NASA Space Launch Preparations

Images depicting the preparation and testing of space vehicles at NASA. The setting is high-tech and dynamic, capturing innovation in aerospace technology.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lifting off from the ground in a cloud of dust

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Tim Terry, with Kennedy Space Center Integrated Communications Services, sits at the controls of a long-range tracking camera during the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-122. Liftoff was on time at 2:45 p.m. EST. Long-range cameras are used during early phases of ascent to identify and track debris and continue to be used as long as the vehicle is visible. During the 11-day mission, the crew's prime objective is to attach the Columbus laboratory to the Harmony module, adding to the International Space Station's size and capabilities.

NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander is prepared for lifting by a crane in preparation for a tethered-flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the 40-second test, the lander will be hoisted 20 feet. The spacecraft will ascend an additional five feet and hover for five seconds. Morpheus then will perform a 5.6-foot ascent coupled with a 9.8-foot traverse, and hover for five more seconds before returning to the launch point. A number of changes have been made, primarily focused on autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology ALHAT and moving the Doppler Lidar to the front of the forward liquid oxygen tank. The tether test was cut short due to Morpheus exceeding onboard abort rate limits. The vehicle was taken back to the hangar and data from the test is being studied. After review, managers will determine when a new test date will be set. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary

The Hexa, an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, stands ready for its first flight April 4 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Hexa team completed the aircrafts first unmanned flight test via remote control. The aircraft, which used 18 motors and propellers, flew for approximately 10 minutes and reached a height of about 50 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians secure connections for a crane which will be used to set up NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed vehicle, at its launch position along the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Morpheus is designed to demonstrate new green propellant propulsion systems and autonomous landing and an Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT, system.Checkout of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free flight. The SLF site will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASAs Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, buildup continues on the metal landing pad for the Project Morpheus lander at the midfield of the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF.Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for free flight. The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASAs Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human mi

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Project Morpheus prototype lander is being prepared for its fifth free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 74-second test began around 1 p.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending 467 feet, more than 160 feet higher than its last test. Morpheus flew forward, covering 637 feet in 30 second before descending and landing on 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 realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus ALHAT payload will allow it to navigate to clear landing site

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The transportation trailer containing the fairing for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, arrives in the Building 836 high bay on south Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.The fairing will protect the SMAP spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during its ascent to orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 2. SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data will also be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for November 2014.

Crew Module Water Landing Model Assessment (CMWLMA)Test site photos at Aberdeen Test Center Aberdeen Maryland

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the slidewire basket landing area at Launch Pad 39B, STS-116 Mission Specialist Christer Fuglesang is ready for the leap to the ground to practice exiting the basket, used for emergency egress from the orbiter. Other crew members waiting their turn are Mission Specialist Joan Higginbotham and Pilot William Oefelein (partially hidden). 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.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lifting off from the ground in a cloud of dust

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians smooth out the concrete on the movable launch platform for the Project Morpheus lander at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF.Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for free flight. The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASAs Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational con

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporations TigerShark prepares for its final takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration in the National Airspace Systems, Flight Test Series Six (FT6) project. FT6 flight tests took place at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and focused on low size weight and power sensors for Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations in controlled airspace to inform the FAA through the RTCA Special Committee DAA Working Group on the phase 2 minimum operational performance standards for DAA and air-to-air radar.

NASAs Global Hawk aircraft was deployed to Florida from Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards, CA. on Oct. 6 to monitor and take scientific measurements of Hurricane Matthew. The unmanned Global Hawk will gather scientific data in support of NOAAs Sensing Hazards with Operational Unmanned Technology (SHOUT) mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the crawler-transporter is moved to the foot of the pad after delivering space shuttle Discovery for final prelaunch processing for the STS-124 mission. Discovery's 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 11:47 p.m. on May 2. The shuttle arrived at the launch pad at 4:25 a.m. EDT May 3 and was secured, or hard down, by 6:06 a.m. On the 13-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 31.

A satellite antenna, electro-optical/infrared and ocean color sensors (front) were among payloads installed on the Altair for the NOAA-NASA flight demonstration

TA Mod-0A 200-kilowatt wind turbine designed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After taking part in a simulated launch countdown aboard space shuttle Atlantis, the STS-125 crew members practice an emergency escape from the shuttle. Here they are ready to release the slidewire basket that will speed them away from Kennedy Space Centers Launch Pad 39A. The countdown is the culmination of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities as preparation before launch. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various launch activities, including equipment familiarization, emergency training and the countdown. Atlantis STS-125 mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope is targeted for launch Oct. 14.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission, Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth 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. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti are scheduled to launch on April 23 at 5:26 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Edwards, Calif. - ED13-161-35 - Sierra Nevada Corporation SNC Space Systems' team members tow the Dream Chaser flight vehicle out to a concrete runway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California for range and taxi tow tests. The ground testing will validate the performance of the spacecraft's nose skid, brakes, tires and other systems prior to captive-carry and free-flight tests scheduled for later this year.SNC is one of three companies working with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or 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. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, media and the crew of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission gather on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway to check out the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, which arrived aboard an Air Force C-5M aircraft from Europe. 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. AMS will fly to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission, targeted to launch Feb. 26, 2011.

Long wings, a V-tail with a ventral fin and a rear-mounted engine distinguish the Altair, an unmanned aerial vehicle built for NASA by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Workers prepare the Soyuz rocket to be raised into the vertical position for launch on Monday, May 26, 2014, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for May 29 and will send Expedition 40 Soyuz Commander Maxim Suraev, of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst, of the European Space Agency, ESA, and Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman of NASA on a five and a half month mission aboard the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, the crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission receives instruction on the slidewire basket system at the landing site for the baskets at the base of the pad during emergency egress training. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre.

The antenna of the Deep Space Network's Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43) in Canberra, Australia, spans 70 meters (230 foot) and stands 73 meters (239 foot), dwarfing workers as they perform upgrades on the central cone that contains sensitive transmitters and receivers. A giant crane assisted with the replacement of parts that had been operating on the antenna for over 40 years. One of several antennas located at the Canberra Deep Space Network station, DSS-43 is the largest and responsible for transmitting commands to NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft. Since early March 2020, DSS-43 has been offline for the upgrades, which are expected to continue until January 2021.

On May 18, 2022, Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket roll out from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Starliner will launch on the Atlas V for Boeings Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) for NASAs Commercial Crew Program at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 19. OFT-2 is an important uncrewed flight test designed to test the end-to-end capabilities of the system tohelp the agency certify Starliner to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-132 Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, left, and Michael Good, dressed in their orange launch-and-entry suits, position themselves inside a slidewire basket as they practice emergency exit procedures at the pad. Evacuation from the pad's 195-foot level in the event of an emergency is made possible by seven baskets suspended from seven slidewires that extend from the fixed service structure to a landing zone 1,200 feet west of the pad. The crew is participating in a launch dress rehearsal, called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. TCDT provides each shuttle crew and launch team the opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency procedures. On the STS-132 mission, the six-member crew will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, and the Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1, or MRM-1, to the International Space Station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians and engineers prepare NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander for a free flight test from a new launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 3:20 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet at a peak speed of 36 mph. The vehicle, with its recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander then descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities coul

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the companys Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. The firing was in preparation for the ninth milestone to be completed under SpaceX's funded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). SpaceX is working with CCP during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) in order to mature the design and development of its Dragon spacecraft with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. Eight SuperDracos would be built into the sidewalls of the Dragon capsule to carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch or ascent. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industrys own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience.

Launch pad 1 is seen at the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014 in Tanegashima, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from pad 1 on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours.

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad at Site 31, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 64 Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos, and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft on Oct. 14 to start a six-month mission onboard the International Space Station.

Edwards, Calif. - ED13-0215-072 - Sierra Nevada Corporation SNC Space Systems' team members tow the Dream Chaser flight vehicle along a concrete runway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California for range and taxi tow tests. The ground testing will validate the performance of the spacecraft's nose skid, brakes, tires and other systems prior to captive-carry and free-flight tests scheduled for later this year.SNC is one of three companies working with NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or 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.

NASA Dryden crew chief Joe Kinn gives final checks to NASA's Ikhana, a civil version of the Predator B unmanned aircraft, prior to a morning checkout flight.

Body of prototype experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), composed of carbon fiber parts precision milled by computer numerical controlled (CNC) milling machine, body only, no components mounted

Sierra Nevada Corporations Dream Chaser spacecraft arrives by truck at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, located on Edwards Air Force Base. The spacecraft will undergo several months of testing in preparation for its approach and landing flight on the bases 22L runway. The test series is part of a developmental space act agreement SNC has with NASAs Commercial Crew Program and will help SNC validate aerodynamic properties, flight software and control system performance. The Dream Chaser is also being prepared to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under NASAs Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract beginning in 2019. The cargo Dream Chaser will fly at least six delivery missions to and from the space station by 2024.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Project Morpheus prototype lander has been lifted by a tether and hovers above a transportable launch platform positioned at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility. The landers engine begins firing for a tethered test that includes lifting it 20 feet by crane, ascending another 10 feet, maneuvering backwards 10 feet, and then flying forward and descending to its original position, landing at the end of the tether. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy.The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its des

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Final Launch Operations Rehearsal . The SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon spacecraft are seen from inside firing room four during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch on NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina onboard, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini are scheduled to launch at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden announces that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A.SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agencys plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During emergency egress training as part of the pre-launch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, STS-120 crew members practice getting out of the slidewire basket at the landing site. Jumping out is Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson. Waiting his turn behind her is Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock. 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 mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT on a 14-day mission.

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporations TigerShark prepares for its final takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration in the National Airspace Systems, Flight Test Series Six (FT6) project. FT6 flight tests took place at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and focused on low size weight and power sensors for Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations in controlled airspace to inform the FAA through the RTCA Special Committee DAA Working Group on the phase 2 minimum operational performance standards for DAA and air-to-air radar.

Ground crewmen maneuver AeroVironment's solar-powered Helios Prototype flying wing on its ground support dolly during functional checkouts prior to its first flights under solar power from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kaua'i, Hawaii.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During the second stage of a simulated emergency, known as Mode 4, part of the KSC fire rescue team helps "injured" members of the closeout crew out of the slidewire baskets. The emergency exercise began at the 195-foot level of Launch Pad 39A. The KSC rescue teams are practicing emergency procedures in the unlikely scenario of a mishap on the pad during a launch sequence. The exercises are standard training procedures to assess and prepare emergency personnel, procedures and hardware.

. This is one of two lidar units positioned on either end of Building 4833 at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, that formed the cutting-edge virtual tower concept. The units use lasers to measure airflow from the ground level to 2,000 feet to provide data to assist future drones to safely land on rooftop hubs called vertiports, and to potentially improve weather prediction. It was part of the multi-faceted Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operation at Low Altitudes: Meteorology, Simulation and Technology campaign.

NASA is partnering with Gulfstream on the External Vision System project to demonstrate the use of an HD video system on the F-18B Systems Research Aircraft.

Boeings CST-100 Starliner lands in the New Mexico desert in the companys Pad Abort Test for NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The test, conducted Nov. 4 at the White Sands Missile Range, was designed to verify that each of Starliners systems will function not only separately, but in concert, to protect astronauts by carrying them safely away from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff. Starliner touched down on land approximately 90 seconds after the test began, about one mile from the test stand at Launch Complex 32. This is Boeings first test flight for NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which is working to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011.

. The DROID 2 (Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Drone 2) flies at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, as part of the Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operation at Low Altitudes: Meteorology, Simulation, and Technology campaign. The focus was to study wind to provide data for safe takeoff and landing of future air taxis.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, center director Bob Cabana checks out the full-scale set of space shuttle twin solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank at the entrance to the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. Guests will be able to walk beneath the 184-foot-tall boosters and tank as they enter the 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During emergency egress from Launch Pad 39A, STS-120 crew members are in the slidewire basket. In front, Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli holds the release lever. Behind him are Mission Specialists Daniel Tani and Scott Parazynski. The basket can carry them to a safe landing site below, if needed. Nespoli represents the European Space Agency. The activity is part of the prelaunch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. The TCDT at NASA's Kennedy Space Center provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various launch preparation activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery is targeted to launch on its 14-day mission at 11:38 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23.

. This specially outfitted mission control center, called the Mobile Operations Facility, can travel to any flight-testing site to obtain and transmit critical data. Here it is shown at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California on July 20, 2022. The data collected from the vehicle is used by NASA's Advanced Air Mobility projects National Campaign.

Boeing, NASA and U.S. Army teams rehearse safely bringing the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft home to Earth on Wed., June 6, 2018, at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. During the detailed landing simulation, engineers, technicians and spaceflight specialists worked through tight timelines and intense heat running through simulations of the spacecraft's landing and recovery, an operation that will cap each Starliner mission. For flight controllers at Mission Control in Houston, the simulation offered the chance to evaluate their own processes and rehearse everything from undocking the Starliner from the space station to communicating with the recovery teams in the field.

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

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-130 Commander George Zamka joins Pilot Terry Virts in a slidewire basket during training on the emergency exit system at the pad. The system includes seven baskets suspended from seven slidewires that extend from the fixed service structure to a landing zone 1,200 feet west of the pad.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.

Silhouetted by the morning sun, NASA's Ikhana, a civil version of the Predator B unmanned aircraft, is readied for flight By NASA Dryden crew chief Joe Kinn.

President Barack Obama views solar panels during a tour of the Photovoltaic Array at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas with Sen. Harry Reid and Col. Howard Belote, base commander, May 27, 2009.

An EdgeConnect mobile communications system sits on the flightline at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, June 13, 2022. The EdgeConnect system allows available internet sources such as cellular data and commercial internet to be securely connected to secure internet protocol router network (SIPRNet) and nonclassified internet protocol router network (NIPRNet), enabling official communication for remote forces in line with agile combat employment objectives.

Intuitive Machines CLPS Testing. Seen here is Intuitive Machines navigation pod sensors for the companys Nova-C lunar lander ahead of testing done at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 18, 2022. The test involved flying the sensors over a simulated lunar surface at the Launch and Landing Facility on a private helicopter. Intuitive Machines is scheduled to launch two missions to the Moon in 2023 - one of which will carry NASAs Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) instrument that will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. Through NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, the agency selected Intuitive Machines to deliver science and technology demonstration payloads to the Moon, contributing to NASAs goal of establishing a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.

An overview of new "Glass Cockpit" technologies on a C-141C Starlifter aircraft from the 89th Airlift Squadron (USAFR), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. More than sixty aircraft in the current C-141 fleet will undergo major modification. Each will receive the All Weather Flight Control System (AWFCS) consisting of a digital autopilot, advanced avionics display, and Ground Collision Avoidance System (GCAS). Other major improvements include a Defensive Systems (DS), Fuel Quantity Indicating System, and GPS modifications. The display units seen in front of each pilot are the Display Avionics Maintenance Unit (two green screens on top), Display Units (two large color screens in front .... Complete Scene Caption: An overview of new "Glass Cockpit" technologies on a C-141C Starlifter aircraft from the 89th Airlift Squadron (USAFR), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. More than sixty aircraft in the current C-141 fleet will undergo major modification. Each will receive the All Weat

An emergency way station installed where immigrants can call for help, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. (Large format sizes available)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen as it is rolled out of the horizontal integration facility at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to launch at 7:49 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Project Morpheus prototype landers engine has completed its firing during a tether test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility. During the test, the lander was lifted 20 feet by crane, and then ascended another 10 feet, maneuvered backwards 10 feet, and then flew forward. It will descend to its original position, landing at the end of the tether onto a transportable launch platform. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy.The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is bei

A right front view of an E-4 advanced airborne command post (AABNCP) on the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) simulator for the testing. Base: Kirtland Air Force Base State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporations TigerShark prepares for its final takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration in the National Airspace Systems, Flight Test Series Six (FT6) project. FT6 flight tests took place at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and focused on low size weight and power sensors for Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations in controlled airspace to inform the FAA through the RTCA Special Committee DAA Working Group on the phase 2 minimum operational performance standards for DAA and air-to-air radar.

radar, communication device for air vehicles, india Copyright: xJagdishxShinde/DinodiaxPhotox

Boeing and NASA teams participate in a mission dress rehearsal to prepare for the landing of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in White Sands, New Mexico, Monday, May 23, 2022. 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.

The countdown clock at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida is photographed during a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing on Dec. 19, 2019. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 crew continue their emergency exit training by the catch nets for the slidewire baskets at the base of the pad. The emergency exit system includes seven baskets suspended from seven slidewires that extend from the fixed service structure to a landing zone 1,200 feet west of the pad. The astronauts are, from left, Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire; Commander George Zamka; Mission Specialist Robert Behnken; and Pilot Terry Virts.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

CANOGA PARK, Calif. -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne hot-fires a launch abort engine for The Boeing Co., which is developing its CST-100 spacecraft for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Under its fixed-price contract with Boeing, Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne is combining its Attitude Control Propulsion System thrusters from heritage spaceflight programs, Bantam abort engine design and storable propellant engineering capabilities. In 2011, NASA selected Boeing of Houston during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industrys own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacec

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Launch. NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, left, and Nicole Mann, are seen on the fixed service structure of Launch Complex 39A before boarding SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft atop the companys Falcon 9 rocket before the launch of NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Cassada, Mann, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina launched at 12:00 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six month mission onboard the orbital outpost.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the members of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 crew continue their emergency exit training by the catch nets for the slidewire baskets at the base of the pad. The pad's escape system includes seven baskets suspended from seven slidewires that extend from the fixed service structure to a landing zone 1,200 feet west of the pad. From left, in the blue flight suits, are Commander Ken Ham; Mission Specialist Piers Sellers; Pilot Tony Antonelli; and Mission Specialists Steve Bowen, Garrett Reisman and Michael Good. The crew is participating in training in preparation for their Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, a dress rehearsal for launch. TCDT provides each shuttle crew and launch team the opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency procedures. On the STS-132 mission, the six-member crew will deliver an Integrated Carg

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians move the Project Morpheus lander on a small transporter to a support building at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF. Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for free flight testing at Kennedy.The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASAs Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a shade is placed around the new countdown clock at the spaceport's Press Site. The modern, multimedia display is similar to the screens seen at sporting venues. The new screen is nearly 26 feet wide by 7 feet high, a foot taller than the original clock. The historic countdown clock was designed by Kennedy engineers and built by space center technicians before Apollo 12 in 1969. NASA has acquired the countdown clock from the agencys Artifact Working Group at the agency's Headquarters for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporations TigerShark prepares for its final takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration in the National Airspace Systems, Flight Test Series Six (FT6) project. FT6 flight tests took place at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and focused on low size weight and power sensors for Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations in controlled airspace to inform the FAA through the RTCA Special Committee DAA Working Group on the phase 2 minimum operational performance standards for DAA and air-to-air radar.

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Shelley McCoy, 334th Training Squadron student, uses a condensed air traffic control tower simulator at Cody Hall at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, June 2, 2022. A similar system has been installed in the dorm building to allow students the opportunity to increase tower control contact hours and to provide students additional study time outside the classroom.

THULE AIR BASE, Greenland - Clouds roll over the Thule Tracking Station, known as callsign POGO, operated by the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, Detachment 1, at Thule Air Base, Greenland, Aug. 11, 2022. POGO is the northernmost unit of seven worldwide tracking stations in the Satellite Control Network. A component of Space Delta 6 - Cyberspace Operations, Det 1s mission is to provide telemetry, tracking and commanding operations to the U.S. and allied government satellite programs. The detachments extreme northern location allows contact with polar orbiting satellites 10-12 times per day ranging in altitude from 120 miles to 24,800 miles above the earth's surface.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - During a free-flight test of the Project Morpheus vehicle at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the vehicle lifted off the ground and then experienced a hardware component failure, which prevented it from maintaining stable flight. No one was injured and the resulting fire was extinguished by Kennedy fire personnel. Engineers are looking into the test data and the agency will release information as it becomes available. Failures such as these were anticipated prior to the test, and are part of the development process for any complex spaceflight hardware.Testing of the prototype lander had been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free-flight test at Kennedy Space Center. Morpheus was manufactured and assembled at JSC and Armadillo Aerospace. Morpheus is large enough to carry 1,100 pounds of cargo to the moon - for example, a humanoid robot, a small rover, or a small laboratory to con

On Dec. 19, 2018, NASA and contractor managers gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new liquid hydrogen tank for Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The storage facility will hold 1.25 million gallons of the propellant for NASA's Space Launch System rocket designed to boost the agency's Orion spacecraft, sending humans to distant destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and its service module stand atop the test stand at Launch Complex 32, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, in preparation for the Pad Abort Test. Boeings Pad Abort Test is designed to verify that each of Starliners systems will function not only separately, but in concert, to protect astronauts by carrying them safely away from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff. This will be Boeings first flight test as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The Pad Abort Test is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2019.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the slidewire basket landing area near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members learn about landing procedures during an emergency exit from the pad. From left are Mission Specialist Tom Marshburn, Commander Mark Polansky, and Mission Specialists Tim Kopra, Julie Payette, Christopher Cassidy, Dave Wolf and (far right) Pilot Doug Hurley. 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. Endeavour's STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13.

At the IMAX Theater at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, the Orion crew module from Exploration Flight Test 1, secured on its custom-made ground support equipment, has been lowered to the ground. The crew module will be moved inside the theater where it will be prepared for display in the NASA Now exhibit. The Orion spacecraft launched atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket Dec. 5, 2014, from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft built for humans traveled 3,604 miles above Earth and splashed down about 4.5 hours later in the Pacific Ocean.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the new countdown clock at the spaceport's Press Site is being tested. The modern, multimedia display is similar to the screens seen at sporting venues. The new screen will be nearly 26 feet wide by 7 feet high, a foot taller than the original clock.The historic countdown clock was designed by Kennedy engineers and built by space center technicians before Apollo 12 in 1969. NASA has requested to acquire the countdown clock from the agencys Artifact Working Group at the agency's Headquarters for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Chris McDonald with Orbital Sciences, drives the Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, from the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) to launch Pad-0A, Thursday, July 10, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares will launch with the Cygnus spacecraft filled with over 3,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station, including science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions. The Orbital-2 mission is Orbital Sciences' second contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA.

STS-97 Commander Brent Jett arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a T-38 jet aircraft. He and the rest of the crew are at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that include emergency egress training, familiarization with the payload, and a simulated launch countdown. The other crew members are Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Carlos Noriega and Marc Garneau, who is with the Canadian Space Agency. 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

The heat shield for Orions Artemis 2 mission, NASAs first crewed mission, arrives in its shipping container aboard NASAs Super Guppy aircraft at the agencys Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida on July 9, 2019. The heat shield, measuring roughly 16 feet in diameter, will protect astronauts upon re-entry on the second mission of Artemis. The heat shield arrived from Lockheed Martins manufacturing facility near Denver. It will be offloaded and delivered to the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout facility high bay. The heat shield is a base titanium truss structure. Over the next several months, technicians will apply Avcoat, an ablative material that will provide the thermal protection. Artemis 2 will confirm all of the spacecrafts systems operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space with astronauts aboard.

Assured Vehicle Automation (AVA) - Hazard Perception and Avoidance (HPA), Human-In-The-Loop Simulation 1 (AVA-1h Simulation) in the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). Primary flight display screen, left, and traffic display screen, right, of the ownship aircraft in the VMSs R-Cab during the AVA-1h simulation in the VMS, N243.

Crews from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility prepare the balloon for flight for the 2014 NASA Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator test from the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.

As the rising sun dawns over the parched bed of Rogers Dry Lake, AeroVironment's solar-electric Pathfinder-Plus awaits takeoff on its final research flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians move the Project Morpheus lander on a small transporter to a support building at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF. Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for free flight testing at Kennedy.The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASAs Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden addresses news and social media representatives at the Press Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the successful launch of NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station. Beside him on the podium is Gwynne Shotwell, president of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX. SpaceX built both the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule that launched at 8:35 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX CRS-1 is an important step toward making Americas microgravity research program self-sufficient by providing a way to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to and from the orbiting laboratory. NASA has contracted for 12 commercial resupply flights from SpaceX and eight from the Orbital Sciences Corp.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Johnson Controls operator Kenny Allen makes adjustments on one of the recently acquired Contraves-Goerz Kineto Tracking Mounts (KTM). There are 10 KTMs certified for use on the Eastern Range. The KTM, which is trailer-mounted with a center console/seat and electric drive tracking mount, includes a two-camera, camera control unit that will be used during launches. The KTM is designed for remotely controlled operations and offers a combination of film, shuttered and high-speed digital video, and FLIR cameras configured with 20-inch to 150-inch focal length lenses. The KTMs are generally placed in the field and checked out the day before a launch and manned 3 hours prior to liftoff.

LOUISVILLE, Colo. - During NASA's Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities for the Commercial Crew Program CCP, Sierra Nevada Corp. SNC built a Simulator and Avionics Laboratory to help engineers evaluate the Dream Chaser's characteristics during the piloted phases of flight. Located at Sierra Nevadas Space Systems facility in Louisville, Colo., it consists of a physical cockpit and integrated simulation hardware and software. The simulator is linked to the Vehicle Avionics Integration Laboratory, or VAIL, which serves as a platform for Dream Chaser avionics development, engineering testing and integration. VAIL also will also be used for verification and validation of avionics and software. Sierra Nevada is one of seven companies NASA entered into Space Act Agreements SAAs with during CCDev2 to aid in the innovation and development of American-led commercial capabilities for crew transportation and rescue services to and from the International Space Station and other l

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Johnson Controls operators Rick Wetherington (left) and Kenny Allen work on two of the recently acquired Contraves-Goerz Kineto Tracking Mounts (KTM). There are 10 KTMs certified for use on the Eastern Range. The KTM, which is trailer-mounted with a center console/seat and electric drive tracking mount, includes a two-camera, camera control unit that will be used during launches. The KTM is designed for remotely controlled operations and offers a combination of film, shuttered and high-speed digital video, and FLIR cameras configured with 20-inch to 150-inch focal length lenses. The KTMs are generally placed in the field and checked out the day before a launch and manned 3 hours prior to liftoff.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-113 Mission Commander James Wetherbee practices driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier, part of emergency egress training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. He and the rest of the crew are preparing for the mission aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is scheduled to launch Nov. 10. The TCDT includes a launch countdown. The primary payloads on mission STS-113 are the first port truss segment, P1, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart B. Once delivered, the P1 truss will remain stowed until flight 12A.1 in 2003 when it will be attached to the central truss segment, S0, on the Space Station. Also onboard Space Shuttle Endeavour will be the Expedition 6 crew who will replace Expedition 5, returning to Earth after 4 months.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Workers prepare to unload NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rocket-powered descent stage that will fly the rover during the final moments before landing on Mars. It arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo plane along with the MSL rover known as Curiosity. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-121 crew members wait for the release of the slidewire basket on Launch Pad 39B. They are taking part in emergency egress practice, part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities that include a simulated countdown culminating in main engine cutoff. Mission STS-121 is scheduled to be launched July 1.

LOUISVILLE, Colo. - Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems Dream Chaser full-scale test vehicle is lifted by an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter to verify proper aerodynamic flight performance near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County, Colo. This captive-carry test is one of several milestones the company is meeting during its partnership with NASAs Commercial Crew Program CCP. Data from this test will provide SNC an early opportunity to evaluate and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations in preparation for approach and landing tests scheduled for later this year.In 2011, NASA selected Sierra Nevada during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by b

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, a Shuttle Training Aircraft is directed for takeoff. STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Kevin Ford are practicing shuttle landings as preparation for space shuttle Discovery's launch Aug. 25 on the STS-128 mission. The 13-day mission will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill.

Astronauts participate in a Boeing/United Launch Alliance emergency egress system demonstration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Launch Complex 41 in Florida on June 19, 2018. The system features seats attached to slide wires which would carry astronauts and ground crew more than 1,300 feet away from the crew access tower in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff on launch day.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With STS-110 Mission Specialists Jerry Ross (far left) and Steven Smith (third from left) on board, Commander Michael Bloomfield scatters dust as he practices driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier. The driving is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. Scheduled for launch April 4, the 11-day mission will feature Shuttle Atlantis docking with the International Space Station (ISS) and delivering the S0 truss, the centerpiece-segment of the primary truss structure that will eventually extend over 300 feet

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers deliver an enlarged replica of the STS-107 crew emblem to the RLV Hangar where it will be installed on an outside wall. Inside the hangar, members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project team are identifying pieces of Columbia debris as they arrive at Kennedy Space Center and placing them on a grid approximating the shape of the orbiter.

of 2