Astronaut Training Sessions

Images featuring astronauts in training suits, preparing for missions, with backgrounds related to space exploration and training facilities.

STS-131 suited payload egress training (FFT PLD EG 91019) at Building 9 - FFT. Photo Date: September 14, 2009. Location: Building 9 - FFT.

STS-131 suited payload egress training (FFT PLD EG 91019) at Building 9 - FFT. Photo Date: September 14, 2009. Location: Building 9 - FFT.

JSC2008-E-024345 (28 Feb. 2008) --- Attired in a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit, astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, STS-126 mission specialist, awaits the start of a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Crew members for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission put on their launch and entry suits before heading to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mission Specialist Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is making her second shuttle flight. STS-126 is the 124th space shuttle flight and the 27th flight to the International Space Station. The mission will feature four spacewalks and work that will prepare the space station to house six crew members for long- duration missions. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:55 p.m. EST Nov. 14.

PHOTO DATE: 01-29-10LOCATION:BLDG 9NWSUBJECT:STS-131 PRL ingress/egress trainingWORK ORDER: 0349-STS131PRL-01-29-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-121 Mission Specialist Lisa Nowak is happy to be making a third launch attempt on the mission. She is suiting up before heading to Launch Pad 39B. The July 2 launch attempt was scrubbed due to the presence of showers and thunderstorms within the surrounding area of the launch site. The launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121 is the 115th shuttle flight and the 18th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. During the 12-day mission, the STS-121 crew will test new equipment and procedures to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the International Space Station.

Expedition 70 Preflight. Expedition 70 crew member NASA astronaut Loral OHara is seen prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft for launch with fellow crewmates Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket will send the trio on a mission to the International Space Station.

At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 48-49 backup crewmember Peggy Whitson of NASA flashes a smile in front of a Soyuz simulator May 26 during final qualification exams. Whitson, Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency and Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos are serving as the backups to prime crewmembers Kate Rubins of NASA, Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, who will launch June 24 on the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a four-month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Stephanie Stoll

Expedition 70 Press Conference. Expedition 70 astronaut Loral O'Hara is seen in quarantine behind glass during a press conference, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft on Sept. 15.

PHOTO DATE: 12-09-09LOCATION: Bldg 9NW, CCT-IISUBJECT: STS-131 Preflight Training, ASC/CAP/DES 91020 training in CCT-II.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the White Room on Launch Pad 39A, Mission Specialist Barbara R. Morgan adjusts the collar of her launch and entry suit before she enters Space Shuttle Endeavour. Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut, and the rest of the crew are taking part in a simulated launch countdown, the culmination of terminal countdown demonstration test activities. The White Room is situated at the end of the orbiter access arm and provides entry into the orbiter. TCDT activities also include M-113 training, payload familiarization and emergency egress training at the pad. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour will carry a payload including the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. STS-118 is targeted for launch on Aug. 7.

jsc2018e094722 (November 05, 2018) --- 2017 NASA astronaut candidate Loral OHara wears a spacesuit prior to underwater spacewalk training at NASA Johnson Space Centers Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston.

STS-135 Crew Return Ceremony to Ellington Field. Photo Date: July 22, 2011. Location: Ellington Field - Hangar 990.

After donning her launch and entry suit, STS-86 Mission Specialist Wendy B. Lawrence gives a "thumbs up" to show shes ready to fly in a few hours on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. This will be Lawrences second spaceflight. She and the six other crew members will depart shortly from the Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Pad 39A, where Atlantis awaits liftoff on a 10-day mission slated to be the seventh docking of the Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Lawrence was given the nickname "too short," as shown on her orange spacesuit, because she was withdrawn from training for an extended stay aboard the Mir when it was determined that she was too short to fit into the Russian spacewalk suit. Lawrence remains a member of the STS-86 crew, but fellow Mission Specialist David A. Wolf will take her place for an approximate four-month stay aboard the Russian space station

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann is seen during a NASA event where it was announced that she, NASA astronaut Eric Boe, and Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson are assigned to the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crew Test Flight to the International Space Station, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Astronauts assigned to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST- 100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon were announced during the event.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the Return to Flight STS-114 crew suits up in preparation for launch aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. Seen here is Mission Commander Eileen Collins, who is making her fourth Space Shuttle flight. The crew is scheduled to launch on this historic mission at 3 51 p.m. EDT today from Launch Pad 39B. It is the 114th Space Shuttle flight and the 31st for Discovery. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 11 06 a.m. July 25.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy completes suiting up to take part in a simulated launch countdown, part of the prelaunch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. His name patch reflects the nicknames the crew gave each other for the event. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various launch preparation activities, including equipment familiarization, emergency training and the simulated countdown. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery on mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT on a 14-day mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-135 Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus checks the fit of her launch-and-entry suit and helmet during a simulated launch countdown. As part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), the crew members are taken to Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A and strapped into space shuttle Atlantis to practice the steps that will be taken on launch day. Atlantis and its crew are targeted to lift off July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 13

Artemis II Day of Launch Demonstration Test ISVV-A1. Inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Artemis II crew member NASA astronaut Christina Koch is shown wearing a test version of the Orion crew survival system spacesuits the crew will wear on launch day as part of an integrated ground systems test on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Karen Nymberg listens to questions from reporters during a media event at the slidewire landing area of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The rest of the crew present are Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Ken Ham and Mission Specialists Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Akihiko Hoshide and Greg Chamitoff. Hoshide represents the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31.

During final launch preparations in the Operations and Checkout Building, STS-93 Commander Eileen M. Collins waves after donning her launch and entry suit. After Space Shuttle Columbia's July 20 launch attempt was scrubbed at the T-7 second mark in the countdown, the launch was rescheduled for Thursday, July 22, at 12:28 a.m. EDT. The target landing date is July 26, 1999, at 11:24 p.m. EDT. STS-93 is a five-day mission primarily to release the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to study some of the most distant, powerful and dynamic objects in the universe. The new telescope is 20 to 50 times more sensitive than any previous X-ray telescope and is expected unlock the secrets of supernovae, quasars and black holes. The STS-93 crew numbers five: Commander Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, and Mission Specialists Stephen A. Hawley (Ph.D.), Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.) and Michel Tognini of France, with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

Expedition 59 astronaut Christina Koch of NASA, smiles as she, Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, and Nick Hague of NASA head to the launch pad, Thursday, March 14, 2019 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Hague, Koch, and Ovchinin launched March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir poses for a portrait, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in the Blue Flight Control Room at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Expedition 58 Flight Engineer Anne McClain of NASA waves at the media while waiting to have her Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for her launch aboard the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft on Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the same day and will carry McClain, Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) into orbit to begin their six and a half month mission on the International Space Station.

STS-130 TCDT - ORBITER INGRESS - WHITEROOM

Expedition 23 NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson of the U.S. has her Russian Sokol suit prepared for launch by a technician at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Friday, April 2, 2010. Caldwell Dyson and fellow Expedition 23 crew members Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of Russia launched in their Soyuz TMA-18 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, April 2, 2010.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch poses for a portrait, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in the Blue Flight Control Room at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members put on their launch-and-entry suits before heading to the Astrovan for the 3.4-mile drive to Launch Pad 39A. Seen here, Mission Specialist Julie Payette of the Canadian Space Agency adjusts her helmet. At the pad, Payette and the other crew members will complete their suitup and enter space shuttle Endeavour for the 7:13 p.m. EDT liftoff. This is the fourth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The first two launch attempts on June 13 and June 17 were scrubbed when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. Mission managers also decided to delay tanking on July 11 for a launch attempt later in the day to allow engineers and safety personnel time to analyze data captured during lightning strikes near the pad on July 10. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, an

Expedition 36 NASA Flight Engineer Karen Nyberg is seen talking to family members after donning her Russian Sokol suit in preparation for her launch aboard the Soyuz rocket, Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket will send Nyberg, Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano on a five and a half-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

STS-130 Payload Egress Training at the Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT). Photo Date: June 1, 2009. Locationi: Building 9NW - FFT Mockup.

jsc2018e043414 (May 10, 2018) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 56 prime crew member Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA listens to space officials instructions during the first of two days of final Soyuz qualification exams May 10. Aunon-Chancellor, Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency will launch June 6 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft for a six-month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus takes a break during emergency egress practice on the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39B. She and the rest of the crew are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-112 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 2, between 2 and 6 p.m. EDT. STS-112 is the 15th assembly mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will be carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts.

Astronaut Jessica Watkins at Howard University. NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins gives a presentation about her time in space as part of Expeditions 67 and 68, Friday, March 31, 2023, at Howard University in Washington.

Cady Coleman - Backup EXP 24 Flight Engineer

Expedition 68 Press Conference. Expedition 68 backup crewmember Loral O'Hara of NASA is seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 68 astronaut Frank Rubio of NASA, and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on Sept. 21.

JSC2011-E-054034 (13 June 2011) --- NASA astronaut Sandy Magnus, STS-135 mission specialist, attired in a training version of her Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, awaits the start of a spacewalk training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center.

JSC2007-E-03703 (19 Jan. 2007) --- Barbara R. Morgan, educator astronaut, is pictured during a demonstration at Space Center Houston. Morgan has been named as a crew member for the STS-118 mission, scheduled to launch in the summer of 2007.

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston --- JSC2007-E-097869 --- Astronaut Karen L. Nyberg, mission specialist

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the White Room on Launch Pad 39A, the closeout crew prepares the launch and entry suit on STS-118 Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell before she enters Space Shuttle Endeavour. Caldwell and the rest of the crew are taking part in a simulated launch countdown, the culmination of terminal countdown demonstration test activities. The White Room is situated at the end of the orbiter access arm and provides entry into the orbiter. TCDT activities also include M-113 training, payload familiarization and emergency egress training at the pad. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour will carry a payload including the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. STS-118 is targeted for launch on Aug. 7.

JSC2005-E-47398 (12 Dec. 2005) --- Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, STS-115 mission specialist, attired in a training version of the shuttle launch and entry suit, awaits the start of post insertion training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the Johnson Space Center.

Artemis II Day of Launch Demonstration Test ISVV-A1. Inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Artemis II crew member NASA astronaut Christina Koch is shown wearing a test version of the Orion crew survival system spacesuits the crew will wear on launch day as part of an integrated ground systems test on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

JSC2016e058961 (05/13/2016) --- Official Photograph of NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson of Expedition 50.

Expedition 50 NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson dons her Sokol suit ahead of her final qualification exams with fellow crew mates Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia.

JSC2007-E-18915 (17 April 2007) --- Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center.

Expedition 36/37 Flight Engineer Karen Nyberg of NASA smiles during the crew press conference at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Monday, May 27, 2013, in Kazakhstan. Nyberg and her fellow crew members, Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, were in quarantine and kept behind glass during the press conference in preparation for their launch on a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday May 29, Kazakh time.

Expedition 59 astronaut Christina Koch of NASA prepares to have her Sokol suit pressure checked a few hours ahead of her launch on a Soyuz rocket with Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, Thursday, March 14, 2019 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Hague, Koch, and Ovchinin launched March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station.

Official NASA/Commercial Crew Portrait - Nicole Mann. Photo Date: July 31, 2018. Location: Building 8, Room 183 - Photo Studio.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Astronauts with Agency Leadership. NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 astronaut Nicole Mann of NASA is seen as she and fellow crewmates Josh Cassada of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as they meet with NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, Monday, June 5, 2023 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building during suitup, STS-118 Mission Specialist Barbara R. Morgan, teacher-turned-astronaut, is eager to make her first spaceflight on mission STS-118 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. The STS-118 mission is the 22nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station. It will continue space station construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, and other payloads such as the SPACEHAB module and the external stowage platform 3. The 11-day mission may be extended to as many as 14 depending on the test of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbiting lab. NASA/Kim Shiflett

jsc2017e135207 - At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 54-55 prime crewmember Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Space Agency (JAXA) listens to a reporters question Nov. 29 as part of the crews final qualification exam activities. Kanai, Scott Tingle of NASA and Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will launch Dec. 17 on the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a five-month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger.

jsc2018e010851 (March 5, 2018) --- Expedition 56-57 crew member Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA is suited up for spacewalk training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, Texas.

jsc2017e114808 (Aug. 22, 2018) --- 2017 NASA Astronaut Candidate Loral O'Hara.

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur smiles after arriving at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 16, 2021. McArthur is part of NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 crew, which includes fellow NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, along with Akihilo Hoshide of JAXA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA. The astronauts will fly to the space station on NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission. Liftoff is targeted for Thursday, April 22, at 6:11 a.m. EDT.

Expedition 61 astronaut Jessica Meir of NASA is seen during a press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Meir, Expedition 61 cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates will launch September 25th on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station.

American spaceflight participant Anousheh Ansari gives a thumbs up as she prepares for pressure checks on her Russian Sokol suit at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Monday, Sept. 18, 2006, in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 10:09 a.m. local time carrying Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, Soyuz Commander and Expedition 14 Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and American spaceflight participant Anousheh Ansari, who will spend nine days on the International Space Station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

STS059-32-016 (20 April 1994) --- Astronaut Linda M. Godwin, STS-59 payload commander, poses with the spacesuit she wore for launch. She will eventually wear the partial pressure suit for the entry phase of the Space Shuttle Endeavour's week and a half mission in Earth orbit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 mission specialist Stephanie Wilson is happy to be back at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after the 15-day mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discovery. The Discovery crew completed mission STS-120 with an on-time landing at 1:01:16 p.m. Wheel stop was at 1:02:07 p.m. Mission elapsed time was 15 days, 2 hours, 24 minutes and 2 seconds. Mission STS-120 continued the construction of the station with the installation of the Harmony Node 2 module and the relocation of the P6 truss.

Expedition 70 Preflight. Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara waves as she and fellow cremates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, have their Russian Sokol Suits pressure checked ahead of their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station Friday, Sept. 15, 2023 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The launch will send Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on a mission to the International Space Station.

Expedition 58 Flight Engineer Anne McClain of NASA speaks with friends and family after having her Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for her launch aboard the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft on Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the same day and will carry McClain, Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) into orbit to begin their six and a half month mission on the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann speaks to members of social media in the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on preparations to launch NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M. The latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites, TDRS-M will allow nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:03 a.m. EDT Aug. 18.

Expedition 62 astronaut Jessica Meir is seen outside the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft after she landed with NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Friday, April 17, 2020. Meir and Skripochka returned after 205 days in space, and Morgan after 272 days in space. All three served as Expedition 60-61-62 crew members onboard the International Space Station.

NASA Director for Human Space Flight Programs, Russia, Tricia Mack gives a readiness update on behalf of NASA during landing team meeting with Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Recovery Forces meet at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Karaganda, Kazakhstan to discuss the readiness for the landing of Expedition 66 crew members Mark Vande Hei of NASA, and Pyotr Dubrov, and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Monday, March 28, 2022, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Vande Hei and Dubrov will be returning to Earth after logging 355 days in space as members of Expeditions 64-66 aboard the International Space Station. For Vande Hei, his mission is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut in history. Shkaplerov will be returning after 176 days in space, serving as a Flight Engineer for Expedition 65 and commander of Expedition 66.

jsc2019e043009 (June 7, 2019) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 61-62 Flight Engineer Jessica Meir poses for a portrait at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

1992 - Official Portrait of Astronaut Ellen Baker.

JSC2001-E-06419 (27 February 2001) --- Astronaut Janet L. Kavandi, mission specialist, during mission training at the Johnson Space Centers Systems Integration Facility. The STS-104 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) represents the Space Shuttle Atlantis first flight using a new engine and is targeted for a liftoff no earlier than June 14, 2001.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson relaxes after practicing emergency egress, part of the prelaunch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. Her name patch reflects the nicknames the crew gave each other for the event. The TCDT at NASA's Kennedy Space Center provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various launch preparation activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery is targeted to launch on its 14-day mission at 11:38 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23.

S93-41572 (17 Aug 1993) --- Astronaut Linda M. Godwin, payload commander, prepares to donn her helmet before being submerged in a 25-feet deep pool at the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Astronauts Godwin and Thomas D. Jones, mission specialist, are using the WET-F to train for contingency space walks for their Space Shuttle Endeavour mission next year. No space walks are planned for the flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The crew members of mission STS-116 are suiting up for a second launch attempt at 8:47 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39B aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. Pictured here is Mission Specialist Sunita Williams, who will be making her first shuttle flight. Williams will replace International Space Station Expedition 14 crew member Thomas Reiter, who will return to Earth aboard Discovery in her place. The first launch attempt of STS-116 on Dec. 7 was postponed due a low cloud ceiling over Kennedy Space Center. This is Discovery's 33rd mission and the first night launch since 2002. The 20th shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-116 carries another truss segment, P5. It will serve as a spacer, mated to the P4 truss that was attached in September. After installing the P5, the crew will reconfigure and redistribute the power generated by two pairs of U.S. solar arrays. Landing is expected Dec. 19 at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After arrival at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the STS-114 crew members pause on the runway while Commander Eileen Collins makes a brief statement to the media. The crew is at KSC to take part in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) over the next three days. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

Before leaving KSC, STS-93 Commander Eileen M. Collins poses by a T-38 jet trainer aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility. She and the rest of the STS-93 crew spent two days visiting mission-related sites, including the Vertical Processing Facility where the Chandra X-ray Observatory is undergoing testing. STS-93 is scheduled to launch July 9 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia and has the primary mission of the deployment of the observatory. Formerly called the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, Chandra comprises three major elements: the spacecraft, the science instrument module (SIM), and the world's most powerful X-ray telescope. Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-temperature gas clouds, giving the observatory the potential to rewrite the books on the structure and evolution of our universe. Collins is the first woman to serve as commander of a Space Shuttle. Other STS-93 crew members are Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby and Mi

STS-93 Mission Specialist Catherine G. "Cady" Coleman (Ph.D.) shows her sense of humor upon arriving at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a T-38 jet aircraft. She and other crew members Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, and Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.) and Michel Tognini of France, with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), are arriving for pre-launch activities. Coleman is making her second Shuttle flight. The primary mission of STS-93 is the release of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to study some of the most distant, powerful and dynamic objects in the universe. The new telescope is 20 to 50 times more sensitive than any previous X-ray telescope and is expected to unlock the secrets of supernovae, quasars and black holes

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-127 Mission Specialist Julie Payette answers a question during a session with the media at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. Payette represents the Canadian Space Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13.

NASA Hosts Media Event for the agencys SpaceX Crew-5 Mission. Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina speaks to members of the news media during crew arrival for NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 1, 2022. The astronauts will launch aboard the Crew Dragon on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Oct. 5. Launch is targeted for noon EDT from Launch Complex 39A. Crew-5 is the fifth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the sixth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.

During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, STS-99 Mission Specialist Janet Lynn Kavandi (Ph.D.) is ready to practice driving the M-113, an armored personnel carrier. Part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, the M-113 could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. TCDT provides the crew with simulated countdown exercises, emergency egress training, and opportunities to inspect the mission payloads in the orbiter's payload bay. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which will chart a new course, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from the payload bay to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could le

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston, Texas -- JSC2003-E-34617 -- Astronaut Pamela A. Melroy, commander

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 Mission Specialist Julie Payette, who represents the Canadian Space Agency, takes part in a news conference following the landing of space shuttle Endeavour. The landing completed the 16-day, 6.5-million mile journey on the STS-127 mission. Endeavour delivered the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section to the International Space Station. The mission was the 29th flight to the station, the 23rd flight of Endeavour and the 127th in the Space Shuttle Program, as well as the 71st landing at Kennedy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy dons her launch and entry suit. She will be practicing landing on NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility runway in the shuttle training aircraft, or STA. A modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet, the STA simulates an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Melroy and other crew members are at Kennedy Space Center to take part in the terminal countdown demonstration test, which also includes a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23.

Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASAs Johnson Space Center, wearing a ground prototype of NASAs new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is seen during a demonstration of the suit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The xEMU suit improves on the suits previous worn on the Moon during the Apollo era and those currently in use for spacewalks outside the International Space Station and will be worn by first woman and next man as they explore the Moon as part of the agencys Artemis program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - For the second time in two days, STS-121 Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson is donning her launch suit for another launch attempt on Space Shuttle Discovery. The first launch attempt July 1 was scrubbed due to weather concerns and postponed 24 hours. The launch is the 115th shuttle flight and the 18th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. During the 12-day mission, the STS-121 crew will test new equipment and procedures to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the International Space Station.

In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 48-49 crewmember Kate Rubins of NASA conducts a fit check” familiarization aboard the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft June 25 as part of the preparations for launch with Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on July 7, Baikonur time for a planned four-month mission on the International Space Station.GCTC/Andrei Shelepin

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS -- Official portrait of Astronaut Linda M. Godwin (Ph.D.), Payload Commander

JSC2008-E-044822 (4 June 2008) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 20/21 flight engineer, prepares for a training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Stott is wearing a training version of her Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit.

PHOTO DATE: 01-29-10LOCATION:BLDG 9NWSUBJECT:STS-131 PRL ingress/egress trainingWORK ORDER: 0349-STS131PRL-01-29-10

S99-03805 (3 Nov 1998) --- Astronaut Catherine G. Coleman, mission specialist.

Expedition 54 backup crew member Jeanette Epps of NASA answers a question during a press conference, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 54 prime crew members Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, flight engineer Scott Tingle of NASA, and flight engineer Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on December 17.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy poses for another photo after driving practice in the M-113 armored personnel carrier. The M-113 is part of emergency exit procedures from Launch Pad 39A. The training is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23.

STS-128 crew during CCT BAILOUT with Expedition astronaut Nicole Stott.

S134-E-008390 (21 May 2011)--- After more than five months of serving as a flight engineer on back-to-back International Space Station Expedition crews, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman (seen aboard the orbiting complex) is only 48 hours away from returning to Earth. She and two Expedition 27 crewmates will lessen the current population of twelve on the joint Endeavour/ISS complex to nine when they undock on May 23 in a Soyuz spacecraft and return to Earth.

Astronaut Bonnie J. Dunbar in a cosmonaut space suit in the Training Simulator Facility at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (Star City), near Moscow, Russia. In March 1995, astronaut Norman E. Thagard is scheduled to be launched in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft with two cosmonauts to begin a three-month tour of duty on the Russian Mir Space Station. Thagard, along with his back-up, astronaut Bonnie J. Dunbar, has been training in Russian since February 1994.

PHOTO DATE: 01-29-10LOCATION:BLDG 9NWSUBJECT:STS-131 PRL ingress/egress trainingWORK ORDER: 0349-STS131PRL-01-29-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-131 Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson awaits her turn to enter space shuttle Discovery. The crew members of Discovery's STS-131 mission, dressed in their launch-and-entry suits, are participating in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, a dress rehearsal for launch. TCDT includes training on the emergency exit systems at the launch pad, driving practice of the M-113 armored personnel carrier and a simulated launch countdown. The crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonard, filled with resupply stowage platforms and science racks, to the International Space Station. STS-131, targeted for launch on April 5, will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall.

jsc2018e035916 (April 11, 2018) --- 2017 NASA astronaut candidate Jasmin Moghbeli is helped into a spacesuit prior to underwater spacewalk training at NASA Johnson Space Centers Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility on NASA Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Mission Commander Eileen Collins sits in the cockpit of the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) after landing. She and Pilot James Kelly have been practicing night landings in preparation for the mission. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiters cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiters atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Return to Flight Mission STS-114 is scheduled to launch aboard Space Shuttle Discovery with a crew of seven at 10 39 a.m. EDT on July 26. Landing is expected on Aug. 7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-108 Mission Specialist Linda A. Godwin is relaxed and happy to be preparing for the second launch attempt of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The first attempt Dec. 4 was scrubbed due to poor weather conditions at KSC. The main goals of the mission are to carry the Expedition 4 crew to the International Space Station as replacement for Expedition 3; carry the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello filled with water, equipment and supplies; and install thermal blankets over equipment at the base of the ISS solar wings. STS-108 is the final Shuttle mission of 2001 and the 107th Shuttle flight overall. It is the 12th flight to the Space Station. Launch is scheduled for 5:19 p.m. EST (22:19 GMT) Dec. 5, 2001, from Launch Pad 39B

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS -- (S95-057778) Official portrait of astronaut Pamela A. Melroy, pilot.

STS-101 Mission Specialist Susan Helms smiles on her arrival at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard the T-38 jet aircraft behind her. She and the rest of the crew are at KSC to get ready for their launch on April 24 about 4:15 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. The mission will take the crew to the International Space Station, delivering logistics and supplies, plus preparing the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. Also, the crew will conduct one space walk to perform maintenance on the Space Station. This will be the third assembly flight for the Space Station

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur smiles inside the crew suit-up room in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on April 23, 2021. McArthur, along with NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, will head to the International Space Station on NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission. SpaceXs Crew Dragon Endeavour will launch on the companys Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A today at 5:49 a.m. EDT.

S92-36739 (22 May 1992) --- Astronaut Margaret Rhea Seddon, mission specialist.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-104 Mission Specialist Janet Lynn Kavandi arrives at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility to make final preparations for launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis July 12. The mission is the 10th assembly flight to the International Space Station and carries the Joint Airlock Module, which will become the primary path for spacewalk entry and departure using both U.S. spacesuits and the Russian Orlan spacesuit for EVA activity

NASA Astronaut Janet Voss speaks to participants at the two-day STS-132 Launch Tweetup at Kennedy Space Center, Thursday, May 13, 2010, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA Twitter followers in attendance will have the opportunity to take a tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, view the space shuttle launch and speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir attends an announcement Dec. 9, 2020, that she is one of the initial team of 18 astronauts eligible for early Artemis missions on and around the Moon. A Maine native, Meir was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013 and has spent 205 days in space on one previous flight. Joining her at the event were fellow astronauts Joseph Acaba, Matthew Dominick, Anne McClain, and Jessica Watkins. Vice President Mike Pence made the announcement at the close of a National Space Council meeting he chaired in the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

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