NASA Orion Program Events

Images depicting NASA officials discussing the Orion spacecraft, including launch preparations and mission goals. The setting includes various NASA facilities and models of rockets.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a commissioning ceremony for the new Convoy Command Vehicle (background), Tony Shibly, project manager, United Space Alliance, offers a few remarks to guests. At left are USA Chief Operating Officer Mike McCulley and Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. The new 40-foot vehicle is replacing a 15-year old model, and will be used following Shuttle landings as the prime vehicle to control critical communications between the orbiter, the crew and the Launch Control Center, to monitor the health of the Shuttle Orbiter systems and to direct convoy operations at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Upgrades and high-tech features incorporated into the design and development of this vehicle make it more reliable and efficient for the convoy crew. Seating capacity was increased from 4 to 12, and video recorders and television monitors were added to provide the convoy team with the maximum amount of visual information

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager, at right, helps mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view behind him is the crew module stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing cell. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecrafts 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry a

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Behind Bolden, from the left, are United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager Mike Hawes and Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks to employees about the agencys progress toward sending astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars during a televised event, Monday, March 11, 2019, at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media, and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion spacecraft, which is scheduled to be flown on Exploration Mission-2, was on display.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a commissioning ceremony for the new Convoy Command Vehicle (background), Tony Shibly, project manager, United Space Alliance, offers a few remarks to guests. At left are USA Chief Operating Officer Mike McCulley and Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. The new 40-foot vehicle is replacing a 15-year old model, and will be used following Shuttle landings as the prime vehicle to control critical communications between the orbiter, the crew and the Launch Control Center, to monitor the health of the Shuttle Orbiter systems and to direct convoy operations at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Upgrades and high-tech features incorporated into the design and development of this vehicle make it more reliable and efficient for the convoy crew. Seating capacity was increased from 4 to 12, and video recorders and television monitors were added to provide the convoy team with the maximum amount of visual information

Vice President Mike Pence talks with Marshall Space Flight Center Director Todd May and Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) (left) about NASAs Space Launch System, the agencys new deep space rocket. May explained progress being made on the rocket. The Vice President visited NASA Marshall in Huntsville, Alabama on Sept. 25, 2017, and saw SLS core stage engine section test hardware (on the right). The engine section is the bottom of the core stage where the four RS-25 engines attach and produce two million pounds of thrust. The SLS engine section is undergoing structural testing.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden delivers a state of the agency” address at NASA's televised fiscal year 2016 budget rollout event. Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, seated, made the opening remarks. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion, SpaceX Dragon and Boeing CST-100 spacecraft, all destined to play a role in NASA’s overall exploration objectives, were on display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Russell Romanella, director of the ISS and Spacecraft Processing Directorate at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, addresses the media who were provided an opportunity to see the newest section of the International Space Station, the Tranquility node, in the Space Station Processing Facility. Tranquility is a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the station's life support systems. Managers from NASA, the European Space Agency, Thales Alenia Space and Boeing -- the organizations involved in building and processing the module for flight -- were available for a question-and-answer session during the event. Tranquility will be delivered to the station during space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for launch in February 2010.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks as the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard rolls out of High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for the first time, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks to employees about the agencys progress toward sending astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars during a televised event, Monday, March 11, 2019, at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media, and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion spacecraft, which is scheduled to be flown on Exploration Mission-2, was on display.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana speaks during a NASA Social Facebook Live event April 21, 2021, near the Press Site countdown clock at the Florida Spaceport, ahead of the agencys SpaceX Crew-2 launch. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and  Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will fly on Crew-2, the second crew rotation mission to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. They will launch aboard SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, powered by the companys Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff is set for Friday, April 23, at 5:49 a.m. EDT.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, Lockheed Martin Orion Program Manager Mike Hawes facing the camera briefs United Launch Alliance Vice President of Atlas and Delta Programs Jim Sponnick, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana backs to camera.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden delivers a state of the agency” address at NASA's televised fiscal year 2016 budget rollout event. Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, seated, made the opening remarks. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion, SpaceX Dragon and Boeing CST-100 spacecraft, all destined to play a role in NASA’s overall exploration objectives, were on display.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks to members of the media during a crew arrival event for NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8, 2020. Crew-1 is the first crew rotation mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden delivers a state of the agency” address at NASA's televised fiscal year 2016 budget rollout event. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion, SpaceX Dragon and Boeing CST-100 spacecraft, all destined to play a role in NASA’s overall exploration objectives, were on display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - During a ceremony inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Flight Test-1 was officially turned over to Lockheed Martin Ground Operations from Orion Assembly, Integration and Production. Shaking hands during the turn over, are Jules Schneider, at left, Lockheed Martin Orion Production Operations manager, and Blake Hale, Lockheed Martin Ground Operations manager. Behind them are members of the Brevard Police and Fire Pipes and Drums.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Sta

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building OandC at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Scott Colloredo, chief architect for the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, speaks to news media representatives updating progress on preparing the Orion spacecraft for its first uncrewed mission, Exploration Flight Test-1 EFT-1 in 2014. The crew module is seen behind Hefner in its test stand. Launched atop NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket, Orion is now targeted to take astronauts in a sample return mission to an asteroid as early as 2021. On the third anniversary of President Barack Obama issuing his challenge to NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid, news media representatives were given an opportunity to see up-close the Orion spacecraft which could take astronauts on such a flight. They also heard from key leaders of that effort in Kennedy's OandC where Orion's assembly is taking place.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager Mike Hawes speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Behind Hawes, from the left, are NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media representatives participate in a Now and Future Tour at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here, they make a stop at the Launch Pad 39B, which is being restructured for future use. Its new design will feature a "clean pad" for rockets to come with their own launcher, making it more versatile for a number of vehicles. Leading the tour is Jose Perez-Morales, NASA's pad B project manager. Other stops along the tour included Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) and the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). OPF-2 is where shuttle Discovery is being prepared for future public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. The SLF's runway could be used for private companies and government agencies to host a diversity of launch systems, including orbital and suborbital flights.

Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, participates in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. In the background from left to right are NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA astronaut Mike Finke. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be the Starliners first flight to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana answers questions during a press conference along with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, Bob Behnken, Mike Hopkins, and Victor Glover, ahead of the SpaceX Demo-1 mission, Friday, March 1, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Demo-1 mission will be the first launch of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft and space system designed for humans as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for a 2:49am launch on March 2, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

During a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Bob Cabana speaks to legislators and guests. Seated behind him, from left, are Col. Thomas St. Marie, vice commander, U.S. Air Force, 45th Space Wing; Kent Rominger, Northrop Grummans vice president and capture lead for the OmegA launch system; and Tom Engler, director of Kennedys Center Planning and Development Office. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facilitys High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicles assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Fo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, Lockheed Martin Orion Program Manager Mike Hawes facing the camera briefs United Launch Alliance Vice President of Atlas and Delta Programs Jim Sponnick, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana backs to camera.

Bob Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director, participates in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. In the background from left to right are NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams, Nicole Mann and Mike Finke; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; and Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be the Starliners first flight to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana makes opening remarks during an event to discuss NASAs progress toward sending astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars, Monday, March 11, 2019, at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion spacecraft, which is scheduled to be flown on Exploration Mission-2, was on display.

President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, Marillyn Hewson, Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana and Mike Hawes, VP and Orion Program Manager, Lockheed Martin, are seen during a tour of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building following the departure of NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley for Launch Complex 39A to board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for launch, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The flight test will serve as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Todays launch of Behnken and Hurley was scrubbed due to weather and is now scheduled for 3:2

Legislators and invited guests clap during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facilitys High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicles assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. On the right, behind Cabana is Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa.

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana; Kent Rominger, Northrop Grummans vice president and capture lead for the OmegA launch system; and Col. Thomas Ste. Marie, vice commander, U.S. Air Force, 45th Space Wing. Behind them is a scale model of the OmegA launch system. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facilitys High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicles assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, second from left, tours Kennedy Space Centers Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during his first official visit to the Florida spaceport on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018. The tour featured updates on NASAs Orion spacecraft, which will launch aboard the agencys Space Launch System rocket on trips to deep space.

NASA's Orion spacecraft is viewed by members of the media at the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Lou Garcia, with the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, or GSDO, speaks to the media during the viewing opportunity. The spacecraft's cross-country return, a 2,700 mile road trip from Naval Base San Diego to Kennedy, sets the stage for in-depth analysis of data obtained during Orion's trip to space. It will provide engineers with detailed information on how the spacecraft fared during its two-orbit, 4.5-hour flight test, completed on Dec. 5. GSDO led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Paul Vona, operations engineer, NDT Services, with PaR Systems Inc., demonstrates the automated X-ray system in the robotic inspection cell for members of the media at Hangar N at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. PaR Systems held an Open House to celebrate the one-year anniversary of a lease agreement with Kennedy. Under a 15-year lease, PaR Systems is utilizing Hangar N and its unique nondestructive testing equipment. The partnership agreement was established by Kennedy's Center Planning and Development Directorate. The agreement is just one example of the types of partnerships that Kennedy is seeking to create a multi-user spaceport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson addresses the audience assembled in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay for an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Florida.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a ceremony is underway marking the agency's Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution (SPIE) organization formally turning over processing of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), to the center's Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Directorate. The ICPS is seen on the left in its shipping container and is the first integrated piece of flight hardware to arrive in preparation for the uncrewed Exploration Mission-1. With the Orion attached, the ICPS sits atop the SLS rocket and will provide the spacecraft with the additional thrust needed to travel tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana and several members of his leadership team provided an on current and future activities at the Florida spaceport during the annual Community Leaders Briefing. Cabana explained that the space center has a great deal of work going on in support of current and future space program projects. The reports were part of the annual Community Leaders Briefing at the Kurt H. Debus Conference Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex attended by local, state and U.S. government representatives, along with individuals from business and industry.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, media representatives ask questions of the STS-130 crew during a question-and-answer session. The astronauts are, from left, Commander George Zamka; Pilot Terry Virts; and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken.The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's upcoming mission are at Kennedy for training related to their launch dress rehearsal, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. The primary payload on STS-130 is the International Space Station's Node 3, Tranquility, a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the station's life support systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. Endeavour's launch is targeted for Feb. 7.

In the Space Station Processing Facility, NASA and Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials welcome the arrival of the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section for the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, to the Kennedy Space Center. At the podium is Russ Romanella, director of International Space Station and Spacecraft Processing. Seated at right are Bill Parsons, director of Kennedy Space Center; Dr. Kichiro Imagawa, project manager of the JEM Development Project Team for JAXA; Melanie Saunders, associate manager of the International Space Station Program at Johnson Space Center; and Dominic Gorie, commander on mission STS-123 that will deliver the module to the space station. The new International Space Station component arrived at Kennedy March 12 to begin preparations for its future launch on mission STS-123. It will serve as an on-orbit storage area for materials, tools and supplies. It can hold up to eight experiment racks and will attach to the top of an

Edwards, Calif. - ED-0155-29 - Steve Lindsey, Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, director of flight operations and former space shuttle astronaut, talks to the media about the development work Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, will perform in collaboration with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, with its Dream Chaser flight test vehicle at the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in the coming months. At left is NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. At right is Dryden Flight Research Deputy Center Director Patrick Stoliker. SNC is one of three companies working with CCP during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative, which is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - From left, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana and NASA Deputy Director Lori Garver discuss NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building high bay following an event marking the spacecraft's arrival in Florida.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks with Orion and Super Guppy managers before touring the Super Guppy that will carry the flight frame with the Orion crew module and service module inside, to a testing facility in Sandusky, Ohio, for full thermal vacuum testing, Monday, March 11, 2019 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Bill Moore, Delaware North Parks and Resorts chief operating officer speaks to news media representatives during the opening of the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver addresses the audience assembled in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay for an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Florida.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

TODD MAY,CHARLIE BOLDEN AND ASTRONAUT BUTCH WILMORE BRIEF NEWS MEDIA ON PROGRESS OF NEW TEST STAND CONSTRUCTION FOR SLS TESTING

STS-133 crew return ceremony to Ellington Field. Photo Date: March 10, 2011. Location: Ellington Field - Hangar 276.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Bob Cabana addresses guests at a presentation during which XCOR Aerospace announced plans to open a manufacturing operation in Brevard. Space Florida President Frank DiBello is seated to the right.The company's suborbital Lynx Mark II spacecraft possibly will take off and land at Kennedy's shuttle landing facility. XCOR Aerospace is a small, privately held California corporation with focus on the research, development, project management and production of reusable launch vehicles, rocket engines and rocket propulsion systems. XCOR will focus on space tourism, experimental flights and launching satellites.

President Donald Trump speaks inside the Vehicle Assembly Building following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Jim Kennedy, director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, addresses the audience attending a ceremony in the Space Station Processing Facility to welcome the European Space Agency's Columbus module. Columbus is the European Space Agency's research laboratory for the International Space Station. The module will be prepared in the SSPF for delivery to the space station on a future space shuttle mission. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide researchers with the ability to conduct numerous experiments in the life, physical and materials sciences.

Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administrator, addresses members of the news media during a press briefing April 21, 2021, near the Press Site countdown clock at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the agencys SpaceX Crew-2 launch. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and  Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will fly on Crew-2, the second crew rotation mission to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. They will launch aboard SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, powered by the companys Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff is set for Friday, April 23, at 5:49 a.m. EDT.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, left, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, are seen before the rollout of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASAs Mars 2020 Perseverance to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Perseverance rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. Launch is scheduled for Thursday, July 30.

From left to right, NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, Reid Wiseman, Chief of the Astronaut Office, Apollo Astronaut Tom Stafford, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy pose for a photo as the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard rolls out of High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for the first time, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) president and CEO Tory Bruno leads a tour for Vice President Mike Pence, his wife, Karen Pence, and NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot on Feb. 20, 2018. They are in the ULA Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF), at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The HIF is where the Delta IV Heavy boosters are being processed for NASAs upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. During his visit, Pence will chair a meeting of the National Space Council on Feb. 21, 2018 in the high bay of NASA Kennedy Space Centers Space Station Processing Facility. The council's role is to advise the president regarding national space policy and strategy, and review the nation's long-range goals for space activities.

In Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium, agency and industry leaders speak to members of the media during a post launch news conference following the March 2, 2:49 a.m. EST launch of the SpaceX Demo-1 Commercial Crew Program (CCP) mission to the International Space Station. From left are: Steve Stich, NASA launch manager, Commercial Crew Program; Kirk Shireman, manager, International Space Station Program; Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator; Elon Musk, CEO and lead designer, SpaceX; Bob Behnken, NASA astronaut and Doug Hurley, NASA astronaut. The Crew Dragons trip to the space station is designed to validate end-to-end systems and capabilities, leading to certification to fly crew. NASA has worked with SpaceX and Boeing in developing the CCP spacecraft to facilitate new human spaceflight systems launching from U.S. soil with the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit destinations, such as the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, Space Systems, announces the steps the company will take to prepare for a November 2016 orbital flight of its Dream Chaser spacecraft from Floridas Space Coast during a news conference at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants are, from left, Michael Curie, NASA spokesman, Bob Cabana, director of Kennedy, Michael Gass, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Frank DiBello, president and CEO of Space Florida, Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC Space Systems, Larry Price, Lockheed Martin Space Systems deputy program manager for NASA's Orion spacecraft, and Steve Lindsey, Dream Chaser program manager for SNC Space Systems. The steps are considered substantial for SNC and important to plans by NASA and Space Florida for Kennedys transformation into a multi-user spaceport for both commercial and government customers. SNC said it plans to work with ULA to launch the Dream Chaser space

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket are being prepared for launch.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives remarks on the agencys Artemis program, Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in front of the core stage for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Through Artemis NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.

Vice President Mike Pence addresses NASA employees, Thursday, July 6, 2017, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Vice President thanked employees for advancing American leadership in space, before going on a tour of the center that highlighted the public-private partnerships at KSC, as both NASA and commercial companies prepare to launch American astronauts from the multi-user spaceport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden tours the Operations and Checkout, or O& C, Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the O&C, the Orion EFT-1 spacecraft is being prepared for the program's first flight.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.

The American flag can be seen hanging from the final work platform, A north, as the platform is lifted up by crane from the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of High Bay 3. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB, including installation of the

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden delivers a state of the agency” address at NASA's televised fiscal year 2016 budget rollout event. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion, SpaceX Dragon and Boeing CST-100 spacecraft, all destined to play a role in NASA’s overall exploration objectives, were on display.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts representing NASA and Boeing participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. From left to right are Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; Bridenstine; NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard; and NASA astronaut Mike Finke. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be the Starliners first flight to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

Center Director Roy Bridges addresses attendees at the dedication of the upgraded Launch Vehicle Data Center in Hangar AE, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The new facilitys three individual control rooms replace a single LVDC control room in use since the mid-1970s. Developed by NASA-KSC to support multiple test operations in parallel or a single large launch operation, the new LVDC allows up to 100 launch vehicle engineers to monitor the voice, data and video systems that support the checkout and launch of an expendable vehicle

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - From left, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and NASA Deputy Director Lori Garver pose for a portrait in front of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building high bay following an event marking the spacecraft's arrival in Florida.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

President Donald Trump walks out on to the roof of the Operations Support Building II to view the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

President Donald Trump, right, Vice President Mike Pence, and Second Lady Karen Pence watch the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, from the balcony of Operations Support Building II at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media interview STS-1 Pilot and former Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Crippen after the announcement that revealed the four institutions receiving shuttle orbiters for permanent display.In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shu

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Rick Abramson, Delaware North Parks and Resorts president speaks to news media representatives during the opening of the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility.The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.

Terrence Hertz, Deputy Associate Administrator for Technology, NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, at the NOAA/NASA Altair flight demo kickoff.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, right, takes questions from the media in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay following an event marking the arrival in Florida of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule. Behind Nelson are, from left, Dan Dumbacher, NASA deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, NASA Deputy Director Lori Garver, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana and Mark Geyer, Orion program manager.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

STS-131 Crew Returns Back to KSC

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, President Barack Obama addresses the participants of the Conference on the American Space Program for the 21st Century. In his remarks, he outlined the new course his administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human spaceflight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, state and local dignitaries participate in a Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. The group includes KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson.Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASAs Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex.

President Donald Trump steps on stage to give remarks inside the Vehicle Assembly Building following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot addresses agency leaders, U.S. and Florida government officials, and employees inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a visit by Vice President Mike Pence. Pence thanked employees for advancing American leadership in space. Behind the podium are, from the left, a flown SpaceX Dragon capsule, the Orion spacecraft flown on Exploration Flight test-1 in 2014, and a mockup of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner. During his visit to Kennedy, the Vice President also toured several facilities highlighting the public-private partnerships, as both NASA and commercial companies prepare to launch American astronauts from the multi-user spaceport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida discusses The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft during a ceremony inside Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Looking on are, from left, John Elbon, Boeing's vice president general manager of Boeing Space Systems,, John Mulholland, Boeing's program manager for the CST-100, and Chris Ferguson, Boeing's director of Crew and Mission Operations.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis.Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASAs Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex.

NASA astronaut, Suni Williams, who will command the first manned launch of the capsule, names the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, Calypso, after it landed in White Sands, New Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The landing completes an abbreviated Orbital Flight Test for the company that still meets several mission objectives for NASAs Commercial Crew program. The Starliner spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 6:36 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Members of the news media attend a press briefing Nov. 13, 2020, near the Press Site countdown clock at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the agencys SpaceX Crew-1 launch. Participating in the briefing, on the raised platform, are NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Steve Dickson, administrator, Federal Aviation Administration; Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana; Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXAs Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate; NASA astronaut Jonny Kim; and NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. Crew-1 is the first regular crew mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience capsule will launch atop the companys Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A to the space station for a six-month science mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Professor Sam Ting, AMS Principal Investigator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology listens intently as Professor Manuel Aguilar, AMS Spanish Coordinator, speaks to the media before the arrival of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS.AMS, a state-of-the-art particle physics detector, is designed to operate as an external module on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for dark matter. The STS-134 crew will fly AMS to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour, targeted to launch Feb. 26, 2011.

Crew Commercial Office's PAO activities for Boeing's rollout of their CST-100 capsule - "First Look" Media Event. Photo Date: July 22, 2013. Location: Boeing - Houston Product Support Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium, agency and industry leaders spoke to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. From left are: Brandi Dean of NASA Public Affairs, Mark Geyer, Orion program manager, Mike Hawes, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager, Jeff Angermeier, Exploration Flight Test-1 Ground Systems Development and Operations mission manager, Ron Fortson, United Launch Alliance director of mission management, and Kathy Winters, U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing Launch Weather officer.

Joshua Santora, with NASA Communications, moderates a NASA Social Facebook Live briefing inside the Press Site auditorium on May 26, 2020, at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 launch. At the counter, from left are NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Kjell Lindgren, and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from historic Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, May 27, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station. This will mark the first launch of astronauts from U.S. soil to the space station since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program, this will be SpaceXs final flight test, paving the way for NASA to certify the crew transportation system for regular, crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:33 p.m. ED

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA leaders spoke to social media participants as the Orion spacecraft and its Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Speakers included Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- William Saputo, L-3 Communications, presents a new piece of technology, developed through a National Aeronautics and Space Administration

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - During a ceremony in the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, state and local dignitaries break ground for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. From left, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson.Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASAs Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex.

Wernher von Braun and Saturn IB

Flags depicting the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft, the One-Year Mission, and the Expedition 43 Mission are seen on desks in two different rooms separated by glass where Expedition 43 prime and backup crews will meet with space officials on their final check of the Soyuz capsule, Monday, March 23, 2015 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and Russian Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, and Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 28, Kazakh time (March 27 Eastern time.) As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - From left, Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and NASA Deputy Director Lori Garver pose for a portrait in front of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay following an event marking the spacecraft's arrival in Florida.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Florida Representative Sandy Adams, speaks to the audience during the ceremony announcing the signing of an innovative agreement between NASA and Space Florida. NASA announced a partnership with Space Florida to occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3), the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center. Space Florida has an agreement for use of the OPF-3 with the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft. The 15-year use permit deal is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Arriving at the Skid Strip on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is First Lady Laura Bush, who is attending the historic launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114, scheduled to lift off at 10 39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B with a crew of seven. Mrs. Bush is only the third First Lady to witness a Space Shuttle launch at KSC. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Contro

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA leaders spoke to social media participants as the Orion spacecraft and its Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Speakers included NASA astronaut Rex Walheim.

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