Astronaut Training and Space Operations

Images depicting astronaut training scenarios, interaction with technology, and preparation for space missions, highlighting high-tech control panels and training environments.

JSC2004-E-44630 (7 October 2004) --- Paul Williamson, crew instructor, operates a simulated version of the International Space Station robotic arm, Canadarm2, in the Multi-use Remote Manipulator Development Facility at the Johnson Space Center. A robotic control station for operating the arm is setup in a mockup of the Cupola module where arm operations will be housed in the future on Station. The Cupola, a dome-shaped module with seven windows, will give astronauts a panoramic view for observing many operations on the outside of the orbiting complex. Today, Station crews use a robotic control computer station located in the Destiny Laboratory to operate the arm. The Cupola is scheduled to be installed on Station in early 2009 and one of the robotic control stations will be permanently placed inside.

NASA commercial crew astronaut Josh Cassada trains for docking to the International Space Station. Cassada is assigned to the second crewed flight to the International Space Station of Boeings CST-100 Starliner.

JSC2012-E-237305 (5 Nov. 2012) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer and Expedition 39 commander, 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 International 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 Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a United Space Alliance technician locks the hatch of space shuttle Endeavours airlock for the final time during processing for the shuttles retirement.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, designated OV-105, 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.

CEV (Crew Escape Vehicle) capsule Balistic Range testing to examine static and dynamic stability characteristics (at the Hypervelocity Free-Flight Facility) HFF Chuck Cornelison operating 'Firing' control pannel

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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located.

JSC2004-E-44630 (7 October 2004) --- Paul Williamson, crew instructor, operates a simulated version of the International Space Station robotic arm, Canadarm2, in the Multi-use Remote Manipulator Development Facility at the Johnson Space Center. A robotic control station for operating the arm is setup in a mockup of the Cupola module where arm operations will be housed in the future on Station. The Cupola, a dome-shaped module with seven windows, will give astronauts a panoramic view for observing many operations on the outside of the orbiting complex. Today, Station crews use a robotic control computer station located in the Destiny Laboratory to operate the arm. The Cupola is scheduled to be installed on Station in early 2009 and one of the robotic control stations will be permanently placed inside.

JSC2010-E-121052 (27 Aug. 2010) --- NASA astronauts Michael Fincke (foreground) and Greg Chamitoff, both STS-134 mission specialists, use virtual reality hardware in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to rehearse some of their duties on the upcoming mission to the International Space Station. This type of virtual reality training allows the astronauts to wear a helmet and special gloves while looking at computer displays simulating actual movements around the various locations on the station hardware with which they will be working.

The Hero Team (278) robot, named Hero, is repaired in a Kennedy Space Center research and development machine shop. The team of Edgewater High School students was co-sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center and Honeywell. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Workers attach one of three solid rocket motors to a United Launch Alliance Delta II launch vehicle in the service tower at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Following final tests, the spacecraft will be integrated to the Delta II in preparation for the targeted June launch. Aquarius, the NASA-built instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility 1, STS-129 Pilot Barry Wilmore checks the cockpit window in space shuttle Atlantis. The crew is at Kennedy for a Crew Equipment Interface Test, which provides hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. Atlantis' STS-129 mission is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

A student takes part in a practice session at a helicopter instrument panel simulator. Base: Naval Air Station, Jacksonville State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay No. 2, technicians install auxiliary power unit 3, or APU3, in space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-126 mission. The auxiliary power unit is a hydrazine-fueled, turbine-driven power unit that generates mechanical shaft power to drive a hydraulic pump that produces pressure for the orbiter's hydraulic system. There are three separate APUs, three hydraulic pumps and three hydraulic systems, located in the aft fuselage of the orbiter. When the three auxiliary power units are started five minutes before lift-off, the hydraulic systems are used to position the three main engines for activation, control various propellant valves on the engines and position orbiter aerosurfaces. The auxiliary power units are not operated after the first orbital maneuvering system thrusting period because hydraulic power is no longer required. One power unit is operated briefly one day before deorbit to support checkout of the orbiter flight control sys

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, technicians Jake Jacobson (left) and Billy Barecka install a reinforced carbon carbon panel on the right wing of Space Shuttle Discovery. The next flight planned for Discovery is the STS-114 mission on Logistics Flight 1 to deliver supplies and equipment, as well as the external stowage platform, to the International Space Station. STS-114 will be the mission that returns the Space Shuttle to flight status and is scheduled for no earlier than March 2005.

During power-up of the orbiter Discovery in the Orbiter Processing Facility, a technician adjusts a monitor on the console. Discovery has been undergoing Orbiter Major Modifications in the past year, ranging from wiring, control panels and black boxes to gaseous and fluid systems tubing and components. These systems were deserviced, disassembled, inspected, modified, reassembled, checked out and reserviced, as were most other systems onboard. The work includes the installation of the Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS) - a state-of-the-art glass cockpit.”

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Mel Romans, with United Space Alliance, prepares the area on orbiter Discoverys leftwing for installation of the final Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panel. The leading edges of each of an orbiters wings have 22 RCC panels. They are light gray and made entirely of carbon composite material, which protect the orbiter during re-entry. The molded components are approximately 0.25- to 0.5-inch thick and capable of withstanding temperatures up to 3,220 degrees F. Following the Columbia accident in February 2002, which was caused by a breach in an RCC panel that allowed hot gases into the vehicle, each panel on Discovery was removed and thoroughly inspected before final reinstallation. Discovery is the designated orbiter to fly on the Return to Flight mission STS-114, the first Space Shuttle to launch since the accident. The launch window for the mission is May 12 to June 3, 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center watch a demonstration of new systems installed in Launch Pad 39B. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, astronaut Scott E. Parazynski points to the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels used on the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters. With Parazynski are engineers from around the Agency who are working on improving the RCC panels used on the wing leading edge. The gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

HOUSTON - Chris Ferguson, a former space shuttle commander who is now director of Crew and Mission Operations for Boeing Space Exploration, sits at the controls in the inside the company's CST-100 spacecraft simulator. Boeing demonstrated that the CST-100 software allows a human pilot to take over control of the spacecraft from the computer during all phases of a mission following separation from the launch vehicle. The pilot-in-the-loop demonstration at the Houston Product Support Center is a milestone under Boeing's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement with the agency and its Commercial Crew Program.

STS-132 crew during their PDRS N-TSK MRM training in the building 16 cupola trainer. Photo Date: December 22, 2009. Location: Building 16 - SES Cupola.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, Lockheed Martin engineer Ray Clark splices wires between space shuttle Atlantis' external tank and the engine cutoff, or ECO, sensor system. The replacement feed-through connector in the ECO sensor system will be installed later. Some of the tank's ECO sensors gave failed readings during propellant tanking for Atlantis' STS-122 mission launch attempts on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. Results of a tanking test on Dec. 18 pointed to an open circuit in the feed-through connector wiring, which is located at the base of the tank. The feed-through connector passes the wires from the inside of the tank to the outside. The pins in the replacement connector have been precisely soldered to create a connection that allows sensors inside the tank to send signals to the computers onboard Atlantis. No problems with the ECO sensors themselves have been found. NASA's Space Shuttle Program has proposed a target launch date of Feb. 7 for the STS-122 mission. Tha

ISS036-E-029227 (5 Aug. 2013) --- At the robotics workstation in the International Space Stations Cupola, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, Expedition 36 flight engineer, participates in onboard training activity in preparation for the grapple and berthing of the Japanese "Kounotori" H2 Transfer Vehicle-4 (HTV-4) set for August 9. Nyberg and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy will use Canadarm2, the station's Canadian Space Agency-provided robotic arm, to reach out and capture the vehicle for its installation on the Earth-facing port of the Harmony node.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Centers in Florida, a technician prepares to conduct terahertz scans of five ice frost ramps on the external fuel tank, designated ET-133, for space shuttle Atlantis STS-129 mission. The ice frost ramps are made from foam insulation and cover brackets that hold pressurization lines on the outside of the external tank. Terahertz scans are wave frequency analysis in the infrared band that can see through the foam insulation to help look for any voids or pockets where the foam is not bonded to the metal primer. The ramps being scanned were on the top part of the tank in the same area where foam came off during the last two shuttle launches. The data will be used to help assess whether foam on ET-132, the fuel tank attached to shuttle Discovery at Kennedys Launch Pad 39A, is fit for its flight on the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On a tour of the Orbiter Processing Facility, Center Director Jim Kennedy (right) looks over some of the work being done on the orbiter Endeavour. At left is Tom Roberts, who is with United Space Alliance. Endeavour is in its Orbiter Major Modification period, which began in December 2003.

A weather technician operates a video monitor connected with the Solar Optical Observing Network (SOON) to record sunspot activity. Base: Holloman Air Force Base State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Testing of the External Vision System (EVS) Software on the B200 King Air

Orion Media Day takes place at Lockheed Martins Waterton facility in Littleton, Colorado on Oct. 21, 2011. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance aerospace technician Chris Peluso installs a heat shield carrier panel on the space shuttle Endeavour.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 the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician works on the service module bulkhead wiring for the Orion spacecraft. 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 in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

A pilot for General Atomics guides the Altair remotely operated aircraft from a ground control station using both visual and telemetered data.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Crews in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida remove space shuttle Discovery's right-hand inner heat shield from engine No. 1. The removal is part of Discovery's transition and retirement processing. Work performed on Discovery is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for future public display.

John Stirling, with Jacobs on the NASA Recovery Team, unties the test version of the Orion crew capsule before Underway Recovery Test-7 (URT-7) night operations on Nov. 3, 2018, in the well deck of the USS John P. Murtha. URT-7 is one in a series conducted by the Exploration Ground Systems Recovery Team to verify and validate procedures and hardware that will be used to recover the Orion spacecraft after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean following deep space exploration missions. Orion will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

F-15 Propulsion Controlled Aircraft (PCA) simulation cockpit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers check the umbilical lines that keep a controlled environment in the payload canister. The canister will be lifted to a vertical position for the trip to Launch Pad 39A. The canisters cargo consists of four carriers holding various equipment for the STS-125 mission aboard space shuttle Atlantis to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. At the pad, the cargo will be moved into the Payload Changeout Room. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into the shuttles payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Here, Mission Specialist Shane Kimbrough examines the thermal protection system tile on Endeavour. The CEIT provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment slated to fly on their mission. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10.

A technician outfits the commander and pilot seats on the flight deck of space shuttle Atlantis as the spacecraft is prepared for public display. The work is taking place as Atlantis sits inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

STS-131 MPLM LEONARDO HATCH CLOSURE

S134-E-006508 (17 May 2011) --- NASA astronaut Greg H. Johnson, STS-134 pilot, works at controls on Endeavour's aft flight deck during the external inspection session which is traditionally conducted early in shuttle missions to determine any possible damage on the vehicle. The six-man crew is anticipating a docking with the International Space Station in less than 24 hours.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Chris Moore repairs tile on the forward area of the orbiter Discovery. The vehicle has undergone Orbiter Major Modifications in the past year, which includes tile check and repair. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - At NASA Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Boeing Delta II rocket, launch vehicle for the CALIPSO_CloudSat spacecraft, is prepared for lifting into the mobile service tower, or gantry. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites and together will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO_CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3 01 a.m. Sept. 29.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a United Space Alliance technician begins to move a cart containing one of the auxiliary power units that was removed from space shuttle Endeavour. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Jim Davis, a NASA quality inspector, examines the internal connector on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank to which the replacement feed-through connector in the engine cutoff, or ECO, sensor system will be attached. The feed-through connector passes the wires from the inside of the tank to the outside. Results of a tanking test on Dec. 18 pointed to an open circuit in the feed-through connector wiring, which is located at the base of the tank. The pins in the replacement connector have been precisely soldered to create a connection that allows sensors inside the tank to send signals to the computers onboard Atlantis. The work is being done on Launch Pad 39A. Space shuttle Atlantis is now targeted for launch on Feb. 7.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers remove one of the ground umbilical carrier plate's (GUCP) quick disconnects. A hydrogen gas leak at that location on the external fuel tank during tanking for space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station caused the launch attempt to be scrubbed Nov. 5. The GUCP will be examined to determine the cause of the hydrogen leak and then repaired. The GUCP is the overboard vent to the pad and the flame stack where the excess hydrogen is burned off. Discovery's next launch attempt is no earlier than Nov. 30 at 4:02 a.m. EST.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-117 Mission Specialist James Reilly practices photographing the underside of the orbiter Atlantis with a camera he will use on the mission. He and other crew members are at KSC to take part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test that allows them opportunities to become familiar with equipment and hardware for their mission. STS-117 will deliver the S3/S4 and another pair of solar arrays to the space station. The 21st shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-117 is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 16.

Man captain pushing control buttons on dashboard panel

NASA Ames VMS (Vertical Motion simulator) S-Cab Cockpit, Control Panel and heads-up displays

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - United Space Alliance technicians remove and replace all the hub tiles on space shuttle Discovery before its STS-119 mission targeted for Feb. 12. Hub tiles, heat protection tiles, are difficult to install because of their location on the inboard side of the inboard elevons. On the STS-119 mission, Discovery will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician wearing safety equipment inspects shuttle Endeavours left-hand orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod, while the component is removed using a large overhead crane. 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.

Mission engineers load the final cargo into the Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at launch Pad-0A of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grummans 11th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 7,600 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

Computer displaying security camera

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-124 Mission Specialist Michael Fossum takes a close look inside part of space shuttle Discovery during a crew equipment interface test. 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 International Space Station to complete the Kibo laboratory. The launch of Discovery is targeted for April 24.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker begins to remove the ground umbilical carrier plate's (GUCP) 7-inch quick disconnect. A hydrogen gas leak at that location on the external fuel tank during tanking for space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station caused the launch attempt to be scrubbed Nov. 5. The GUCP will be examined to determine the cause of the hydrogen leak and then repaired. The GUCP is the overboard vent to the pad and the flame stack where the vented hydrogen is burned off. Discovery's next launch attempt is no earlier than Nov. 30 at 4:02 a.m. EST.

young man in flight simulator

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-113 Commander James Wetherbee checks the cockpit window from inside Endeavour. The check is part of Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, which include familiarization with equipment for the mission. The primary payloads on mission STS-113 are the first port truss segment, P1 Truss, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, on the International Space Station, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart B that can be used by spacewalkers to move along the truss with equipment. Once delivered, the P1 truss will remain stowed until flight 12A.1. The mission will also deliver the Expedition 6 crew to the Station and return Expedition 5 to Earth. Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to launch Nov. 10 on the 11-day mission.

Hand of captain pushing dashboard buttons on control panel

An Expedition 31 crew member's hand is seen at the controls inside the Soyuz TMA mockup Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. The crew perform final qualification tests in preparation for their launch to the International Space Station May 15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

STS-118 astronaut and mission specialist Dafydd R. Dave” Williams, representing the Canadian Space Agency, uses Virtual Reality Hardware in the Space Vehicle Mock Up Facility at the Johnson Space Center to rehearse some of his duties for the upcoming mission. This type of virtual reality training allows the astronauts to wear special gloves and other gear while looking at a computer that displays simulating actual movements around the various locations on the station hardware which with they will be working.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers remove the 7-inch quick disconnect on the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, on space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank. A hydrogen leak at the location during tanking for the STS-127 mission caused the launch attempts to be scrubbed on June 13 and June 17. The GUCP will be examined to determine the cause of the hydrogen leak and repaired. The GUCP is the overboard vent to the pad and the flame stack where the vented hydrogen is burned off. Endeavour's next launch attempt is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

NASAs 2017 astronaut candidate Matthew Dominick practice flying in the X-57 aircraft simulator at Armstrong Flight Research Center in Southern California. Starting with the fuselage of a Tecnam P20067T, the X-57 Maxwell electric propulsion airplane is being built from ideas being researched that could lead to the development of electric propulsion-powered aircraft, which would be quieter, more efficient and environmentally friendly than today's commuter aircraft.

Automated Flight and Contingency Management, or AFCM, Subproject Simulation FAA-2 Flight Tests in the Vertical Motion Simulator, or VMS. Michael Feary pilots a simulated electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft in the VMSs R-Cab during the AFCM subproject simulation FAA-2 flight tests in the VMS, N243.

Communications Hub

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-116 Pilot William Oefelein checks the cockpit window of Discovery as part of a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT). A CEIT allows astronauts to become familiar with equipment and hardware they will use on the mission. 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.

NASAs 2017 astronaut candidates practice flying in an X-59 QueSST simulator at Armstrong Flight Research Center, in Southern California. The low boom flight demonstrator, X-59, being built at Lockheed Martin and was designed to supersonically over land without the loud noise of breaking the sound barrier and disturbing communities.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1, United Space Alliance technician George Arnett works on tile bonding for the orbiter Atlantis. The orbiter is scheduled to fly on Return to Flight mission STS-121 in July. STS-121 is a Return to Flight Utilities and Logistics Flight (ULF-2) to the International Space Station.

Male Aero Engineer With Clipboard Working In Helicopter Cockpit

T&R/Atlantis, Locker Installation in Mid-Deck

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician checks cables and wires that will be used in the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test on engine cut-off sensors, or ECO, in space shuttle Atlantis' external tank. The test equipment -- blue monitor at left-- will be used to validate the circuit on the test wiring before hooking it up to the test box. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Boeing workers perform a 3D digital scan of the actuator on the table. At left is Dan Clark. At right are Alden Pitard (seated at computer) and John Macke, from Boeing, St. Louis. . There are two actuators per engine on the Shuttle, one for pitch motion and one for yaw motion. The Space Shuttle Main Engine hydraulic servoactuators are used to gimbal the main engine.

The four monitors display the data gathered from two lidars and two cameras, respectively, during a calibration flight over Stennis International Airport, Mississippi, April 18, 2022. The Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise team collects information about the waterways and coastline to ensure U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project success and completion.

STS-130 TCDT - PAYLOAD BAY WALKDOWN

STS088-334-033 (4-15 Dec. 1998) --- Astronauts Jerry L. Ross (on left with camera) and James H. Newman, both mission specialists, work in the Unity Module (Node 1). This task was designed to complete the assembly of an early S-band communications system that will allow flight controllers in Houston, Texas, to send commands to Unity's systems and to keep tabs on the health of the station with a more extensive communications capability than exists through Russian ground stations.

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. - In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section.Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high scho

a technician inspecting cockpit panel

Interior view of the Ground Control Station for the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator. The Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the United States Air Force describes as a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) UAV system. It can serve in a reconnaissance role and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. The aircraft, in use since 1995, has seen combat over many regions of the world. It is a remote-controlled aircraft. The MQ-1 Predator is a system, not just an aircraft. The fully operati

The control panel of a commercial airplane

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, foam insulation is being trimmed for placement around the engine cutoff, or ECO, sensor system connector and wiring on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank. The foam was removed to enable engineers to remove and replace a feed-through ECO sensor connector on the tank. The feed-through connector passes the wires from the inside of the tank to the outside. Results of a tanking test on Dec. 18 pointed to an open circuit in the feed-through connector wiring, which is located at the base of the tank. The pins in the replacement connector were precisely soldered to create a connection that allows sensors inside the tank to send signals to the computers onboard Atlantis. The launch date for the shuttle's STS-122 mission has now been targeted for Feb. 7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Radar operator Scott Peabody tests the X-band radar array installed on the solid rocket booster retrieval ship Liberty before launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. It is one of two Weibel Continuous Pulse Doppler X-band radars located on each of the two SRB retrieval ships. This one will be located downrange of the launch site. It is one of two Weibel Continuous Pulse Doppler X-band radars located on each of the two SRB retrieval ships. This one will be located downrange of the launch site. Working with the land-based C-band radar, the X-band radars provide velocity and differential shuttle/debris motion information during launch. The radar data will be sent from the ships via satellite link and analyzed at the C-band radar site located on north Kennedy Space Center.

The Flight Simulator Operations Room of a long-distance Maritime Patrol Flop Lockheed P-3C (Update II) Orion

Control boards pictured in the International Space Stations Cupola during rendezvous and capture operations of the Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo craft.

Daryl Ferguson attaches the TigerSharks tail at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.

NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS); T-Cab Civil Tilt Rotor Project (CTR) project cab configuration

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a thermal protection system technician places a heat shield tile into position under space shuttle Atlantis.The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System that protects the shuttle against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will carry the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Program.

ARLINGTON, Va. (Jan. 15, 2014) Jim Blesse, standing, from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), explains project BlueShark to Lt. Col. John Moore from the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. Project BlueShark is an ONR effort to create a high-tech, futuristic environment to demonstrate what operational work environments might look like and what emerging innovative technologies might provide in the next decade.

Electric Power Control Room

Nose Installed and Cockpit Instrumentation. Lockheed Martin Photography By Garry Tice1011 Lockheed Way, Palmdale, Ca. 93599Event: Nose Installed and Cockpit InstrumentationDate: 11/04/2022Additional Info:

NASA James Webb Space Telescope Commissioning Manager John Durning, left, and engineering teams celebrate at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore as the second primary mirror wing of NASAs James Webb Space Telescope unfolds, before beginning the process of latching the mirror wing into place, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. When fully latched, the infrared observatory will have completed its unprecedented process of unfolding in space to prepare for science operations. Webb will study every phase of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker prepares to remove the 7-inch quick disconnect and flight seal from the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, on space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank. Teams are removing the hardware to change out seals in the internal connection points. A leak of hydrogen at the location during tanking June 12 for the STS-127 mission caused the mission to be scrubbed at 12:26 a.m. June 13. The GUCP is the overboard vent to the pad and the flare stack where the vented hydrogen is burned off. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on its STS-127 mission on June 17 at 5:40 a.m. EDT.

Air Traffic Controllers ( ATC ) working at an FAA facility. Monitors overhead show aircraft traffic.

F/A-18 #845 HUD and video camera setup for Autonomous Airborne Refueling Demonstration (AARD) project

Microlight Ultralight aircraft instrument panel

A view of the combat crew console inside the launch control car mock-up at the Rockwell International plant. Personnel from Rockwell and the Air Force are working jointly on the Strategic Air Command (SAC) rail garrison program. Base: San Bernardino State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Antarctica, Ross Island, McMurdo Station, Science technician recording data at Arrival Heights field station (Editorial Usage Only)

Telemetry testing begins on the X-57 Maxwell, NASAs first all-electric X-plane, as the operations crew at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center records the results. Telemetry testing is a critical phase in X-57s functional test series. In addition to confirming the ability of the X-57 aircraft to transmit speed, altitude, direction, and location to teams on the ground, telemetry testing also confirms the ability to transmit mission-critical-data, such as voltage, power consumption, and structural integrity. X-57s goal is to help set certification standards for emerging electric aircraft markets.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, a worker mounts a digital still camera in the External Tank (ET) umbilical well on the aft end of Space Shuttle Discovery. The camera is being used to obtain and downlink high-resolution images of the disconnect point on the ET following the ET separation from the orbiter after launch. The Kodak camera will record 24 images, at one frame per 1.5 seconds, on a flash memory card. After orbital insertion, the crew will transfer the images from the memory card to a laptop computer. The files will then be downloaded through the Ku-band system to the Mission Control Center in Houston for analysis.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of an emergency escape training team perform a simulated evacuation exercise at the slidewire basket landing site.For several days, volunteers portraying astronauts, take part in training exercises which allow teams to practice emergency response procedures, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Training normally involves NASA fire rescue personnel, personnel from the Air Force's 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams from central Florida hospitals, and is required every 18 months to certify Fire Rescue and Closeout Crew personnel.

Worker controlling production with monitors

Nobody in plane cabin with control panel and navigation compass

In this broad view, the new full-color, flat panel Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS) is shown in the cockpit of the orbiter Atlantis. It is often called the "glass cockpit." The recently installed MEDS upgrade improves crew/orbiter interaction with easy-to-read, graphic portrayals of key flight indicators like attitude display and mach speed. The installation makes Atlantis the most modern orbiter in the fleet and equals the systems on current commercial jet airliners and military aircraft. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on mission STS-101 in early December

Orion Media Day takes place at Lockheed Martins Waterton facility in Littleton, Colorado on Oct. 21, 2011. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

A crewman uses an Air Traffic Control Radar (ATCR) screen aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69) to monitor flight activity. Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)

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