Astronauts Training for Missions

Astronaut crews at NASA's Kennedy Space Center engaged in pre-launch training activities and emergency egress drills.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-116 crew pause in their prelaunch activities to talk to the media at Launch Pad 39B. Mission Specialist Christer Fuglesang has the microphone to answer a question. The other crew members are, from left, Commander Mark Polansky, Mission Specialists Joan Higginbotham, Robert Curbeam, Nicholas Patrick, (Fuglesang) and Sunita Williams, and Pilot William Oefelein. Fuglesang represents the European Space Agency. The mission crew is at KSC for the TCDT, which includes a simulated launch countdown. The STS-116 mission is No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-120 crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the pre-launch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. Here, during emergency egress training, crew members practice climbing into the slidewire baskets that can carry them safely to a landing site away from the shuttle. In the basket are, from left, Mission Specialists Doug Wheelock and Scott Parazynski and Pilot George Zamka. Watching them are, from left, Commander Pamela Melroy and Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson and Daniel Tani, with camera. After the mission, Tani will remain aboard the International Space Station and return with the STS-122 crew, targeted to launch Dec. 6. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown 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 St

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the emergency egress landing site on Launch Pad 39A, the STS-107 crew listens to instructions. Standing from left are Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Pilot William "Willie" McCool, Mission Specialists Laurel Clark, Ilan Ramon and Kalpana Chawla, Commander Rick Husband and Mission Specialist David Brown. Ramon is the first Israeli astronaut. The crew is taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities at the pad, which also include a simulated launch countdown. STS-107 is a mission devoted to research and will include more than 80 experiments that will study Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety. Launch is planned for Jan. 16, 2003, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST aboard Space Shuttle Columbia..

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-116 crew pause in their prelaunch activities to talk to the media at Launch Pad 39B. Mission Specialist Christer Fuglesang has the microphone to answer a question. The other crew members are, from left, Commander Mark Polansky, Mission Specialists Joan Higginbotham, Robert Curbeam, Nicholas Patrick, (Fuglesang) and Sunita Williams, and Pilot William Oefelein. Fuglesang represents the European Space Agency. The mission crew is at KSC for the TCDT, which includes a simulated launch countdown. The STS-116 mission is No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the slidewire basket area of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the STS-124 crew gets instruction about landing safely. Lined up from left are Mission Specialist Akihiko Hoshide, Commander Mark Kelly, Mission Specialists Ron Garan and Karen Nyberg, Pilot Ken Ham, and Mission Specialists Mike Fossum 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow (left) answers questions from the media near Launch Pad 39A . Other crew members next to him are Pilot Kevin Ford, and Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester, Jose Hernandez, John "Danny" Olivas, Christer Fuglesang and Nicole Stott. Fuglesang represents the European Space Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Discovery will deliver 33,000 pounds of equipment to the station, including science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-120 crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the pre-launch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. During emergency egress training, crew members look at the distant landing site for the slidewire baskets that can carry the crew safely away from the shuttle. From left are Mission Specialists Daniel Tani, Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson and Doug Wheelock, Commander Pamela Melroy and Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli, who represents the European Space Agency. After the mission, Tani will remain aboard the International Space Station and return with the STS-122 crew, targeted to launch Dec. 6. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown 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. Launch of Discovery on missi

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana (right) speaks with STS-135 crew members and Kennedy employees while watching shuttle Atlantis' rollover from Orbiter Processing Facility-1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are STS-135 Mission Specialist Rex Walheim, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus and Commander Chris Ferguson.The move called "rollover" is a major milestone in processing for the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Inside the VAB, the shuttle will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are expected to launch in mid July, taking with them the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacec

STS-131 TCDT - PAD Q & A

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Astronaut Jerry Ross (center) and space shuttle Atlantis' NASA Flow Director, Angie Brewer (right) are on hand greet the STS-135 crew. From left are Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus, Pilot Doug Hurley, Commander Chris Ferguson and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim. The crew arrived at Kennedy at about 5:30 p.m. EDT to participate in a launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training in preparation for the upcoming STS-135 mission. 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- On an upper level of the Pad 39A fixed service structure, the STS-118 crew members look at the slidewire basket that is part of the emergency egress system. On the left are Commander Scott Kelly and Mission Specialists Barbara R. Morgan, Tracy Caldwell, Dave Williams and Alvin Drew. On the right is Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio. Morgan joined NASA's Teacher in Space program in 1985 and was selected as an astronaut in 1998. Williams represents the Canadian Space Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for training activities in the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. TCDT activities include M-113 training, payload familiarization, the emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. 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. NASA/Geo

After landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility aboard T-38 jet aircraft, the STS-99 crew addresses the media. Standing, left to right, are Mission Specialists Gerhard Thiele of Germany and Mamoru Mohri of Japan, Commander Kevin Kregel (at the microphone), Mission Specialists Janice Voss and Janet Kavandi, and Pilot Dominic Gorie. They are ready to prepare for the second launch attempt of Endeavour Feb. 11 at 12:30 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39A. The earlier launch scheduled for Jan. 31 was scrubbed due to poor weather and a faulty Enhanced Master Events Controller in the orbiter's aft compartment. Over the next few days, the crew will review mission procedures, conduct test flights in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and undergo routine preflight medical exams. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which will 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. La

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With space shuttle Endeavour as the backdrop, the STS-126 crew members are gathered on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to answer questions from the media (seen in the foreground). From left are Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Steve Bowen, Sandra Magnus, Shane Kimbrough, Donald Pettit and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, which includes equipment familiarization, emergency exit procedures and a simulated launch countdown. On the STS-126 mission, space shuttle Endeavour's crew will deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. The mission also will include four spacewalks to service the stations Solar Alpha Rotary Joints. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14.

The STS-97 crew listens to a trainer explain use of the slidewire basket (right) for emergency egress from the Fixed Service Structure. Second from left is Mission Specialist Joe Tanner; next to him in the cap is Capt. George Hoggard, safety trainer with the KSC Fire Department; Pilot Mike Bloomfield; Mission Specialist Carlos Noriega; Commander Brent Jett; and Mission Specialist Marc Garneau. The training is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown and opportunities to inspect the mission payloads in the orbiters payload bay. Mission STS-97is the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at 10:05 p.m. EST

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-115 crew members talk about their upcoming driving practice on the M-113 armored personnel carrier with Capt. George Hoggard (back to camera), who is astronaut rescue team leader. The astronauts seen, left to right, are Mission Specialists Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Dan Burbank, Steven MacLean and Joe Tanner, and Pilot Christopher Ferguson. Not visible is Commander Brent Jett. MacLean represents the Canadian Space Agency. The STS-115 crew are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities such as the M-113 training. They will also practice emergency egress from the launch pad and take part in a simulated launch countdown. Liftoff of mission STS-115 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled in a window beginning Aug. 27.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 crew receives instruction on slidewire basket operation, part of the emergency exit system on the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A. From left, Mission Specialists Rex Walheim, Leopold Eyharts and Leland Melvin gain first-hand experience inside one of the baskets. Seven slidewire baskets are available to carry the crew from the level of the pad's Orbiter Access Arm to this landing site, if needed. Each basket can hold up to three people. A braking system catch net and drag chain slow, and then halt, the baskets as they travel down the wire at approximately 55 miles per hour. The journey takes about half a minute. A bunker is located in the landing zone 1,200 feet west of the pad, with an M-113 armored personnel carrier stationed nearby. The STS-122 crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to take part in terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TC

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- During a media briefing at the slidewire basket landing near Launch Pad 39B, Expedition Two crew member Susan Helms answers a question. Gathered with her for the interviews are (left to right) STS-102 Commander James Wetherbee, cosmonaut Yury Usachev, Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, astronauts James Voss and Helms, Mission Specialist Paul Richards and Pilot James Kelly. Usachev and Voss are also part of the Expedition Two crew heading to the International Space Station for a four-month stay. The STS-102 crew is at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. In addition, Expedition One will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members are greeted by NASA officials. From left, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Keiji Tachikawa shakes the hand of Pilot Doug Hurley; JEM Development Project Team Project Manager Koki Oikawa and Acting Administrator of Exploration Systems Doug Cook greet Mission Specialist Julie Payette, with the Canadian Space Agency; Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier and Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana greet Mission Specialist Tom Marshburn; and Mission Specialist Dave Wolf follows. The crew returned to Earth on space shuttle Endeavour to complete the 16-day, 6.5-million mile journey on the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour's main gear touchdown was at 10:48:08 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 10:48:21 a.m. and wheels stop was at 10:49:13 a.m. Endeavour delivered the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Lo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-133 crew shares a light moment with Battalion Chief David Seymour, left, during training on the M-113 armored personnel carrier. An M-113 is kept at the foot of the launch pad in case an emergency egress from the vicinity of the pad is needed, and driving the vehicle is part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). TCDT provides each shuttle crew and launch team an opportunity to participate in various simulated activities, including equipment familiarization and a launch countdown.Space shuttle Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During emergency egress training from the launch pad, the STS-112 crew look at the slidewire basket. Seen here are, left to right, Commander Jeffrey Ashby, Pilot Pamela Melroy and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Fyodor Yurchikhin (with the Russian Space Agency). Not seen are Mission Specialists Piers Sellers and David Wolf. The training is part of 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-121 crew pose for the media, concluding a press conference held in the landing area of the slidewire baskets. The crew members facing them are (from left) The crew members are (from left) Mission Specialists Michael Fossum and Lisa Nowak, Pilot Mark Kelly, Commander Steven Lindsey, and Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson, Piers Sellers and Thomas Reiter of Germany, who represents the European Space Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. Over several days, the crew will practice emergency egress from the pad and suit up in their orange flight suits for the simulated countdown to launch. Space Shuttle Discovery is designated to launch July 1 on mission STS-121. It will carry supplies to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Engineers and technicians monitor the progress as the Project Morpheus prototype lander is lowered onto the launch site for its third free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 57-second test began at 1:15 p.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending about 187 feet, nearly doubling the target ascent velocity from the last test in December 2013. The lander flew forward, covering about 154 feet in 20 seconds before descending and landing within 11 inches of its target on a dedicated pad inside the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for reali

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The STS-124 mission crew members finish their traditional walk-around space shuttle Discovery after landing on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, to end a 14-day mission to the International Space Station. At left are Mission Specialists Akihiko Hoshide and Ron Garan and Pilot Ken Ham. At center is Mission Specialist KarenNyberg. At right are Mission Specialist Mike Fossum and Commander Mark Kelly. The STS-124 mission ended with Discovery's landing on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, ending a 14-day mission to the International Space Station. Discovery's main landing gear touched down at 11:15:19 a.m. EDT on Runway 15. The nose landing gear touched down at 11:15:30 a.m. and wheel stop was at 11:16:19 a.m. The mission completed 5.7 million miles. The STS-124 mission delivered the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system to the space station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The STS-98 crew gathers at Launch Pad 39A for a media briefing before continuing their emergency egress training. Facing an audience (foreground) of photographers, videographers and writers are (left to right) Pilot Mark Polansky, Mission Specialist Thomas Jones, Commander Ken Cockrell and Mission Specialists Marsha Ivins and Robert Curbeam. In the background is the Fixed Service Structure with its 80-foot lightning mast on top. The Space Shuttle is hidden behind it. The crew is standing in the landing zone for the slidewire baskets that provide an escape route for personnel aboard the Space Shuttle and orbiter access arm until 30 seconds before launch. They are at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown. STS-98 is the seventh construction flight to the International Space Station, carrying as payload the U.S. Lab Destiny, a key element in the construction of the ISS. Launch of S

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During emergency egress training at the pad, STS-121 crew members Piers Sellers, Stephanie Wilson and Thomas Reiter, all mission specialists, learn how to exit the slidewire basket on the ground. The crew is at Kennedy for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, including emergency egress training from the pad. They will also suit up in their orange flight suits for a simulated countdown to launch. Discovery is designated to launch July 1 on mission STS-121. It will carry supplies to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-109 crew poses for a photo at Launch Pad 39A during a break in training. From left are Mission Specialists Michael Massimino and Richard Linnehan, Pilot Duane Carey, Commander Scott Altman, and Mission Specialists Nancy Currie, John Grunsfeld and James Newman. Grunsfeld is also Payload Commander on the mission. The crew is taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that include emergency egress training and a simulated countdown at the pad. Columbia is scheduled to be launched Feb. 28 on mission STS-109, a Hubble Servicing Mission. The goal of the mission is to replace Solar Array 2 with Solar Array 3, replace the Power Control Unit, remove the Faint Object Camera and install the ACS, install the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Cooling System, and install New Outer Blanket Layer insulation. In the background can be seen the external tank flanked by the twin solid rocket boosters that will prope

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the 2004 class of astronaut candidates tour the Vehicle Assembly Building. In front is Scott Thurston, NASA Vehicle manager for Atlantis. In the background are segments of Solid Rocket Boosters that will be stacked for the orbiter Atlantis for Return to Flight mission STS-121 in July. The class of 14 candidates includes three candidates from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency as well as three educator astronauts, who were school teachers chosen from thousands of applicants.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members are greeted by NASA officials. From left are STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko, Mission Specialist Julie Payette, Endeavour Flow Director Dana Hutcherson, Mission Specialist Tom Marshburn, Chief of Staff in the Office of the Administrator George Whitesides, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Keiji Tachikawa (back to camera), Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy and Dave Wolf, Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana and astronaut Steven Lindsey. The crew returned to Earth on space shuttle Endeavour to complete the 16-day, 6.5-million mile journey on the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour's main gear touchdown was at 10:48:08 a.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 10:48:21 a.m. and wheels stop was at 10:49:13 a.m. Endeavour delivered the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section to the International S

The 2017 class of astronaut candidates are inside the Vehicle Assembly Building during a familiarization tour of facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The candidates toured center facilities, including the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay; Launch Control Center, Launch Pad 39B, and the Space Station Processing Facility. They also toured Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Facility, United Launch Alliance's Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and SpaceX's Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy. The candidates will spend about two years getting to know the space station systems and learning how to spacewalk, speak Russian, control the International Space Station's robotic arm and fly T-38s, before they're eligible to be assigned to a mission.

Getting training on the use of the slidewire basket for emergency exits from the launch pad are STS-102 Mission Specialists Paul Richards and Andrew Thomas. The rest of the crew includes Commander James Wetherbee, Pilot James Kelly and Mission Specialists James Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev. The crew is taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Voss, Helms and Usachev are the Expedition Two crew who will be the second resident crew on the International Space Station. They will replace Expedition One, who will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8

16-19-20-3:Expedition 40/41 Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (left), Soyuz Commander Max Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman (right) are greeted by Russian space officials May 15 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan where the crew flew to for final pre-launch training. Just behind the crew is former cosmonaut Valery Korzun, now the Deputy Head of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Gerst, Suraev and Wiseman will launch May 29, Kazakh time, in their Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft from Baikonur for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

STS-86 Commander James D. Wetherbee, with microphone, addresses press representatives and other onlookers after the astronauts arrival Monday at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility. The other crew members, from left, are Mission Specialist David A. Wolf; Pilot Michael J. Bloomfield; Mission Specialist Jean-Loup J.M. Chretien of the French Space Agency, CNES; Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynksi; Mission Specialist Vladimir Georgievich Titov of the Russian Space Agency; and Mission Specialist Wendy B. Lawrence. STS-86 is slated to be the seventh docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. After the docking, Wolf is scheduled to transfer to the Mir 24 crew, replacing astronaut C. Michael Foale. Wolf is scheduled to remain on the Mir for about four months. Liftoff of STS-86 aboard Atlantis is targeted for Sept. 25

STS-132 LAUNCH L-0 RUSSIAN DELEGATION TOUR

NASA Administrator Mike Griffen having breakfast with the STS-119 crew, then receiving a tour of the Small Pressurized Rover demonstration. Photo Date: January 9, 2009Location: Bldg. 27 - Astronaut Quarantine.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Employees gather underneath space shuttle Discovery on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the foreground, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden congratulates STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey on a successful mission. Lindsey and his crew returned from a 13-day, 5.3-million-mile mission to the International Space Station at 11:57 a.m. EST.STS-133 delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the orbiting outpost. STS-133 was Discovery's 39th and final mission. This was the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.

With several of her fellow crew members watching, STS-84 Mission Specialist Elena V. Kondakova, seated at center, gets instructions on using the slidewire baskets, part of the emergency egress system at Launch Pad 39A. Familiarization with pad procedures and systems is part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities for the crew. Kondakova, a cosmonaut with the Russian space agency, is one of the seven STS-84 crew members for the sixth docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Another member, C. Michael Foale, will transfer to the space station and become a member of the Mir 23 crew, replacing U.S. astronaut Jerry M. Linenger, who will return to Earth aboard Atlantis. Foale will live and work on Mir until mid-September when his replacement is expected to arrive on the STS-86 mission. Kondakova previously lived on the Russian space station as the flight engineer of the 17th main mission on Mir from Oct. 4, 1994, to March 9, 1995. STS-84 is targ

Backup spaceflight participant Sultan Al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates, left, and Expedition 61 backup crewmembers Sergei Ryzhikov of Roscosmos and Thomas Marshburn of NASA, pose for a photograph as the Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 61 crewmembers Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos, and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates will launch September 25th on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-125 crew members listen to instructions about landing of the slidewire basket during emergency escape procedures from the shuttle and pad. From left are Mission Specialist Andrew Feustel, Commander Scott Altman, Mission Specialist Mike Massimino, Pilot Gregory C. Johnson, and Mission Specialists Michael Good, Megan McArthur and John Grunsfeld. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities before launching on space shuttle Atlantis mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization, emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 10.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-85 Commander Curtis L. Brown, Jr., addresses the news media at a briefing at Launch Pad 39A while the other members of the flight crew in the background prepare to field questions during a break in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities for that mission. They are (back row, from left): Pilot Kent V. Rominger; Payload Commander N. Jan Davis; Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson; Payload Specialist Bjarni V. Tryggvason; and Mission Specialist Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. The primary payload aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery is the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2). Other payloads on the 11-day mission include the Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD), and Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) experiments

NASA Astronaut Garrett Reisman, right, jokes with NASA Associate Administrator Chris Scolese, 2nd from right, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, 3rd from right and NASA Deputy Shuttle Program Manager LeRoy Cain as NASA Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria looks on shortly after landing onboard the space shuttle Discovery. Discovery touched down at 11:15 a.m., Saturday, June 14, 2008, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Onboard Discovery with Reisman was the crew of the STS-124 mission, NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, commander; Ken Ham, pilot; Mike Fossum, Ron Garan, Karen Nyberg and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, all mission specialists.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA In Situ Resource Utilization Project Manager William Larson, back to rover, discusses the design and operation of the prototype rover Artemis Jr. for NASAs Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction, or RESOLVE, project with media representatives during a rover demonstration in a field beside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The rover and its drill are provided by the Canadian Space Agency and work in concert with NASA science instruments to prospect for water, ice and other lunar resources. RESOLVE also will demonstrate how future explorers can take advantage of resources at potential landing sites by manufacturing oxygen from soil. NASA will conduct field tests in July outside of Hilo, Hawaii, with equipment and concept vehicles that demonstrate how explorers might prospect for resources and make their own oxygen for survival while on other planetary bodies.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After completing their driving training on the M-113 armored personnel carrier (behind them), the STS-118 crew take a break. From left are Mission Specialists Dave Williams and Rick Mastracchio, Commander Scott Kelly, Mission Specialist Barbara R. Morgan, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh, and Mission Specialists Alvin Drew and Tracy Caldwell. Williams represents the Canadian Space Agency. Morgan joined NASA's Teacher in Space program in 1985 and was selected as an astronaut in 1998. The crew is at Kennedy for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), a dress rehearsal for launch. TCDT activities include the M-113 training, payload familiarization, emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. The STS-118 payload aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour includes the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug.7. NASA/George

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility aboard T-38 trainers, STS-98 Pilot Mark Polansky (right) and Mission Commander Ken Cockrell (center, background) are interviewed by media representatives. Polansky, Cockrell and Mission Specialist Marsha Ivins (not shown) accompanied the U.S. Laboratory module on its transport from Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, to Kennedy aboard NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft. Scheduled for launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98, the laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in the areas of life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the 195-foot level of the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-126 crew members look at the slidewire basket used for emergency exit from the pad. Seen from left are Pilot Eric Boe, a safety instructor, Commander Chris Ferguson, and Mission Specialists Steve Bowen, Sandra Magnus and Donald Pettit. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, which includes equipment familiarization, emergency exit training and a simulated launch countdown. On the STS-126 mission, space shuttle Endeavour's crew will deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. The mission also will include four spacewalks to service the stations Solar Alpha Rotary Joints. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14.

VISIT ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 2000 KAREN NYBERG, ALVIN DREW TOUR 80X120FT WITH OTHER CLASSMATES SHOWN WITH TOUR GUIDES SHEILA JOHNSON AND DAVID MORSE

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- At Space Launch Complex 3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden discusses the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM, satellite mission with NASA social media followers. Looking on, to the right, is Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. The Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM is the future of Landsat satellites. It will continue to obtain valuable data and imagery to be used in agriculture, education, business, science, and government. The Landsat Program provides repetitive acquisition of high resolution multispectral data of the Earth's surface on a global basis. The data from the Landsat spacecraft constitute the longest record of the Earth's continental surfaces as seen from space. It is a record unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and value. Liftoff is planned for Feb. 11, 2013 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After exiting the crew transport vehicle, STS-122 Pilot Alan Poindexter (left) and Commander Steve Frick talk to Director of Mission Launch Integration LeRoy Cain and NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier. After a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles, space shuttle Atlantis and crew returned to Earth with a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST. The shuttle landed on orbit 202 to complete the 13-day STS-122 mission. Main gear touchdown was 9:07:10 a.m. Nose gear touchdown was 9:07:20 a.m. Wheel stop was at 9:08:08 a.m. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 44 seconds. During the mission, Atlantis' crew installed the new Columbus laboratory, leaving a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. The Columbus Research Module adds nearly 1,000 cubic feet of habitable volume and affords room for 10 experiment racks, each an independent science lab.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-107 crew gets instruction on the slidewire basket during emergency egress training, part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. Seen are Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, Payload Commander Michael Anderson and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon (the first Israeli astronaut). The TCDT also includes a simulated launch countdown. STS-107 is a mission devoted to research and will include more than 80 experiments that will study Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety. Launch is planned for Jan. 16, 2003, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST aboard Space Shuttle Columbia..

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, second from the left, addresses news media at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At the pad, a United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Atlas V rocket is being prepared for launch of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, satellites. Speaking to members of the media are, from the left, Dr. Nicky Fox, deputy RBSP project scientist for the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, Bolden, James Sponnick, ULA vice president of Mission Operations and NASA Chief Scientist Waleed Abdalati.Bolden took a few dozen members of the news media on a tour of the space agency's Kennedy Space Center and adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 23, 2012 to show the progress being made for future government and commercial space endeavors that will begin from Florida's Space Coast.

OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Training. Recovery teams participate in clean room tours and rehearsals in preparation for the retrieval of the sample return capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, Monday, July 17, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was collected from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASAs OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and will return to Earth on September 24th, landing under parachute at the Utah Test and Training Range.

Listening to a trainer explain use of the slidewire basket they are standing in are STS-97 Commander Brent Jett and Mission Specialists Carlos Noriega and Marc Garneau, who is with the Canadian Space Agency. The emergency egress training is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown and opportunities for the crew to inspect the mission payloads in the orbiters payload bay. Mission STS-97is the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at 10:05 p.m. EST

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - A Centaur upper stage is lifted onto the first stage booster of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V at the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. in preparation for the launch of the Landsat Data Continuation Mission. The Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM is the future of Landsat satellites. It will continue to obtain valuable data and imagery to be used in agriculture, education, business, science, and government. The Landsat Program provides repetitive acquisition of high resolution multispectral data of the Earth's surface on a global basis. The data from the Landsat spacecraft constitute the longest record of the Earth's continental surfaces as seen from space. It is a record unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and value. Launch is planned for Feb. 2013.

The 2017 class of astronaut candidates pause for a group photograph on the deck of the mobile launcher during a familiarization tour at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The candidates toured center facilities, including the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay; the Launch Control Center, Launch Pad 39B and the Vehicle Assembly Building. They also toured Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Facility, United Launch Alliance's Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and SpaceX's Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy. The candidates will spend about two years getting to know the space station systems and learning how to spacewalk, speak Russian, control the International Space Station's robotic arm and fly T-38s, before they're eligible to be assigned to a mission.

On the observation deck of the Operations and Support Building II at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Thomas Zurbuchen, center, NASA associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, prepares to view the launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket on July 30, 2020. Liftoff occurred at 7:50 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. At left is Joan Irvin, and at right is Danielle Marsh. Both were former students who now work on NASA Planetary Science missions. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey, left, is greeted by Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office at Johnson Space Center Jerry Ross, Kennedy's Center Director Bob Cabana and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway after arriving in a T-38 training jet. In the days leading up to their launch to the International Space Station, Lindsey and his crew members will check the fit of their launch-and-entry suits, review launch-day procedures, receive weather briefings and remain medically quarantined to prevent sickness.Scheduled to lift off Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m., Discovery and crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the orbiting outpost.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Expedition 5 Commander Valeri Korzun (with microphone) speaks to the media before leaving KSC. Behind him (left to right) are STS-111 Commander Kenneth Cockrell and Pilot Paul Lockhart; astronaut Peggy Whitson and cosmonaut Sergei Treschev; Mission Specialists Philippe Perrin and Franklin Chang-Diaz. Korzun and Treschev are with the Russian Space Agency; Perrin is with the French Space Agency. They have been taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that include emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. Expedition 5 will travel to the International Space Station on mission STS-111 as the replacement crew for Expedition 4, who will return to Earth aboard the orbiter. Mission STS-111 is known as Utilization Flight 2, carrying supplies and equipment in the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo to the International Space Station. The payload also includes the Mobile Base System, which will be installed on the Mobil

jsc2018e025545 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, the Expedition 55 prime and backup crewmembers pose for pictures by a Soyuz model March 15 as part of their pre-launch activities. From left to right are backup crewmembers Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos and prime crewmembers Drew Feustel of NASA, Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Ricky Arnold of NASA. . Arnold, Artemyev and Feustel will launch March 21 on the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a five-month mission to the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov.

Students from the Tarik Black Foundation attend a STEM program at MSFC and visit SLS Test Stand 4693 in West Test Area. Gary Willis tells Tarik Black Foundation students about Test Stand 4693 and its importance in SLS development.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the members of space shuttle Discoverys STS-131 crew comment on their successful mission to the International Space Station following Discovery's landing on Runway 33. At the microphone is Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio. Behind him, from left, are Mission Specialists Clayton Anderson, Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Stephanie Wilson and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger; Pilot James P. Dutton Jr.; and Commander Alan Poindexter. Discovery landed on Runway 33 after 15 days in space, completing the more than 6.2-million-mile STS-131 mission on orbit 238. Main gear touchdown was at 9 08 35 a.m. EDT followed by nose gear touchdown at 9 08 47 a.m. and wheelstop at 9 09 33 a.m. The seven-member STS-131 crew carried the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that were transferred to the International S

Looking relaxed and happy one day before launch, the STS-98 crew gather at Launch Pad 39A. From left, they are Pilot Mark Polansky, Commander Ken Cockrell and Mission Specialists Marsha Ivins, Robert Curbeam and Thomas Jones. Behind them can be seen the Fixed Service Structure, with its 80-foot lightning rod, where Space Shuttle Atlantis is poised for launch. This mission marks the seventh Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the first Shuttle mission of the year. On the mission, the crew will deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the growing Space Station. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node using the Shuttles robotic arm. Three spacewalks are required to complete the planned construction work. The 11-day STS-98 mission is scheduled to launch Feb. 7 at 6:11 p.m. EST, with a planned KSC landing about

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Crew Arrival for Prelaunch Activities. Junichi Sakai, manager of the International Space Station Program for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Kennedy Space Center director Janet Petro, and Bob Cabana, NASA associate administrator, speak with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, after their arrival at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceXs Crew-5 mission, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, 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. EDT on Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Launch Complex 39B current and past NASA and contractor workers gathered at pad B to mark the 50th anniversary of the launch complex at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Upgrades to the surface of pad B, as well as the systems below and surrounding the pad will support the new processing and launch requirements for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft for deep-space missions, including the journey to Mars. The modifications and improvements to processing and launch facilities will support Kennedy as a multi-user spaceport for government and commercial launches for years to come. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to Pad 39B.

The STS-98 crew, gathered at Launch Pad 39A one day before launch, wave and give a thumbs up. From left, they are Pilot Mark Polansky, Commander Ken Cockrell and Mission Specialists Marsha Ivins, Robert Curbeam and Thomas Jones. Behind them is Space Shuttle Atlantis, poised for launch.This mission marks the seventh Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the first Shuttle mission of the year. On the mission, the crew will deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the growing Space Station. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node using the Shuttles robotic arm. Three spacewalks are required to complete the planned construction work. The 11-day STS-98 mission is scheduled to launch Feb. 7 at 6 11 p.m. EST, with a planned KSC landing about 1 39 p.m. on Feb. 18

The Orion mockup used for the Post-landing Orion Recovery Test (PORT) is shown on display at event at Space Center Houston on June 1, 2012. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

jsc2017e115212 (Sept.. 8, 2017) --- At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 crewmembers Joe Acaba of NASA (left), Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (center) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right) pose for pictures Sept. 8 after Vande Hei planted a tree bearing his name in a traditional pre-launch ceremony. Acaba, Misurkin and Vande Hei will launch Sept. 13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Program participants pose for a group photo in front of a replica of a Mercury-Redstone rocket during a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. From left are Hugh Harris, former director of Public Affairs at Kennedy Space Center; Alice Wackermann, Julie Jenkins and Laura Churchley, daughters of astronaut Alan Shepard; Jack King, former chief, Public Information Office, Marshall Space Flight Center; Bob Moser, former chief test conductor for the Mercury-Redstone launches; NBC reporter Jay Barbree; Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter; Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana; Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms, commander of the 14th Air Force and former astronaut; and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden.The celebration was held at the launch site of the first U.S. manned spaceflight May 5, 1961, to mark the 50th anniversary of the flight. Fifty years ago, astronaut Alan Shepard lifted off inside the Mercury capsule, "Freedom 7," a

Travelers take a photo with the Orion crew module flown on NASAs Pad Abort-1 (PA-1) flight test on the road on June 15, 2011. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

The Orion mockup used for the Post-landing Orion Recovery Test (PORT) is shown on display at event at Space Center Houston on June 1, 2012. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

INTERN RYAN CONNELLY EXPLAINS HISTORY AND WORKINGS OF RS-25 ENGINE TO FELLOW INTERNS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building is the lynchpin of Launch Complex 39 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As night falls, bringing with it expectations of the appearance of a “supermoon,” changes are underway to transition Kennedy to a multi-user spaceport.The scientific term for the supermoon phenomenon is "perigee moon." Full moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the moon's orbit. The moon follows an elliptical path around Earth with one side about 50,000 kilometers closer than the other. Full moons that occur on the perigee side of the moon's orbit seem extra big and bright. For additional information, visit http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/10jul_supermoons/.

Students Alex Mather, at left, and Vaneeza Rupani, stand in front of a full-scale mock-up of the Mars Perseverance rover at the News Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 28, 2020. Mather named the Perseverance rover, and Rupani named the Ingenuity helicopter. Behind them, at left is George Tahu, Mars 2020 program executive with NASA, and at right is Lori Glaze, planetary science director with NASA. The rover is scheduled to launch July 30, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

Members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project team pose for a group photo around an enlarged replica of the STS-107 crew emblem just delivered to the RLV Hangar. The emblem will be installed on an outside wall of the hangar. Inside the hangar, the team is identifying pieces of Columbia debris as they arrive at Kennedy Space Center and placing them on a grid approximating the shape of the orbiter.

TechEdSat 5 PhoneSat 5 Team photo on July 26, 2016. Taken in fron of the 1/3 scale Shuttle Orbiter Model, in front of the Parade Ground on Clark Road at NASA Research Park.Mark MurbachSarosh HussainAli Guarneros LunaDavid HandyJonathan HansonJakqueline GranilloSarah ChuAlejandro Sales

NASA's Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) operations team at Kennedy Space Center's Space Launch Complex-40 on April 14, 2014, with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying OPALS in the background.

STS-87 Mission Specialist Takao Doi, Ph.D., of the National Space Development Agency of Japan poses with his wife, Hitomi Doi, in front of Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B during final prelaunch activities leading up to the scheduled Nov. 19 liftoff. The other STS-87 crew members are Commander Kevin Kregel; Pilot Steven Lindsey; Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla, Ph.D., and Winston Scott; and Payload Specialist Leonid Kadenyuk of the National Space Agency of Ukraine. STS-87 will be the fourth flight of the United States Microgravity Payload and the Spartan-201 deployable satellite

High School and College students from around the U.S. came together at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama for the 2019 Student Launch Initiative. The students launched their rockets to their own predetermined altitude with various payloads including remote rovers and unmanned aerial vehicles.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-86 Mission Specialists Vladimir Georgievich Titov, at left, and Jean-Loup J.M. Chretien, the two members of the STS-86 crew representing foreign space agencies, talk to press representatives before departing from KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility. They and the five other crew members were at KSC to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). They will return to Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, for final prelaunch training. Titov is a cosmonaut with the Russian Space Agency; Chretien is an astronaut with the French Space Agency, CNES. Titov will make his fifth spaceflight, and second on the Space Shuttle, on STS-86 aboard Atlantis. Chretien has flown twice before as a research-cosmonaut on Russian missions; this will be his first Shuttle mission. STS-86 will be the seventh docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Liftoff is targeted for Sept. 25 from Launch Pad 39A.

The Price family poses for a photo in front of an F-16 engine at Buckley Space Force Base, March 31, 2023. The Price family received a tour as part of a collaboration between Colorados Make-A-Wish Foundation and Buckley Space Force Base to provide Jeremiah Price, the Wish recipient, with his very own Top Gun experience.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, at right, greets engineers and technicians at Launch Pad 39B at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Blackwell-Thompson will observe the first major tanking operation of liquid oxygen, or LO2, into the giant storage sphere at the northwest corner of the pad to prepare for the launch of the agency's Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. During the operation, several Praxair trucks will slowly offload LO2 to gradually chill down the sphere from normal temperature to about negative 298 degrees Fahrenheit. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to pad B to support the launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1, deep space missions and NASAs journey to Mars.

Vice President Mike Pence, center, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing during a visit to Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A on July 20, 2019. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins launched from Pad 39A aboard a Saturn V rocket on July 16, 1969. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on the Moon, becoming the first two humans to walk on the lunar surface. Pence recognized the extraordinary achievements of the Apollo 11 team, while looking forward to NASAs plans to return to the Moon and on to Mars. At left is Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin. At right is Rick Armstrong, son of Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - From left behind the reporter in the white shirt, Chirold Epp, the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT, project manager, Jon Olansen, Morpheus project manager, and Greg Gaddis, Morpheus/ALHAT site director, speak to members of the media near the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Media also viewed Morpheus inside a facility near the landing facility. 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 planetary surfaces.The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Expl

STS-97 Pilot Mike Bloomfield stands in a slidewire basket at the landing zone on Launch Pad 39B while a trainer explains its use. The emergency egress training is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown and opportunities for the crew to inspect the mission payloads in the orbiters payload bay. Mission STS-97is the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at 10:05 p.m. EST

OSTEM - First Nations Launch Students. Participants from the 14th First Nations Launch High-Power Rocket Competition watch NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 launch from the Banana Creek viewing site at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov launched to the International Space Station at 3:27 a.m. EDT from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A. Students and advisors from University of Washington, University of Colorado-Boulder, and an international team from Queens University - this years First Nations Launch grand prize teams - traveled to Kennedy for a VIP tour, culminating in viewing the Crew-7 launch. Another highlight included a guided tour of historic Hangar AE, led by James Wood (Osage Nation and Loyal Shawnee), chief engineer of NASAs

Joshua Santora, at the podium, NASA Communications, moderates a Mars 2020 NASA Social at Kennedy Space Centers News Center in Florida on July 29, 2020. Participants from left are Kennedy Deputy Director Janet Petro, NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. The Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter are scheduled to launch July 30, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff meet with NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, NASA astronaut candidate Andre Douglas, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and NASA STEM interns, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, at the Operations and Support Building II at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Vice President was to watch the launch of NASAs Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis I flight test, however the launch attempt was halted at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, right, provides a tour for cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures." The group is near the blockhouse at Launch Pad 14 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The pad which was the location of the launch of John Glenn and three other astronauts who flew orbital missions during Project Mercury. To Cabana's right is Taraji P. Henson, who portrays Katherine Johnson in the film. The movie is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly. It chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers. Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

17-14-22-37-4:(17 Sept. 2014) --- Assisted by NASA Flight Engineer Barry Wilmore (center) and Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), right, Expedition 41/42 Flight Engineer Elena Serova of Roscosmos (left) plants a tree at a plot bearing her name behind the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan Sept. 17 during traditional ceremonies. Wilmore, Serova and Samokutyaev are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Sept. 26, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. Serova will become the fourth Russian woman to fly in space and the first Russian woman to live and work on the station.

jsc2018e098098 - At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Expedition 58 prime and backup crewmembers pose for pictures Nov. 29 in front of the cottage where Yuri Gagarin slept on the night before his historic launch April 12, 1961 to become the first human to fly in space. From left to right are prime crewmembers Anne McClain of NASA, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos and the backup crew, Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Drew Morgan of NASA. McClain, Saint-Jacques and Kononenko will launch Dec. 3 in the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov.

NASA Social attendees pose for a picture with Snoopy at the Press Site countdown clock, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated flight test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. ET.

NASA and Boeing teams prepare for the landing of Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft at White Sands Missile Ranges Space Harbor, Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico. Boeings Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliners second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 serves as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. - In the Mojave Desert in California, a student StangSat Team of students from Merritt Island High School in Florida posed for a pre-launch photograph as the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket, in the background, was being prepared for flight at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch site. Kneeling from left to right, are: Gurkirat Kainth, Megan Mackool, NASA mentor Shaun Daly and Maurisa Orona. Standing from left to right, are: teacher sponsor Tracey Beatovich, Brian Robusto, NASA Education program manager Grace Johnson, Nathan Stephens, Briana Luthman, Jackson Kinney, Steven Krygier, NASA mentor Jim Kinney, Joshua Zirkle and NASA mentor Kelvin Ruiz.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,

A portion of the Aerodynamic and Acoustic Rotoprop Test team pause for a photo in the 40- by 80-foot test section at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex, located at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. Earlier this year, the AART team was named a recipient of the NASA Group Achievement Award. This certificate is awarded to any combination of government or non-government individuals for an outstanding group accomplishment that has contributed substantially to NASAs mission. The team worked through challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to complete the first-ever urban air mobility rotor acoustic test program in NFAC.

Launch Complex 39 surrounding areas are seen during an aerial survey of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 12, 2017. The survey was performed to identify structures and facilities that may have sustained damage from Hurricane Irma as the storm passed Kennedy on September 10, 2017. NASA closed the center ahead of the storms onset and only a small team of specialists known as the Rideout Team was on the center as the storm approached and passed.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Launched on June 20, 1996, the STS-78 missions primary payload was the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS), which was managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). During the 17 day space flight, the crew conducted a diverse slate of experiments divided into a mix of life science and microgravity investigations. In a manner very similar to future International Space Station operations, LMS researchers from the United States and their European counterparts shared resources such as crew time and equipment. Five space agencies (NASA/USA, European Space Agency/Europe (ESA), French Space Agency/France, Canadian Space Agency /Canada, and Italian Space Agency/Italy) along with research scientists from 10 countries worked together on the design, development and construction of the LMS. In this photo, LMS mission scientist Patton Downey and LMS mission manager Mark Boudreaux display the flag that was flown for the mission at MSFC.

17-14-26-12-2:(17 Sept. 2014) --- Expedition 41 Flight Engineer Barry Wilmore of NASA flashes a smile Sept. 17 as he plants a tree at a plot bearing his name behind the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan during traditional ceremonies. Alongside Wilmore is Flight Engineer Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). Wilmore, Serova and Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Sept. 26, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. Serova will become the fourth Russian woman to fly in space and the first Russian woman to live and work on the station.

Members of the original Von Braun german rocket team participate in the Saturn V replica didication ceremony at the U. S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Pictured are (L/R) Walter Jacobi, Konrad Dannenberg, Apollo 14's Edgar Mitchell, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, Apollo 12's Dick Gordon, Gerhard Reisig, Werner Dahm, MSFC Director Art Stephenson, Director of the U. S. Space and Rocket Center Mike Wing, Walter Haeusserman, and Ernst Stuhlinger.

Students Alex Mather, at left, and Vaneeza Rupani, stand near the countdown clock at the News Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 28, 2020. Mather named the Perseverance rover, and Rupani named the Ingenuity helicopter. The rover is scheduled to launch July 30, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

NASA Student Airborne Research Program participants pose in front of the DC-8 before their flight on Jun 23, 2022. The students are joined by mentors and professors to study air quality over the Central Valley in California.

Psyche Launch. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and his son Bill Nelson Jr. watch the launch of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard from Launch Complex 39A, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal-rich asteroid by the same name orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter to study its composition. The spacecraft also carries the agency's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which will test laser communications beyond the Moon.

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