NASA Space Operations

Images from NASA's operations, featuring cleanrooms and teams working on spacecraft assembly for future space missions.

STS-133 MPLM RACK REMOVAL AND CONVERSION TO PERMANENT MODULE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility, STS-129 Mission Specialists Michael Foreman (left) and Randy Bresnik look over hardware installed on the Express Logistics Carrier, or ELC. The crew is at Kennedy for a Crew Equipment Interface Test, which provides hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

STS-133 MPLM RACK REMOVAL AND CONVERSION TO PERMANENT MODULE

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, members of the STS-121 crew take part in the crew equipment interface test (CEIT). Seen here is Mission Specialist Michael Fossum, looking at the replacement trailing umbilical system reel assembly that will be installed on the International Space Station. The CEIT provides hands-on experiences with equipment used on-orbit. Mission STS-121 is the second in the Return to Flight sequence and will carry on improvements that debuted during last year's STS-114 mission and build upon those tests. Launch is scheduled in May.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In a clean room inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Lockheed Martin workers help guide the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter onto the workstand for final assembly and testing. In the PHSF, the spacecraft will undergo multiple mechanical assembly operations and electrical tests to verify its readiness for launch. A test this month will verify the spacecraft's ability to communicate through NASA's Deep Space Network tracking stations. A June test will check the deployment of the spacecraft's high gain communications antenna. Another major deployment test will check out the spacecraft's large solar arrays. The MRO was built for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO is an important next step in fulfilling NASA's vision of space exploration and ultimately sending h

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 mission crew members get hands-on familiarization with equipment to be used on the mission. Crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. The mission payload includes the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, Extended Facility and the Inter-orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. Equipment familiarization is part of a Crew Equipment Interface Test. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-126 Commander Chris Ferguson (left) and Mission Specialists Shane Kimbrough and Steve Bowen get a close look at hardware inside space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. Members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew are at Kennedy to participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. The CEIT provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on the mission. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10.

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers prepare a Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module for mating to its service module. Cygnus is being prepared to deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials on the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the commercial resupply services mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians, in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, disconnect NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, known as Curiosity, from a rolling work stand for its lift to a rotation fixture for testing.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. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-115 crew members inspect equipment in Atlantis's payload bay. Mission Specialists Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper (center) and Joseph Tanner (right) look at the orbiter boom sensor system. The crew is at KSC for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, which involves equipment familiarization, a routine part of astronaut training and launch preparations. The STS-115 mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 truss, to the International Space Station. The crew will attach the P3 to the first port truss segment, the P1 truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch on Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August.

Functional testing of NASAs Mars Helicopter and its cruise stage occurred in the airlock inside Kennedy Space Centers Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on March 10, 2020. The helicopter was tested on a stand while the cruise stage was tested on the rotation fixture. The helicopter will be attached to the Mars Perseverance rover during its mission, which is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Perseverance will land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted for mid-July from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch.

Technicians move cargo into the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module during late stowage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, cables lift the Kibo Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, to move it to a work stand. The ELM-ES is one of the final components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory for the International Space Station. It can provide payload storage space and can carry up to three payloads at launch. In addition, the ELM-ES provides a logistics function where it can be returned to the ground aboard the space shuttle. The ELM-ES will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch May 15, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-126 Mission Specialist Shane Kimbrough gets a closer look at hardware inside space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. Members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew are at Kennedy to participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. The CEIT provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on the mission. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-133 crew members and processing technicians inspect the Express Logistics Carrier-3, or ELC-3. The astronauts are at Kennedy to participate in the Payload Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT, which gives the crew an opportunity for hands-on training with tools they'll be using in space and familiarization of the payload they will be delivering to the International Space Station. Launch of space shuttle Discovery is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m. EDT.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, mission STS-120 crew members familiarize themselves with equipment during a visit to Kennedy Space Center. Crew members are Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Douglas Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson, Paolo Nespoli (with the European Space Agency), Daniel Tani and Clayton Anderson. Mission STS-120 will deliver the Node 2 "Harmony" connecting module to the station. During the mission, Tani and Anderson will transfer to the station and remain as flight engineers for Expedition 15. The mission is tentatively scheduled for August of this year.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians guide an overhead crane as it lifts the pump module assembly plate for transfer to the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier, or LMC. The module assembly will be used to secure the return of a failed ammonia pump module in shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis and its payload are being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-111 crew looks at the replacement pitch roll joint for the SSRMS (Canadarm 2) they will be installing on the mission to the International Space Station. The crew comprises Commander Kenneth Cockrell, Pilot Paul Lockhart, and Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz and Phillippe Perrin, who is with the French Space Agency. Part of the payload on mission STS-111 is the Mobile Base System (MBS), which will be installed on the Mobile Transporter to complete the Canadian Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The mechanical arm will then have the capability to "inchworm" from the U.S. Lab Destiny to the MSS and travel along the truss to work sites. STS-111 is the second utilization flight (UF-2) to the Space Station and will also carry the Expedition 5 crew to replace Expedition 4. Launch is scheduled for May 30, 2002

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-123 crew members get a close look at hardware related to the mission. At left is Pilot Greg Johnson; at right is Mission Specialist Robert Behnken. The crew is at the center for a crew equipment interface test, which allows familiarization with equipment they will use during the mission. STS-123 will carry and install one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM. Known as Kibo, the JEM comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three space shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, targeted for la

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker connects a cable to recharge the battery for the S6 integrated truss. The final starboard truss in the assembly of the International Space Station, the S6 is scheduled to fly on space shuttle mission STS-119, whose launch date is not yet determined.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician prepares to move the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft from a work fixture to a tilt and rotation stand for further pre-flight processing.MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch in November from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians install a protective cover around the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) before its move into a payload canister.The RRM is being processed to fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to launch in early July, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space S

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to install several Nanoracks on the exterior of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than March 21, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers prepare the floor in order to move flight support system (FSS) access scaffolding. The scaffolding will be used to prepare the Hubble Space Telescope, or HST, carriers for the STS-125 servicing mission 4. The FSS will berth, secure and furnish power to Hubble and also contains the soft capture mechanism to be attached to the telescope. Upon completion of STS-125, the Hubble will provide even deeper and more detailed views of the Universe. The STS-125 mission will be the final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts are getting first-hand experience with the fluid experiment rack of the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, part of the mission payload to the International Space Station. Seen here is Sandra Magnus who will join the Expedition 17 crew on the International Space Station in 2008. The JEM comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, targeted for launch in February 2008.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach an overhead crane to the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier, or LMC, which holds an ammonia tank assembly. Part of the payload for space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission to the International Space Station, the carrier will be weighed and then installed in the payload canister. The STS-128 flight also will carry science and storage racks to the space station on Discovery. Launch of Discovery is targeted for Aug. 18.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Workers inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to pack the orbital replacement unit for the space station's main bus switching unit in a shipping container. The unit, which was processed at Kennedy, will be shipped to Japan at the beginning of the year for the HTV-4 launch, which is currently scheduled for 2013.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, cables lower the Kibo Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, onto a work stand. The ELM-ES is one of the final components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory for the International Space Station. It can provide payload storage space and can carry up to three payloads at launch. In addition, the ELM-ES provides a logistics function where it can be returned to the ground aboard the space shuttle. The ELM-ES will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch May 15, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare a resupply stowage platform prior to installation of cargo headed to the International Space Station. The stowage platforms will then be moved into the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM. The PMM will be used to carry supplies and critical spare parts to the station. The module will be left behind so it can be used for microgravity experiments in fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology. Space shuttle Discovery will deliver its payload to the station on the STS-133 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4 33 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers check the MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image) before it is installed on the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES. The MAXI is part of space shuttle Endeavour's payload on the STS-127 mission. Using X-ray slit cameras with high sensitivity, the MAXI will continuously monitor astronomical X-ray objects over a broad energy band (0.5 to 30 keV). Endeavour is targeted to launch May 15.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Crew members of mission STS-124 are in the Space Station Processing Facility to look over equipment. The crew comprises Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Kenneth Ham, and Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ronald Garan, Michael Fossum, Stephen Bowen and Akihiko Hoshide, who represents the Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency. Seen here are Garan and Fossum. The STS-124 mission is the second of three flights that will launch components to complete the Japanese pressurized module, the Kibo laboratory. The mission will include two spacewalks to install the new lab and its remote manipulator system. The lab's logistics module, which will have been installed in a temporary location during STS-123, will be attached to the new lab. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2008.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Mission Specialists Tim Kopra (left) and Alvin Drew inspect a component of the payload as Mission Specialist Michael Barratt and Pilot Eric Boe look on. The astronauts are at Kennedy to participate in the Payload Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT, which gives the crew an opportunity for hands-on training with tools they'll be using in space and familiarization of the payload they will be delivering to the International Space Station. Launch of space shuttle Discovery is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers inspect the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) after its hatch is closed in preparation for space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Robonaut 2 (R2) and critical spare parts are packed inside the PMM, which will be left aboard the station on Discovery's final mission. Targeted to launch Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m. EDT, Discovery and its crew also will carry Express Logistics Carrier-4 (ELC-4), which is filled with external payloads and experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., Mission Specialist Christer Fuglesang, who is with the European Space Agency, looks over the Integrated Cargo Carrier, during the Crew Equipment Interface Test. The ICC will be carried in Space Shuttle Discoverys payload cargo bay during the mission to the International Space Station. Mission crews make frequent trips to the Space Coast to become familiar with the equipment and payloads they will be using. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-134 crew and technicians check space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay for sharp edges that could affect the astronauts' work in space. The six STS-134 astronauts are participating in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), which gives them an opportunity for hands-on training with the tools and equipment they'll use in space and familiarization of the payload they'll be delivering to the International Space Station. Endeavour is targeted to launch on the STS-134 mission Feb. 27, 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center cuts away the protective wrapping from the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier for the Hubble Space Telescope. The Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC, is one of four carriers supporting hardware for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service the telescope. The Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier, or SLIC, and the Flight Support System, or FSS, have also arrived at Kennedy. The Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment carrier will be delivered in late July. The carriers will be prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during the Hubble servicing mission, targeted for launch Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of the STS-123 crew get hands-on experience with some of the equipment related to the mission. Crew members are Commander Dominic Gorie, Pilot Gregory Johnson and Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Takao Doi, Robert Behnken, Gerrett Reisman and Michael Foreman. Doi represents the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Reisman will remain on the space station after the mission as a flight engineer for Expedition 16. STS-123 will carry and install one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM. Known as Kibo, the JEM comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three space shuttle missions. The first of those thr

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to close the hatch on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. The module is the payload for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. The 15-day mission will deliver equipment and supplies to the space station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. Leonardo holds supplies and equipment, including additional crew quarters, equipment for the regenerative life support system and spare hardware. Endeavour is targeted for launch Nov. 14.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker demonstrates an attachment point on ammonia tanks while STS-128 Mission Specialist John "Danny" Olivas (far right) looks on. The tanks are part of the payload for their upcoming STS-128 mission. Members of the STS-128 crew are at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which provides hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. The STS-128 flight will carry science and storage racks to the International Space Station on space shuttle Discovery. The STS-128 mission is targeted to launch on Aug. 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians keep watch as the control moment gyroscope is moved toward an EXPRESS Logistics Carrier. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12 .

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members become familiar with the payload and hardware for their mission. Here they are looking at the Experiment Logistics Module - Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, berthing mechanism, including the longeron trunnion/scuff plate, Payload Disconnect Assembly and WIF socket. The mission payload also includes the Extended Facility and the Inter Orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. Equipment familiarization is part of a Crew Equipment Interface Test. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to lift the nitrogen tank assembly to move it to the Express Logistics Carrier 1, or ELC-1. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

Technicians with Orbital ATK prepare to install micro satellites on the deployment module for NASAs Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

STS-133 COMMON BERTHING MECHANISIM (CMB) SIMULATOR HOIST & TEMPORARY INSTALL TO PERMANENT MULTIPURPOSE MODULE (PMM)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help guide the control moment gyroscope, or CMG, onto the small adapter plate assembly. The CMG is part of the payload on the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, space shuttle Atlantis also will deliver the orbital spares and replacement parts to sustain the life of the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-119 Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, left, and Richard Arnold inspect hardware slated to fly on their upcoming space shuttle mission. On the STS-119 mission, space shuttle Discovery will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory. Launch is targeted for Feb. 12, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin to hoist the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, or MAVEN, so that it can be placed on the rotation fixture for further testing and prelaunch preparations next week. MAVEN is being readied for its scheduled November launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to Mars. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., spacecraft technicians secure the high-gain communications antenna on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, against the spacecraft following testing to verify the spacecraft's readiness for launch.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians oversee the lifting of the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, from a stand. The COS will be moved to and placed on the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier that will be installed in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. The COS is part of the payload for the Hubble servicing mission, STS-125, targeted to launch in mid-May. Installing the COS during the mission will effectively restore spectroscopy to Hubbles scientific arsenal, and at the same time provide the telescope with unique capabilities. COS is designed to study the large-scale structure of the universe and how galaxies, stars and planets formed and evolved. It will help determine how elements needed for life such as carbon and iron first formed and how their abundances have increased over the lifetime of the universe.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts Garrett Reisman, Peggy Whitson and Leopold Eyharts look at one of the modules being processed there. The hardware will be flown on an upcoming shuttle flight. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers hold the Wide Field Camera that they will install on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) spacecraft at right. CALIPSO will fly in combination with the CloudSat satellite to provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will join three other satellites in orbit to enhance understanding of climate systems. The launch date for CALIPSO_CloudSat is no earlier than Aug. 22.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians install the pedestal of the Manipulator Positioning Mechanism (MPM) on the starboard side of Atlantis payload bay. The MPM will hold the 50-foot-long Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) that will attach to the Remote Manipulator System, or Shuttle robotic arm. The OBSS is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight, equipping the orbiter with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System while in space. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on Return to Flight mission STS-121, which has a launch window of July 12 to July 31, 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-135 Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, along with Pilot Doug Hurley (turned away from the camera), inspect shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. The four-member crew is at Kennedy to participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), which gives them an opportunity for hands-on training with the tools and equipment they'll use in space and familiarization of the payload they'll deliver to the International Space Station.Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Atlantis is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last shuttle flight for the Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians reattach twin solar arrays to the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft following inspection and testing.MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch in November from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida load the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, Robonaut 2, or R2, into the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM. Packed inside a launch box called SLEEPR, or Structural Launch Enclosure to Effectively Protect Robonaut, R2 will be placed in the in the same launch orientation as space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew members -- facing toward the nose of the shuttle with the back taking all the weight. Although R2 will initially only participate in operational tests, upgrades could eventually allow the robot to realize its true purpose -- helping spacewalking astronauts with tasks outside the International Space Station. STS-133 is targeted to launch Nov. 1.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers adjust the top ring on the payload canister before installing over the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF is currently scheduled for transportation to Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and mating with the Delta II on or about April 4.

Psyche Solar Array Arrival and Offload. A NASA team prepares the agencys Psyche spacecraft for launch inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 15, 2023. Psyche will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy to explore a metal-rich asteroid. Launch is targeted for Oct. 5, 2023. Riding with Psyche is a pioneering technology demonstration, NASAs Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, workers move equipment holding a set of solar array panels. The panels will be installed on the Dawn spacecraft. Another set was installed previously. Together, the panels extend 64.6 feet when fully open. Dawn is scheduled to launch June 30 aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's mission is to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Workers in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility check the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft as it is removed from the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. Foreign object debris shields will be installed before its launch. The GALEX is an orbiting space telescope that will observe galaxies in ultraviolet light across 10 billion years of cosmic history. During its 29-month mission GALEX will produce the first comprehensive map of a Universe of galaxies under construction, bringing more understanding how galaxies like the Milky Way were formed. The GALEX launch date is under review.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, crew members with the STS-125 mission get a close look at some of the equipment associated with their mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Lifting the cover of the Main Electronics Box, or MEB, is Mission Specialist Mike Massimino. The STS-125 crew is taking part in a crew equipment interface test, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on their mission. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch on the STS-125 mission Oct. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to install the parabolic high gain antenna onto the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN spacecraft. The antenna will communicate vast amounts of data to Earth during the mission. MAVEN is being prepared inside the facility for its scheduled November launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to Mars. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to load the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, Robonaut 2, or R2, into the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM. Packed inside a launch box called SLEEPR, or Structural Launch Enclosure to Effectively Protect Robonaut, R2 will be placed in the in the same launch orientation as space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew members -- facing toward the nose of the shuttle with the back taking all the weight. Although R2 will initially only participate in operational tests, upgrades could eventually allow the robot to realize its true purpose -- helping spacewalking astronauts with tasks outside the International Space Station. STS-133 is targeted to launch Nov. 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress of an overhead crane as it lifts the pump module assembly plate for transfer to the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier, or LMC. The module assembly will be used to secure the return of a failed ammonia pump module in shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis and its payload are being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program.

Inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, spacecraft has been removed from its shipping container and is being moved for removal of protective wrapping. InSight was developed and built by Lockheed-Martin Space Systems in Denver, Colorado, and is scheduled for liftoff is May 5, 2018. InSight is the first mission to land on Mars and explore the Red Planet's deep interior. It will investigate processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system including Earth.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., spacecraft technicians examine the high-gain communications antenna on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, part of the range-of-motion testing required to verify the spacecraft's readiness for launch.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians move a system that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft in orbit from a processing lab to a high bay in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The move prepares the system for its lift into the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC), which will carry it into orbit. Called the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), the system will be processed to fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station.Also going up will be the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The mission also will return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135, targeted to launch June 28, will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians adjust the cables of an overhead crane on the starboard arm of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre. The arm will be moved to and installed on the base. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station ISS. Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A DragonEye proximity sensor developed by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is installed while space shuttle Discovery is in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. DragonEye is a Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor that will be tested on Discovery's docking operation with the International Space Station. Discovery's STS-133 mission, targeted to launch Nov. 1, will be the second demonstration of the sensor, following shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission in 2009. The DragonEye sensor will guide SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft as it approaches and berths to the station on future cargo re-supply missions. The Dragon spacecraft is a free-flying, reusable spacecraft being developed by SpaceX, which is contracted by NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-118 Mission Specialists Dafydd Williams (center left) and Scott Parazynski (center right) practice using equipment during training in the Space Station Processing Facility. They and other crew members are at KSC to become familiar with equipment for their mission. The mission will be delivering the third starboard truss segment, the ITS S5, to the International Space Station, and a SPACEHAB Single Cargo Module with supplies and equipment. Launch date is under review.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., spacecraft technicians examine the high-gain communications antenna on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, during the range-of-motion testing required to verify the spacecraft's readiness for launch.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker stands by as the Rack Insertion Device slowly moves the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack into the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello for flight on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Accompanied by a technician, STS-112 Pilot Pamela Melroy (left) and Mission Specialist David Wolf (right) look at the payload and equipment in the bay of Atlantis during a Crew Equipment Interface Test at KSC. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station and will be ferrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure. The S1 truss is the first starboard (right-side) truss segment, whose main job is providing structural support for the radiator panels that cool the Space Station's complex power system. The S1 truss segment also will house communications systems, external experiment positions and other subsystems. The S1 truss will be attached to the S0 truss. STS-112 is currently scheduled for launch Aug. 22, 2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers begin closing the hatch on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo before it is transferred to a payload canister. Leonardo is the payload for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. The 15-day mission will deliver equipment and supplies to the space station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. Leonardo holds supplies and equipment, including additional crew quarters, equipment for the regenerative life support system and spare hardware. Endeavour is targeted for launch Nov. 14.

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, at left, tours Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) on Oct. 25, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner will launch on its first uncrewed flight test on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The Starliner is being developed and manufactured in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program to return human spaceflight capabilities to the U.S.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, workers are ready to move a main bus switching unit into Discovery's payload bay. A main bus switching unit is used for power distribution, circuit protection and fault isolation on the space station's power system. The units route power to proper locations in the space station, such as from solar arrays through umbilicals into the U.S. Lab. The unit will be installed on the external stowage platform 2 attached to the Quest airlock for temporary storage. Discovery is targeted to launch mission STS-120 no earlier than Oct. 20.

Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams assist as the right-hand forward segment for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) is lowered onto the center forward segment on the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 23, 2021. Stacking of the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher is nearing completion. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the STS-130 crew check out the placement of the Canadian-built robotic arm in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay.The crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which provides hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. The STS-130 flight will carry the Tranquility pressurized module with a built-in cupola to the International Space Station aboard Endeavour. Launch is targeted for Feb. 4, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers remove support equipment from inside the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. The module is being prepared for hatch closure. The module will carry science and storage racks on space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery is targeted for Aug. 18.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians garbed in protective wear, commonly known as 'bunny suits,' install cargo inside the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module for shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians dressed in clean-room suits install a back shell tile panel onto the Orion crew module. Preparations are underway for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1.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 later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians install the pedestal of the Manipulator Positioning Mechanism (MPM) on the starboard side of Atlantis payload bay. The MPM will hold the 50-foot-long Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) that will attach to the Remote Manipulator System, or Shuttle robotic arm. The OBSS is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight, equipping the orbiter with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System while in space. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on Return to Flight mission STS-121, which has a launch window of July 12 to July 31, 2005.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronaut Peggy Whitson, a member of the Expedition 5 crew, looks over equipment in the Space Station Processing Facility. She and other crew members Commander Valeri Korzun and Sergei Treschev will be traveling to the International Space Station on mission STS-111 and will be replacing the Expedition 4 crew. Part of the payload on STS-111 will be the Mobile Base System, to be installed installed on the Mobile Transporter to complete the Canadian Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The mechanical arm will then have the capability to "inchworm" from the U.S. Lab fixture to the MSS and travel along the Truss to work sites. STS-111 is scheduled to launch in May 2002

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronaut Peggy Whitson, a member of the Expedition 5 crew, looks over equipment in the Space Station Processing Facility. She and other crew members Commander Valeri Korzun and Sergei Treschev will be traveling to the International Space Station on mission STS-111 and will be replacing the Expedition 4 crew. Part of the payload on STS-111 will be the Mobile Base System, to be installed installed on the Mobile Transporter to complete the Canadian Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The mechanical arm will then have the capability to 'inchworm' from the U.S. Lab fixture to the MSS and travel along the Truss to work sites. STS-111 is scheduled to launch in May 2002

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson work with equipment that will be on the mission. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in the crew equipment interface test, which provides hands-on experience with equipment to be used on-orbit. Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121, the second return-to-flight mission, is scheduled no earlier than May.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Common Berthing Mechanism, or CBM, is being moved to Cupola (background), the seven-window module to be used as a control room for robotics on the International Space Station. Cupola is the payload on the STS-130 mission, targeted for launch in December 2009.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft as it is lowered onto a transporter for its move to the launch pad.SMAP will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, 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 also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought

Inside a clean room in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians install the first half of the Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL payload fairing around NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) on Oct. 4, 2018. ICON is being prepared for its launch on the Pegasus XL, which is attached to the company's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft, from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Launch is scheduled for Oct. 26. ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above. The explorer will help determine the physics of Earth's space environment and pave the way for mitigating its effects on our technology, communications systems and society.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-118 crew members look over parts of the mission payload, the control moment gyroscope, at SPACEHAB during crew equipment interface test activities. Seen here are Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan and Pilot Charles Hobaugh. The crew comprises Commander Scott Kelly, Hobaugh, and Mission Specialists Dr. Dafydd Williams, Morgan, Richard Mastracchio, Tracy Caldwell and Benjamin Drew. Williams is with the Canadian Space Agency. The STS-118 mission will be delivering the third starboard truss segment, the ITS S5, to the International Space Station, and a SPACEHAB Single Cargo module with supplies and equipment. Launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for August.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers watch as the Mars Exploration Rover-2 (MER-2) rolls over ramps to test its mobility and maneuverability. Set to launch in Spring 2003, the MER Mission will consist of two identical rovers designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars. The first rover has a launch window opening May 30, and the second rover a window opening June 25.

LCROSS - Tony Colaprete does some adjustment during calibration and camera check out

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, workers in the payload changeout room monitor the payload ground-handling mechanism as it transfers the mission STS-118 payload into the payload bay on Space Shuttle Endeavour. The payload includes the S5 truss, the SPACEHAB module and the external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug.7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Vertical Processing Facility get ready to close the Large Orbital Protective Enclosure (LOPE) for placement on the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment (MULE) carrier. The LOPE contains part for the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission, STS-109, scheduled to launch Feb. 28 from Launch Pad 39A

JSC2004-E-42742 (August 2004) --- Engineers and technicians check the International Space Station's Cupola in the Alenia Spazio clean room in Turin, Italy. Personnel are preparing the hardware for shipment to NASA's launch facility at Cape Kennedy, Florida. From inside the Cupola, a dome-shaped module with seven windows, astronauts have a panoramic view for observing operations on the outside of the orbiting complex. The Cupola module provides external observation capabilities during spacewalks, docking operations, hardware surveys and for Earth and celestial studies. It also serves as the primary location for executing robot arm operations of Canadarm2. Until the Cupola is installed, crews have been using a robotic control computer station located in the Destiny Laboratory to operate the arm. The Cupolas windows enhance the robotic arm operator's situational awareness, supplementing camera and graphic views provided by the computer workstation.

The Dynamic Ionosphere Cubesat Experiment DICE is prepared for launch aboard the Delta II rocket that will carry NASAs National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project NPP spacecraft. DICE is a National Science Foundation Project conducted by Utah State University in conjunction with the Atmospheric and Space Technology Research Associates ASTRA.NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System JPSS, to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System EOS satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., technicians are testing the range of motion on the high-gain antenna for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The orbiter will carry seven instruments to provide scientists with detailed maps of the lunar surface and enhance our understanding of the moon's topography, lighting conditions, mineralogical composition and natural resources. Information gleaned from LRO will be used to select safe landing sites, determine locations for future lunar outposts and help mitigate radiation dangers to astronauts. Launch of LRO is targeted no earlier than June 2.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway for late cargo installation in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During crew equipment interface test activities at KSC, STS-118 Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell (center) and Dr. Dafydd Williams (right) look over the interior of the payload bay of orbiter Endeavour. The STS-118 mission will be delivering the third starboard truss segment, the ITS S5, to the International Space Station, as well as the SPACEHAB single cargo module filled with supplies and equipment. Launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for Aug. 9.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians get ready to move the control moment gyroscope, or CMG, to an EXPRESS Logistics Carrier. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12 .

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians select the rubber rings that will cushion and secure the left forward center solid rocket booster segments together.The booster along with its twin will be stacked on the mobile launcher platform along with an external fuel tank awaiting the arrival of space shuttle Endeavour for its flight to the International Space Station. As the final planned mission of the Space Shuttle Program, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, as well as critical spare components to the station on the STS-134 mission targeted for launch Feb. 26, 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility, STS-129 Mission Specialist Robert Satcher becomes familiar with equipment installed on the Express Logistics Carrier, or ELC. The crew is at Kennedy for a Crew Equipment Interface Test, which provides hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-114 crew members get hands-on experience with a Video Stanchion Support Assembly (VSSA). From left are Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi, Commander Eileen Collins and Mission Specialists Charles Camarda and Stephen Robinson. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. Camarda is a new addition to the mission crew. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in crew equipment and orbiter familiarization.

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