NASA Vehicle Assembly Processes

Images of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, showcasing rocket assembly, cranes, and preparation for space missions.

Inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 17, 2020, the left and right booster segments for the Space Launch System are being prepared for their move to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher inside the VAB over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

Inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 17, 2020, the left and right booster segments for the Space Launch System are being prepared for their move to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher inside the VAB over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a view from above shows a crane being used to lower the 175-ton crane. The crane is being lowered from Level 16 down to the transfer aisle floor to perform upgrades to its 45-year-old controls in order to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB. The crane will be upgraded so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, external fuel tank, ET-122, for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission, is ready to be lifted from its test cell. When lowered in place, the tank will be attached to the solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3 and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for April 19.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the STS-120 solid rocket booster left aft booster and left aft center segments are being stacked on the mobile launcher platform. STS-120 will be the 23rd flight to the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Discovery will carry the U.S. Node 2. Launch is targeted for Oct. 20. NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is being used to lower the 175-ton crane from Level 16 down to the transfer aisle floor. Upgrades to the crane's 45-year-old controls will be performed in order to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB. The crane will be upgraded so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3, the Ares I-X "super stack 1" is being attached to the forward motor segment. Super stack 1 comprises the frustum, forward skirt, forward skirt extension, interstages 1 and 2 and the fifth segment simulator. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending forma NASA Headquarters approval.

The first of three aeroshells for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) is lowered onto wooden blocks in High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on June 19, 2018. The aeroshell was shipped from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island. The aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, 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 in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed f

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage pathfinder is suspended by two cranes in the horizontal position above the transfer aisle on Oct. 15, 2019. The pathfinder will be lifted into the vertical position and lifted up and into High Bay 3. The 212-foot-long core stage pathfinder arrived on NASA's Pegasus Barge at Kennedys Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on Sept. 27, 2019. The Pegasus Barge made its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The pathfinder is being used by Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy through at least the month of October before trekking back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the external fuel tank, ET-122, for space shuttle Endeavour's final mission soon will be joined to twin solid rocket boosters on a mobile launcher platform. Endeavour will then be stacked with the tank and boosters for its upcoming STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3 and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) to the orbiting laboratory. Launch is targeted for April 19.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction workers are hanging protective cloths around a work level near High Bay 3. Modifications are underway in the VAB to prepare High Bay 3 for a new platform system.The modifications are part of a centerwide refurbishment initiative under the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. High bay 3 is being refurbished to accommodate NASAs Space Launch System and a variety of other spacecraft.

A heavy-lift crane lowers the second half of the D-level work platforms, D north, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into position for installation in High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be installed on the north side of the high bay. The D platforms are the seventh of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs journey to Mars.

NASA's mobile launcher is in view inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Sept. 11, 2018. Several of the new work platforms that will surround the mobile launcher during stacking and processing operations are in view. The mobile launcher will spend seven months in the VAB undergoing testing. The 380-foot-tall structure is equipped with the crew access arm and several umbilicals that will provide power, environmental control, pneumatics, communication and electrical connections to the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Exploration Ground Systems is preparing the ground systems necessary to launch SLS and Orion on Exploration Mission-1, missions to the Moon and on to Mars.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana accompanies NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, on a tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Aug. 28, 2020. In this photo, they are viewing one of the levels of new service platforms in High Bay 3. The VAB is critical to the assembly of the Space Launch System rocket for NASAs Artemis program. The Office of Management and Budget is working with the U.S. Congress to line up the necessary resources to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A crane begins to lift the final work platform, A north, in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of High Bay 3. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB, including installation of the new work platforms.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 175-ton crane has been turned as it is lowered by crane from Level 16 down to the transfer aisle floor. Upgrades to the crane's 45-year-old controls will be performed in order to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB. The crane will be upgraded so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A view looking up from the ground level inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. High above is the 175-ton crane. Modifications are underway inside the VAB to prepare High Bay 3 for a new platform system. The modifications are part of a centerwide refurbishment initiative under the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. High bay 3 is being refurbished to accommodate NASAs Space Launch System and a variety of other spacecraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two of the Ares I-X upper stage simulator segments are offloaded from its transporter and placed on the floor. The segments arrived Nov. 4 at Port Canaveral, Fla., aboard the Delta Mariner. The upper stage simulators will be used in the test flight identified as Ares I-X in 2009. The Ares I-X test flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I crew launch vehicle. It also will allow NASA to gather critical data during ascent of the integrated Orion crew exploration vehicle and the Ares I rocket. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling to orbit. The simulator segments will simulate the mass and the outer mold line and will be more than 100 feet of the total vehicle height of 327 feet. The simulator comprises 11 se

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance workers perform their individual tasks in attaching a lifting device to the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo and an ammonia tank assembly in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery landed on Runway 33 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at 9 08 a.m. EDT April 20 after 15 days in space, completing the more than 6.2-million-mile STS-131 mission on orbit 238. The seven-member STS-131 crew carried the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that were transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. Leonardo now will be modified into a permanent multi-purpose module, or PMM, and left aboard the station on space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission, targeted for launch Sept. 16.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers secure scaffolding around the external tank to prepare it for repairs. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117.

Interior view of Launch Pad 39A

A92671 NRDS BUILDINGS & EQUIPMENT DON COLLINS (Project Engineer) MAR 17 92 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 3/17/1992 BUILDINGS; BUILDINGS & EQUIPMENT; EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; EQUIPMENT (SNL); INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; LANL; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NRDS; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR ROCKET DEVELOPMENT STA; NUCLEAR TESTING; SANDIA EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES; TEST SITES; TOWERS; UGT; UNDERGROUND TESTING; NRDS-BUILDINGS & EQUIPMENT historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin to detach the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, or OBSS, from the payload bay of space shuttle Endeavour. The OBSS will be transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building for refurbishment. After refurbishment, the boom will be reinstalled in Endeavour for use during the STS-134 mission, currently targeted for launch in July.

A drop test of the Tail Service Mast Umbilicals (TSMU) for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is underway on the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 19, 2019. The 35-foot-tall TSMUs will connect to the SLS core stage aft section and provide liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fluid lines and electrical cable connections to the core stage engine section to support propellant handling during prelaunch operations. The drop test is being performed to ensure that the umbilicals will disconnect before launch of the SLS carrying Orion on its first uncrewed mission, Artemis 1, from Launch Complex 39B. Exploration Ground Systems and Engineering are completing the tests.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Two NASA railroad locomotives at Kennedy Space Center in Florida move into Launch Complex 39 area's Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF. The operation was to allow wheel and axle assemblies to be swapped between locomotives.The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environme

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins to wrap up in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians modified 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. They also were re-applying foam to the modified areas of the tank. Attached to its fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A atop a giant crawler-transporter on Jan. 31.Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24.

Interior View of Orbiter Processing Facility 3

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, several of the sprocket shaft assemblies have been removed from the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. Preparations are underway to remove the remaining sprocket. The sprocket assemblies will be placed into shipping cradles on pallets and positioned on a flatbed trailer. They will be sent to a vendor for inspections and refurbishment.Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agencys Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B.

COLD FLOW - Liquid oxygen runs through the piping on Stennis Space Center's A-1 Test Stand on Dec. 18 to test the ability of the J-2X engine's Powerpack 1A to withstand the temperature change and pressure. Just visible above and to the right of the test article's nozzle is a frosty pipe, indicating the supercold fuel is flowing as it should.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane lifts a new engine and generator high overhead for installation on crawler-transporter 2 CT-2). The Apollo era diesel engines were removed last month. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASAs Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction workers begin to remove the large space shuttle-era Level E north work platform from high bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. The platform will be moved to the VAB north parking area for temporary storage.The work is part of a center-wide refurbishment initiative under the Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program. High bay 3 is being refurbished to accommodate NASAs Space Launch System and a variety of other spacecraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A large yellow, metal sling lifts shuttle Endeavour from the transfer aisle into a high bay of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the bay, the shuttle will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Endeavour is targeted to roll out to Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A for its final mission, STS-134, on March 9. Endeavour and the six-member crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. Endeavour's final launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

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A heavy-lift crane lifts the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs Journey to Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --- In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers secure equipment inside space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The launch of Discovery on its STS-124 mission is targeted for April 24. On the mission, Discovery will transport the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the stacking of the Ares I-X segments is under way. Seen here are the aft center and the aft skirt segments. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system . The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 30.

A heavy-lift crane lowers the first half of the D-level work platforms, D south, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view below are the six levels of previously installed platforms. The D platform will be installed on the south side of the high bay. The D platforms are the seventh of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs journey to Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Workers unload a container holding the back shell, one of the first three elements for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) that arrived at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo plane. The cruise stage, back shell and heat shield, the first flight elements to arrive for the MSL mission, were taken to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) located in the KSC Industrial Area to begin processing. The Curiosity rover will arrive next month. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air F

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A panoramic view of Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, showing the nose section of space shuttle Endeavour peaking through the scaffolding.As the final planned mission of the Space Shuttle Program, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, as well as critical spare components to the station on the STS-134 mission targeted for launch Feb. 26, 2011.

DN-SC-88-09186. Base: Sturgeon Bay State: Wisconsin (WI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As part of NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large space shuttle-era work platform is being removed from high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. The work is part of a center-wide modernization and refurbishment initiative to accommodate NASAs Space Launch System and a variety of other spacecraft instead of the whole building supporting one design.The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is developing the necessary ground systems, infrastructure and operational approaches required to safely process, assemble, transport and launch the next generation of rockets and spacecraft in support of NASAs exploration objectives. Future work also will replace the antiquated communications, power and vehicle access resources with modern efficient systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB opened in 1965.

England, Cornwall, Geevor Tin Mine, The Mill, Shaking Tables

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician attaches a crane to a heat shield that will be installed, along with an eyelid, on one of shuttle Discoverys three replica shuttle main engines.The heat shields are composed of two, semi-circle-shaped sections of thermal protection system tiles that surround the engines. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --- Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the external tank for space shuttle Discovery has been lowered into a checkout cell for processing. It is surrounded by platforms for servicing. The tank will be stacked with solid rocket boosters for Discovery's launch on the STS-124 mission. On the mission, the shuttle will transport the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is targeted for May 25.

A heavy-lift crane lifts the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be installed on the north side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs Journey to Mars.

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theatrical technician, rigger, backstage in Deutsche Oper Berlin

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis is pushed away from the work platforms in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 on its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Atlantis will be stored temporarily in the VAB while transition and retirement processing resumes on shuttle Endeavour in the processing hangar. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis' future home -- a 65,000-square-foot exhibit in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. For additional information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

A860694 GENERAL TEST F&S OPERATIONS DOUGLAS MAY 13 86 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 5/13/1986 EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; F&S; F&S OPERATIONS; HANGARS; MOVABLE STAIRS; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; STAIRS; STORAGE; STORAGE BUILDING; STORAGE CHESTS; STORAGE FACILITIES; STORAGE FURNITURE; TEST SITES; TRACKS; UGT; UNDERGROUND TESTING; GENERAL TEST historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is lowered toward crawler-transporter 2 CT-2) so that the Apollo era diesel engine can be removed. New engines will be installed later this month.Work is in progress in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2 so that it can carry NASAs Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years.

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Magnet lifting metal at steel mill

Interior View of Orbiter Processing Facility 3

Photo from Norrköping. >>

A88528 THRUSTED NOVA PROGRAM PLANNING SHOTS MCDANIEL (PROJECT ENGINEER) MAY 2 88 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 5/2/1988 EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NOVA PROGRAM; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; PLANNING SHOTS; TEST SITES; THRUSTED NOVA PROGRAM; UGT; UNDERGROUND TESTING; WIRE & CABLES historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

Saint Jean Baptiste church. Renovation work on the altarpiece. Megeve.France.

Stage of La Scala Theater after restoration in 2004, by Botta Mario, Malgrande Franco, 2004, 21st Century, . Italy: Lombardy: Milan: Teatro alla Scala. Scala Theater view stage floor machinery

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Payload Changeout Room, Launch Pad 39A, workers raise a platform toward the forward cargo bay area of Space Shuttle Endeavour to search for an oxygen leak. The launch of Endeavour on mission STS-113 was postponed Nov. 10, following the completion of tanking operations, due to higher than allowable oxygen levels in the orbiter's midbody. Workers will investigate the exact location and possible cause of the leak, and effect repairs. Launch has been tentatively set for no earlier than Nov. 18, between 7 and 11 p.m. EST.

Work is underway to secure the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being secured into position on tower E, about 86 feet above the floor. The K work platforms will provide access to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane is used to lift a new Cummins engine and generator for installation inside crawler-transporter 1 CT-1. The Apollo era diesel engines were removed so that the new engine can be installed. Work continues in high bay 3 to upgrade CT-1 as part of its general maintenance and could be available to carry commercial launch vehicles to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years.

Dismantling work on the atomic energy reactor at Muelheim-Kaerlich, a worker taking radiation measurements above the cooling chamber, Muelheim-Kaerlich, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Europe

Worker operating machinery in factory

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A NASA railroad locomotive at Kennedy Space Center in Florida moves into Launch Complex 39 area's Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF. The operation was to allow wheel and axle assemblies to be swapped between two locomotives.The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environ

Retro telephone exchange. Photo of retro automatic telephone exchange

Interior View of Orbiter Processing Facility 3

High up in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, for installation in High Bay 3. The B platform will be installed on the north side of high bay. In view below are several levels of previously installed platforms. The B platforms are the ninth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs Journey to Mars.

In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the left-hand and right-hand forward segments are secured on top of the center forward segments on the mobile launcher (ML) for the Space Launch System (SLS) on Feb. 24, 2021. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams are stacking the twin five-segment boosters on the ML over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of cre

Europe, Netherlands, Zaandam, Zaanse Schans, Zaanse Museum, The Chocolate Factory Museum

Turbines in Murray 1 power station. Murray 1 is the 2nd largest power station in the Snowy mountains hydro scheme. It has 10, 95 megawatt turbine generators. Each turbine can gener

A881326 U12N MISTY ECHO FAST ALCOVE BUTTONUP DONOHOE (PROJECT ENGINEER) DEC 6 88 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 12/6/1988 EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; FAST ALCOVE BUTTONUP; INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; MISTY ECHO; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; TEST SITES; UGT; UNDERGROUND TESTING; WIRE & CABLES; U12N MISTY ECHO FAST ALCOVE historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The swing structure in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 begins to move from around the aft of space shuttle Atlantis so the orbital maneuvering system pod can be placed on the shuttle. The shuttle is being prepared for public display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, a Centaur second stage is positioned atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will be used to boost the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft to orbit.TDRS-L is the second of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay service to missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station.

In this view from above, preparations are underway to lift the final work platform, A north, up from the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of High Bay 3. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB, including installation of the new work platforms

An overall view of the pilot house aboard the mine countermeasures ship SCOUT (MCM-8). The ship is currently under construction. Base: Sturgeon Bay State: Wisconsin (WI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

High up in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, for installation in High Bay 3. The B platform will be installed on the north side of high bay. In view below are eight levels of previously installed platforms. The B platforms are the ninth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs Journey to Mars.

The Orion Lockheed Martin team continues fabricating and assembling composite structures for the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion service module and launch abort system at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Feb. 5, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility move the engine section of NASAs Space Launch System rocket for Artemis IV from the Vertical Assembly Building to Cell G for weld priming. This hardware is the first large piece manufactured for the Artemis IV 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 explor

Construction work on the mining hunter Alkmaar (1983-2000) at Van der Giessen De Noord in Alblasserdam.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the nose landing gear on Space Shuttle Atlantis is retracted under the supervision of United Space Alliance technicians Terry Williams (left) and Ron Delaney. Compression measurements are being taken of the newly installed nose landing gear thermal barrier seal with the gear in position in its wheel well and the landing gear doors closed. Atlantis is being processed for launch on the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, which is scheduled to fly in July.

Pendennis Shipyard, Falmouth TR11 4NR, United Kingdom. Architect: na, 2014. Overall interior view from above.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank continues in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians are modifying 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. After modifications to the stringers are complete, foam insulation will be re-applied to the tank. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane carries an orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod that will be installed on space shuttle Discovery.The OMS pod was returned from White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where it underwent a complete deservicing and cleaning. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of space shuttle Discovery. The shuttle will go to the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., in April 2012.

USA, Colorado, Hoover Dam generator hall showing seven generator sets

View across exhibition and boatbuilding area. Boathouse 4, Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Architect: Walters and Cohen Ltd, 2015.

Engineers and technicians completed verification and validation testing of several pneumatic systems inside and outside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view is the top level of the service platform for Orion spacecraft processing. The MPPF will be used for offline processing and fueling of the Orion spacecraft and service module stack before launch. Orion also will be de-serviced in the MPPF after a mission. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) is overseeing upgrades to the facility. The Engineering Directorate led the recent pneumatic tests.

High up in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the final work platform, A north, for installation in High Bay 3. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of the high bay. In view on the platform are the American flag and a small tree. In view below are the nine previously installed platforms. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is over

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a lifting device is moved into position over space shuttle Discovery's payload bay for the removal of the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo and an ammonia tank assembly. Discovery landed on Runway 33 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at 9 08 a.m. EDT April 20 after 15 days in space, completing the more than 6.2-million-mile STS-131 mission on orbit 238. The seven-member STS-131 crew carried the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that were transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. Leonardo now will be modified into a permanent multi-purpose module, or PMM, and left aboard the station on space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission, targeted for launch Sept. 16.

Restoration shop lift servicing maintenence

Inner workings of a glass elevator; Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

A view of the deck area, including the pilot house, of the Avenger class mine countermeasures ship DEVASTATOR (MCM-6) during construction at the Peterson Builders, Inc. shipyard. Base: Sturgeon Bay State: Wisconsin (WI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Tata Corporate Complex In Construction-Overall View With Workers, Mumbai, , Architect Unknown

Rich Colliery

Inside of a engine bay Su-24 Inside of a engine bay Su-24 Copyright: xZoonar.com/AlexxTihonovx 7616331

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As part of NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large space shuttle-era work platform is being removed from high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. The work is part of a center-wide modernization and refurbishment initiative to accommodate NASAs Space Launch System and a variety of other spacecraft instead of the whole building supporting one design.The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is developing the necessary ground systems, infrastructure and operational approaches required to safely process, assemble, transport and launch the next generation of rockets and spacecraft in support of NASAs exploration objectives. Future work also will replace the antiquated communications, power and vehicle access resources with modern efficient systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB opened in 1965.

The Orion Lockheed Martin team continues fabricating and assembling composite structures for the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion service module and launch abort system at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Feb. 5, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL), Navistar and the Department of Energy conduct tests in the NASA Ames National Full-scale Aerodynamic Complex 80x120_foot wind tunnel. The LLNL project is aimed at aerodynamic truck and trailer devices that can reduce fuel consumption at highway speed by 10 percent. Trailer being lifted into the tunnel.

The Last Rays Of The Sun Illuminate Part Of The Mechanical Structure Of Moon Unit Telescope 2, Belonging To The Very Large Telescope (Vlt) Operated By...

A view looking up at one side of the 10 levels of work platforms in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The work platforms will surround and provide access for service and processing of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Exploration Ground Systems oversaw the upgrades and installation of the new work platforms to support the launch of the SLS and Orion on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

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