Payload Preparations

Scenes from NASA's Kennedy Space Center showing the loading and preparation of payloads for space missions, emphasizing advanced technology.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Discovery's payload bay doors are closed for launch. Inside are the payloads, the U.S. Node 2, named Harmony and orbital docking system. Mission STS-120 will bring the Harmony module that will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery is targeted for Oct. 23.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The U.S. Laboratory Destiny rests once again in Atlantiss payload bay, at Launch Pad 39A. Closing of the payload bay doors is imminent. Destiny, a key element in the construction of the International Space Station, is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. This research and command-and-control center is the most sophisticated and versatile space laboratory ever built. It will ultimately house a total of 23 experiment racks for crew support and scientific research. Destiny will be launched Feb. 7 on STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the ISS

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Discovery's payload bay doors are closed for launch. Inside are the payloads, the U.S. Node 2, named Harmony and orbital docking system. Mission STS-120 will bring the Harmony module that will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery is targeted for Oct. 23.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From inside the payload changeout room on the rotating service structure on Launch Pad 39B, the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo is being moved into Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The payload ground-handling mechanism (PGHM) is used to transfer the module into the payload bay. Leonardo is a reusable logistics carrier. It is the primary delivery system used to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo is part of the payload on mission STS-121. Other payloads include the integrated cargo carrier with the mobile transporter reel assembly and a spare pump module, and the lightweight multi-purpose experiment support structure carrier. Discovery is scheduled to launch in a window extending from July 1 through July 19.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Discovery's payload bay doors are closed around the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony. The name was chosen from an academic competition involving more than 2,200 U. S. students in kindergarten through high school. The module will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Discovery on the 14-day STS-120 mission. An orbiter's payload bay door closure at the pad is a milestone signaling that the launch date is near. Discovery's launch is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT.

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

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - Half of the payload fairing that will protect NASA's IRIS spacecraft during launch aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket as it is readied for launch. NASAs Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, satellite will improve our understanding of how heat and energy move through the deepest levels of the suns atmosphere, thereby increasing our ability to forecast space weather. On launch day, deployment of the Pegasus from Orbitals L-1011 carrier aircraft will occur at a location over the Pacific Ocean about 100 miles northwest of Vandenberg off the central coast of California south of Big Sur.

STS-130 ENDEAVOUR PAYLOAD BAY DOOR CLOSURE

STS-335 Atlantis Payload Bay Door Closure for Holiday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin to install a resupply rack into the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM. The Leonardo multi-purpose logistics module, or MPLM, is being modified to become the PMM that will carry supplies and critical spare parts to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discoverys STS-133 mission. Discovery, targeted to launch Nov. 1, will leave the module behind so it can be used for microgravity experiments in fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers secure the top of the payload fairing into place around NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. The launch date is targeted no earlier than June 3.

STS-131 LMC Support Structure Carrier Lift & Installation in Canister

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians reinstall the left orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod on space shuttle Atlantis.The orbital maneuvering system provided the shuttle with thrust for orbit insertion, rendezvous and deorbit, and could provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system. The OMS is housed in two independent pods located on each side of the shuttle's aft fuselage. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers. Atlantis OMS pods were removed and sent to White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico to be cleaned of residual toxic propellant. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis' future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaz

An Integrated Equipment Assembly (IEA) is lifted from a rotation stand in the Space Station Processing Facility at KSC to be placed on a work stand. The IEA, a large truss segment of the International Space Station (ISS), is one of four power modules to be used on the International Space Station. The modules contain batteries for the ISS solar panels and power for the life support systems and experiments that will be conducted. This first IEA will fly on the Space Shuttle Endeavour as part of STS-97, scheduled to launch August 5, 1999

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Boeing workers move the second section of the fairing around the Swift spacecraft inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The fairing is being installed around the payload for protection during launch and ascent. A Boeing Delta II rocket is the launch vehicle for the Swift spacecraft and its Gamma-Ray Burst Mission. Swift is a first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst science. Its three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands. Swift is scheduled to launch Nov. 17 at 12 09 p.m. EST.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-119 crew members get a close look at the cargo installed in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. On the left is Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata. The cargo consists of the integrated truss structure S6 and solar arrays. The astronauts are at Kennedy to prepare for launch through Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT includes equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Discovery is targeted to launch on the STS-119 mission Feb. 12. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and solar arrays to the starboard side of the International Space Station, completing the station's truss, or backbone.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 39B, one of Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay doors is being closed. Inside the payload bay can be seen the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, at bottom, and the integrated cargo carrier above it. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-121 at 3:49 p.m. July 1 carrying a crew of seven on the 12-day mission to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the external fuel tank for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission is lowered between the solid rocket boosters installed on the mobile launcher platform in high bay 3. The tank and boosters will be attached for launch. Atlantis' STS-125 mission is the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for May 12.

STS-131 PAYLOAD CANISTER ROTATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians on work platforms monitor the progress as a crane brings the third of four Ogive panels closer for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November.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 flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch in December 2014 atop a United L

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The forward end of the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket as the stage sits on processing stands inside the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaecX) hangar at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Technicians are preparing the rocket for the second launch in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program to demonstrate private companies' ability to launch uncrewed spacecraft into orbit. A follow-on contract, Commercial Resupply Services, calls for SpaceX to launch 12 resupply missions to the International Space Station between 2011 and 2015.

Packaged in a protective container, the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft is lifted for mating atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff is scheduled to take place from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 2.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers help guide the second section of the payload fairing into place around NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST. The first half is seen at left. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. The launch date is targeted no earlier than June 3.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers keep watch as the P5 truss for mission STS-116 moves toward the payload canister (background left). The truss will be transported to Launch Pad 39B where it will wait for installation in Space Shuttle Discoverys payload bay. The third port truss segment, the P5 will be attached to the P3/P4 truss on the International Space Station during the 11-day mission. The window for launch of mission STS-116 opens Dec. 7.

Engineers perform mass properties testing on the rocket-powered descent stage of NASAs Mars Perseverance rover at Kennedy Space Center on April 9, 2020. The testing to determine the center of gravity, or the point at which weight is evenly dispersed on all sides, was performed inside the Florida spaceports Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The descent stage will lower the rover through the thin Martian atmosphere and onto the surface on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, is targeted between July 17 and Aug. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch. The rover will seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for possible return to Earth.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, or PHSF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier toward a stand. The carrier contains hardware for the STS-125 Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission that has been returned to the PHSF to await a new launch date for the mission. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Atlantis hatch closure is in the open position in preparation for the Mylar Pull Test. During the test, the hatch is closed and a scale is used to measure the force required to pull a piece of Mylar paper out from between the door and structural wall thermal barriers. The pull test is performed to ensure the integrity of the hatch and that it has closed properly. Atlantis is being processed for the STS-132 mission targeted for launch May 14. The six-member crew will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and a Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, there is an unobstructed line of sight from inside space shuttle Endeavours middeck to its payload bay following the removal of the airlock, which was the connecting point between the shuttle and the International Space Station.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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the payload changeout room (PCR) on Launch Pad 39A, the doors of the canister are opened to reveal the S3/S4 integrated truss inside. The PCR is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into the orbiter payload bay. The truss is the payload for Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 to the International Space Station. The Atlantis crew will install the new truss segment, retract a set of solar arrays and unfold a new set on the starboard side of the station. Launch is targeted for March 15.

SIX OF THE EIGHTEEN JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRROR SEGMENTS ARE BEING PREPPED TO MOVE INTO THE X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY FOR TESTING.

The last major assembly operation to prepare Orion for Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) is completed in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 11, 2014. The ogive panels, which protect the crew module from sound and vibration during ascent, were installed around the spacecraft just below the launch abort system tower. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden looks at the space shuttle Atlantis atop of the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) just prior to rollout of Atlantis (STS-135) from High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39a for its final flight, Tuesday evening, May 31, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The 3.4-mile trek, known as "rollout," will take about seven hours to complete. Atlantis will carry the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. The launch of STS-135 is targeted for July 8.

The James Webb Space Telescope's ISIM structure recently endured a "gravity sag test" as it was rotated in what looked like giant cube in a NASA clean room. The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) that will fly on the Webb telescope was rotated upside down inside a cube-like structure in the cleanroom at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The purpose of "cubing" the ISIM was to test it for "gravity sag," which is to see how much the structure changes under its own weight due to gravity. The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) is one of three major elements that comprise the Webb Observatory flight system. The others are the Optical Telescope Element (OTE) and the Spacecraft Element (Spacecraft Bus and Sunshield). Read more a href= http //1.usa.gov/1ze7u2l rel= nofollow 1.usa.gov/1ze7u2l /a

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At the Astrotech processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a crane prepares to lift NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, from its test stand to determine its exact weight.The satellite will survey the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, creating a cosmic clearinghouse of hundreds of millions of objects which will be catalogued and provide a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. Launch is scheduled for Dec. 7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Canister Rotation Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the vertical Payload Canister is ready for transport to Launch Pad 39B. The canister will be transported to Launch Pad 39B. The payloads inside, including the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and External Stowage Platform-2, will be moved into the Payload Changeout Room in the Rotating Service Structure and then installed in Discoverys payload bay. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch on Return to Flight mission STS-114 to the International Space Station. The launch window extends from May 22 to June 3.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers inside the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo oversee installation of a laboratory rack. The MPLM is the first of three such pressurized modules that will serve as the International Space Stations “moving vans,” carrying laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies to and from the Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle. Leonardo will be launched March 1, 2001, on Shuttle mission STS-102 On that flight, Leonardo will be filled with equipment and supplies to outfit the U.S. laboratory module, being carried to the ISS on the Jan. 19, 2001, launch of STS-98

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane is used to remove shuttle Endeavours left-hand orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod. The work is part of Endeavours transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122, 883, 151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavours STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The next element to be added to the International Space Station, the Port 3/4 truss segment is being moved to a payload canister for installation in the orbiter Atlantis. The cylinders shown are the mast canisters for the solar arrays. The truss is slated for launch on mission STS-115 no earlier than Aug. 28. The truss is the next major addition to the 11-segment integrated truss structure that will eventually span more than 300 feet on the station. The P3/P4 truss, with its two large solar arrays, will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation capability of the completed station. The P3/P4 truss is expected to be loaded into Atlantis's cargo bay around the beginning of August.

STS-132 ICC TO CANISTER

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Suspended from an overhead crane, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello is ready to be lowered into the payload canister. Raffaello is filled with supplies and equipment for mission STS-108 to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for Nov. 29 aboard Shuttle Endeavour. The 11-day mission to the International Space Station will also carry the replacement Expedition 4 crew.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., the first half of the fairing (left) is removed from around the GOES-N spacecraft. Workers are using the stand to detach the fairing from around the spacecraft. Workers will use the stand to begin detaching the fairing from around the spacecraft. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. Removing the fairing will allow workers access to the spacecraft. GOES-N was demated from its Boeing Delta IV launch vehicle when the launch was postponed in August 2005 due to technical issues. Due to the extended length of time the spacecraft had been atop the Delta IV rocket without launching, the weather satellite was returned to Astrotech for some precautionary retesting and state of health checks. GOES-N is the latest in a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites for NO

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, STS-125 crew members take a final close look at the hardware for the Hubble servicing mission before the targeted May 11 launch. Atlantis' 11-day mission will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. The payload bay holds four carriers of equipment that include the Wide Field Camera 3, Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, the Soft Capture Mechanism and replacement gyroscopes and batteries. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System was uncrated inside the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. One of the panels has been secured on a stand at the far end of the facility. Technicians assist as a crane is attached to the second panel for lifting and moving to the storage stand. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

A solar array for the European Service Module that will serve as the powerhouse for Orion, is being prepared for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay on March 21, 2019, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion will launch atop the Space Launch System rocket from Launch Pad 39B. The spacecraft will travel thousands of miles past the Moon on an approximately three-week test flight. Orion will return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, where it will be retrieved and returned to Kennedy.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technicians secure the U.S. flag in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay during processing. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on its STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10.

In the Space Station Processing Facility, the overhead crane rolls along the ceiling with the pallet and Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, toward the payload canister, at right. The arm is 57.7 feet (17.6 meters) long when fully extended and has seven motorized joints. It is capable of handling large payloads and assisting with docking the Space Shuttle. The SSRMS is self-relocatable with a Latching End Effector, so it can be attached to complementary ports spread throughout the Stations exterior surfaces. The SSRMS is part of the payload on mission STS-100, scheduled to launch April 19 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A, KSC

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - Technicians install the second half of the payload fairing over the NuSTAR spacecraft as they continue to process the spacecraft and its Pegasus rocket for launch. NuSTAR stands for Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload bay doors of the orbiter Atlantis are being closed. The Remote Manipulator System, or Shuttle arm, is seen on the port side (top) and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) is seen on the starboard side (lower) of the payload bay. The 50-foot-long OBSS attaches to the Shuttle arm and is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight. It equips the orbiter with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttles Thermal Protection System while in space. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, targeted for launch in a window extending from Sept. 9 to Sept. 24.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 39B, technicians prepare for the closing of Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay doors for launch. Above them is the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, part of the cargo that includes the integrated cargo carrier. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-121 at 3:49 p.m. July 1 carrying a crew of seven on the 12-day mission to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the payload canister is in a vertical position for the trip to Launch Pad 39A. The canisters cargo consists of four carriers holding various equipment for the STS-125 mission aboard space shuttle Atlantis to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. At the pad, the cargo will be moved into the Payload Changeout Room. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into the shuttles payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, Endeavour's payload bay doors are open, revealing the cargo and equipment inside. At the top is the orbiter docking system; below it are the SPACEHAB module, the S5 truss and the external stowage platform 3 holding a control moment gyro at left and other supplies. The payload bay doors were opened to allow for payload closeouts, including camera tests on the shuttle robotic arm and the extension, known as the orbiter boom sensor system. Endeavour is scheduled to launch Aug. 7 on mission STS-118, the 22nd flight to the International Space Station. NASA/Charisse Nahser

The Orion ground test vehicle is prepared for the Launch Abort Vehicle Configuration Test at Lockheed Martin's facilities in Denver on Sept. 14, 2011. For this test, the vehicle was covered with fillets and ogive panels that resemble the vehicle's launch configuration. The spacecraft underwent testing at sound pressure levels that emulate those experienced at launch and in the event an abort is needed to carry the crew to safety away from a potential problem on the launch pad or during ascent. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Express Logistics Carrier-2, or ELC-2, is positioned over a transportation canister in which it will be secured for its trip to Launch Pad 39A. Once at the pad, it will be installed in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay.The carrier is part of the payload for Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. The STS-129 crew will deliver two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Launch is targeted for Nov. 16.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF), the overhead crane carries the multi-purpose logistics module Donatello toward the open doors of the payload canister at left. Donatello is being transferred to the Operations and Checkout Building to make room in the SSPF for the arrival of elements for future flights from other ISS partners.

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

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the CALIPSO spacecraft (background, left) is ready for mating with the upper Delta Payload Attach Fitting (UDPAF). Later the UDPAF will be mated with the lower Delta Payload Attach Fitting, which contains the CloudSat satellite. The PAF is the interface between the spacecraft and the second stage of the rocket. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites that will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO_CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3 01 a.m. PDT Sept. 29.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, work begins to remove space shuttle Atlantis forward reaction control system. The system provided maneuvering capabilities to the spacecraft during its missions. Atlantis glided to a landing, July 21, 2011, at Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, completing NASAs final space shuttle mission, STS-135. The shuttle is in OPF-2 being decommissioned and prepared for eventual display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In high bay 3 of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building, Discovery's external tank and solid rocket boosters are being mated with the orbiter atop the mobile launcher platform. Space Shuttle Discovery is expected to roll out to Launch Pad 39B later this week via the crawler-transporter. Launch of Discovery on mission STS-121 is scheduled to take place in a window extending July 1 to July 19.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians inspect space shuttle Endeavours wing after the payload bay doors were closed for the final time.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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A new Ku-Band communications system antenna is ready to be installed on space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The antenna is used to transmit and receive high data rate communications, such as video, and is being replaced for the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. During its STS-131 mission to the station in April, Discovery's Ku-Band failed to operate in orbit. As a result, video of the thermal protection system inspection had to be recorded aboard Discovery and transmitted to the ground after the shuttle docked with the station. Typically, the inspection video is simultaneously transmitted live to the ground and recorded aboard the shuttle for later review. NASA_Charisse Nahser

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the newly arrived ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 3, or ELC-3, is lifted high above the clean room floor.ELC-3 and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer are the primary payloads for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. The STS-134 crew will also deliver spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields. Endeavour's launch is targeted for July 29, 2010.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Node 1, the first U.S. element for the International Space Station, and Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) continue with prelaunch preparation activities at KSC's Space Station Processing Facility. Node 1 is a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the space station. The node and PMA-1 are being lowered into an element rotation stand, or test stand, where they will undergo an interim weight and center of gravity determination. The final determination is planned to be performed prior to transporting Node 1 to the launch pad. Node 1 is scheduled to fly on STS-88

The launch abort motor is integrated with the jettison motor for Orions launch abort system (LAS) for Artemis II, inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 15, 2020. The launch abort and jettison motors are two of three motors on the LAS. The LAS will be positioned atop the Orion crew module and is designed to protect astronauts if a problem arises during launch by pulling the spacecraft away from a failing rocket. Artemis II will take the first humans in orbit around the Moon in the 21st century.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Mission Specialist Michael Barratt, foreground, checks out his mission's payload while at Launch Pad 39A for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 4:40 p.m. EDT, Nov. 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to close the clamshell doors of space shuttle Discovery's payload bay in preparation for the STS-133 launch to the International Space Station.Targeted to launch Nov. 1, STS-133 will carry the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo rests inside Discoverys payload bay. Leonardo contains supplies and equipment for the International Space Station and its resident crew. Discovery is scheduled to launch Aug. 9, 2001, on mission STS-105

The Visual Motion Simulator (VMS) is a general-purpose simulator consisting of a two-person cockpit mounted on a six-degree-of-freedom synergistic motion base. The VMS provides a visual out-the-window scene with a field-of-view of 106 by 36 degrees. Motion cues are provided in the simulator by computer algorithms which command the relative extension or retraction of the six legs (hydraulic actuators) of the motion base. The visual scene is displayed by means of four display systems which are com

In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane moves the P6 integrated truss segment to a payload transport canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39B. There it will be placed in Endeavours payload bay for launch on mission STS-97. The P6 comprises Solar Array Wing-3 and the Integrated Electronic Assembly, to be installed on the International Space Station. The Stations electrical power system will use eight photovoltaic solar arrays, each 112 feet long by 39 feet wide, to convert sunlight to electricity. The solar arrays are mounted on a “blanket” that can be folded like an accordion for delivery. Once in orbit, astronauts will deploy the blankets to their full size. Gimbals will be used to rotate the arrays so that they will face the Sun to provide maximum power to the Space Station. Launch is scheduled Nov. 30 at 10:06 p.m. EST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Orion mockup spacecraft sits atop its service module simulator in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To the left is the aerodynamic shell that will cover the capsule during launch.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. The first uncrewed test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on a Space Launch System rocket. The Orion mockup is exact in details on the outside, but mostly empty on the inside except for four mockup astronaut seats and hatch. The work in the VAB is crucial to making sure the designs are accurate.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overhead crane in the Space Station Processing Facility is attached to the U.S. Node 2 to lift it out of its shipping container. The node will be moved to a workstand. The second of three connecting modules on the International Space Station, the Italian-built Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the second stage has been mated to the first stage of the Delta 2 rocket that will launch NASA's Kepler spacecraft. The Kepler mission is specifically designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. Results from this mission will allow us to place our solar system within the continuum of planetary systems in the Galaxy. NASA's planet-hunting Kepler mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 5, 2009.

From the payload changeout room on Launch Pad 39B, STS-97 Mission Specialists Joseph Tanner and Marc Garneau (pointing) look over the payload in Endeavours payload bay. At right center of the photo is the orbiter docking system (ODS). At left and below the ODS is the Canadian robotic arm that will be used during spacewalks on the mission to install solar arrays. Each more than 100 feet long, the arrays will capture energy from the sun and convert it to power for the Station. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at about 10:06 p.m. EST

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The U.S. Node 2 moves toward a workstand in the Space Station Processing Facility. The second of three connecting modules on the International Space Station, the Italian-built Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet.

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Floridas Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 4, 2022. Starliner will be secured atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for Boeings second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The spacecraft rolled out from Boeings Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center earlier in the day.

STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE-1 INSTALL TO CANISTER

General overview and detail, Close-Out, photos of the SLS Orion Stage Adapter EM-1...exterior overall views (5)

In the launch tower on Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is lifted into position for installation of the fairing. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. SIRTF is currently scheduled for launch April 18 aboard a Delta II rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The GOES-O/Delta IV second stage is being mated to the first stage in the Horizontal Integration Facility on Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GOES-O is one of a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The multi-mission GOES series N-P will be a vital contributor to weather, solar and space operations and science. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, are actively engaged in a cooperative program to expand the existing GOES system with the launch of the GOES N-P satellites. Launch of the GOES-O is targeted for no earlier than April 2009.

The Spacecraft Assembly and Rotation Fixture (SCARF) that will be used to process the Mars 2020 rover is photographed inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 22, 2019. Attached to the SCARF is an access stand that will allow personnel to reach the spacecraft when its held above ground level. The Mars 2020 rover is being manufactured at the agencys Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and, once complete, will be sent to Kennedy for assembly, prelaunch processing and checkouts. The rover is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in summer 2020 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket procured from NASAs Launch Services Program. The mission will help the agency better understand the geology of Mars, test new robotic technology and assist in determining if any form of life ever was supported on the Red Planet.

Inside the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center near Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Centaur upper stage for NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S, or GOES-S, is being prepared for transport to the Delta Operations Center for further processing. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R series - consisting of the GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U spacecraft - will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -The outside of the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, is seen before black light inspection in the clean room of the Payload Hazardous Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Black light inspection uses UVA fluorescence to detect possible particulate microcontamination, minute cracks or fluid leaks. The COS will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission. COS will be the most sensitive ultraviolet spectrograph ever flown on Hubble and will probe the "cosmic web" - the large-scale structure of the universe whose form is determined by the gravity of dark matter and is traced by galaxies and intergalactic gas. The COS far-ultraviolet channel has a sensitivity 30 times greater than that of previous spectroscopic instruments for the detection of extremely low light levels. Launch of Atlantis on the STS-125 mission is targeted for Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the Columbus Laboratory secure in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the bay doors are ready for closure. Located above the laboratory are the integrated cargo carrier - lite and the orbital docking system (at top). STS-122 is the 121st space shuttle flight, the 29th flight for Atlantis and the 24th flight to the International Space Station. The Columbus laboratory module, built by the European Space Agency, is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 2:45 p.m. Feb. 7.

Shown is an overhead view of three spacecraft adapter jettison fairing panels fitted onto Orions European Service Module (ESM) on Oct. 13, 2020, inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The panels were inspected and moved into place for installation by technicians with Lockheed Martin. Recently, teams from across the globe installed the four solar array wings, which are housed inside the protective covering of the fairings. Once secured, they will encapsulate the ESM to protect it from harsh environments such as heat, wind, and acoustics as the spacecraft is propelled out of Earths atmosphere atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket during NASAs Artemis I mission.

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

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - In Hangar 1555 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, work is under way preparing NASAs Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft and attached Pegasus XL rocket on its transporter for a trip to the runway. There, the rocket-spacecraft will be attached to the L-1011 aircraft. The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX is targeted for launch from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, on Oct. 19 aboard the Pegasus rocket dropped from under the wing of an L-1011 aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean. The Pegasus will carry the spacecraft approximately 130 miles above Earth and place it in orbit.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay door is closing. The designated shuttle for the STS-129 mission, Atlantis will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the media viewed the Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, launch abort motor inside the Launch Abort System Facility. ATKs abort motor is one of the components of Orions Launch Abort System, which will be used for Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1. The system is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASAs Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. The test flight abort motor is configured with inert propellant. 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 the SLS rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers place a crane and straps on the Ares I-X simulated launch abort system to lift and rotate it for assembly with the crew module simulator. Ares I-X is the flight test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After dark on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the hoist in the mate/demate device is lowered toward space shuttle Atlantis, secured on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA. The hoist will lift the shuttle from the SCA and place it on the ground. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers close space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay doors around the hardware for the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The hardware includes the Flight Support System with the Soft Capture mechanism and Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier with the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH; the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS; an IMAX 3D camera; and the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier with the Wide Field Camera 3. Atlantis' crew will service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time. The flight will include five spacewalks during which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014. Launch is scheduled for 2:01 p.m. EDT on May 11

Ready for transportation to the Kennedy Space Center, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is pictured onboard the strongback dolly at the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) at the Lockheed assembly plant upon completion of final testing and verification.

STS-131 ET LIFT & MATE TO SRB'S IN VAB

N-257 CVSRF ACFS (Advanced Cab Flight Simulator)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Fine Guidance Sensor Scientific Instrument Protective Enclosure, or FSIPE, cover awaits a move to be installed on the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC. The ORUC is one of three carriers that are being prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, STS-125. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a crane lifts the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, to position it onto a pallet. Processing of the payload is under way for its mission to the International Space Station. Dextre will work with the mobile base and Canadarm2 on the station to perform critical construction and maintenance tasks. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14, 2008.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3), an element of the STS-92 mission scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in January 1999, awaits processing in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). While in orbit, PMA-3 will be removed from the orbiter's payload bay by the astronauts using the remote manipulator arm and mated to Node 1, a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the International Space Station. The primary purpose of PMA-3 is to serve as a Shuttle docking port through which crew members and equipment will transfer to the International Space Station during later assembly missions

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, the CELA (Cargo Element Lifting Assembly) moves the External Stowage Platform-2 launching aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114 to the payload canister. The ESP-2 will travel to Launch Pad 39B with its fellow payload elements the Lightweight MPESS Carrier (Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure) and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello in the canister. Once at the pad, the three payloads will be transferred to the payload bay of Discovery for flight. The ESP-2 is carrying replacement parts to the International Space Station. The platform will be deployed and attached to the Stations airlock and used as a permanent spare parts facility. STS-114 is targeted for launch during a window that extends from May 15 through June 3.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - At the U.S. Naval Base San Diego in California, NASA and U.S. Navy personnel make sure that the Orion boilerplate test vehicle and support hardware are secured in the well deck of the USS Anchorage for Underway Recovery Test 2. NASA, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will conduct tests in the Pacific Ocean to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module, forward bay cover and parachutes on its return from a deep space mission. The second underway recovery test will allow the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, new hardware and personnel in open waters.The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is conducting the underway recovery tests. 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 firs

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Integrated Truss Structure S0 arrives at the payload canister in the Operations and Checkout Building for transfer to the launch pad for mission STS-110. Part of the payload on Space Shuttle Atlantis, the S0 truss will be attached to the U.S. Lab, 'Destiny,' on the 11-day mission, becoming the backbone of the orbiting International Space Station (ISS). Launch is scheduled for April 4

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