. 11. The second engine was installed onto the stage Sept. 15 with the third and fourth engines following Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. Engineers consider the engines to be soft mated to the rocket stage. Technicians with NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company and the RS-25 engines lead contractor, along with Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, will now focus efforts on the complex tax of fully securing the engines to the stage and integrating the propulsion and electrical systems within the structure. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASAs backbone for deep space explora

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Process Facility bay 1, the installation of the left Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod on Space Shuttle Atlantis is complete. The Orbital Maneuvering System provides the thrust for orbit insertion, orbit circularization, orbit transfer, rendezvous, deorbit, abort to orbit and abort once around. It can provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers. Atlantis is the designated orbiter to fly on mission STS-121. The mission has a launch window of July 12 - July 31.

Inside Building B7525 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the aft stub adapter (ASA) is installed to the interstage adapter (ISA) for a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The launch vehicle will send NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, spacecraft to land on Mars. InSight is the first mission to explore the Red Planet's deep interior. It will investigate processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system including Earth. Liftoff from Vandenberg is scheduled for May 5, 2018.

STS-335 STS-135 ATLANTIS ENGINE-1 MOVE FROM ENGINE SHOP TO OPF-1

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane has lowered the right orbital maneuvering system OMS pod for installation on space shuttle Endeavour. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the transition and retirement processing of each shuttle. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg AFB, the first stage of the Taurus rocket is being moved onto the stationary rails in Building 1555's west bay. The Taurus will launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, in 2009. The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A technician stands inside the aft compartment of the space shuttle Atlantis during preparations to install replica shuttle main engine RSME number 2 in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Three RSMEs were installed on Atlantis. The replicas were built in the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engine shop at KSC to replace the space shuttle main engines SSMEs which will be placed in storage to support NASA's Space Launch System currently under development. The RSME installation is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18, 2012 for Atlantis future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis is scheduled to roll over to the visitor complex during November in preparation for the exhibits grand opening in July 2013.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The second stage of the Delta II rocket arrives at Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be mated to the first stage in preparation for the launch of the Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-A). The MER Mission consists of two identical rovers designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. Identical to each other, the rovers will land at different regions of Mars. Launch date for this first of NASA's two Mars Exploration Rover missions is scheduled June 5.

NASA joined the Space Launch System rockets core stage forward assembly with the 130-foot liquid hydrogen tank for the Artemis II mission on March 18. This completes assembly of four of the five large structures that make up the core stage that will help send the first astronauts to lunar orbit on Artemis II.The 66-foot forward assembly consists of the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank and the intertank, which were mated earlier. Engineers inserted 360 bolts to connect the forward assembly to the liquid hydrogen tank to make up the bulk of the stage. Only the engine section, which is currently being outfitted and includes the main propulsion systems that connect to the four RS-25 engines, remains to be added to form the final core stage.All parts of the core stage are manufactured by NASA and Boeing, the core stage lead contractor at the agencys Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Currently, the team is building core stages for three Artemis missions. The first core stage is

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a processing facility at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Space Exploration Technologies technicians attach the Dragon capsule to the second stage of the companys Falcon 9 rocket.Known as SpaceX, the launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the NanoRacks-CubeLabs Module-9 experiments and other cargo aboard Dragon will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the stations Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two private companies to provide resupply missions to the station. The launch is scheduled for 9:38 a.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Simulator segments of the Ares I-X are on display for the media in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left are several stacked segments. At right is the launch abort system simulator. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I, part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Preparations are under way to back space shuttle Atlantis out from under the work platforms in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Atlantis will be stored temporarily in the VAB while transition and retirement processing resumes on shuttle Endeavour in the processing hangar. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis' future home -- a 65,000-square-foot exhibit in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. For additional information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

Employees unload a RS25D rocket engine at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center on Jan. 17. The engine - and 14 others - will be stored at the facility for future testing and use on NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS). The SLS is a new heavy-lift launch vehicle that will expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and enable new missions of exploration across the solar system. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., is leading the design and development of the Space Launch System for NASA, including the engine testing program. Delivery of the 15 RS-25 engines will continue throughout the next few months

NASA Flips Artemis II Engine Section, Prepares for Final Join. Technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans flipped the engine section of NASAs Space Launch System rocket for Artemis II from a vertical to a horizontal position Feb. 11. The flip, also known as a breakover, is in preparation for the final assembly and integration into the core stage for the second SLS rocket. The engine section is the bottom-most portion of the 212-foot-tall core stage and is one of the most complex and intricate portions of the rocket that will help power the first crewed Artemis mission to the Moon. It is the last of five elements that is needed to join the stage as one structure. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and flight. Next, teams will move the engine section into the final assembly ar

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a United Space Alliance technician on a Hyster forklift guides replica shuttle main engine 2, or RSME 2, toward space shuttle Endeavour as USA technicians in the aft area monitor the progress. The orbiter is surrounded by work platforms allowing access to all areas of the spacecraft.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is surrounded by work platforms as preparations are being made to install replica shuttle main engine 2, or RSME 2.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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the left-hand Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod is lifted at an angle from the transporter below. The OMS pod will be installed on the orbiter Discovery. The Orbital Maneuvering System provides the thrust for orbit insertion, orbit circularization, orbit transfer, rendezvous, deorbit, abort to orbit and abort once around. It can provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians on a Hyster forklift move replica shuttle main engine 2, or RSME 2, closer for installation on space shuttle Endeavour. The orbiter is surrounded by work platforms allowing access to all areas of the spacecraft.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery begins to back out of Orbiter Processing Facility-3 during a move called "rollover" to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission.Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a United Space Alliance worker slowly maneuvers a space shuttle main engine into position for installation in shuttle Discovery for the shuttle's STS-131 mission to the International Space Station.The seven-member STS-131 crew will deliver a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module filled with resupply stowage platforms and racks to be transferred to locations around the station. Three spacewalks will include work to attach a spare ammonia tank assembly to the station's exterior and return a European experiment from outside the station's Columbus module. Discovery's launch, targeted for March 18, 2010, will initiate the 33rd shuttle mission to the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is safed inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) after being towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building.Shuttle Endeavour will remain in OPF-2 so that the orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) pods and forward reaction control system can be installed. Technicians also will offload water and Freon gas from lines located in Endeavours midbody. The work is part of Endeavours transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122, 883, 151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavours STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside NASA Kennedy Space Centers Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, workers make adjustments to the sling being placed round the forward reaction control system that will be installed on Atlantis. When ready, the shuttle equipment will be lifted for installation. The forward reaction control system is located in the forward fuselage nose area. During ascent of the space shuttle, it provides the thrust for attitude (rotational) maneuvers (pitch, yaw and roll) and for small velocity changes along the orbiter axis (translation maneuvers).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane lowers the left orbital maneuvering system OMS pod on to space shuttle Endeavour so that United Space Alliance technicians can complete the installation. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the transition and retirement processing of each shuttle. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

NASA Connects All Major Structures of Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have fully integrated all five major structures of the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets core stage for Artemis II, the first Artemis mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon and return them home. Technicians joined the engine section to the rest of the rocket stage March 17. Next, teams will integrate the four RS-25 engines to the engine section to complete the stage. Located at the bottom of the 212-foot-tall core stage, the engine section is the most complex and intricate part of the rocket stage, helping to power Artemis missions to the Moon. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. It houses the engines a

STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-2 INSTLN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The second set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System have arrived at the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. One of the Ogive panels has been uncrated and is being moved by crane for placement on a work stand. The launch abort system is positioned on a work stand. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside NASA Kennedy Space Centers Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, workers secure the overhead crane to the sling placed round the forward reaction control system that will be installed on Atlantis. When ready, the shuttle equipment will be lifted for installation. The forward reaction control system is located in the forward fuselage nose area. During ascent of the space shuttle, it provides the thrust for attitude (rotational) maneuvers (pitch, yaw and roll) and for small velocity changes along the orbiter axis (translation maneuvers).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis is moments away from a tow from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The move will allow work to be performed in the OPF that can only be accomplished while the bay is empty. Work scheduled in the processing facility includes annual validation of the bay's cranes, work platforms, lifting mechanisms, and jack stands. Atlantis will remain in the VAB for about 10 days, then return to the OPF as work resumes to prepare it for launch in September 2004 on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Orbital Sciences technicians complete final checks of NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, inside the Orbital Sciences processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California before the Pegasus payload fairing is secured around it. NuSTAR already is mated to its Pegasus XL rocket, which is positioned behind the spacecraft outside the environmental enclosure. Encapsulation of NuSTAR in its fairing is a significant prelaunch milestone.The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during ascent to orbit. After processing of the rocket and spacecraft are complete, they will be flown on Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Oceans Kwajalein Atoll for launch in March. The high-energy x-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and stud

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians place the right-hand orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod from Discovery on a pallet to be transferred to the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility. Removal of the OMS pods is part of the orbiter processing activities to prepare Discovery for its next launch, the STS-133 mission. The STS-133 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for launch in the fall of 2010. Discoverys six-person crew will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier 4.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility prepare to remove one of two orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods from Endeavour. The OMS pods are attached to the upper aft fuselage left and right sides. Fabricated primarily of graphite epoxy composite and aluminum, each pod is 21.8 feet long and 11.37 feet wide at its aft end and 8.41 feet wide at its forward end, with a surface area of approximately 435 square feet. Each pod houses the Reaction Control System propulsion components used for inflight maneuvering and is attached to the aft fuselage with 11 bolts. OMS pods are removed during Orbiter Major Modifications. Once removed, the OMS pods undergo in-depth structural inspections, system checks and the thrusters are changed out.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the solid rocket boosters (SRBs) are being stacked for the orbiter Discovery and mission STS-116. Seen here are the nose cones on top of the SRBs. Discovery will be rolling over to the VAB in early November to be stacked with the SRBs and external tank for launch. STS-116 will be mission number 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Remote Manipulator System (RMS), also known as the Canadian robotic arm, for the orbiter Discovery has arrived at KSCs Vehicle Assembly Building Lab. The part seen on the end is one of the joints that allow the basic structure of the arm to maneuver similar to a human arm. The RMS is used to deploy and retrieve payloads, provide a mobile extension ladder or foot restraints for crew members during extravehicular activities; and to aid the flight crew members in viewing surfaces of the orbiter or payloads through a television camera on the RMS. The arm The RMS is used to deploy and retrieve payloads, provide a mobile extension ladder or foot restraints for crew members during extravehicular activities; and to aid the flight crew members in viewing surfaces of the orbiter or payloads through a television camera on the RMS. The arm is also serving as the base for the new Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), one of the safety measures for Return to Flight,

STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-1 INSTALLATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is towed inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2).Shuttle Endeavour will remain in OPF-2 so that the orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) pods and forward reaction control system can be installed. Technicians also will offload water and Freon gas from lines located in Endeavours midbody. The work is part of Endeavours transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122, 883, 151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavours STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle main engine No. 3 has been installed in space shuttle Discovery. Each engine is 14 feet long, weighs about 6,700 pounds, and is 7.5 feet in diameter at the end of the nozzle. Discovery is being processed for its next mission, STS-119, targeted for launch on Feb. 12, 2009. Discovery and its crew will deliver integrated truss structure 6 (S6) and solar arrays to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers secure space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay doors for the shuttle's upcoming move to the Vehicle Assembly Building.The move, or "rollover," is targeted for Dec. 12. The Tranquility module, the payload for Endeavour's STS-130 mission to the International Space Station, will be installed in the payload bay after the shuttle has reached the pad. Endeavour's launch is targeted for Feb. 4, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach an overhead crane to shuttle Atlantis. The crane will lift the spacecraft into a high bay where it will be attached to the waiting external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already on the mobile launcher platform.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are expected to launch mid July, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians assist with the installation of the right orbital maneuvering system OMS pod on space shuttle Endeavour. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the transition and retirement processing of each shuttle. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, operations are under way to place the International Space Station's Node 3, named Tranquility, into a payload transportation canister for its move to Launch Pad 39A. Here, Tranquility glides past posters used to support a recent media event showcasing the module.The primary payload for the space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, Tranquility is a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the space station's life support 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 resembles a circular bay window and will provide a vastly improved view of the station's exterior. The multi-directional view will allow the crew to monitor spacewalks and docking operations, as well as provide a spectacular view of Earth and other celestial objects. The module was built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Al

Artemis II Crew with EGS. An Artemis II crew member exits the Artemis II Orion crew module inside the high bay of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 7, 2023. The crew module is undergoing acoustic testing ahead of integration with the European Service Module. The Artemis II crew features Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist; and Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist. Artemis II is the first crewed mission on NASAs path to establishing a long-term lunar presence for science and exploration under Artemis.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Columbus Laboratory module moves across the facility to a payload canister. The canister will transport the module and other payloads to Launch Pad 39A in preparation for its journey to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency 's largest single contribution to the International Space Station, Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station, providing crew members and scientists around the world the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The module is scheduled to be transferred to Launch Pad 39A in early November, in preparation for its journey to the station. Columbus will fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-122 mission, targeted for launch Dec. 6.

Inside Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers offload the first stage motor for the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will launch eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. When preparations are completed at Vandenberg, the rocket, with CYGNSS in its payload fairing, will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft and transported to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Dec. 12, 2016, the carrier aircraft is scheduled to take off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket with the L-1011 flying off shore. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in t

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, United Space Alliance workers get ready to attach the lifting sling to space shuttle Discovery that will hoist it off the transporter. Discovery will be raised to a vertical position and lifted into high bay 1 for mating with the external tank and solid rocket boosters waiting on the mobile launcher platform. Discovery is targeted for launch to the International Space Station for mission STS-120 on Oct. 23. The crew will be delivering and installing the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, named Harmony. The pressurized module will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. In addition to increasing the living and working space inside the station, it also will serve as a work platform outside for the station's robotic arm.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first stage of the Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, awaits processing in the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center hangar on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It was delivered on Oct. 27.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

. Technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans moved the engine section of NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon, into position for the final join of the core stage Feb. 22. The engine section is the bottom-most portion of the 212-foot-tall core stage. It is the last of five major elements that is needed to connect the stage into one major structure. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and flight. During launch and flight, liquid propellants from the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tanks are delivered through the engine section to the four RS-25 engines. The engine section also includes the avionics that help steer the engines after liftoff. Next, teams will join the engine section to the core stage for the second SLS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a processing facility at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, operations are under way to mate the Space Exploration Technologies Dragon capsule to the second stage of the companys Falcon 9 rocket.Known as SpaceX, the launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the NanoRacks-CubeLabs Module-9 experiments and other cargo aboard Dragon will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the stations Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two private companies to provide resupply missions to the station. The launch is schedul

Orion Spacecraft is prepared for Space Environment Testing at the Glenn Research Center, GRC Plum Brook Station, Space Environments Complex, SEC

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane lowers space shuttle Atlantis left orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod onto a sling. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Atlantis. The OMS pods will be sent to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where they will undergo a complete deservicing and cleaning and then be returned to Kennedy for reinstallation on Atlantis. Atlantis is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as the tail cone is installed around space shuttle Discoverys three replica shuttle main engines for protection.The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians install the wing on the Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus XL rocket which will launch the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, spacecraft.Scheduled for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base no earlier than Feb. 27, 2013, IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the suns corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Horizontal Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the second stage of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket has been mated to the core booster of the three booster stages for the unpiloted Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1.During the mission, Orion will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, validate existing computer models and innovative new approaches to space systems development, as well as reduce overall mission risks and costs for later Orion flights. Liftoff of Orion on the first flight test is planned for December 2014.

Technicians at Boeings Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida mate the two domes that comprise the main pressure vessel of Boeings Orbital Flight Test CST-100 Starliner. This is one of the last major assembly milestones before final outfitting and closeouts as Starliner prepares for its first mission, the uncrewed test flight later this summer. Boeings uncrewed Orbital Flight Test is part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which is working with Boeing to return human spaceflight launches to the space station from U.S. soil.

VANDENBERG AFB - Orbital Sciences engineers connect the payload fairing over NASA's IRIS spacecraft. The fairing connects to the nose of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket that will lift the solar observatory into orbit in June. The work is taking place in a hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base where IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch on a Pegasus XL rocket. Scheduled for launch from Vandenberg June 26, IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the suns corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere.

. The engine that will power NASAs quiet supersonic X-59 in flight is installed, marking a major milestone in the experimental aircrafts journey toward first flight. The installation of the F414-GE-100 engine at Lockheed Martins Skunk Works facility brings the vehicle close to the completion of its assembly.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers check the lifting of the left-hand Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod. The OMS pod will be installed on the orbiter Discovery. The Orbital Maneuvering System provides the thrust for orbit insertion, orbit circularization, orbit transfer, rendezvous, deorbit, abort to orbit and abort once around. It can provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers.

The launch abort system ogive panels are prepared for installation onto the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) launch abort system in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft is rotated to a horizontal position as technicians monitor the operation May 8, 2012 for the vehicles encapsulation into the Soyuz booster upper stage in advance of the launching of three new crewmembers to the International Space Station. The Soyuz will carry Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka, NASA Flight Engineer Joe Acaba and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin to the orbital complex on May 15 for a four-month mission. The Soyuz will rollout to its launch pad in Baikonur on May 13.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

CAPE KENNEDY, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space in Florida, a Lockheed Martin technician prepares the Orion ground test vehicle for a pyrotechnic bolt test.Lockheed Martin performed tests over a series of days on the explosive bolts that separate Orion from the launch abort system. Data was collected on the effect of shock waves on Orion during the explosive bolt separation. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on a Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to tow space shuttle Discovery to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. Protective plastic covers the nose of Discovery where its forward reaction control system (FRCS) once resided. Discovery's FRCS was removed and shipped to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico for a full cleaning and deservicing before it is returned to Kennedy and reinstalled.Discovery will be stored inside the VAB for approximately one month while shuttle Atlantis undergoes processing in OPF-2 following its final mission, STS-135. Discovery flew its 39th and final mission, STS-133, in February and March 2011, and currently is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

Teams Move Artemis II SLS Engine Section into Position for Final Join. Technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans moved the engine section of NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon, into position for the final join of the core stage Feb. 13. The engine section is the bottom-most portion of the 212-foot-tall core stage. It is the last of five major elements that is needed to connect the stage into one major structure. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and flight. During launch and flight, liquid propellants from the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tanks are delivered through the engine section to the four RS-25 engines. The engine section also includes the avionics that help steer the engines after liftoff. Next, te

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Multi-Purpose Processing Facility, the Pegasus launch vehicle is ready for installation of the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite. Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), SORCE will study and measure solar irradiance as a source of energy in the Earth's atmosphere. The launch of SORCE is scheduled for Jan. 25 at 3:14 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The drop of the Pegasus will be from OSC's L-1011 aircraft at an altitude of 39,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean approximately 100 miles east-southeast of Cape Canaveral.

STS-131 Discovery Lift & Mate to SRB/ET Stack

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane moves the right orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod closer to space shuttle Atlantis. It is the last time an OMS pod will be installed on Atlantis. The OMS provided the shuttle with thrust for orbit insertion, rendezvous and deorbit, and could provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system.The OMS is housed in two independent pods located on each side of the shuttles aft fuselage. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers. Atlantis OMS pods were removed and sent to the test facility at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico to be cleaned of residual toxic propellant. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis future hom

Workers at Stennis Space Center examine space shuttle main engine 2061 upon its arrival Oct. 1. The engine was to be the last shuttle flight engine to be scheduled for testing at Stennis.

of 3