NASA Spacecraft Preparations

Images documenting the assembly and preparation of NASA spacecraft components, including telescopes and modules for the International Space Station.

The overhead crane in the Space Station Processing Facility traverses the length of the SSPF with the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello to reach the payload canister. Part of the payload on mission STS-100 to the International Space Station, Raffaello carries six system racks and two storage racks for the U.S. Lab. Launch of STS-100 is scheduled for April 19, 2001 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A
The overhead crane in the Space Station Processing Facility traverses the length of the SSPF with the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello to reach the payload canister. Part of the payload on mission STS-100 to the International Space Station, Raffaello carries six system racks and two storage racks for the U.S. Lab. Launch of STS-100 is scheduled for April 19, 2001 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is lowered into the opening of the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SIRTF will be attached to the Delta II rocket and encapsulated in its fairing before launch. Consisting of three cryogenically cooled science instruments and an 0.85-meter telescope, SIRTF is one of NASAs largest infrared telescopes to be launched. It is the fourth and final element in NASAs family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Joint Airlock Module, sporting a NASA logo, is moved toward the payload bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis for mission STS-104. Once installed and activated, the airlock becomes the primary path for International Space Station spacewalk entry and departure using U.S. spacesuits, which are known as Extravehicular Mobility Units, or EMUs. In addition, the Joint Airlock is designed to support the Russian Orlan spacesuit for EVA activity. Launch of Atlantis is scheduled no earlier than July 12 at 5 04 a.m. EDT
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker controls the rotation of the U.S. Laboratory Destiny. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research
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Workers in the Payload Changeout Room check the U.S. Lab Destiny as its moves from Atlantis payload bay into the PCR. Destiny will remain in the PCR while Atlantis rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to allow workers to conduct inspections, continuity checks and X-ray analysis on the 36 solid rocket booster cables located inside each boosters system tunnel. An extensive evaluation of NASAs SRB cable inventory revealed conductor damage in four (of about 200) cables on the shelf. Shuttle managers decided to prove the integrity of the system tunnel cables already on Atlantis
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Workers at Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, watch as a piece of the Delta rocket fairing is moved into place around the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. NASAs latest explorer carries three scientific instruments to map the chemical and mineralogical makeup of Mars: a thermal-emission imaging system, a gamma ray spectrometer and a Martian radiation environment experiment. The imaging system will map the planet with high-resolution thermal images and give scientists an increased level of detail to help them understand how the mineralogy of the planet relates to the land forms. In addition, Odyssey will serve as a communications relay for U.S. and international landers arriving at Mars in 2003/2004. The Mars Odyssey is scheduled for launch aboard a Delta II rocket April 7, 2001, at 11:02 a.m. EST
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In the Space Station Processing Facility, the JEM Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section is lowered onto a scale for weight and center-of-gravity measurements. The module will then be moved to a work stand. The logistics module is one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM, also known as Kibo, which means "hope" in Japanese. Kibo 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. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and its primary contribution to the station. Kibo will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment in which astronauts can conduct science experiments. The various components of JEM will be a
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The NISAR satellite, partially covered in gold-hued thermal blanketing, enters the thermal vacuum chamber at the Indian Space Research Organisation's Satellite Integration and Test Establishment (ISITE) in Bengaluru, India, on Oct. 19, 2023. Short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, NISAR was bound for a 21-day trial aimed at evaluating its ability to function in the extreme temperatures and the vacuum of space. The satellite emerged from the chamber on Nov. 13, having met all requirements of the test. Teams from ISRO and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory worked around the clock, evaluating the performance of the satellite's thermal systems and its two primary science instrument systems - the L-band and S-band radars - under the most extreme temperature conditions they will experience in space. During the three-week period, engineers and technicians lowered the pressure inside the chamber to an infinitesimal fraction of the normal pressure at sea level. They also subjected the satel
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The overhead crane in the Space Station Processing Facility traverses the length of the SSPF with the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello to reach the payload canister. Part of the payload on mission STS-100 to the International Space Station, Raffaello carries six system racks and two storage racks for the U.S. Lab. Launch of STS-100 is scheduled for April 19, 2001 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing technicians help guide the Swift spacecraft as it is lowered toward the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle for mating. Swift is scheduled to launch Nov. 17. The liftoff aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is targeted at the opening of a one-hour launch window beginning at 12 09 p.m. EST. A first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science, Swifts three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands. Gamma-ray bursts are distant, yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers look over the Mars Polar Lander (top) atop the Boeing Delta II rocket as it sits ready for the fairing to be attached. The rocket is scheduled to launch Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, equipment is set up to conduct a sway test on the Ares I-X launch vehicle. The test is simulating conditions the rocket could experience during rollout to Launch Pad 39B, wind conditions at the pad and first-stage ignition. During the test, vibrations are mechanically induced into the rocket by four hydraulic shakers and a sway is manually introduced for lateral motion to measure the vehicle's response. A total of 44 accelerometers are installed on the flight test vehicle that required more than 27,000 feet of cable. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system . The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers at the Defense Satellite Communications System Processing Facility (DPF), Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), install an ion propulsion engine on Deep Space 1. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century, including the engine. Propelled by the gas xenon, the engine is being flight-tested for future deep space and Earth-orbiting missions. Deceptively powerful, the ion drive emits only an eerie blue glow as ionized atoms of xenon are pushed out of the engine. While slow to pick up speed, over the long haul it can deliver 10 times as much thrust per pound of fuel as liquid or solid fuel rockets. Other onboard experiments include software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the firs
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing technicians observe the lowering of the Swift spacecraft onto the Boeing Delta II second stage. Swift is scheduled to launch Nov. 17. The liftoff aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is targeted at the opening of a one-hour launch window beginning at 12 09 p.m. EST. A first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science, Swifts three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands. Gamma-ray bursts are distant, yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes.
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Viewed from the floor of the Payload Changeout Room, Destiny is inside Atlantis payload bay, waiting for closure of the payload bay doors. A key element in the construction of the International Space Station, Destiny is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node on the ISS using the Shuttles robot arm, seen here on the left side, with the help of an elbow camera attached to the arm (near the upper end of the lab in the photo). Measurements of the elbow camera revealed only a one-inch clearance from the U.S. Lab payload, which is under review. This research and command-and-control center is the most sophisticated and versatile space laboratory ever built. It will ultimately house a total of 23 experiment racks for crew support and scientific research. Destiny will fly on STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the ISS. Launch of STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2:11 a.m. EST
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S67-15717 (1967) --- Apollo Spacecraft 012 Command/Service Module is moved from H-134 to east stokes for mating to the Saturn Lunar Module Adapter No. 05 in the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building. S/C 012 will be flown on the Apollo/Saturn 204 mission.
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T & R Discovery, Right OMS Pod Removal
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2, is viewed for the last time in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California before the Delta II payload fairing encloses it completely for launch.The fairing will protect OCO-2 during launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket, scheduled for 5:56 a.m. EDT on July 1. OCO-2 is NASAs first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. The observatory will measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) waits for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASAs family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In bay 3 of the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers guide the tool storage assembly unit into place in Discovery's payload bay, where it will be stored. The tools may be used on a spacewalk, yet to be determined, during mission STS-120. In an unusual operation, the payload bay doors had to be reopened after closure to accommodate the storage. Space shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch Oct. 23 to the International Space Station. It will carry the U.S. Node 2, a connecting module, named Harmony, for assembly on the space station.
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STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-1 INSTALLATION
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The lifting device detached and moved away from the upper end of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, or OCO-2, in the environmental enclosure, or clean room, at the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.Launch is scheduled for July 2014. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and provide scientists with a better idea of the chemical compound's impacts on climate change. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Mars Exploration Rover-1 (MER-B) is prepared for the installation of its spacecraft fairing. The second of twin rovers being sent to Mars, it is equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow it to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans are not yet able to go. MER-B is scheduled to launch no earlier than June 28 at one of two available times, 11:56:16 p.m. EDT or 12:37:59 a.m. EDT.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers supervise the lowering of the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle toward the Delta's first stage below. Phoenix is scheduled to launch Aug. 3. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers begin mating the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle to the Delta first stage below. Phoenix is scheduled to launch Aug. 3. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.
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STS-335 STS-135 ATLANTIS ENGINE #1 INSTALLATION
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T&R Endeavour Airlock Removal
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in KSC's Vertical Processing Facility lift the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) prior to its installation in the Second Axial Carrier. NICMOS is one of two new scientific instruments that will replace two outdated instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). NICMOS will provide HST with the capability for infrared imaging and spectroscopic observations of astronomical targets. The refrigerator-sized NICMOS also is HST's first cryogenic instrument its sensitive infrared detectors must operate at very cold temperatures of minus 355 degrees Fahrenheit or 58 degrees Kelvin. NICMOS will be installed in Hubble during STS-82, the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Liftoff is targeted Feb. 11 aboard Discovery with a crew of seven.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians begin checking the Cupola after its delivery and uncrating. It was shipped from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy, for the European Space Agency. A dome-shaped module with seven windows, the Cupola will give astronauts a panoramic view for observing many operations on the outside of the orbiting complex. The view out of the Cupola windows will enhance an arm operator's situational awareness, supplementing television camera views and graphics. It will provide external observation capabilities during spacewalks, docking operations and hardware surveys, and for Earth and celestial studies. The Cupola is the final element of the Space Station core.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers in the mobile service tower keep watch as the Dawn spacecraft is lowered toward the awaiting Delta II rocket. Dawn will be mated with the Delta in preparation for launch. Dawn is scheduled for launch in a window from 7:25 to 7:54 a.m. Sept. 26 from CCAFS. During its nearly decade-long mission, the Dawn mission will study the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, celestial bodies believed to have accreted early in the history of the solar system. To carry out its scientific mission, the Dawn spacecraft will carry a visible camera, a visible and infrared mapping spectrometer, and a gamma ray and neutron spectrometer, whose data will be used in combination to characterize these bodies. In addition to the three instruments, radiometric and optical navigation data will provide data relating to the gravity field and thus bulk properties and internal structure of the two bodies. Data returned f
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STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE-1 MEDIA DAY
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Workers at Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, ensure the successful mating of the second stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket with the first stage below it. The rocket is targeted for launch on Feb. 6, carrying the Stardust spacecraft into space for a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Using a substance called aerogel, Stardust will capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as Stardust swings by Earth in January 2006
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The Mars Odyssey orbiter, with a protective cover on top, waits on Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for the fairing of the Boeing Delta II rocket to be installed. Scheduled to launch 11:02 a.m. EDT April 7, the spacecraft will map the Martian surface in search of geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past, and may contribute significantly toward understanding what will be necessary for a more sophisticated exploration of Mars
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jsc2017e044354 (April 12, 2017) --- In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, technicians put the final touches on the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft before its encapsulation into the upper stage of a Soyuz booster rocket April 12. The operation took place on the 56th anniversary of the launch of Yuri Gagarin from Baikonur to become the first human to fly in space. Expedition 51 crewmembers Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Jack Fischer of NASA will launch April 20 on the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft from Baikonur for a four and a half month mission on the International Space Station.
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VANDENBERG AFB, CALIF. - Workers on the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., check the Delta II rockets second stage as it is mated with the first stage. The Delta II is the launch vehicle for the Gravity Probe B experiment, developed by Stanford University, Lockheed Martin and NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center. The Gravity Probe B will launch a payload of four gyroscopes into low-Earth polar orbit to test two extraordinary predictions of Albert Einsteins general theory of relativity: the geodetic effect (how space and time are warped by the presence of the Earth) and frame dragging (how Earths rotation drags space and time around with it). Once in orbit, for 18 months each gyroscopes spin axis will be monitored as it travels through local spacetime, observing and measuring these effects. The targeted launch date is Dec. 6, 2003.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers check out the U.S. Lab Destiny after it has been installed in Atlantis payload bay at the pad. Destiny, a key element in the construction of the International Space Station, is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. This research and command-andcontrol center is the most sophisticated and versatile space laboratory ever built. It will ultimately house a total of 23 experiment racks for crew support and scientific research. STS-98 is the seventh construction flight to the ISS. Launch of STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2 11 a.m. EST
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S88-50418 (August 1988) --- Engineers and technicians at the Martin Marietta plant in Denver, Colorado, prepare the spacecraft for its six-week long trip to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The spacecraft, destined for unprecedented studies of Venusian topographic features, will be mated to its upper stage while at KSC and later onloaded to Atlantis and eventually will be deployed by the crew of NASA's STS-30 mission in April 1989.
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JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE CRYOGENIC TEST #4 SIX MIRROR DE-INTEGRATION, JULY 13, 2010, MSFC X-RAY & CRYOGENIC FACILITY
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During Crew Equipment Interface Test activities in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, members of the STS-105 crew check out some of the payload, doing sharp edge inspection. From left are Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Daniel Barry, accompanied by a Boeing technician (behind) and the bucket operator (right). STS-105 is the 11th mission to the International Space Station. The payload includes the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, which was built by the Italian Space Agency. Leonardo will be outfitted with 12 racks of experiments and equipment. Discovery is scheduled to launch July 12 from Launch Pad 39A
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane lifts and moves the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to a weigh stand. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers peer through the hatch of an end-cone on the U.S. laboratory module, an element of the International Space Station. The lab is undergoing pre-launch preparations before its launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98. The laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in the areas of life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000
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Southern France, Hautes Pyrenees, Pic du Midi de Bigorre Observatory, refracting telescope
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In the Vertical Processing Facility, STS-93 Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby gets a close look at the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Other members of the STS-93 crew who are at KSC for payload familiarization are Commander Eileen Collins and Mission Specialists Catherine G. Coleman and Michel Tognini of France, who represents the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Collins is the first woman to serve as a shuttle mission commander. She was the first woman pilot of a Space Shuttle, on mission STS-63, and also served as pilot on mission STS-84. The fifth member of the crew is Mission Specialist Steven A. Hawley. Chandra is scheduled for launch July 9 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, on mission STS-93 . Formerly called the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, Chandra comprises three major elements: the spacecraft, the science instrument module (SIM), and the world's most powerful X-ray telescope. Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-
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This photograph depicts the International Space Station's (ISS) Joint Airlock Module undergoing exhaustive structural and systems testing in the Space Station manufacturing facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) prior to shipment to the Kennedy Space Center. The Airlock includes two sections. The larger equipment lock, on the left, will store spacesuits and associated gear and the narrower crewlock is on the right, from which the astronauts will exit into space for extravehicular activity. The airlock is 18 feet long and has a mass of about 13,500 pounds. It was launched to the station aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-104 mission) on July 12, 2001. The MSFC is playing a primary role in NASA's development, manufacturing, and operations of the ISS.
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The 2.1-meter telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, Sells, Arizona, USA - Property Release covering editorial use only
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., workers stand by as the canister is lifted away from the Deep Impact spacecraft. Next the fairing will be installed around the spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Scheduled for liftoff Jan. 12, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. After releasing a 3- by 3-foot projectile to crash onto the surface, Deep Impacts flyby spacecraft will reveal the secrets of its interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the craters depth and diameter as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produce
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers close the hatch on the Japanese Experiment Module, called Kibo. The closing is in preparation for the transfer to a payload canister and the move to the launch pad. On the mission, space shuttle Discovery will transport the Kibo module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System, or JEM-RMS, to complete the Kibo laboratory. The launch of Discovery is targeted for April 24.
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In the Vertical Processing Facility, STS-93 Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby and Commander Eileen Collins join a TRW technician observing the Chandra X-ray Observatory on top of a work stand. Other members of the STS-93 crew who are at KSC for payload familiarization are Mission Specialists Catherine G. Coleman and Michel Tognini of France, who represents the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Collins is the first woman to serve as a shuttle mission commander. She was the first woman pilot of a Space Shuttle, on mission STS-63, and also served as pilot on mission STS-84. The fifth member of the crew is Mission Specialist Steven A. Hawley. Chandra is scheduled for launch July 9 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, on mission STS-93 . Formerly called the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, Chandra comprises three major elements: the spacecraft, the science instrument module (SIM), and the world's most powerful X-ray telescope. Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previous
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A worker on Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, watches as the canister that surrounded the Mars Odyssey orbiter rises above it. The spacecraft will map the Martian surface in search of geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past, and may contribute significantly toward understanding what will be necessary for a more sophisticated exploration of Mars. Launch is scheduled for 11 02 a.m. EDT April 7
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a United Space Alliance technician, with a tool tethered to his wrist, bonds and seals the tiles around the access panels to space shuttle Endeavours forward reaction control system, or FRCS.The FRCS helped a shuttle maneuver while in orbit. Endeavours FRCS was removed and sent to White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico to be cleaned of its toxic propellants and was reinstalled on the shuttle in February. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), members of the STS-116 crew check out equipment they will be working with during their mission to the International Space Station. At left are Mission Specialist Christer Fugelsang, with the European Space Agency, Mission Specialist Robert Curbeam and Pilot William Oelefein. The 19th assembly flight to the ISS, the mission will deliver the third port truss segment, the P5 Truss, to attach to second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to be assembled in an earlier mission. STS-116 is scheduled for launch in June 2003.
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JSC2003-E-34753 (16 April 2003) --- Components of Japan's primary contribution to the International Space Station, the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), Kibo, are seen in this view at the Tsukuba Space Center. Clockwise from left are the JEM Pressurized Module (PM) (an on-orbit laboratory), the JEM Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (an experiment and logistics storage module), the JEM PM Engineering Model (used for pre-flight development and testing), and the JEM Exposed Facility (an unpressurized platform for space environment experiments). The laboratory module was transported by truck and then by barge to Yokohama Harbor, Yokohama, Japan where it was loaded on a container ship bound for Port Canaveral, Florida. The Kibo laboratory, built by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is expected to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center for module integration tests with Node 2 and pre-launch processing in early June.
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The tunnel adapter (left) which will be flown on the STS-89 mission is being installed in the Space Shuttle orbiter Endeavour's payload bay in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1. To the right is the Orbiter Docking System (ODS), with its distinctive red Russian-built Androgynous Peripheral Docking System (APDS). STS-89 will be the eighth U.S. docking mission with the Russian Mir space station. The nine-day space flight is scheduled for launch in mid-January 1998
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers begin fitting the fairing around the upper stages of the Boeing Delta II rocket and Mars Polar Lander. The rocket is scheduled to launch Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions
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T&R Endeavour Airlock Removal
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-110 Mission Specialists Jerry Ross (upper right) and Lee Morin (lower right) check out the payload bay of Atlantis during Crew Equipment Integration Test activities, which include familiarization with the vehicle and payload. . The mission, 13th assembly flight to the International Space Station, includes the Integrated Truss Structure S0. The ITS S0 is the center segment on the Space Station, part of the 300-foot (91-meter) truss attached to the U.S. Lab. By assembly completion, four more truss segments will attach to either side of the S0 truss. STS-110 is scheduled to launch April 4, 2002
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the gantry on Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, the fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander waits to be lowered into the white room. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998
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The Integrated Truss Structure Z1 disappears inside the payload canister after being lowered by the overhead crane in the Space Station Processing Facility. Once it is secured inside, the truss will be transported to Launch Pad 39A. It is part of the payload on mission STS-92 scheduled to lift off Oct. 5, 2000
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians watch closely as the U.S. Laboratory Destiny rotates. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research.
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Workers at Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, watch as the two parts of the Delta rocket fairing enclose the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. NASAs latest explorer carries three scientific instruments to map the chemical and mineralogical makeup of Mars: a thermal-emission imaging system, a gamma ray spectrometer and a Martian radiation environment experiment. The imaging system will map the planet with high-resolution thermal images and give scientists an increased level of detail to help them understand how the mineralogy of the planet relates to the land forms. In addition, Odyssey will serve as a communications relay for U.S. and international landers arriving at Mars in 2003/2004. The Mars Odyssey is scheduled for launch aboard a Delta II rocket April 7, 2001, at 11:02 a.m. EST
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STS-133 MPLM RACK REMOVAL AND CONVERSION TO PERMANENT MODULE
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T & R Discovery, Right OMS Pod Removal
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The second stage of a Delta II rocket is prepared for its shift to vertical alongside the gantry at pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket is scheduled to be launched on Dec. 10, 1998, heading for Mars and carrying the Mars Climate Orbiter. The orbiter's instruments will monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for 657 days. It will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, as well as characterize seasonal changes on the surface. The detailed images of the surface features will provide important clues to the planet's early climate history and give scientists more information about possible liquid water reserves beneath the surface. The orbiter will primarily support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, which is planned for launch on Jan. 3, 1999
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Delta Operations Center, Jack Reynolds and Leslie Guzman (left and right), with Pratt and Whitney, closely guide the nozzle for the RL-10 engine on the second stage of the Boeing Delta IV rocket. The Delta IV is the launch vehicle for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-N), scheduled to launch in April 2005 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. GOES-N is a weather satellite for NASA and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The first in a series of three advanced weather satellites including GOES-O and GOES-P, the GOES-N will provide continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. It will provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric triggers of severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. When these conditions develop, GOES-N will be able to monitor storm development and track their movements.
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ISS025-E-015071 (15 Nov. 2010) --- Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, Expedition 25 flight engineer, wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the six-hour, 27-minute spacewalk, Skripochka and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin (out of frame), flight engineer, installed a multipurpose workstation on the starboard side of the Zvezda Service Modules large-diameter section and relocated a television camera from one end of the Rassvet docking compartment to the other.
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LVSA AFT CONE SECTION POST WELD #8 EXTERIOR VIEWS OF LVSA AFT CONE
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the two halves of the fairing come together for installation around the Phoenix Mars Lander. Phoenix is targeted for launch on Aug. 3 aboard a Delta II rocket. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. NASA/George Shelton
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle for the STEREO spacecraft is lowered toward the Delta first stage below for remating. The second stage has been returned to the pad after being tested for leaks in the High-Pressure Test Facility; no leak was observed. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and comprises two spacecraft. The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. STEREO is expected to lift off on Aug. 31.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Seen in the foreground is STS-121 Michael Fossum, who is looking at the integrated cargo carrier, part of the payload for the mission, temporarily stored in the payload changeout room on Launch Pad 39B. He is dressed in a clean room suit, appropriate for the environmentally clean or "white room" condition in which the payload resides before being transferred to the shuttle's payload bay. In front of and below him is the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, which is carrying supplies and equipment for the International Space Station. The payload also includes the lightweight multi-purpose experiment support structure carrier. Crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-121 is scheduled for launch on Space Shuttle Discovery on July 1.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the middeck of Endeavour, in the Orbiter Processing Facility, Center Director Jim Kennedy (far left) watches as a technician gets ready to lower himself through the LiOH door into the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) bay. LiOH refers to lithium hydroxide, canisters of which are stored in the ECLSS bay under the middeck floor. During flight, cabin air from the cabin fan is ducted to two LiOH canisters, where carbon dioxide is removed and activated charcoal removes odors and trace contaminants. Kennedy is taking an opportunity to learn first-hand what workers are doing to enable Return to Flight. Endeavour is in an Orbiter Major Modification period.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers guide the second stage of the Delta 2 rocket for mating with the first stage. The Delta 2 is the launch vehicle for NASA's Kepler spacecraft. The Kepler mission is specifically designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. Results from this mission will allow us to place our solar system within the continuum of planetary systems in the Galaxy. NASA's planet-hunting Kepler mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 5, 2009.
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99-E-14665 (27 February 1999) --- Astronauts Edward T. Lu (left) and Jeffrey N. Williams check out full-scale training hardware for the International Space Station (ISS) in the Hydrolab facility at Star City, Russia. The two mission specialists, along with other members of the STS-101 crew, are currently in training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center for next year's STS-101 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).Editor's Note: Since this photograph was taken, changes in crew personnel have been made. Cosmonauts Yuri I.Malenchenko and Boris V. Morukov, along with astronaut Edward T. Lu were moved to STS-106. Astronauts James S. Voss and Susan J. Helms, and cosmonaut Yury V. Usachev were added to the STS-101 crew. Malenchenko, Morukov and Usachev all represent the Russian Space Agency (RSA).
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VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- Under the watchful eyes of technicians, the payload fairing containing the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM, spacecraft has been lifted to the top of Space Launch Complex-3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. where it is about to be mounted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM is the future of Landsat satellites. It will continue to obtain valuable data and imagery to be used in agriculture, education, business, science, and government. The Landsat Program provides repetitive acquisition of high resolution multispectral data of the Earth's surface on a global basis. The data from the Landsat spacecraft constitute the longest record of the Earth's continental surfaces as seen from space. It is a record unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and value. Liftoff is planned for Feb. 11, 2013 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
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Space station cargo carrier
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STS-88 Mission Specialist Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut, looks over equipment inside a module at the Space Station Processing Facility. Betsy Ahearn, with Boeing, is at his right. Mission STS-88 is targeted for launch on Dec. 3, 1998. It is the first U.S. flight for the assembly of the International Space Station and will carry the Unity connecting module
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the upper level of the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers help maneuver the THEMIS spacecraft inside. THEMIS will then be encapsulated and mated with the third stage of the Delta II rocket. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission is to investigate what causes auroras in the Earth's atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of color. Discovering what causes auroras to change will provide scientists with important details on how the planet's magnetosphere works and the important Sun-Earth connection. THEMIS is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta II rocket on Feb. 15 during a window extending from 6:08 to 6:27 p.m.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, workers help transfer the payload for mission STS-118 from the payload changeout room into the payload bay on Space Shuttle Endeavour. Seen here is the SPACEHAB module. The payload also includes the S5 truss and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug.7.
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International Space Station - Hydrolab: Neutral Buoyancy Training Module for Space teams, Zvezdniy Gorodok, Russia
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During Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), STS-95 crew members watch a monitor displaying the Spartan payload above as it is maneuvered on a stand. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity for a hands-on look at the payloads and equipment with which they will be working on orbit. The launch of the STS-95 mission is scheduled for Oct. 29, 1998. The mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians in the Space Station Processing Facility complete attaching a crane to the International Space Station module Node 2. The module is being moved from a workstand to a payload canister for transfer to the Operations and Checkout Building. There it will undergo an element leak test. The installation of NASA's Node 2 will denote the U.S. Core Complete stage of International Space Station assembly and increase the living and working space inside the station to approximately 18,000 cubic feet. It also will allow the addition of international laboratories from Europe and Japan to the station. Node 2 will provide a passageway between four station science experiment facilities the U.S. Destiny Laboratory, the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module, the European Columbus Laboratory and the Centrifuge Accommodation Module. It also will provide connecting ports for Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, the Japanese H II Transfer Vehicle and the Pressurized Mating Adapt
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iss048e042382 (7/21/2016) --- Documentation of Polar facility 2 installed in ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Rack 8, LAB1P4, in the Destiny U.S. Laboratory. The newly-installed Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratories (SABL) 1 and 2 are also in view.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare space shuttle Discoverys three fuel cells to be drained of all fluids.After all of the coolant is removed, the fuel cells will be returned to their previous location within Discoverys mid-body. The hydrogen and oxygen dewars which feed reactants to the fuel cells remain in Discoverys mid-body and have been purged with inert gases and vented down. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
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The Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, was one of four major components comprising the Skylab. The ATM housed the first marned scientific telescopes in space. In this photograph, taken at the Manned Spacecraft Center (later renamed the Johnson Space Center), an ATM prototype can be seen in a thermal vacuum chamber that tested the unit's ability to withstand the environment of space.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the launch tower at Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a technician checks the attachment of the Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft (above) to the Boeing Delta II rocket (below). CONTOUR will provide the first detailed look into the heart of a comet -- the nucleus. Flying as close as 60 miles (100 kilometers) to at least two comets, the spacecraft will take the sharpest pictures yet of a nucleus while analyzing the gas and dust that surround these rocky, icy building blocks of the solar system. Launch of CONTOUR is scheduled for July 1, 2002
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T&R Discovery Orbiter Access Hatch Final Closure
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- KSC workers watch as an overhead crane in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility lowers the U.S. laboratory module, an element of the International Space Station, onto the workstand. The lab will undergo pre-launch preparations before its launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98. The laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in the areas of life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000
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In the Vertical Processing Facility, the Chandra X-ray Observatory is lowered onto the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) beneath it. After the two components are mated, they will undergo testing to validate the IUS/Chandra connections and to check the orbiter avionics interfaces. Following that, an end-to-end test (ETE) will be conducted to verify the communications path to Chandra, commanding it as if it were in space. With the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-temperature gas clouds, giving the observatory the potential to rewrite the books on the structure and evolution of our universe. Chandra is scheduled for launch July 22 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, on mission STS-93
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station help maneuver the upper canister away from the opening. The canister was removed from around the THEMIS spacecraft. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission is to investigate what causes auroras in the Earth's atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of color. Discovering what causes auroras to change will provide scientists with important details on how the planet's magnetosphere works and the important Sun-Earth connection. THEMIS is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta II rocket on Feb. 15 during a window extending from 6:08 to 6:27 p.m.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Foreign object debris shields are installed and a borescope inspection is conducted on the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. On the left is the Pegasus launch vehicle from which it was demated. Technicians are looking for a small fastener and associated clip missing from a demated connector identified during preflight testing. 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 to how galaxies like the Milky Way were formed. The GALEX launch date in late April is currently under review.
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IRIS/Pegasus Motor Arrival
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check the placement of the first half of the fairing around the STEREO spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. Designed and built by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) , the STEREO mission is being managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. APL will maintain command and control of the observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the science results. STEREO is expe
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C-141 KAO NASA-714 University of Hawaii Seven-Chan photometer mounted on the rear of the telescope in the airborne observatory
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C), an overhead crane hovers over the U.S. Lab, named Destiny, while workers attach cables for lifting the Lab. The Lab will undergo testing in the altitude chamber in the O&C. Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE , Calif. - On Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, one half of a fairing is being moved to a protected clean room tent where it will be installed around NASAs Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX is targeted for launch from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, on Oct. 19. IBEX will be launched aboard a Pegasus rocket dropped from under the wing of an L-1011 aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean. The Pegasus will carry the spacecraft approximately 130 miles above Earth and place it in orbit.
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NASA PLUM BROOK B-2 FACILITY WITH DELTA III 2ND STAGE
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building, the U.S. Lab, named Destiny, is lowered into the rotation and handling fixture in preparation for testing in the altitude chamber. Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research
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Hubble SpaceTelescope (HST) Intergration Into STS-31 Orbiter Discovery Cargo Bay At KSC .
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Automated Inter-Planetary Venera-1 Station , the first space probe sent to Venus.
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ISS030-E-210840 (6 April 2012) --- European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, Expedition 30 flight engineer, enters the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-3) currently docked with the International Space Station.
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In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1, STS-102 Pilot James W. Kelly (right) points to a piece of equipment in Discoverys payload bay. The crew is at KSC for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. STS-102 is the 8th construction flight to the International Space Station and will carry the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. STS-102 is scheduled for launch March 1, 2001. On that flight, Leonardo will be filled with equipment and supplies to outfit the U.S. laboratory module Destiny. The mission will also be carrying the Expedition Two crew to the Space Station, replacing the Expedition One crew who will return on Shuttle Discovery
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Apollo command and service modules scheduled for manned landing missions on the moon cross paths in the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building at the spaceport. The meeting occurred last night when the CSM for Apollo 11 was being hoisted out of a test chamber and the CSM for Apollo 12, which recently arrived at Kennedy Space Center, was getting its initial checkouts in the aisle. Apollo 11 is scheduled for the first manned lunar landing mission this summer.