Spacecraft Launch Preparations

Scenes of NASA teams preparing for spacecraft launches, showcasing teamwork and high-tech environments in mission control and clean rooms ahead of space missions.

Teams conduct powerup and docking operations for the Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation (STORRM) in a payload support room at Johnson Space Centers Mission Control Center in Houston on May 17, 2011. STORMM was successfully demonstrated on Space Shuttle Endeavours STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. The goal of STORRM was to validate a new relative navigation sensor based on advanced laser and detector technology that will make docking and undocking spacecraft easier and safer. It also tested the hardware in the same environment that the sensors would experience on the first Orion rendezvous to another vehicle.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Vehicle Manager Scott Thurston (left) talks to a phalanx of media in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The media was invited to see the orbiter Atlantis as it is being prepared for Return to Flight. Both local and national reporters representing print and TV networks were able to see work in progress on Atlantis, including the reinstallation of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panels on the orbiters wing leading edge; wiring inspections; and checks of the engines in the Orbital Maneuvering System.

AeroVironment pilot Wyatt Sadler controls the Pathfinder-Plus flying wing from a small console, video and computer monitors in the ground station.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Engineers in the Morpheus Control Room monitor NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander as it soars high on the first free flight test at night from a launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 10:02 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet. The vehicle, with its autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander then descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the test field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to p

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Media representatives participate in a post-launch news conference in the NASA Press Site news auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the SpaceX-3 launch. On the dais are, from left, Michael Curie, NASA Public Affairs, William Gersteinmeier, NASA associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, and Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX vice president of Mission Assurance. SpaceX CEO and chief designer Elon Musk participated in the conference by telephone.SpaceX-3 launched at 3:25 p.m. EDT aboard a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dragon is making its fourth trip to the space station. The SpaceX-3 mission, carrying almost 2.5 tons of supplies, technology and science experiments, is the third of 12 flights through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support more than 150 experiments that will be conducted during the station's Expe

Team members at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida participate in the first joint integrated launch countdown simulation for Artemis I inside the Launch Control Center on July 8, 2021. The training exercise involved engineers from Kennedy, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston coming together to rehearse all aspects of the launch countdown, from cryogenic loading - filling tanks in the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets core stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen - to liftoff. These simulations will help certify that the launch team is ready for Artemis I - the first test flight of SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

In the Press Site auditorium of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from left, Joshua Santora of NASA Communications, Joel Montalbano, deputy International Space Station program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Build and Flight Reliability for SpaceX, speak to media at a post-launch news conference following the liftoff of SpaceX CRS-16. The flight is a commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. SpaceX CRS-16 lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 1:16 p.m. EST, Dec. 5, 2018, with supplies and equipment and new science experiments for technology research.

Lowell Grissom, brother of Gus Grissom, and Carly Sparks, granddaughter of Grissom, look at areas of the newly opened Apollo 1 tribute at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center opened Jan. 27, 2017. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White II and Chaffee perished in a fire at the launch pad on Jan. 27, 1967, during training for the mission. The tribute highlights the lives and careers of the astronauts. The tribute features numerous items recalling the lives of the three astronauts. The tribute also includes the three-part hatch to the spacecraft itself, the first time any part of the Apollo 1 spacecraft has been displayed publicly. A version of the hatch after it was redesigned is also showcased as an example of improvements NASA made throughout the agency and to the Apollo spacecraft that would later carry astronauts to the moon.

From left to right, Kathy Lueders, Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate; Steve Stich, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program; and Benji Reed, director of crew mission management at SpaceX, monitor the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission with NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi onboard, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Hopkins, Glover, Walker, and Noguchi are scheduled to launch at 7:27 p.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Final Launch Operations Rehearsal . Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, left, Richard Jones, manager of the Mission Management and Integration Office for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, center right, are seen as they monitor the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina onboard, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini are scheduled to launch at 12:00 p.m.

Jeff Spaulding, left, NASA test director, and NASAs Test, Launch and Recovery Operations Branch Chief Jeremy Graeber, who also serves as the assistant launch director, participate in an Artemis I launch countdown simulation inside the Launch Control Centers Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Under the leadership of Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, a team of nearly 100 engineers from Orion, Space Launch System (SLS) and the agencys Exploration Ground Systems came together Feb. 3, 2020, to work through a series of simulated challenges, as well as a final countdown procedure. During these exercises, different issues were introduced to familiarize the team with launch day operations, while providing them with an opportunity to practice how they would handle those issues in real-time. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket - the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon.

The NASA News Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is filled with members of the news media awaiting liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A. The demonstration flight will be a significant milestone for the world's premier multi-user spaceport. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement with SpaceX for the use and operation of the center's pad 39A, where the company has launched Falcon 9 rockets and is preparing for the first Falcon Heavy. NASA also has Space Act Agreements in place with partners, such as SpaceX, to provide services needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASAs Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, students and their flight instructors from Florida Tech, or FIT, in Melbourne, tour the midfield Air Traffic Control Tower. The instructors and their students arrived at the SLF in Cherokee Warrior and Cessna 172S lightweight aircraft.The middle and high school students are participating in FITs Av/Aero summer camp experience. They and their flight instructors toured the SLF midfield control tower, viewed F104 Starfighters and NASA Huey helicopters in the RLV Hangar, viewed the runway plaques marking wheels stop for each of the three space shuttles, and toured the Vehicle Assembly Building where space shuttle Atlantis currently is stored.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The prime launch team for the Ares I-X flight test monitors the countdown from consoles in the Young-Crippen Firing Room in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.This will be the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals.

Specular Theory CEO Morris May looks on as U.S. Air Force Col. David Anderson, 307th Bomb Wing commander, tests the Experiential Air Refueling Lightweight Simulator (EARL) at StrikeWerx in Bossier City, Louisiana, Aug. 11, 2022. May and his team developed EARL to simulate in-air refueling in a simulated environment. If fully adopted, the software will be used to train students in the B-52 Stratofortress Formal Training Unit.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Vehicle Manager Scott Thurston (right) talks to the media in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The media was invited to see the orbiter Atlantis as it is being prepared for Return to Flight. Both local and national reporters representing print and TV networks were able to see work in progress on Atlantis, including the reinstallation of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panels on the orbiters wing leading edge; wiring inspections; and checks of the engines in the Orbital Maneuvering System. will be available to discuss the work and answer questions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center, the launch team goes through a wet dress rehearsal for launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), scheduled for Aug. 10. At right, in the foreground, is NASAs Public Information Officer George Diller, who is commentator for launches of NASA payloads on expendable launch vehicles. Launch of the MRO aboard an Atlas V rocket will be from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. A wet rehearsal includes pre-liftoff operations and fueling the rockets engine. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The MRO is an important next step in fulfilling NASAs vision of space exploration and ultimately sending human explorers to Mars and beyond.

NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen congratulates the NASA James Webb Space Telescope mission operations team after confirming that the observatorys final primary mirror wing successfully extended and locked into place, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. With Webbs 21.3-foot (6.5-meter) primary mirror fully deployed, the infrared observatory has completed its unprecedented process of unfolding in space to prepare for science operations. The observatory will study every phase of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Final Launch Operations Rehearsal . Zeb Scoville, NASA's deputy chief flight director, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Part of the $13 million expansion to KSC's Visitor Complex, the new information center welcomes visitors to the Gateway to the Universe. The five large video walls provide an orientation video, with an introduction to the range of activities and exhibits, and honor the center's namesake, President John F. Kennedy. Other new additions include a walk-through Robot Scouts exhibit, a wildlife exhibit, and the film Quest for Life in a new 300-seat theater, and an International Space Station-themed ticket plaza, featuring a structure of overhanging solar panels and astronauts performing assembly tasks. The KSC Visitor Complex was inaugurated three decades ago and is now one of the top five tourist attractions in Florida. It is located on S.R. 407, east of I-95, within the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Teams at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center help monitor launch conditions for the Crew 1 mission from the Huntsville Operations Support Center in Huntsville, Alabama. SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA astronauts aboard the companys Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station on Nov. 15, 2020. The Marshall team is supporting flight control teams working with NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, as they monitor the different phases of the upcoming mission. Engineers and technicians at Marshall will use headsets and loops to communicate with the multiple locations on console for the launch.

In the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium, NASA and industry leaders speak to members of the media during a mission science briefing for the agencys Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. From left are: Sean Potter of NASA Communications; Dr. Chris Ruf, CYGNSS principal investigator, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan; Aaron Ridley, CYGNSS constellation scientist in the Climate and Space Department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Mary Morris, doctoral student in the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan. The eight CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data will help scientists probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in th

PHOTO DATE: 05-14-10LOCATION: Bldg. 30 south - WFCRSUBJECT: STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console During Launch with Flight Director Richard Jones

JSC2005-E-21192 (7 June 2005) --- Astronauts Christopher J. Ferguson (left), STS-115 pilot, and Daniel C. Burbank, mission specialist, use the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

The NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory team is seen during an all-day launch simulation for GPM at the Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building 2 (STA2), Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Tanegashima Island, Japan. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch an H-IIA rocket carrying the GPM Core Observatory on Feb. 28, 2014. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate William Gerstenmaier, and others in Building AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, react as they watch the Orion spacecraft splash down in the Pacific Ocean a more than three hours after launching onboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 37, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Orion spacecraft orbited Earth twice, reaching an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles above Earth before landing. No one was aboard Orion for this flight test, but the spacecraft is designed to allow us to journey to destinations never before visited by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

JSC2007-E-113505 (17 Dec. 2007) --- Astronauts Michael J. Massimino (left) and Michael T. Good, STS-125 mission specialists, participate in a training session at consoles in the simulation control area in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Sonny Carter Training Facility (SCTF) near Johnson Space Center (JSC).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, social media participant Evie Marmon asks a question of space station flight engineer Suni Williams. Marmon is among those taking part in a question and answer session with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.The social media gathering at the Florida spaceport took place Aug. 22, 2012 joining a world-wide NASA Social allowing participants to ask questions of NASA astronauts who are living and working aboard the International Space Station. .

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The media surround noted wheelchair-bound physicist Stephen Hawking after his arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility for his first zero-gravity flight. Behind Hawking, at left, are Zero Gravity Corporation founder Peter Diamandis and Space Florida president Steve Kohler. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero G, a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service.

NASA engineers and test directors gather in Firing Room 3 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to watch a demonstration of the automated command and control software for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. The software is called the Ground Launch Sequencer. It will be responsible for nearly all of the launch commit criteria during the final phases of launch countdowns. The Ground and Flight Application Software Team (GFAST) demonstrated the software. It was developed by the Command, Control and Communications team in the Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program. GSDO is helping to prepare the center for the first test flight of Orion atop the SLS on Exploration Mission 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Launch Commentator and Public Affairs Officer George Diller interviews former Kennedy Director of Public Affairs Hugh Harris during prelaunch activities before liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-135 mission.Atlantis with its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, lifted off at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2011 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th

Members of the news media attend a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) prelaunch news conference in the Kennedy Space Center's Press Site auditorium in Florida. NASA and industry leaders include: Michael Curie, of NASA Communications; Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for satellite and information services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA's); Greg Mandt, GOES-R system program director, NOAA; Sandra Smalley, director, Joint Agency Satellite Division, NASA Headquarters; Omar Baez, launch director, NASA Kennedy; Scott Messer, program manager, NASA Missions, United Launch Alliance; and Clay Flinn, launch weather officer, 4th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

JSC2010-E-043680 (25 March 2010) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel, STS-134 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of his duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Hangar A&E control room, displays are seen during a dress rehearsal for the launch of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket for the upcoming Orion Flight Test.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 flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Preparations are underway at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the move of the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Flight Test-1 out of the high bay doors. Inside the high bay, Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana, Deputy Center Director Janet Petro, and Burton Summerfield, NASA senior advisor for Institutional Management, talk with workers. The spacecraft will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where it will be fueled ahead of its December flight test. 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 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Stat

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - During a news conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, agency and contractor officials discussed science and technology experiment payloads being transported to the International Space Station by the SpaceX-3 Commercial Resupply Services mission. Participating in the briefing, from the left, are Mike Curie of NASA Public Affairs, Camille Alleyne, assistant program scientist in the NASA ISS Program Science Office, and Michael Roberts, senior research pathway manager with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space CASIS.Scheduled for launch on April 14, 2014 atop a Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon spacecraft will be marking its fourth trip to the space station. The SpaceX-3 mission carrying almost 2.5 tons of supplies, technology and science experiments is the third of 12 flights contracted by NASA to resupply the orbiting laboratory.

Virtual Intelligent Planetary Exploration Rover, VIPER Mobility Platform Testing

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The launch authority team for the Ares I-X flight test monitors the countdown from consoles in the Operations Management Room of the Young-Crippen Firing Room, a glass partitioned area overlooking the main floor, in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.This will be the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals.

Main Propulsion System Engineers Krista Riggs, left, and Joe Pavicic, both with Jacobs, monitor operations from their consoles in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the legacy consoles, Launch Processing System and cabling that once supported the Space Shuttle Program have been removed. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing the construction in progress on a multi-use control room that will support NASA and commercial launch needs. The design of Firing Room 4 will incorporate five control room areas that are flexible to meet current and future user requirements. The equipment and consoles from Firing Room 4 are being moved to Firing Room 2 for possible future reuse.

James Beahn, Launch Vehicle lead engineer, speaks to members of the media Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Kennedy Space Centers Mission Briefing Room of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. The briefing focused on launch of the SpaceX Demo-1 Commercial Crew Program mission to the International Space Station. The inaugural flight of the Crew Dragon, known as Demo-1, will be uncrewed, lifting off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Saturday, March 2, at 2:49 a.m. EST. The mission is designed to validate end-to-end systems and capabilities, leading to certification to fly crew. NASA has worked with SpaceX and Boeing in developing the CCP spacecraft to facilitate new human spaceflight systems launching from U.S. soil with the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit destinations such as the space station.

Teams at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center help monitor launch conditions for the Crew 1 mission from the Huntsville Operations Support Center in Huntsville, Alabama. SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA astronauts aboard the companys Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station on Nov. 14, 2020. The Marshall team is supporting flight control teams working with NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, as they monitor the different phases of the upcoming mission. Engineers and technicians at Marshall will use headsets and loops to communicate with the multiple locations on console for the launch. The Crew 1 flight is part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The Crew 1 astronauts will arrive at the space station for docking a short time later at 4:20 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15 to join Expedition 64 for a six-month science mission.

Firefly Aerospace employees monitors computer data in preparation for a static fire of the Firefly Alpha 002 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Aug. 08, 2022. Prior to launch, a static fire was conducted on the Alpha 002 to determine the fitness of the rocket system.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Shuttle Launch Director Pete Nickolenko (right) and Mike Leinbach, assistant launch director, prepare for the liftoff of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-131 mission in Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The seven-member STS-131 crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the stations truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the stations exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center watch a demonstration of new systems installed in the Young-Crippen Firing Room, also known as Firing Room 1, inside the Launch Control Center. The renovation has been led by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program based at Kennedy. The new systems are designed to be flexible so controllers can process and launch multiple types of rockets and spacecraft, whether they are government or commercial models.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X management team reviews consensus for stacking and mating of the I-X upper stage segments. Steve Davis, deputy mission manager, provides a slide presentation of the Crew Module. Launch of the Ares I-X flight test is targeted no earlier than Aug. 30 from Launch Pad 39B. 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.

Inside the Launch Control Centers Firing Room 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Artemis I launch team rehearse the procedures for fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with super cold propellants, or cryogenics, on Aug. 18, 2020. During the cryogenic simulation, potential problem scenarios were introduced to test the tools, processes, and procedures necessary for fueling the rocket. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft - the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Program managers, directors and engineers man the consoles in the Launch Control Center. They are taking part in an End-to-End (ETE) Mission Management Team (MMT) launch simulation at KSC. In Firing Room 1 at KSC, Shuttle launch team members put the Shuttle system through an integrated simulation. The control room is set up with software used to simulate flight and ground systems in the launch configuration. Seated in the center is Bob Sieck, a member of the Stafford-Covey Shuttle Return to Flight Task Group; at his left is Forrest McCartney, former Kennedy Space Center director. Sieck served as launch director and director of Shuttle Processing in the 80s and 90s. The ETE MMT simulation included L-2 and L-1 day Prelaunch MMT meetings, an external tanking_weather briefing, and a launch countdown. The ETE transitioned to the Johnson Space Center for the flight portion of the simulation, with the STS-114 crew in a simulator at JSC. Such simulati

Photos of Firing Room 1 inside the Launch Control Center (LCC) at Kennedy Space Center.

In the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium, agency and industry leaders speak to members of the media at a prelaunch news conference for Orbital ATK CRS-6 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. From left are: George Diller of NASA Communications; Kenneth Todd, NASA ISS Operations Integration manager; Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's Space System Group; Vern Thorp, United Space Alliance's program manager for NASA missions; Pete Hasbrook, NASA associate program scientist for the ISS Program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston; Dr. Michael Roberts deputy chief scientist for the Center for the Advancement for Science in Space, or CASIS; and Capt. Laura Godoy, launch weather officer of the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA and industry leaders speak to members of the media at a prelaunch news conference for the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1. Participants, from left, are Tori McLendon of NASA Communications, Steve Volz, director of NOAAs Satellite and Information Service, Greg Mandt, director of the NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System Program, Sandra Smalley, director of the Joint Agency Satellite Division at NASA Headquarters, Omar Baez, NASA launch director, Scott Messer, United Launch Alliance program manager for NASA missions, and U. S. Air Force Capt. Ross Malugani, launch weather officer at Vandenberg's 30th Space Wing. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled to take place from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 2 at 1:

Photos of the Launch Vehicle Data Center (LVDC) in Hangar AE - Room #2 of LVDC - showing the engineering consule upgrades.

Through the large window panes of Firing Room 1, KSC launch team members reap the rewards of their work with a glimpse of the space shuttle Discovery soaring into the sky. Discovery was launched for the tenth time at 8:34 a.m. EDT on April 24 beginning the five-day STS-31 mission to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope. A ray of morning sunlight highlights the red and white stripes of Old Glory hanging high in the Firing Room. Launch team members overcame a last minute challenge in the STS-31 countdown when software detected a main propulsion system valve was out of position. The situation was quickly corrected and verified by the team from consoles in the Firing Room and the countdown was returned in a matter of minutes.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Members of the space shuttle launch team watch Atlantis' launch through the newly installed windows of Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Liftoff of Atlantis from Launch Pad 39A on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16.

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

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the firing room of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach and Assistant Launch Director Doug Lyons applaud the mission team for the successful launch of space shuttle Discovery on mission STS-120. AT right is NASA Flow Director Stephanie Stilson. Liftoff was on time at 11:38:19 a.m. EDT. Discovery carries the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day STS-120 mission, the crew will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Michael Gass, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, or ULA, joins Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, Space Systems, as the company announces the steps it will take to prepare for a November 2016 orbital flight of its Dream Chaser spacecraft from Floridas Space Coast. The steps are considered substantial for SNC and important to plans by NASA and Space Florida for Kennedy Space Centers transformation into a multi-user spaceport for both commercial and government customers. SNC said it plans to work with ULA to launch the Dream Chaser spacecraft into orbit atop an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station intends to land the winged spacecraft at Kennedys 3.5-mile long runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility lease office space at Exploration Park, right outside Kennedys gates and process the spacecraft in the high bay of the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy, with Lockheed Martin performing the work.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media from around the globe gather at the NASA News Annex at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Press Site in Florida to cover the prelaunch activities and lift off of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis began its final flight, with Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim on board, at 11:29 a.m. EDT July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Also in Atlantis' payload bay is the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 is the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final miss

Automated Flight and Contingency Management, or AFCM, Subproject Simulation FAA-2 Flight Tests in the Vertical Motion Simulator, or VMS. AFCM subproject simulation FAA-2 flight test team members Allen Ruan, left, Thomas Lombaerts, and Kimberlee Shish, right, in the VMS control room, N243, during a simulation.

Steve Stich, deputy manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program, speaks during a briefing at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida following launch of Boeings Orbital Flight Test, Dec. 20, 2019. Beside him are Jim Chilton, Boeing senior vice president, Space and Launch Division, left, and Kirk Shireman, manager of NASAs International Space Station Program. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:36 a.m. EST. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test is the Starliners first flight for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

SpaceX Falcon 9/COTS 2 Post Launch Media Briefing

Staff with the National Security Space Institute hold a demonstration of education technologies inside the 'Innovation Lab' at the NSSI-West campus in Colorado Springs, Colo., Nov. 8, 2022. The NSSI-West celebrated its formal opening by holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a tour of the facility and a hands-on demonstration.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Part of the $13 million expansion to KSC's Visitor Complex, the new information center welcomes visitors to the Gateway to the Universe. The five large video walls provide an orientation video, shown here with photos of John Glenn in his historic Shuttle mission in October 1998, with an introduction to the range of activities and exhibits, plus honor the center's namesake, President John F. Kennedy. Other new additions include a walk-through Robot Scouts exhibit, a wildlife exhibit, and the film Quest for Life in a new 300-seat theater, plus an International Space Station-themed ticket plaza, featuring a structure of overhanging solar panels and astronauts performing assembly tasks. The KSC Visitor Complex was inaugurated three decades ago and is now one of the top five tourist attractions in Florida. It is located on S.R. 407, east of I-95, within the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-116 Mission Specialists Joan Higgenbotham and Christer Fuglesang, who is with the European Space Agency, inspect flight hardware at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility at Port Canaveral, Fla., during the Crew Equipment Interface Test. Mission crews make frequent trips to the Space Coast to become familiar with the equipment and payloads they will be using. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7.

On Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, SpaceX teams in Firing Room 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the company's Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, along with NASA flight controllers in Mission Control Houston, executed a full simulation of launch and docking of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley participating in SpaceX's flight simulator.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, second from left, tours the Blue Origin facilities near the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 23, 2019. Bridenstine viewed the New Shepard booster and crew capsule that flew to space and back five times.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana speaks to guests during a ribbon cutting ceremony in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at the Florida spaceport. The event celebrated completion of facility modifications to improve processing and free up zones tailored to a variety of needs supporting a robust assortment of space-bound hardware including NASA programs and commercial space companies.

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

Examination of Orion spacecraft simulator that recently arrived at the agencys Johnson Space Center in Houston on Dec. 8, 2020. The simulator provides the ability for astronauts, engineers, and flight controllers to train and practice for scenarios during Artemis missions to the Moon. The interior of the simulator is being outfitted with Orions display and control system and crew seats to mimic what astronaut will experience during liftoff to the lunar vicinity and on their way back home to Earth.

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

The flags of Malaysia, Russia and the United States sit between the phones used by officials to speak with the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) in the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow, Friday, Oct. 12, 2007. Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor docked their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft to the ISS at 10:50 a.m. EDT, October 12. The crew launched on Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

View from the balcony of the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, Russia a little more than an hour before the planned docking of the Soyuz TMA-05M to the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 17, 2012. Onboard the soyuz spacecraft are Expedition 32 Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko, Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, and JAXA Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide. The crew of three launched at 8:40 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Sunday, July 15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Adam Sanders, General Motors robotics engineer, addresses the media at an event hosted by NASA to introduce the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, Robonaut (R2) to the participants. R2 will fly to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discovery on the STS-133 mission. Although it will initially only participate in operational tests, upgrades could eventually allow the robot to realize its true purpose -- helping spacewalking astronauts with tasks outside the space station.

Members of the media gather in the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium during a prelaunch news conference with NASA, SpaceX and the 45th Weather Squadron leaders Thursday, Feb. 28, prior to the Saturday, March 2 launch of the SpaceX Demo-1 Commercial Crew Program (CCP) mission to the International Space Station. The inaugural flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, known as Demo-1, is scheduled to lift off from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A Saturday at 2:49 EST. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the uncrewed spacecraft on a mission designed to validate end-to-end systems and capabilities, leading to certification to fly crew. NASA has worked with SpaceX and Boeing in developing the Commercial Crew Program spacecraft to facilitate new human spaceflight systems launching from U.S. soil with the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit destinations, such as the International Space Station.

NASA mission controllers, engineers, pilots and communications specialists in the mission control room monitor the supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The flight operations crew tracks the status of the flights, maintains communications with the aircraft, communicates with U.S. Coast Guard, and coordinates community feedback data.

Former director of NASAs Earth Science Division, Mike Freilich, gestures at the conclusion of a renaming ceremony for the international ocean science satellite previously known as Sentinel-6A/Jason-CS, Tuesday, January 28, 2020, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA and its European partners renamed the satellite Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich after him. Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich will observe and record global sea level changes and will be joined by an identical satellite slated to launch in 2025 for a total of ten years of targeted observations.

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

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Crew Walkout. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, Bob Cabana, NASA associate administrator, center, and Kennedy Space Center director Janet Petro, right, wave as the vehicles carrying Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronaut Warren Woody" Hoburg, NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A to board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-6 mission launch, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 12:34 a.m. EST on March 2, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, Japanaese astronauts and personnel observe sensors during a Multi-Equipment Interface Test (MEIT) on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed the laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo. It is the first element, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stands next to her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA and Lockheed Martin Orion leadership visit Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA on March 19, 2015 to celebrate the center's contribution to Orion's Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1). Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

NASA mission controllers, engineers, pilots and communications specialists in the mission control room monitor the supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The flight operations crew tracks the status of the flights, maintains communications with the aircraft, communicates with U.S. Coast Guard, and coordinates community feedback data.

John Mulholland, Boeing vice president and program manager for Commercial Programs, speaks to members of the news media inside the Boeings Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at the Florida spaceport. The facility will be used in manufacturing Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for flight tests and crew rotation missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program.

Crew Commercial Office's PAO activities for Boeing's rollout of their CST-100 capsule - "First Look" Media Event. Photo Date: July 23, 2013. Location: Boeing - Houston Product Support Center.

In the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium, members of the media participate with NASA and industry leaders in a prelaunch news conference for the SpaceX CRS-13 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. A Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to be launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 11:46 a.m. EST, on Dec. 12, 2017. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will lift off on the company's 13th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

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

Visitors view data visualizations at the U.S. Center at the 18th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-18) in Doha, Qatar, November 26, 2012.

Engineers staff a control trailer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before flights of agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the media talk with Bill Readdy, associate administrator of NASAs Space Operations Mission Directorate, after the orbiter Discoverys rollover from the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. The rollover marks a major milestone in the march to Return to Flight. First motion in the OPF was at 1 29 a.m. EST. Inside the VAB, Discovery will be mated to the External Tank_Solid Rocket Booster assembly for Return to Flight mission STS-114. After all umbilicals have been connected, workers will perform an electrical and mechanical verification of the mated interfaces to verify all critical vehicle connections. A Space Shuttle interface test is performed to verify vehicle interfaces and vehicle-to-ground interfaces. The launch processing system is used to control and monitor orbiter systems as required. Space Shuttle Discovery will roll out to Launch Pad 39B approximately one week after the rollover to the VAB. The launch window for

A bank of video screens shows the progress of a simulated space walk as the crew of STS-135 trains in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near the Johnson Space Center on Thursday, March 10, 2011, in Houston. ( NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool )

ITV Meridian Studio, Office, Europe, United Kingdom, Hampshire, 2011, Moxon. Control room with blurred figures.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine addresses invited guests, elected officials and NASA, Lockheed Martin and other industry leaders at Kennedy Space Centers Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building on July 20, 2019. He introduced Vice President Mike Pence. Pence, who visited the Florida spaceport in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, also spoke about NASAs progress and future plans to return to the Moon and on to Mars.

JSC2001-E-12117 (19 April 2001) --- Astronaut Christopher J. (Gus) Loria, at the Spacecraft Communicator (CAPCOM) console, peruses information on monitors and displays at his console in the flight control room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center (MCC) as countdown for the Space Shuttle Endeavour launch of STS-100 continues several hundred miles away in Florida. Loria deals with weather issues in the respective areas for both ascent and entry phases of the STS-100 mission.

U.S. Space Force Capt. Mark Conque, 1st Range Operations Squadron senior range operations commander, observes a console at the Morrell Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Space Force Stations, Fla., Aug. 4, 2022. Conque was observing the console prior to ULAs Atlas V 421 rocket that launched the sixth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit missile detection and early warning satellite.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Launch Control Center, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach applauds the team for a successful launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 to the International Space Station. At right, Angie Brewer, NASA flow director for Atlantis, also applauds the team. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on-time at 7:38:04 p.m. EDT. The shuttle is delivering a new segment to the starboard side of the International Space Station's backbone, known as the truss. Three spacewalks are planned to install the S3/S4 truss segment, deploy a set of solar arrays and prepare them for operation. STS-117 is the 118th space shuttle flight, the 21st flight to the station, the 28th flight for Atlantis and the first of four flights planned for 2007.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA managers monitor the countdown of space shuttle Endeavour. From left are Janet Petro, Kennedy Space Center deputy director; Michael Coats, Johnson Space Center director (leaning back); John Shannon, Space Shuttle Program manager; Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations; and Chris Scolese, NASA associate administrator. Launch of Endeavour on the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station was at 4:14 a.m. EST. This was the second launch attempt for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 crew and the final scheduled space shuttle night launch. The first attempt on Feb. 7 was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is the Tranquility node, a pressurized module that will provide additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control

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