NASA Spacecraft Processing

Images showcasing various NASA spacecraft being prepared for launch, featuring technicians at work in high-tech facilities, evoking a sense of innovation and exploration.

Technicians and engineers put finishing touches on the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module and service module stack in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 7, 2014. The crew module is covered by protective foil as it and the service module are lifted for the installation of the Orion-to-stage adapter ring. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the spacecraft adapter cone for the Orion spacecraft is positioned on special protective blocks for processing work. It will be mated to the service module for testing. 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 in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician monitors progress as a crane moves 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.

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lift the Orbital ATK OA-7 Cygnus spacecraft's service module from its shipping container. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the Orbital ATK OA-7 mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials that improve life on Earth and drive progress toward future space exploration.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the service module for the Orion spacecraft is secured to a work stand. Technicians are preparing the three fairings for installation around the service module. The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its first unpiloted flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, scheduled for launch atop a Delta IV rocket in September 2014. The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket in 2017.

Technicians and engineers put finishing touches on the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module and service module stack in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 7, 2014. The crew module is covered by protective foil as it and the service module are lifted for the installation of the Orion-to-stage adapter ring. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Suspended by an overhead crane in the Space Station Processing Facility, the Integrated Truss Structure Z1 is lowered toward the open doors of the payload canister below. After 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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Lockheed Martin-led crew begins pathfinding operations on a full-scale Orion spacecraft mockup. The crew is conducting simulated manufacturing and assembly operations with the mockup to verify the tools, processes and spacecraft integration procedures work as expected.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane moves the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo to a work stand. Leonardo carried 32,000 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission in November. Endeavour returned to Kennedy on a piggyback flight from California Dec. 12.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a workers watches the progress of an overhead crane as it lowers the payload canister onto a transport vehicle.The canister will then be delivered to Launch Pad 39A, lifted into the rotating service structure where the module will be moved into the clean room before it is installed into space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the PMM, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 4:40 p.m. EDT, Nov. 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians, using an overhead crane, lift NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission aeroshell, (containing the compact car-sized rover Curiosity), for mating to the cruise stage. The cruise stage provides solar power, thrusters for navigation, and heat exchangers to the rover during its flight from Earth to Mars. The rover Curiosity has 10 science instruments 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. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the integrated truss structure, S6, and solar arrays are lifted across the floor to install in the payload canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. The truss and arrays are space shuttle Discovery's payload for the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery on the STS-119 mission is targeted for Feb. 12. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and its solar arrays to the starboard side of the station, completing the station's truss, or backbone.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Columbus Laboratory module is lifted for its transfer to a payload canister. The canister will transport the module and other payloads to Launch Pad 39A in preparation for its journey to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency 's largest single contribution to the International Space Station, Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station, providing crew members and scientists around the world the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The module is scheduled to be transferred to Launch Pad 39A in early November, in preparation for its journey to the station. Columbus will fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-122 mission, targeted for launch Dec. 6.

In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a Ball Aerospace technician prepares NASAs National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft for propellant loading. 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. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Flight Support System, or FSS, carrier with the Soft Capture Mechanism is waiting to be lifted from the workstand and placed in the payload canister. The canister will deliver the FSS and other carriers to Launch Pad 39A for installation in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis' 11-day STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is targeted for launch May 12. It will include five spacewalks in which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the SEDA-AP (Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload) is lowered toward the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES for installation. The SEDA-AP and ELM-ES are part of space shuttle Endeavour's payload for the STS-127 mission. SEDA-AP will measure space environment in ISS orbit and environmental effects on materials and electronic devices to investigate the interaction with and from the environment at the Kibo exposed facility. Endeavour is targeted to launch May 15.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. , the STSS Demonstrator SV-1 spacecraft is moved toward the orbital insertion system. The spacecraft is a midcourse tracking technology demonstrator, part of an evolving ballistic missile defense system. STSS is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors. It will be launched by NASA for the Missile Defense Agency in late summer.

The Orion spacecraft is moved to the Final Assembly and Systems Test cell at Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft returned from Ohio after a successful series of environmental test at Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station.

A major component of NASA's Psyche spacecraft has been delivered to the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, where the phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations (ATLO) is now underway. Taken on March 28, 2021, this photo shows the Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) Chassis just after it was delivered to JPL by Maxar Technologies. Here, the chassis is about to be attached to the dolly in High Bay 1 of JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility. Maxar's team in Palo Alto, California, designed and built the SEP Chassis, which includes all the primary and secondary structure and the hardware components needed for the high-power electrical system, the propulsion system, the thermal system, guidance and navigation sensors and actuators, and the high-gain antenna. Over the next year additional hardware will be added to the spacecraft, including the command and data handling system, a power distribution assembly, the X-band telecommunications hardware suite, three science

Artemis IV Pressure Vessel and Artemis II European Service Module. The European Service Module for the Artemis II mission is photographed inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. Artemis II will be the first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The service module will provide the power necessary to propel Orion on a trip around the Moon, including the in-space maneuvering capability and other commodities necessary to sustain crew for the duration of the mission.

Technicians work on the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion service module in the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) at Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 24, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to attach an overhead crane to NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission aeroshell, (containing the compact car-sized rover Curiosity), which will be mated to the cruise stage. The cruise stage provides solar power, thrusters for navigation, and heat exchangers to the rover during its flight from Earth to Mars. The rover Curiosity has 10 science instruments 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. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane moves the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, or MPLM, toward a payload canister.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on space shuttle Atlantis July 8, taking with them the MPLM packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing 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. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin the process of attaching an overhead hoist to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) for its move to a rotation stand to begin processing for flight.AMS, a state-of-the-art particle physics detector, is designed to operate as an external experiment on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for dark matter. AMS will fly to the station aboard space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch February, 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, a crane lifts Harmony, the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 connecting module for the International Space Station, from its workstand. The module will be transferred to another stand for weighing. Harmony is part of the payload for space shuttle Discovery on mission STS-120. Launch is targeted for Oct. 23.

SDO MOVE TO TRANSPORTER

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. Node 2 module, known as Harmony, is moved toward the waiting payload canister, at right. The canister will deliver Harmony to Launch Pad 39A for installation into space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The Italian-built module is about 21 feet long and 14 feet in diameter. The pressurized module will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. In addition to increasing the living and working space inside the station, it also will serve as a work platform outside for the station's robotic arm. Harmony will be installed on the station during mission STS-120, targeted to launch Oct. 23.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image) has been installed next to the SEDA-AP (Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload) on the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES. The MAXI and SEDA-AP are 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After being rotated from a horizontal to vertical position, the canister that contains the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 AMS and Express Logistics Carrier-3 for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission is lowered to its transportation vehicle in the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour and its six-member STS-134 crew are targeted to lift off April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT to deliver the payload to the International Space Station.

STS-132 CARGO CARRIER TO CANISTER

KODIAK ISLAND, ALASKA - In the Launch Service Structure, Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), the Kodiak Star spacecraft is ready for encapsulation in the fairing, as preparation for launch. The first launch to take place from KLC, Kodiak Star is scheduled to lift off on a Lockheed Martin Athena I launch vehicle on Sept. 17 during a two-hour window that extends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. p.m. ADT. The payloads aboard include the Starshine 3, sponsored by NASA, and the PICOSat, PCSat and Sapphire, sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program. KLC is the newest commercial launch complex in the United States, ideal for launch payloads requiring low-Earth polar or sun-synchronous orbits

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians position the cover of the shipping container that will enclose the Space Test Program-Houston 4 experiment.The experiment is one of the payloads processed at Kennedy that will be flown to Japan for the HTV-4 launch to the station, which is currently scheduled for this summer.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Express Logistics Carrier-3 is moved from its primary work stand to a payload canister. The canister will protect the space-bound payload on its journey to Launch Pad 39A, where it will later be installed into space shuttle Endeavours payload bay. ELC-3 is packed with a variety of spare parts for the International Space Station, including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields. ELC-3 will fly to the station aboard Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the overhead crane moves the S5 integrated truss across other modules toward the payload canister. It will join the external stowage platform 3 (ESP3) already in the canister. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 9 to the International Space Station. The mission will continue space station construction by delivering the third starboard truss segment, as well as carrying the ESP3 and the SPACEHAB module.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier for the Hubble Space Telescope, elevated at left, is ready to be mated to the Hubble vertical platform, at right. The Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier, or SLIC, is one of four carriers supporting hardware for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service the telescope. SLIC is built with state-of-the-art, lightweight, composite materials - carbon fiber with a cyanate ester resin and a titanium metal matrix composite. These composites have greater strength-to-mass ratios than the metals typically used in spacecraft design. The Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC, and the Flight Support System, or FSS, have also arrived at Kennedy. The Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment carrier will be delivered in early August. The carriers will be prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., the mated SV1 and SV2 spacecraft are largely uncovered before center of gravity testing, weighing and balancing. The two spacecraft are known as the Space Tracking and Surveillance System - Demonstrators, or STSS Demo, which is a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detecting, tracking and discriminating ballistic missiles. STSS is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors. It will be launched by NASA for the Missile Defense Agency between 8 and 8:58 a.m. EDT Sept. 18. Approved for Public Release 09-MDA-04886 (10 SEPT 09)

KODIAK ISLAND, ALASKA - In the Launch Service Structure, Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), the Kodiak Star spacecraft is ready for encapsulation in the fairing, as preparation for launch. The first launch to take place from KLC, Kodiak Star is scheduled to lift off on a Lockheed Martin Athena I launch vehicle on Sept. 17 during a two-hour window that extends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. p.m. ADT. The payloads aboard include the Starshine 3, sponsored by NASA, and the PICOSat, PCSat and Sapphire, sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program. KLC is the newest commercial launch complex in the United States, ideal for launch payloads requiring low-Earth polar or sun-synchronous orbits

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane moves the the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo Exposed Facility, or EF, part of the payload for the STS-127 mission, across the floor toward the payload canister. The EF, along with the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch June 13. When the EF is installed on the Kibo laboratory, it will provide a multipurpose platform where science experiments can be deployed and operated in the exposed environment. The payloads attached to the EF can be exchanged or retrieved by Kibo's robotic arm, the JEM Remote Manipulator.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Express Logistics Carrier-3 is moved from its primary work stand to a payload canister. The canister will protect the space-bound payload on its journey to Launch Pad 39A, where it will later be installed into space shuttle Endeavours payload bay. ELC-3 is packed with a variety of spare parts for the International Space Station, including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields. ELC-3 will fly to the station aboard Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane carries the Columbus module toward a work stand. Columbus is the European Space Agency's research laboratory for the International Space Station. Once on the work stand , it will be prepared for delivery to the space station on a future space shuttle mission. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide researchers with the ability to conduct numerous experiments in the area of life, physical and materials sciences.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the vertical Kibo Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, is lowered onto the workstand. 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. The ELM-ES will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch June 13.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin the process of mating NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission cruise stage to the aeroshell, which contains the compact car-sized rover Curiosity. The cruise stage provides solar power, thrusters for navigation, and heat exchangers to the rover during its flight from Earth to Mars. The rover Curiosity has 10 science instruments 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. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane moves the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, or MPLM, toward a payload canister.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on space shuttle Atlantis July 8, taking with them the MPLM packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing 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.

In the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, technicians and engineers use a crane to move NASA's Parker Solar Probe into position for mating to its third stage, built and tested by Northrup Grumman in Chandler Arizona. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Launch Alliance technicians guide a lifting device toward half of the Atlas V payload fairing for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. The fairing has been uncovered, and preparations are under way to clean it to meet NASA's planetary protection requirements. In the background is the other half of the fairing, still uncovered.The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. Although jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere, the fairing must be cleaned to the same exacting standards as the laboratory to avoid the possibility of contaminating it. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the payload changeout room on Launch Pad 39A, a technician monitors the progress of the Columbus Laboratory module as it is transferred into space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into the orbiter payload bay. The lab module, built by the European Space Agency, also known as ESA, is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. Columbus is ESA's largest single contribution to the space station. Columbus will fly to the International Space Station on mission STS-122. The launch is targeted for Dec. 6.

S69-19197 (1969) --- Interior view of the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Manned Spacecraft Operations Building (MSOB) showing Apollo Spacecraft 106 Command and Service Modules (CSM) being moved to integrated work stand number one for mating to Spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter (SLA) 13. Spacecraft 106 will be flown on the Apollo 10 (Lunar Module 4/Saturn 505) space mission.

Engineers and technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida move the Orbital ATK OA-7 Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module (PCM) to a test stand inside the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the Orbital ATK OA-7 mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials that improve life on Earth and drive progress toward future space exploration.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians lower a special fixture around an Orion spacecraft inside the high bay of the Operations & Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The fixture is designed to enable precise pre-launch processing of the Orion spacecraft. An Orion capsule is being prepared to make a flight test in 2014 on a mission that will not carry any astronauts. Photo by Tim Jacobs

Engineers working on NASA's Mars 2020 mission remove the inner layer of protective antistatic foil from the rover after a move from JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility to the Simulator Building for testing. Mars 2020 must meet extraordinary cleanliness standards before its launch next summer. Animation available at

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Overhead cables carry the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Donatello from the payload canister (lower right) to a work stand in the Space Station Processing Facility. Previously housed in the Operations and Checkout Building, Donatello was brought into the SSPF for routine testing. This is the first time all three MPLMs (Donatello, Raffaello and Leonardo) are in the SSPF. The MPLMs were built by the Italian Space Agency, to serve as reusable logistics carriers and the primary delivery system to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. The third MPLM, Raffaello is scheduled to fly on Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-114.

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2), the Mars Polar Lander is lowered onto the third stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket before it is transported to Launch Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The lander, which will be launched on Jan. 3, 1999, 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, which was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 11, 1998

JUNO Lift & Move to Rotation Stand

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a test version of the Orion crew module has been integrated with the Launch Abort System (LAS) on May 18, 2019. It is being lifted by crane for transfer to a KAMAG transporter. The test vehicle and the LAS will be used for the Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test. AA-2 is a full-stress test of the LAS, planned for July 2. AA-2 will launch from Space Launch Complex 46, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety if an emergency occurs during ascent on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. NASA's Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs, contractors Jacob's, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, in conjunction with the Air Force Space and Missile Center's Launch Operations branch and the 45th Space Wing

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Donatello is suspended by cables over the payload canister in the Space Station Processing Facility. Previously housed in the Operations and Checkout Building, Donatello was brought into the SSPF for routine testing. This is the first time all three MPLMs (Donatello, Raffaello and Leonardo) are in the SSPF. The MPLMs were built by the Italian Space Agency, to serve as reusable logistics carriers and the primary delivery system to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. The third MPLM, Raffaello is scheduled to fly on Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-114.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers secure the CALIPSO spacecraft on the upper Delta Payload Attach Fitting (UDPAF). Later the UDPAF will be mated with the lower Delta Payload Attach Fitting, which contains the CloudSat satellite. The PAF is the interface between the spacecraft and the second stage of the rocket. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation.

Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion's launch abort system, or LAS, is positioned atop the crew and service module in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 3, 2014, in preparation for rollout to mate with the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle. The LAS is designed to activate within milliseconds to pull the crew module to safety in case of an emergency. Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) verified the function of the jettison motor to separate the LAS from the crew module to ensure a safe, successful mission. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vertical Integration Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers on either side of the payload canister check its condition after being rotated from a horizontal position. The canister contains the Japanese Experiment Module -Pressurized Module, which will be transported to Launch Pad 39A for space shuttle Discoverys STS-124 mission. At the pad, the payload will be transferred from the canister into the payload changeout room on the rotating service structure. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into an orbiter's payload bay. On the mission, the STS-124 crew will transport the JEM as well as the Japanese Remote Manipulator System to the International Space Station. The launch of Discovery is targeted for May 31.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Engineers and technicians move NASA's MAVEN spacecraft, inside payload fairing inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, or PHSF, into the airlock for mounting to a trailer for transport to Space Launch Complex 41 where it will be hoisted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will lift it into space and on to Mars. MAVEN is short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overhead crane lifts the multi-purpose logistics module Raffaello from its work stand in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The module is being moved to the Operations and Checkout Building to make room in the SSPF for the arrival of elements from other ISS partners for future flights .

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In another clean room at Astrotech, solar array panels at left are ready to be installed on the Dawn spacecraft, at right. Dawn's mission is to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn is scheduled to launch June 30 aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Express Logistics Carrier-1, or ELC-1, is lowered toward a transportation canister in which it will be secured for its trip to Launch Pad 39A. Once at the pad, it will be installed in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay.The carrier is part of the payload for Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. The STS-129 crew will deliver 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. Launch is targeted for Nov. 16.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane is lifted away from the Tranquility module, or Node 3, after placing the module in its work stand. The module will be delivered to the International Space Station on the STS-130 mission. Tranquility will eventually house the life support equipment necessary for the space station's permanent crew of six. It will also accommodate the European Space Agency's Cupola observation module, a seven-window, dome-shaped structure. Tranquility is targeted for launch aboard space shuttle Endeavour in February 2010.

The Orion spacecraft is moved to the Final Assembly and Systems Test cell at Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft returned from Ohio after a successful series of environmental test at Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station.

The launch abort system ogive panels are prepared for installation onto the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) launch abort system in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

The International Docking Adapter 3, a critical component for future crewed missions to the International Space Station, is carefully packed away in the unpressurized trunk” section of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 19. It will launch to the orbiting laboratory in July on the company’s 18th commercial resupply mission. The adapter will support future U.S. crewed vehicles visiting the station.

The crew and service module for Artemis I continue preparations for mating inside the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building High Bay at Kennedy Space Center on March 21, 2019. Alongside, the pressure vessel for Artemis II is undergoing install of its secondary structure.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., the first half of the payload fairing has been placed around the GOES-O satellite, at left. At right, the second half has been lifted to vertical for its placement around GOES-O to complete the encapsulation. 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 latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The GOES satellites continuously provide observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbi

Technicians at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany prepare the European Service Module for shipment to Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 1, 2018. The service module will depart Germany on November 5, 2018 and will arrive in the U.S. on November 6...For the first time, NASA will use a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft, extending the international cooperation of the International Space Station into deep space. The European Service Module is a unique collaboration across space agencies and industry including ESAs prime contractor, Airbus, and 10 European countries. The completion of service module work in Europe and shipment to Kennedy signifies a major milestone toward NASAs human deep space exploration missions to the Moon and beyond.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo is moved away from its workstand. The module is being moved to the payload transportation canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39B, where it will be installed in Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Part of the payload for mission STS-121, Leonardo carries tons of supplies and experiments for the International Space Station and its crew. Discovery is scheduled to be launched in a window that extends from July 1 to July 19.

Team members monitor progress as the GOES-R spacecraft is lifted from horizontal to vertical inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASAs Kennedy Space Center.GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the S6 truss segment is on display for the media at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The S6 truss segment, with its set of large U.S. solar arrays, will be attached to the starboard, or right, side of the station during space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission. The S6 truss will complete the backbone of the station. The two solar wings will provide one-fourth of the total power needed to support a crew of six astronauts. The segment is expected to be loaded into the payload transportation canister Jan. 7, in preparation for its targeted journey to the launch pad Jan. 11.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker keeps watch as the starboard payload bay door closes over space shuttle Endeavour's payload. Inside are the Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deploy, the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section and the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lifts the Columbus Laboratory module from its stand. The module is being moved to a weigh station before transfer to the payload canister. The European Space Agency 's largest single contribution to the International Space Station, Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station, providing crew members and scientists around the world the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The module is scheduled to be transferred to Launch Pad 39A in early November, in preparation for its journey to the station. Columbus will fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-122 mission, targeted for launch Dec. 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lifts the Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3, high above the floor for transfer to the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier. WFC3 is part of the payload on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission for the fifth and final Hubble servicing flight to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. As Hubble enters the last stage of its life, WFC3 will be Hubble's next evolutionary step, allowing Hubble to peer ever further into the mysteries of the cosmos. WFC3 will study a diverse range of objects and phenomena, from young and extremely distant galaxies, to much more nearby stellar systems, to objects within our very own solar system. WFC3 will take the place of Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, which astronauts will bring back to Earth aboard the shuttle. Launch of Atlantis is targeted at 1:34 a.m. EDT Oct. 8.

Artemis II SM Move to Fast Cell. Preparations are underway to lift the European Service Module (ESM) for NASAs Artemis II mission by crane inside the high bay of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 22, 2023. Teams from NASA and Lockheed Martin are preparing the service module for transfer to the FAST (final assembly and system testing) cell for final checkouts before it is stacked with Orion crew module. The powerhouse that will fuel and propel Orion in space, the ESM will be used for Artemis II, the first Artemis mission flying crew aboard Orion.

The Orion crew module for Artemis 1 is lifted by crane on July 16, 2019, in the high bay inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew module will be moved to the final assembly and test cell and work will begin to secure it atop the service module. The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its uncrewed test flight atop NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Artemis 1 is the first test flight of the SLS and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system. Orion will travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon during a mission that will test its systems in space. The spacecraft will return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean where it will be retrieved and transported back to Kennedy.

An overhead crane lowers the cylindrical canister toward the Mars Odyssey orbiter below it. The canister will protect the spacecraft during transfer to Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Mars Odyssey is scheduled for launch at 11:02 a.m. EDT April 7, 2001, aboard a Delta II rocket from Pad 17-A. 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

Technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility move the engine section of NASAs Space Launch System rocket for Artemis III in preparation for its next step in production. This hardware is the first large piece manufactured for the Artemis III mission and makes up the lowest portion of the 212-foot-tall core stage. When complete, the engine section will house the four RS-25 engines and include vital systems for mounting, controlling and delivering fuel from the propellant tanks to the rockets engines. Together with its four RS-25 engines and its twin solid rocket boosters, it will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASAs Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earths orbit to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars. Offering more payload mass, volume capability, and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASAs Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System, and Orion spacecraft, is part of NASAs backbone for deep space exploration and th

In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Integrated Truss Structure Z1, an element of the International Space Station, is lifted for moving to another stand to check its weight and balance. The Z1 truss is the first of 10 trusses that will become the backbone of the Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. Along with its companion payload, the third Pressurized Mating Adapter, the Z1 is scheduled to be launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery Oct. 5 at 9:38 p.m. EDT. The launch will be the 100th in the Shuttle program

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility follow along as the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo is moved along the ceiling toward the payload canister. The MPLM is the primary payload on mission STS-105, the 11th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Leonardo, fitted with supplies and equipment for the crew and the Station, will be transported to Launch Pad 39A and installed into Discoverys payload bay. Launch is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Astrotech payload processing facility, General Dynamics technicians keep watch as NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is moved toward a work stand (at left) in the facility. There GLAST will undergo a complete checkout of the scientific instruments aboard. The telescope will launch aboard a Delta II rocket May 16 from Launch Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A powerful space observatory, the GLAST will explore the most extreme environments in the universe, and answer questions about supermassive black hole systems, pulsars and the origin of cosmic rays. It also will study the mystery of powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts.

The Artemis I Orion spacecraft with its spacecraft adapter cone attached, is moved by crane into the FAST cell inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 20, 2020. This is one of the final major hardware operations the spacecraft will undergo during closeout processing prior to being integrated with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in preparation for the first Artemis mission. The spacecraft adapter cone connects the bottom portion of Orions service module to the top part of the rocket known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Orion will fly on the agencys Artemis I mission - the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Z1 Integrated Truss Segment (ITS), a major element of the STS-92 mission scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in January 1999, is moved to its workstand for processing in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). The Z-1 truss supports the staged buildup of International Space Station (ISS) on this third scheduled flight for ISS. The Z1 truss allows the temporary installation of the U.S. power module to Node 1. Early in the assembly sequence, the purpose of Z1 is to provide a mounting location for Ku-band and S-band telemetry and extravehicular activity (EVA) equipment. It also provides common berthing mechanism hardcover stowage. In addition, it will assist with the execution of nonpropulsive attitude control. The truss arrived at KSC on Feb. 17 for preflight processing in the SSPF

The Orion crew module for Artemis I is lifted into a test stand for pressure testing in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 21, 2016.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Lockheed Martin crews assist as a crane is used to lift the Orion ground test vehicle away from its packaging in the Operations and Checkout O&C Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The vehicle traveled more than 1,800 miles from the company's Waterton Facility near Denver where it successfully completed a series of rigorous tests that simulated launch and spaceflight environments. The ground test vehicle will be used for pathfinding operations in the O&C, including simulated manufacturing and assembly procedures. After those operations are completed, new backshell panels will be installed on the ground test vehicle at the O&C prior to the vehicles trek to NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia for splashdown testing at the agency's Hydro Impact Basin.Launching atop NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System SLS, which also is under development, the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle MPCV will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry astro

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is attached to the middle back shell tile panel in order to lift it for installation on 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.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Technicians monitor the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft as it is being moved by an overhead crane from its stand to cell 3 at the Spaceport Systems International payload processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. There, the spacecraft will undergo inspection of its solar arrays and tests will be conducted on its propulsion subsystem. Further testing of the satellites various other systems will follow.Following final tests, the spacecraft will be integrated to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for the targeted June launch. Aquarius, the NASA-built primary instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft, will map global changes in salinity at the ocean's surface. The three-year mission will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to these fundamental climate processes.

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is shown inside one-half of the nose cone, or fairing, that will protect it during launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians guide the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM, as an overhead crane lowers it into the payload canister.The canister will then be transported to Launch Pad 39A and installed into space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the PMM, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 4:40 p.m. EDT, Nov. 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the ICS Exposed Facility, or ICS-EF, is moved across the floor to the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, where it will be installed alongside two other payloads, the SEDA-AP (Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload) and MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image), already installed. The ICS-EF is composed of several components, including an antenna, pointing mechanism, frequency converters, high-power amplifier and various sensors including the Earth sensor, Sun sensor and inertial reference unit. The ICS-EF is part of space shuttle Endeavour's payload on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In a clean room at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers prepare NASA's CloudSat spacecraft (right) that will be fitted inside the lower portion of the Delta Payload Attach Fitting at left. CloudSat joins the CALIPSO spacecraft for launch. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites that will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO_CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3 01 a.m. PDT Sept. 29.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lowers the Columbus module toward a work stand. Columbus is the European Space Agency's research laboratory for the International Space Station. The module will be prepared for delivery to the space station on a future space shuttle mission. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide researchers with the ability to conduct numerous experiments in the area of life, physical and materials sciences.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Lockheed Martin technicians inspect the second of NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory lunar spacecraft as they prepare to move it to a workstand in the Hazardous Processing Facility (HPF) at Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. In the HPF, the spacecraft will undergo two days of fueling activities.GRAIL will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for Sept. 8.

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lifts the cover up from the container holding the Orion crew module structural test article (STA). The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article was moved inside the facility's high bay for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

An overhead crane lowers the cylindrical canister over the Mars Odyssey orbiter below it. The canister will protect the spacecraft during transfer to Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Mars Odyssey is scheduled for launch at 11 02 a.m. EDT April 7, 2001, aboard a Delta II rocket from Pad 17-A. 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

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the payload fairing is installed encapsulating the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket at Space Launch Complex 2. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff is scheduled to take place from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 2 at 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier with the flexible hose rotary coupler is lowered into the payload canister in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The carrier is part of space shuttle Endeavour's payload on the STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour will also carry the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo holding supplies and equipment, including additional crew quarters, equipment for the regenerative life support system and spare hardware. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Nov. 14.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Astrotech's payload processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA's Glory spacecraft, now completely enclosed in its payload fairing, is lowered onto a transporter in the airlock for its move to Space Launch Complex 576-E. There it will be joined with the Taurus XL rocket's third stage. The hose connected to the fairing is an environmental purge that keeps the spacecraft dry and temperature controlled.The Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket will carry Glory into low Earth orbit. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 5:09 a.m. EST Feb. 23. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the range of motion is being tested 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.

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