NASA Tech and Shuttle Maintenance

Behind-the-scenes images of NASA technicians working on space shuttle Endeavour, showcasing maintenance, inspections, and rocket preparations.

Composite crew module adapter (CMA) panels for the Exploration Flight Test-1 Orion are manufactured using computer numerical control (CNC) machining at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Nov. 11, 2011. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians reinstall the food pantry locker in space shuttle Endeavours middeck during processing for the shuttles retirement.Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour, designated OV-105, was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians reinstall the food pantry locker in space shuttle Endeavours middeck during processing for the shuttles retirement.Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour, designated OV-105, was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician guides a newly removed fuel cell up and out of space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay.All three of Endeavour's fuel cells were removed and will be drained of fluids. The hydrogen and oxygen dewars which feed reactants to the fuel cells remain in Endeavour's midbody and will be purged with inert gases and vented down. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program's transition and retirement processing of shuttle Endeavour, which is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASA's orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

Inside Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers perform final wing installations on the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will launch eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. When preparations are completed at Vandenberg, the rocket, with CYGNSS in its payload fairing, will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft and transported to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Dec. 12, 2016, the carrier aircraft is scheduled to take off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket with the L-1011 flying off shore. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a United Space Alliance technician inspects the reinforced carbon-carbon, or RCC, panels on Endeavour's wing leading edge using thermography to detect structural abnormalities. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician checks test wiring spliced into an electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, system. The test wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians are performing a GIZMO demonstration test on the ground test article Launch Abort System, or LAS, ogive panel and an Orion crew module simulator. Technicians practice lining up the GIZMO, a pneumatically-balanced manipulator that will be used for installation of the hatches on the crew module and LAS for the uncrewed Exploration Flight Test-1 and Exploration Mission-1, on the ogive panel mockup hatch. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is running the test to demonstrate that the GIZMO can meet the reach and handling requirements for the task.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 te

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to move the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science, or OPALS, experiment into the Space Station Processing Facility. The optical technology demonstration experiment arrived from the agencys Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.NASA will use the International Space Station to test OPALS communications technology that could dramatically improve spacecraft communications, enhance commercial missions and strengthen transmission of scientific data. The experiment is slated to fly later this year aboard a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission to the space station. The mission is expected to run 90 days after installation on the outside of the station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Centers Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, technicians remove a piece of hardware from the side of a fuel cell removed from the orbiter Discovery. Fuel cells are located under the forward portion of the payload bay. They make power for the orbiter by mixing hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. Fuel cells also create potable water that is pumped into storage tanks for the crew to use in orbit. Discovery is the designated orbiter for the second return-to-flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch in May.

Composite crew module adapter (CMA) panels for the Exploration Flight Test-1 Orion are manufactured using computer numerical control (CNC) machining at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Nov. 11, 2011. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians are performing a GIZMO demonstration test on the ground test article Launch Abort System, or LAS, ogive panel and an Orion crew module simulator. Technicians attached the GIZMO to remove the outer ogive panel hatch on the Orion crew module simulator. The GIZMO is a pneumatically-balanced manipulator that will be used for installation of the hatches on the crew module and LAS for the uncrewed Exploration Flight Test-1 and Exploration Mission-1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is running the test to demonstrate that the GIZMO can meet the reach and handling requirements for the task.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 spac

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The SPACEHAB payload arrived at Launch Pad 39A this morning and was installed in the Payload Changeout Room. Final preparations for liftoff of the STS-89 mission are under way. Endeavour and its crew of seven are targeted for a Jan. 22 launch. STS-89 will be the eighth Shuttle docking with the Russian Space Station Mir as part of Phase 1 of the International Space Station program. Mission Specialist Andy Thomas, Ph.D., will succeed Mission Specialist David Wolf, M.D., as the last NASA astronaut scheduled for a long-duration stay aboard Mir

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, a worker inside space shuttle Endeavour's aft section removes a cover to provide access for the removal and replacement of the Load Control Assembly-2 (LCA-2).Located in the orbiter's aft avionics bay 5, the LCA-2 assembly, which feeds power to the fuel line heaters, is believed to have caused the heaters for Endeavour's auxiliary power unit-1 (APU-1) to fail April 29 during the first launch attempt for the STS-134 mission. STS-134 will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the International Space Station. The mission also will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center installs a pallet support strut on the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier for the Hubble Space Telescope. 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 interna

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, Lockheed Martin engineer Ray Clark splices wires between space shuttle Atlantis' external tank and the engine cutoff, or ECO, sensor system. The replacement feed-through connector in the ECO sensor system will be installed later. Some of the tank's ECO sensors gave failed readings during propellant tanking for Atlantis' STS-122 mission launch attempts on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. Results of a tanking test on Dec. 18 pointed to an open circuit in the feed-through connector wiring, which is located at the base of the tank. The feed-through connector passes the wires from the inside of the tank to the outside. The pins in the replacement connector have been precisely soldered to create a connection that allows sensors inside the tank to send signals to the computers onboard Atlantis. No problems with the ECO sensors themselves have been found. NASA's Space Shuttle Program has proposed a target launch date of Feb. 7 for the STS-122 mission. Tha

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians remove the top emergency escape window from space shuttle Atlantis. The window is being removed in order to gain access to remove hazardous pyrotechnics from the shuttle. The window will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for inspections and a replacement outer pane will be installed in its place. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

STS-132 CEIT Middeck Review

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician prepares to install a new valve on Atlantis external tank after small dings were found on the sealing surface of the quick disconnect system that handles liquid-hydrogen fuel for the shuttles three main engines. The tank will be attached to the twin solid rocket boosters on Aug. 3 for the STS-125 mission, the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. During the mission, the crew will install new instruments on the telescope, including the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Wide Field Camera 3. A refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor will replace one unit of three now onboard. Mission specialists will also install new gyroscopes, batteries and thermal blankets on the telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39A, a team of external tank specialists from Lockheed Martin and the United Space Alliance undertakes the task of removing the hydrogen feed-through connector in support of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission. Here, a technician pulls the connector assembly, with its associated electrical harness, away from the tank. Some of the tank's engine cutoff sensors, or ECO sensors, failed during propellant tanking for launch attempts on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. Results of a tanking test on Dec. 18 pointed to an open circuit in the feed-through connector wiring, which is located at the base of the tank. The feed-through connector passes the wires from the inside of the tank to the outside. After the data from additional testing on the connector is analyzed, shuttle program managers will decide on a forward plan. Launch of STS-122 is targeted for January 2008.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Frank Pelkey, a United Space Alliance technician at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, inspects a heat shield tile that will be installed to the backshell of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle's Exploration Flight Test EFT-1 capsule. The work to manufacture and inspect the tiles is taking place in Kennedy's Thermal Protection System Facility. EFT-1 will be used during Orion's first test flight in space.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, a technician checks test wiring spliced into an electrical harness in space shuttle Atlantis' aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, system. The test wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the Time Domain Reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment will be located to test the sensor system. The shuttle's planned launches on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 were postponed because of false readings from the part of the ECO system that monitors the liquid hydrogen section of the tank. The liftoff date from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is now targeted for Jan. 10, depending on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Shuttle Maine Engine Shop, workers are installing an engine controller in one of the three main engines of the orbiter Discovery. The controller is an electronics package mounted on each space shuttle main engine. It contains two digital computers and the associated electronics to control all main engine components and operations. The controller is attached to the main combustion chamber by shock-mounted fittings. Discovery is the designated orbiter for mission STS-120 to the International Space Station. It will carry a payload that includes the Node 2 module, named Harmony. Launch is targeted for no earlier than Oct. 20.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians position space shuttle Discoverys access hatch for final close out. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery is scheduled to be transported atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17 and then be transported to the Smithsonian on April 19.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance worker Craig Meyer fits an External Tank (ET) digital still camera in the right-hand liquid oxygen umbilical well on Space Shuttle Atlantis. NASA is pursuing use of the camera, beginning with the Shuttles Return To Flight, to obtain and downlink high-resolution images of the ET following separation of the ET from the orbiter after launch. The Kodak camera will record 24 images, at one frame per 1.5 seconds, on a flash memory card. After orbital insertion, the crew will transfer the images from the memory card to a laptop computer. The files will then be downloaded through the Ku-band system to the Mission Control Center in Houston for analysis.

Navy electronic and optical company (Meob) on board to work on an electronic installation in June 1989.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Rick Beckwith (center), an orbiter engineer with United Space Alliance, explains to the media the reinstallation of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panels on the orbiter Atlantis wing leading edge. The media was invited to tour the OPF at KSC and to see the orbiter Atlantis as it is being prepared for Return to Flight. Both local and national reporters representing print and TV networks were able to see work in progress on Atlantis, also including wiring inspections and checks of the engines in the Orbital Maneuvering System.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39A, workers move the replacement Enhanced Main Events Controller (E-MEC) into Shuttle Endeavour's aft compartment in the payload bay. The original E-MEC became suspect during the Jan. 31 launch countdown and mission STS-99 was delayed when NASA managers decided to replace it. Each Shuttle carries two enhanced master events controllers (E-MECs), which provide relays for onboard flight computers to send signals to arm and fire pyrotechnics that separate the solid rockets and external tank during assent. Both E-MECs are needed for the Shuttle to be cleared for flight. Currently Endeavour and Columbia are the only two orbiters with the E-MECs. Built by Rockwell's Satellite Space Electronics Division, Anaheim, Calif., each unit weighs 65 pounds and is approximately 20 inches long, 13 inches wide and 8 inches tall. Previously, three Shuttle flights have been scrubbed or delayed due to faulty MECs: STS-73, STS-49 and STS-41-D. The next scheduled da

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers begin closing the gap between the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle that will launch the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, rewiring of consoles and remodeling for launches of future human spaceflight vehicles take place in the Launch Control Center's Young-Crippen Firing Room. Known as Firing Room 1 in the Apollo era, it was re-named as a tribute to the Space Shuttle Program's first crewed mission, STS-1, which was flown by Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen in April 1981. The firing room most recently was set up to support the Ares I-X flight test in Oct. 2009.

STS98-E-5157 (11 February 2001) ---Astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, STS-98 mission specialist, installs some of the fixtures in the newly attached Destinylaboratory onboard the International Space Station (ISS). After the Destiny hatch was opened early in the day, members of both crews went to work quickly inside the new module, activating air systems, fire extinguishers, alarm systems, computers and internal communications. The crews also took some photos and continued equipment transfers from the shuttle to the station. The scene was taken with a digital still camera.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians roll the test equipment away from an external tank door on space shuttle Atlantis following the successful completion of a push test.Two umbilical doors, located on the shuttle's aft fuselage, close after external tank separation following launch. The test confirms that the door's actuators are functioning properly and that signals sent from the actuators correctly indicate that the doors have closed, creating the necessary thermal barrier for reentry. Atlantis is next slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission. The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module will be permanently attached to the Zarya module. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assem

Eric Nolan, a technician with ASRC Federal Data Solutions, wears a pair of augmented reality (AR) goggles as he works on the heat shield for the crew module for NASAs Artemis II mission inside the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 18, 2020. Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin provided the goggles to technicians to help place tapes where components will be installed on Orion for Artemis II, the first crewed mission aboard the spacecraft. Using the AR goggles saves significant labor and time to complete tasks. Manufactured by Microsoft, the goggles, called HoloLens2, are the second version used by Lockheed.

T&R/Atlantis - Weight and CG in Preparation for Roll to VAB

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A United Space Alliance technician examines one of shuttle Atlantis' thermal protection tiles in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tile went through a pull test, which measured the force it took to pull it off of the shuttle in order to make sure the bond between the two is strong enough to withstand the force of launch and landing. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians install a plate cover over the quick disconnect system on Atlantis external tank. A valve was removed and replaced after small dings were found on the sealing surface of the quick disconnect system that handles liquid-hydrogen fuel for the shuttles three main engines. The tank will be attached to the twin solid rocket boosters on Aug. 3 for the STS-125 mission, the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. During the mission, the crew will install new instruments on the telescope, including the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Wide Field Camera 3. A refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor will replace one unit of three now onboard. Mission specialists will also install new gyroscopes, batteries and thermal blankets on the telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

Norm Knight, director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, right, and Zeb Scoville, NASA's chief flight director, left are seen during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti onboard, Wednesday, April 20, 2022, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti are scheduled to launch on April 23 at 5:26 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a United Space Alliance technician installs a heat shield carrier panel on the space shuttle Endeavour.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, STS-60 mission specialist, practices operating the Shuttle's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) during a training exercise at JSC's Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - In a clean room at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians prepare to complete a second fillet and wing fit check on the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus rocket will launch the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) into space.After the rocket and spacecraft are processed at Vandenberg, they will be flown on the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at the Pacific Oceans Kwajalein Atoll for launch. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census for black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars.

Avionics Technician

Technicians move mission specialist seat into place inside space shuttle Atlantis as the spacecraft is prepared for public display. The work is taking place as Atlantis sits inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the flight deck of space shuttle Atlantis, STS-122 Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel handles the camera to be used during the mission. Schlegel represents the European Space Agency. The STS-122 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch at 2:45 p.m. Feb. 7 with a crew of seven. Atlantis will carry the Columbus Laboratory, Europe's largest contribution to the construction of the station. Columbus will support scientific and technological research in a microgravity environment. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to the Harmony module to carry out experiments in materials science, fluid physics and biosciences, as well as to perform a number of technological applications.

Engineers from NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center and Empirical Systems Aerospace prepare a cruise motor controller, planned to be used on NASAs all-electric X-57 Maxwell, for vibration testing at Armstrongs environmental lab. Testing the cruise motor controller at various vibration levels, based on baseline flight testing in the projects first phase, helps ensure that the hardware will withstand similar vibration in flight conditions. X-57, NASAs first all-electric experimental aircraft, or X-plane, will fly in its first all-electric configuration in 2020.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi (right) practices with a three-dimensional camera that will be used on future missions. At left, foreground, Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson watches. Behind Robinson are Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas and Charles Camarda. The crew is at KSC for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. During CEIT, the crew has an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the payloads with which theyll be working on orbit. The Return to Flight mission STS-114 will carry a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies for the International Space Station. Launch of STS-114 has a launch window of May 12 to June 3.

The X-57 fuselage is positioned under the Mod II wing section so that it can be reattached. The components were separated for transport to NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. Reintegration began shortly after the aircraft arrived. The X-57 is intended to help develop certification standards for emerging electric aircraft markets.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians remove the two external fuel tank doors from the space shuttle Atlantis. The orbiter is undergoing final preparations for its transfer to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex targeted for November.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Atlantis and Endeavour. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at Kennedy's Visitor Complex. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis spent 293 days in space during 33 missions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lloyd Johns, with Lockheed Martin, attaches the replacement feed-through connector in the engine cutoff, or ECO, sensor system to the internal connector on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank. The feed-through connector passes the wires from the inside of the tank to the outside. Results of a tanking test on Dec. 18 pointed to an open circuit in the feed-through connector wiring, which is located at the base of the tank. The pins in the replacement connector have been precisely soldered to create a connection that allows sensors inside the tank to send signals to the computers onboard Atlantis. The work is being done on Launch Pad 39A. Space shuttle Atlantis is now targeted for launch on Feb. 7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-120 crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, from left in blue flight suits, STS-120 Mission Specialist Stephanie D. Wilson, Commander Pamela A. Melroy, Pilot George D. Zamka, Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski (back to camera), Mission Specialist Douglas H. Wheelock and Mission Specialist Paolo A. Nespoli (holding camera), a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy, are given the opportunity to operate the cameras that will fly on their mission. Among the activities standard to a CEIT are harness training, inspection of the thermal protection system and camera operation for planned extravehicular activities, or EVAs. The STS-120 mission will deliver the Harmony module, christened after a school contest, which will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules on the International Space Station. Known in technical circles as Node 2, it is similar to the s

A team of NASA researchers from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Dryden Flight Research center have proven that beamed light can be used to power an aircraft, a first-in-the-world accomplishment to the best of their knowledge. Using an experimental custom built radio-controlled model aircraft, the team has demonstrated a system that beams enough light energy from the ground to power the propeller of an aircraft and sustain it in flight. Special photovoltaic arrays on the plane, similar to solar cells, receive the light energy and convert it to electric current to drive the propeller motor. In a series of indoor flights this week at MSFC, a lightweight custom built laser beam was aimed at the airplane `s solar panels. The laser tracks the plane, maintaining power on its cells until the end of the flight when the laser is turned off and the airplane glides to a landing. The laser source demonstration represents the capability to beam more power to a plane so that it can reach high

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- During Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT)activities at Spacehab, Cape Canaveral, Fla., STS-107 Commander Rick Douglas Husband checks out a piece of equipment. As a research mission, STS-107 will carry the Spacehab Double Module in its first research flight into space and a broad collection of experiments ranging from material science to life science. The CEIT activities enable the crew to perform certain flight operations, operate experiments in a flight-like environment, evaluate stowage locations and obtain additional exposure to specific experiment operations. Other STS-107 crew members are Pilot William C. McCool; Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson; Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown and Laurel Blair Salton Clark; and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, of Israel. STS-107 is scheduled for launch May 23, 2002

Engineers monitor data during vibration testing of a cruise motor controller for the X-57 Maxwell, NASAs first all-electric X-plane. Attached to a table at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Centers environmental lab, the cruise motor controller is exposed to specific levels of vibration, allowing NASA to examine the structural integrity of the hardware. Engineers, meanwhile, monitored data, including waveforms of electrical current, and recorded readings.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Centers Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, technicians begin dismantling the fuel cell removed from the orbiter Discovery. Fuel cells are located under the forward portion of the payload bay. They make power for the orbiter by mixing hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. Fuel cells also create potable water that is pumped into storage tanks for the crew to use in orbit. Discovery is the designated orbiter for the second return-to-flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch in May.

A technician outfits the commander and pilot seats on the flight deck of space shuttle Atlantis as the spacecraft is prepared for public display. The work is taking place as Atlantis sits inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Space Shuttle 3% scale model to analyze removal of PAL ramp and other effects i the 9x7ft w.t.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-121 Commander Steven W. Lindsey and Mission Specialist Lisa M. Nowak examine the wing leading edge of Space Shuttle Atlantis, the orbiter that will take them into space. The leading edge of each of the orbiters wings has 22 Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panels, made entirely of carbon composite material. The molded components are approximately 0.25-inch to 0.5-inch thick. Lindsey and the other STS-121 crew members are at Kennedy Space Center to participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT). During CEIT, the crew has an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the orbiter and equipment they will be working with on their mission. Mission STS-121 is scheduled to launch in July.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance senior aerospace technician and spacecraft operator Charles J. Beason toggles the switches on space shuttle Endeavours flight deck during Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement activities. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, a technician removes a valve from Atlantis external tank after small dings were found on the sealing surface of the quick disconnect system that handles liquid-hydrogen fuel for the shuttles three main engines. The tank will be attached to the twin solid rocket boosters on Aug. 3 for the STS-125 mission, the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. During the mission, the crew will install new instruments on the telescope, including the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Wide Field Camera 3. A refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor will replace one unit of three now onboard. Mission specialists will also install new gyroscopes, batteries and thermal blankets on the telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Jeff Huet, with United Space Alliance, is conducting electromagnetic interference and ground resistance testing on wiring in the aft engine compartment on Space Shuttle Discovery using various test equipment, such as current probes, amp meters, digital volt meters, breakout boxes, Nicollet recorders, oscilloscopes and time domain reflectometers. Other testing will evaluate wiring runs and connections for any reactions under semi-cryogenic conditions. Other testing will evaluate wiring runs and connections for any reactions under semi-cryogenic conditions, using a Nicolet data recorder. Engineering teams have been working through a troubleshooting plan to address an issue with a liquid hydrogen low-level fuel sensor circuit. The sensor circuit failed a routine prelaunch check during the countdown July 13, delaying Discoverys first launch attempt on Return to Flight mission STS-114.

MILAN ITALY 24 APRIL 2022 Car engine hydrogen system

S128-E-009966 (8 Sept. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez, STS-128 mission specialist, uses a computer on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during flight day 12 activities.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As part of pre-pack and fit check for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, STS-114 Pilot Jim Kelly looks at equipment that will be on the flight. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

Closeup view of control panel with buttons and lights

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin workers prepare the Orion crew module from Exploration Flight Test 1 for its move to the nearby Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The crew module will be delivered to the IMAX Theater where it will be prepared for display in the NASA Now exhibit. The Orion spacecraft launched atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket Dec. 5, 2014, from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft built for humans traveled 3,604 miles above Earth and splashed down about 4.5 hours later in the Pacific Ocean.

The Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module is prepared for mating with the heat shield in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on May 9, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician begins attaching the cover over the engine cutoff, or ECO, sensor system connector and wiring on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank. The feed-through connector passes the wires from the inside of the tank to the outside. Results of a tanking test on Dec. 18 pointed to an open circuit in the feed-through connector wiring, which is located at the base of the tank. The pins in the replacement connector were precisely soldered to create a connection that allows sensors inside the tank to send signals to the computers onboard Atlantis. The launch date for the shuttle's STS-122 mission has now been targeted for Feb. 7.

The X-57 operations crew at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center prepare for telemetry testing on NASAs first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell. Shown here in its first all-electric configuration, known as Mod II, X-57s series of functional tests helps engineers confirm that the vehicle will be ready for taxi and flight tests, and the telemetry testing confirms the ability of the aircraft to transmit location and test data to the ground. X-57 will help set certification standards for emerging electric aircraft markets.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance mid-body mechanic Saul Ngy performs torque checks on a wrist camera before it is installed on the orbiter boom sensor system, or OBSS, in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis is being prepared for its upcoming STS-132 mission. The 50-foot-long OBSS attaches to the end of the shuttles robotic arm and supports the cameras and laser systems used to inspect the shuttles thermal protection system while in space. Atlantis will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on STS-132. Launch is targeted for May 14.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Jim Landy, NDE specialist with United Space Alliance (USA), prepares equipment to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel using flash thermography. A relatively new procedure at KSC, thermography uses high intensity light to heat areas of the panels. The panels are then immediately scanned with an infrared camera. As the panels cool, any internal flaws are revealed. The gray carbon composite RCC panels are attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters. They have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry. The panels will be installed on the orbiter Discovery, designated for the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114.

NASA commercial crew astronaut Josh Cassada trains for docking to the International Space Station. Cassada is assigned to the second crewed flight to the International Space Station of Boeings CST-100 Starliner.

STS-134 Techs Look at Wire Connectors with Borescope

Engineers monitor data during vibration testing of a cruise motor controller for the X-57 Maxwell, NASAs first all-electric X-plane. Attached to a table at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Centers environmental lab, the cruise motor controller is exposed to specific levels of vibration, allowing NASA to examine the structural integrity of the hardware. Engineers, meanwhile, monitored data, including waveforms of electrical current, and recorded readings.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Hangar N at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, PaR Systems, Inc. development engineer Wayne Cheng operates the controller for a robotic system used in nondestructive testing. The 11-axis robotic system takes X-ray images of hardware for evaluation.NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida recently established a partnership agreement with PaR Systems, Inc. of Shoreview, Minn., for operation of the Hangar N facility and its nondestructive testing and evaluation equipment. As the spaceport transitions from a historically government-only launch facility to a multi-user spaceport for both federal and commercial customers, partnerships between the space agency and other organizations will be a key element in that effort. Hangar N is located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station adjacent to Kennedy and houses a unique inventory of test and evaluation equipment and the capability for current and future mission spaceflight support.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Shaun Daly, right, and Robert Olsen test elements of a prototype of the StangSat at Kennedy Space Center before final assembly. The satellite is a small cube measuring 10 inches on all sides and will be launched on a rocket that will carry it on a suborbital mission in Mojave, Calif.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the hypergolic maintenance facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician adjusts equipment during testing of the Ares I-X Roll Control System, or RoCS. The RoCS Servicing Simulation Test is to gather data that will be used to help certify the ground support equipment design and validate the servicing requirements and processes. The RoCS is part of the Interstage structure, the lowest axial segment of the Upper Stage Simulator. In an effort to reduce costs and meet the schedule, most of the ground support equipment that will be used for the RoCS servicing is of space shuttle heritage. This high-fidelity servicing simulation will provide confidence that servicing requirements can be met with the heritage system. At the same time, the test will gather process data that will be used to modify or refine the equipment and processes to be used for the actual flight element.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician discusses the shuttle's braking system to the STS-133 crew members. Pictured are Commander Steve Lindsey (left), Mission Specialist Michael Barratt, Nicole Stott; Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialist Tim Kopra. The astronauts are at Kennedy for the Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT, which provides the crew with hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware for their mission to the International Space Station. Launch of the STS-133 mission on space shuttle Discovery is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4 33 p.m. EDT.

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Haunanionapua Wright, a heating ventilation and air conditioning airman from the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, hangs a mount for a mini-split air conditioner in the Hot Grab, July 29, 2022. The bracket was hung at a slight angle to ensure the condensation from the air conditioner runs in the desired direction.

JSC2007-E-41535 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock, STS-120 mission specialist, uses virtual reality hardware in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center to rehearse some of his duties on the upcoming mission to the International Space Station. This type of virtual reality training allows the astronauts to wear special gloves and other gear while looking at computer displays simulating actual movements around the various locations on the station hardware with which they will be working.

NASA mission controllers, engineers, pilots and communications specialists in the mission control room monitor the supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The flight operations crew tracks the status of the flights, maintains communications with the aircraft, communicates with U.S. Coast Guard, and coordinates community feedback data.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance aerospace technician Chris Peluso installs a heat shield carrier panel on the space shuttle Endeavour.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

MOLLY GINTER TESTS AVIONICS SYSTEMS IN THE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND TEST FACILITY (SITF)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians reinstall the lockers in the middeck of space shuttle Discovery.The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery, which is being prepared for display at Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Discovery is scheduled to be transported atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modified 747 jet to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17 and then be transported to the Smithsonian on April 19.

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

COMBUSTION MODULE 1 FLIGHT HARDWARE

X-33 (Leeward) Aeroshell flight test instrumentation bond verification procedure (shop) with Richard Piquette

STS-134 Techs Look at Wire Connectors with Borescope

ISS029-E-007212 (21 Sept. 2011) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, Expedition 29 flight engineer, installs a new T61p laptop to replace the previous A31p as OCA Router in the Joint Station LAN/Local Area Network (JSL LAN). The laptop is located in the hatch area of the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

Chemical Engineer David Rinderknecht prepares the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR) for thermal testing Jan. 26, 2021, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests are in preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year facilitated by NASAs Flight Opportunities program. The testing ensures the thermal environment of the payload wont create additional hazards during flight and that OSCAR can successfully operate within the temperature range it may encounter as it performs tests in microgravity.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - United Space Alliance technicians remove and replace all the hub tiles on space shuttle Discovery before its STS-119 mission targeted for Feb. 12. Hub tiles, heat protection tiles, are difficult to install because of their location on the inboard side of the inboard elevons. On the STS-119 mission, Discovery will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory.

NASA research engineer Jonathan Lopez works on preparing a Compact Fiber Optic Sensing System unit, also known as a FOSS Rocket Box, which was developed at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. The unit is a new variant of aircraft technology that researchers have advanced to withstand the harsh environments of a rocket launch and space travel.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - United Space Alliance technicians remove and replace all the hub tiles on space shuttle Discovery before its STS-119 mission targeted for Feb. 12. Hub tiles, heat protection tiles, are difficult to install because of their location on the inboard side of the inboard elevons. On the STS-119 mission, Discovery will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the back transfer aisle of the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, Todd Dugan, a technician with United Space Alliance, prepares the Thermal Protection System (TPS) blanket to be installed around the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS). The installation concludes TPS closeout prior to installation of the boom in the orbiter Discovery. The OBSS is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight, equipping the Shuttle with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttles Thermal Protection System while in space. Discovery is designated as the Return to Flight vehicle for mission STS-114, with a launch window of May 12 to June 3, 2005.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-121 Mission Specialists Stephanie D. Wilson (left) and Piers J. Sellers receive a briefing and up-close look at the wing leading edge of Space Shuttle Atlantis, the orbiter that will take them into space. The leading edge of each of the orbiters wings has 22 Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panels, made entirely of carbon composite material. The molded components are approximately 0.25-inch to 0.5-inch thick. The astronauts of the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, are at Kennedy Space Center to participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT). During CEIT, the crew has an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the orbiter and equipment they will be working with on their mission. Mission STS-121 is scheduled to launch in July.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Andrew Nick of Kennedy Space Center's Swamp Works shows off RASSOR, a robotic miner, at the Robot Rocket Rally. The three-day event at Florida's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is highlighted by exhibits, games and demonstrations of a variety of robots, with exhibitors ranging from school robotics clubs to veteran NASA scientists and engineers.

A cruise motor controller for the X-57 Maxwell, NASAs first all-electric X-plane, undergoes vibration testing at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Centers environmental lab. The cruise motor controller is exposed to two levels of vibration on three different axes, helping NASA to examine the integrity of the controller for flight conditions. The cruise motor controller will be a critical component for providing power to X-57s motors when the aircraft takes to the skies in 2020.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-116 crew members get a close look at the underside of the orbiter Discovery. The astronauts are, from left, Commander Mark Polansky, Mission Specialists Joan Higginbotham and Nicholas Patrick, Pilot William Oefelein, and Mission Specialists Christer Fugelsang, who represents the European Space Agency, and Sunita Williams. The crew is at KSC for a Crew Equipment Interface Test. Mission crews make frequent trips to the Kennedy Space Center to become familiar with the equipment and payloads they will be using. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the media receive an on activities in NASAs Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program, Space Launch System and Orion crew module for Exploration Test Flight 1. Speaking to the media is Jeremy Parsons, chief of the GSDO Operations Integration Office at Kennedy.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orions first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-114 Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi (left) and Stephen Robinson (right) practice with a three-dimensional camera that will be used on future missions. Noguchi is with the Japanese Space Agency. They and other crew members are at KSC for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. During CEIT, the crew has an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the payloads with which theyll be working on orbit. The Return to Flight mission STS-114 will carry a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies for the International Space Station. Launch of STS-114 has a launch window of May 12 to June 3.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers begin to install a new ground umbilical carrier plate (GUCP) on space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank. A hydrogen gas leak at that location during tanking for Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station caused the launch attempt to be scrubbed Nov. 5. The GUCP is the overboard vent to the pad and the flame stack where the excess hydrogen is burned off.

Communications engineer examining LNA pickup for satellite antenna

Vintage Photograph. Exploring the legacy of mainframe computers and magnetic tape storage.

of 2