Space Mission Preparations

Snapshots of NASA crew and officials at Cape Canaveral, engaged in mission preparations and facility tours, showcasing technology and teamwork.

Manager with digital tablet in front of steel tank

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson talks with United Space Alliance tile technician Terry White, left, and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, right, in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 during shuttle Atlantis' final planned move to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The move called "rollover" is a major milestone in processing for the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Inside the VAB, the shuttle will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Ferguson, along with Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Rex Walheim and Sandra Magnus are targeted to launch in early July, taking with them the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for futur

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Jose Lopez, NASA Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) project manager, outlines the upgrades planned for the VAB to support NASA's forthcoming Space Launch System. Lopez' audience is made up of media representatives taking the 21st Century Ground Systems tour. Other stops on the tour include a crawler-transporter parked on the crawlerway, the new mobile launcher on Launch Pad 39B, and the Launch Control Center's Firing Room 1. These facilities and equipment will be used to prepare and launch NASA's new Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket.The tour was arranged as part of prelaunch media activities for the agency's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) launch. Liftoff of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is planned during a launch window which extends from 10:02 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST on Nov. 26.

MAF Orion MGMT Visit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 crew members, become familiar with the pad structure as part of their emergency exit training. Seen here are Mission Specialist Rex Walheim (center), Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus and Commander Chris Ferguson (far right).The astronauts are at Kennedy to participate in a launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Atlantis and its crew are targeted to lift off July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd fligh

Manager with digital tablet in front of steel tank

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Martin Wilson (second from right), manager of Thermal Protection System (TPS) operations for United Space Alliance (USA), briefs NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe, KSC Director of Shuttle Processing Michael E. Wetmore and Center Director James Kennedy about the temporary tile shop set up in the RLV hangar. At far right is USA Manager of Soft Goods Production in the TPSF, Kevin Harrington. OKeefe and NASA Associate Administrator of Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from Hurricane Frances. The Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof in the storm, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. The Labor Da

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and aides to the Louisiana coast for Shell Oil briefing on offshore energy production, tour of offshore platform, fly-over of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Joining the Interior delegation for the offshore tour were Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu and Congressman Bobby Jindal.

Russian technicians work, Tuesday, April 12, 2005, on mating the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the booster rocket inside the integration facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as preparations continued for the April 15 launch of Expedition 11 with Commander Sergei Krikalev, Flight Engineer John Phillips and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, to the International Space Station. The rocket mating operation occurred on the 44th anniversary of the launch of Yuri Gagarin from the same complex to become the first human in space.

Bay Park, N.Y., March 20, 2014 The Bay Park Waste Water Treatment Plant was damaged by the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy. The engineering firm of Hazen and Sawyer is overseeing the reconstruction. Hazen and Sawyer VP Michael DiNicola (in red jacket) gave FEMA specialists a tour of the damages. FEMA has committed funds to help with repairs and restoration to fortify the plant against future storms. K.C.Wilsey/FEMA. New York Hurricane Sandy. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

The team that tested the umbilical lines and accessories that will connect from the mobile launcher to NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 hold a banner signing event July 24, 2018, to mark completion of testing at the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Attending the event is Mike Bolger, center, Exploration Ground Systems manager. A total of 21 umbilicals and launch accessories were tested on various simulators at the LETF before they were transferred to the mobile launcher for installation.

The team that tested the umbilical lines and accessories that will connect from the mobile launcher to NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 hold a banner signing event July 24, 2018, to mark completion of testing at the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking at the event is Shawn Quinn, far right, director of Engineering. Next to him, from left, are Scott Colloredo, deputy director of Engineering; Russ Deloach, director of Safety and Mission Assurance; and Andy Allen, program manager for Jacobs TOSC. A total of 21 umbilicals and launch accessories were tested on various simulators at the LETF before they were transferred to the mobile launcher for installation.

220802-A-BS696-1181CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.Subject matter experts in various disciplines investigate Letterkenny Army Depot's blue-light scanning technology during the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command Organic Industrial Base Symposium Aug. 2-4 at Letterkenny Army Depot, Pennsylvania.The symposium, hosted by Letterkenny Army Depot, was focused on aligning the strategic direction of the AMCOM OIB with the Army modernization strategy to ensure that the depots can sustain the multi-domain force of 2035.Blue-light scanning technology was initially acquired to generate surface measurement analyses of turrets for the Extended Range Cannon Artillery program at Letterkenny. Still, artisans and engineers have expanded the technology into other programs, increasing Letterkennys adaptability to production program needs through faster turn-around times for reverse engineering.

Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board examine pieces of Columbia debris in the RLV Hangar. The debris was shipped from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the RLV.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team look over pieces of Columbia debris on the floor of the RLV Hangar. Approximately 4,500 ground searchers have covered approximately 56 percent of the planned 555,000-acre search area. About 28 percent of the Shuttle Columbia, by weight, has been delivered to the RLV Hangar to date.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians have removed one of the auxiliary power units from space shuttle Endeavour and are moving it to a transporter. 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.

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and aides to the Louisiana coast for Shell Oil briefing on offshore energy production, tour of offshore platform, fly-over of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Joining the Interior delegation for the offshore tour were Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu and Congressman Bobby Jindal.

Workers in computer recycling plant looking at hard disk

Gruppe von Industriearbeitern bei der Inspektion eines großen Metallrohrs in einer Fabrik mit Schutzhelm Group of Industrial worker inspecting inside a large metal tube in a factory wearing safety helmet LicenseRF ,model released, Symbolfoto Copyright: xZoonar.com/SunanxWongsa-ngax 24056428 ,model released, Symbolfoto ,property released

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and aides to the Louisiana coast for Shell Oil briefing on offshore energy production, tour of offshore platform, fly-over of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Joining the Interior delegation for the offshore tour were Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu and Congressman Bobby Jindal.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV Hangar, Shuttle Test Director Steve Altemus (right), a member of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team, explains the fixture which holds the leading edge panels recovered from the left wing of Space Shuttle Columbia to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (left). To date, more than 70,000 items have been delivered to KSC for use in the ongoing mishap investigation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Adm. Harold Gehman, center left, chairman of the Columbia Investigation Accident Board, and U.S. Representative Tom Feeney, center right, are shown pieces of Columbia debris collected in the KSC RLV Hangar. Other members of the board accompanied Gehman as part of the ongoing investigation. Recovery efforts as of May 5 included 82,500 pieces of debris weighing 84,800 pounds, almost 40 percent of the total dry weight of the shuttle. About 25,000 personnel took part, utilizing almost 1.5 million total man-hours in the recovery effort and involving more than 130 federal, state and local agencies. The operation was also supported by more than 270 organizations that included businesses and volunteer groups.

In the RLV Hangar, Congressman Dave Weldon (left) listens to Steve Altemus, Space Shuttle test director. Weldon is visiting the site where pieces of Columbia debris are being examined and stored. Third from left is Center Director Roy Bridges. Workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter as part of the ongoing investigation of the accident that destroyed the Columbia and claimed the lives of seven astronauts as they returned to Earth after a 16-day research mission, STS-107.

Visit by Secretary Gale Norton to Montana for participation in the Western Governors' Association Forest Health Summit in Missoula, and for related tours of the area, including stop at the Pyramid Mountain Lumber Company plant in Seeley Lake

Pacific Islands Tour: Visit of Secretary Dirk Kemmpthorne and aides to American Samoa, U.S. Territory

Mixed race team of workers and Hispanic manager in a sheet metal factory.

New York, N.Y., Dec. 14, 2012 Bellevue Hospital Associate Executive Director of Facilities Management, Michael Rawlings, left, shows damage to the hospital incurred by Hurricane Sandy to Administrator Craig Fugate. Due to ongoing abatement, anyone going into the areas that were flooded are required to wear protective gear. New York, NY., Dec. 14, 2012 --Bellevue Hospital Associate Executive Director of Facilities Management, Michael Rawlings, left, shows damage to the hospital incurred by Hurricane Sandy to Administrator Craig Fugate, Due to ongoing abatement, anyone going into the areas that were flooded are requrired to wear protective gear.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

Pacific Islands Tour: Visit of Secretary Dirk Kemmpthorne and aides to American Samoa, U.S. Territory

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata (right) listens to William Gaetjens, with the Vehicle Integration Test Team (VITT), who is providing details about the spar installation (left) on the wing of the orbiter Atlantis. Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) panels are mechanically attached to the wing via the spars - a series of floating joints - to reduce loading on the panels caused by wing deflections. The aluminum and the metallic attachments are protected from exceeding temperature limits by internal insulation.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (left) is briefed by Cliff Lanham, Mobile Launcher Project Manager (center), on testing of the mobile launcher that will support the agency's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will liftoff on trips to the Moon, Mars and deep space. Bridenstine made his first official visit to the NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 6 and 7, 2018.

Pacific Islands Tour: Visit of Secretary Dirk Kemmpthorne and aides to American Samoa, U.S. Territory

Family members of the original Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) architect tour the iconic facility on Nov. 22, 2019 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Among the visitors are Dick Bergmann, far right, original lead designer for the VAB. In view, far left, is Kelvin Manning, Kennedys associate director, technical. The Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers bestowed its National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark award to the facility. The VAB is the first building at Kennedy Space Center to earn this distinction. At the time of its completion, the 129-million-cubic-foot structure was the largest building in the world. Originally designed and built to accommodate the Saturn V/Apollo used in Project Apollo, the VAB was later modified for its role in the Space Shuttle Program.

KITTERY, Maine (Feb. 21, 2024) - Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby, right, speaks with Inside Machine Shop Superintendent, Justin Orr, during routine visit to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, Feb. 21. Kilby also met with tenant command triads to discuss ongoing work in the shipyard and the investments in Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program. Navy

Secretary Gale Norton, right, on tour of the Phelps Dodge Corporation's Process Technology Center near Safford, Arizona. Research facility is devoted to development, adaptation, implementation of low-cost, and environmentally sound, extraction technologies for copper

Members of the 97th Maintenance Squadrons Crashed Disabled Damaged Aircraft Recovery Program pose for a group photo in front of new cribbing recently bought for improved recovery time of crashed or disabled aircraft at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Dec. 7, 2022. The previous cribbing was made of wood, making the equipment much heavier - 86 pounds apiece - compared to the plastic cribbing which is 22 pounds apiece.

Recovery at Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -In the RLV Hangar, former astronauts Wally Schirra (right, with microphone) and Jim Lovell (far right) talk to employees and offer encouragement to help get the space program "back on its feet." The two visited several sites around the Center, encouraging workers to help get the space program "back on its feet." The RLV Hangar is where Columbia debris is being collected and examined as part of the investigation into the tragedy that claimed the orbiter and lives of seven astronauts returning from mission STS-107.

Kathy Lueders, center, NASAs associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, along with members of the Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs Technology leadership view Artemis hardware inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25, 2020. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the solid rocket booster segments for the Space Launch System rocket are in view. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV Hangar, members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team look at a piece of Columbia debris shipped from Barksdale AFB, Shreveport, La. Barksdale continues to be the receiving and shipping point for Columbia materials being sent to KSC for final identification. Inside the RLV Hangar, the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter as part of the investigation into the accident that caused the destruction of Columbia and loss of its crew as it returned to Earth on mission STS-107.

Engineers and specialists prepare X-57s Mod III wing for testing in the Flight Loads Laboratory at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Here, the wing began preparation for several tests, including weight and balance measurement, ground vibration testing, and wing loading tests.

Tour, given by BP corporate officials to Secretary Gale Norton and Minerals Management Service Director Johnnie Burton, of the world's largest offshore oil platform, near Ingleside, Texas, used to tap Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas reserves

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of a hurricane assessment team from Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center tour the Thermal Protection System (TPS) Facility at KSC after Hurricane Frances hit the east coast of Central Florida and Kennedy Space Center. At right is astronaut Scott Altmann, a member of the team. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof. Equipment and materials that survived the storm have been relocated to the RLV hangar near the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility.

(L TO R) DR. VIKTOR VORON AND DR. MIKHAIL PAVLINSKIY WATCH AS MARK YOUNG AND CHET SPEEGLE CONDUCT BRIGHT LIGHT INSPECTION OF MIRROR MANDREL IN MARSHALL'S OPTICAL INSPECTION LAB.

Impulstec GmbH, Radebeul, Saxony, Germany, Europe

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - From left, Martin Wilson, manager of Thermal Protection System (TPS) operations for United Space Alliance, briefs NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe, KSC Director of the Spaceport Services Scott Kerr, NASA Associate Administrator of the Space Operations Mission Directorate William Readdy, and Center Director James Kennedy (right) on the temporary tile shop set up in the RLV hangar. OKeefe and Readdy are visiting KSC to survey the damage sustained by KSC facilities from Hurricane Frances. The Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof in the storm, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. Undamaged equipment was removed from the TPSF and stored in the hangar. NASAs three Space Shuttle orbiters -- Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - along with the Shuttle

The team at Orbital ATK shows Lockheed Martin Orion Program Manager Mike Hawes the propellant tank manufacturing workshop in California on March 4, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and aides to the Louisiana coast for Shell Oil briefing on offshore energy production, tour of offshore platform, fly-over of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Joining the Interior delegation for the offshore tour were Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu and Congressman Bobby Jindal.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (Nov. 29, 2012) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert visits Huntington Ingalls Industries shipbuilding facilities and tours Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) America (LHA 6).

Charlie Duke and Nicole Stott visit the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) and Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Workers attend a cryogenic insulation training session on Nov. 6, 2018, at the Cryogenics Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The training is for personnel who will be working to insulate pipes on the mobile launcher (ML). The ML is equipped with cryogenic fluid lines that will deliver hydrogen and oxygen to NASA's Space Launch System rocket. The lines must be kept well-insulated to maintain temperatures cold enough to keep fluids in a liquid state. In a new process, workers are learning how to pack spaces between pipes with aerogel granules in the same manner as they will on the ML.

Crane Army Ammunition Activity recently welcomed representatives from Indiana Universitys Chemistry Department during a tour of CAAAs demilitarization division. Participants were able to visit Crane Armys demolition range, chemistry lab, white phosphorus plant and a facility where outdated rock-eye bombs are demilitarized. The group was able to discuss the ways in which different types of chemistry work in the demilitarization process. Crane Army values its relationships with other entities such as the IU Chem Department.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians carry a shoe” that was removed from the Hubble payload canister at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The canister arrived at the pad on Saturday evening, however, early Sunday morning technicians were unable to place the canister into the pad’s payload changeout room for space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-125 mission. Teflon pads on shoes” attached to the outside of the payload canister that help the canister move along the guide rails didn’t fit properly. The shoes were removed and several options were considered, including slightly shaving down the pads so the shoes will fit onto the rails. STS-125 is the fifth and final shuttle Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Atlantis’ launch is targeted for Oct. 10.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group (SCTG) inspects debris in the Columbia Debris Hangar. At right is the model of the left wing that has been used during recovery operations. Chairing the task group are Richard O. Covey, former Space Shuttle commander, and Thomas P. Stafford (third from right, foreground), Apollo commander. Chartered by NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe, the task group will perform an independent assessment of NASAs implementation of the final recommendations by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV Hangar, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (left) listens to a report from Shuttle Test Director Steve Altemus, a member of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team, on the status of the investigation into the Space Shuttle Columbia accident. To date, more than 70,000 items have been delivered to KSC for use in the ongoing mishap investigation.

GREAT LAKES, Ill. (Dec. 11, 2012) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert tours the "Hot Plant" shipboard engine room simulator at Naval Station Great Lakes to assess fleet training.

SupraTransII driving test facility

Audience at events marking the dedication of the world's largest offshore oil platform, near Ingleside, Texas, used to tap Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas reserves

Specialist lecturer demonstrating a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine, Master Craftman School of the Chamber of Small Industries and Skilled Trades for carpentry, Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Levee District 12 Commissioner Todd Kilpatrick gives Hudson a breakdown and tour of pump stations 1-7 in Sand Springs, Okla.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Standing in front of one of the crawler transporters at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Director of Space Shuttle Processing Mike Wetmore addresses invited guests (behind him) and the media on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the crawler transporters. Media representatives and invited guests had the opportunity to tour one of NASA's two crawlers. This included the driver cab and engine room. Guests included current drivers and operators, as well as drivers from the Apollo Program. In January 1966, the crawler completed its first successful move with a 10.6-million-pound launch umbilical tower. It moved three-quarters of a mile in about nine hours. Throughout 40 years of service, the two crawlers have moved more than 3,500 miles and carried seven vehicles.

120404-N-WL435-032BATH, Maine (April 4, 2012) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert meets with workers while touring the Bath Iron Works shipbuilding facility.

A crowd gathers for a ribbon cutting ceremony in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The event celebrated completion of facility modifications to improve processing and free up zones tailored to a variety of needs supporting a robust assortment of space-bound hardware including NASA programs and commercial space companies.

Vince DeCarlo (right), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District operations chief, briefs Col. Kimberly Peeples (center), commander and district engineer of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, during a tour to show piping work being completed at C.W. Bill Young Lock & Dam in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, April 13, 2022. Employees at the facility have been replacing more than 700 feet of hydraulic pipes that will save the district more than $150,000 in contracted costs. The hydro lines control the opening and closing of gates and valves for lock operations.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility measure the alignment of bearings on a rudder speed brake actuator. Actuators move an orbiters rudder, speed brake, elevons and main engines during flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center watch a demonstration of new systems installed in Launch Pad 39B. The renovation has been led by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program based at Kennedy. The new systems are designed to be flexible so controllers can process and launch multiple types of rockets and spacecraft, whether they are government or commercial models.

New York, N.Y., Dec. 1, 2012 Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne, left, gets a tour of the pumps in Fire boat II, docked at Marine 9 station from Fire fighter Brian Masterson. The fire boat, which serves all of New York Harbor, is docked at the FDNY Marine 9 Barracks at the former Navy Homeport site in Stapleton, Staten Island. The fireboat received some damage from the storm surge following Hurricane Sandy. New York, NY, Dec. 1, 2012--Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne, left, gets a tour of the pumps in Marine 9 fire boat from Fire fighter Brian Masterson. The fire boat, which serves all of New York Harbor, is docked at the FDNY Marine 9 Barracks at the former Navy Homeport site in Stapleton, Staten Island. The fireboat received some damage from the storm surge following Hurricane Sandy.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee, R-Miss., visited Stennis Space Center on Oct. 5, meeting with leaders and touring facilities to learn about ongoing work at the south Mississippi site. Joining Nunnelee during a stop at the B-1/B-2 Test Stand were (l to r) Ken Human, Stennis associate director; Randy Galloway, director of the Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate; Ted Maness, chief of staff for Nunnelee; Nunnelee's wife, Toni; Nunnelee; Myron Webb, Stennis legislative affairs officer; Gilbrech; and Meyer Seligman, legislative director for Nunnelee. A Tupelo native, Nunnelee serves Mississipi's 1st Congressional District.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach talks to the media in the RLV Hangar, site of the collection of Columbia debris undergoing examination. The items shipped to KSC number more than 82,000 and weigh 84,800 pounds or 38 percent of the total dry weight of Columbia. Of those items, 78,760 have been identified, with 753 placed on the left wing grid in the Hangar.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV Hangar, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (left) looks over pieces of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia with Shuttle Test Director Steve Altemus, a member of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team. To date, more than 70,000 items have been delivered to KSC for use in the ongoing mishap investigation.

On August 15, 2018 NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine visited Marshall Space Flight Center. Upon his arrival he was greeted by MSFC Acting Director Jody Singer along with the senior management team. From atop Marshalls Test Stand 4693, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and SLS Stages Integration Manager Tim Flores discuss the capabilities of Marshalls newest test stand. The qualification test version of the liquid hydrogen tank for the Space Launch Systems core stage will be positioned between the stands 221-foot-tall twin towers where it will be pushed, pulled and subjected to the stresses it will endure during liftoff and flight.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry examines a "Christmas Tree" used to control oil flow as he tours a General Electric facility in the Sonil oil services compound in the Port of Luanda, Angola, on May 4, 2014.

Crawler Transporter-2 Guinness World Record Event. Guinness World Records officially designated NASAs Crawler Transporter 2 as the heaviest self-powered vehicle, weighing approximately 6.65 million pounds. During a March 29, 2023, ceremony at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Guinness World Records presented a certificate to teams with the Exploration Ground Systems Program and Kennedy leadership. The crawler is responsible for carrying the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis missions to and from the launch pad.

The Orion team visits Major Tool and Machine in Indianapolis, Indiana to see the progress on the cone panel for the Artemis I Orion spacecraft on June 10, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Environmental Protection Agency officials survey the work site Nov. 22 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. A 450-foot trench construction project in Area B is underway to help remove substances previously used in firefighting from groundwater.

Governor Bill Clinton and Senator Al Gore meet with workers at an electric station on the 1992 Buscapade campaign tour in Waco, Texas

Cultural tour of a Coast Salish wood carving studio on the Tulalip Tribes Indian Reservation, Marysville WA.

KSC Center Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. and U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon (holding scissors) cut the ribbon at a ceremony on July 6 to open KSC's new 34,600-square-foot Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility (SSMEPF). Joining in the ribbon cutting are (left) Ed Adamek, vice president and associate program manager for Ground Operations of United Space Alliance; Marvin L. Jones, director of Installation Operations; Donald R. McMonagle, manager of Launch Integration; (right) Wade Ivey of Ivey Construction, Inc.; Robert B. Sieck, director of Shuttle Processing; and John Plowden, vice president of Rocketdyne. A major addition to the existing Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3, the SSMEPF replaces the Shuttle Main Engine Shop located in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The decision to move the shop out of the VAB was prompted by safety considerations and recent engine processing improvements. The first three main engines to be processed in the new facility will fly on Shuttle Endeavo

Crawler Transporter-2 Guinness World Record Event. Guinness World Records adjudicator Hannah Ortman shakes hands with Brett Raulerson, Jacobs TOSC Crawlers, Transporters and Structures group manager, left, and John Giles, NASAs Crawler Element Operations manager, during a ceremony on March 29, 2023, at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Guinness World Records officially designated NASAs Crawler Transporter 2 as the heaviest self-powered vehicle, weighing approximately 6.65 million pounds. The crawler is responsible for carrying the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis missions to and from the launch pad.

Secretary Gale Norton speaking at events marking the dedication of the world's largest offshore oil platform, near Ingleside, Texas, used to tap Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas reserves

Architects on the construction site

Tour, given by BP corporate officials to Secretary Gale Norton and Minerals Management Service Director Johnnie Burton, of the world's largest offshore oil platform, near Ingleside, Texas, used to tap Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas reserves

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to the Arizona-California border area, where he toured the Bureau of Reclamation's Yuma, Arizona Area Office-Yuma Desalting Plant with Bureau Commissioner Robert Johnson, and joined Johnson and officials from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Central Arizona Project, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California at groundbreaking ceremonies for the Drop 2 Reservoir Project--part of the Lower Colorado River Water Storage Program--in Imperial County, California

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At right, STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot James Kelly, and Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi and Stephen Robinson talk to workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in crew equipment and orbiter familiarization.

Inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians inspect the pins that will be used to secure the right-hand motor segment - one of five segments that make up one of two solid rocket boosters for the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) - to the right-hand aft skirt on June 24, 2020. Once the aft segments are mated to the two aft skirts, they will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. 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.

The European Service Module Structural Test Article (in the background) photographed at the Space Power Facility at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio on Nov. 30, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to the Arizona-California border area, where he toured the Bureau of Reclamation's Yuma, Arizona Area Office-Yuma Desalting Plant with Bureau Commissioner Robert Johnson, and joined Johnson and officials from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Central Arizona Project, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California at groundbreaking ceremonies for the Drop 2 Reservoir Project--part of the Lower Colorado River Water Storage Program--in Imperial County, California

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The media gather around NASA Vehicle Manager Scott Thurston (white shirt, right) who talks about some of the work being done on the orbiter Atlantis as it is being prepared for Return to Flight in the Orbiter Processing Facility. Both local and national reporters representing print and TV networks were able to see work in progress on Atlantis, including the reinstallation of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panels on the orbiters wing leading edge; wiring inspections; and checks of the engines in the Orbital Maneuvering System.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV Hangar, looking over a piece of Columbia debris are (from left) Launch Director Mike Leinbach, Acting Deputy Director of External Relations & Business Development Lisa Malone, Space Shuttle Test Director Steve Altemus, reconstruction engineer John Cowart, and former astronauts Wally Schirra and Jim Lovell. The latter two visited several sites around the Center, encouraging workers to help get the space program "back on its feet." The RLV Hangar is where Columbia debris is being collected and examined as part of the investigation into the tragedy that claimed the orbiter and lives of seven astronauts returning from mission STS-107.

Visit by Secretary Gale Norton to Montana for participation in the Western Governors' Association Forest Health Summit in Missoula, and for related tours of the area, including stop at the Pyramid Mountain Lumber Company plant in Seeley Lake

SILVERDALE, Wash. (Sept. 22, 2022) -Members of Trident Refit Facility, Bangor (TRFB) and Trident Refit Facility, Kings Bay (TRFKB) pose for a photo in TRFBs Moonshine Lab. The Moonshine Lab actively engages in the prototyping and development of innovative improvements in support of the waterfront workforce. TRFB supports the nations strategic deterrence mission by repairing, incrementally overhauling, and modernizing Pacific Fleet strategic ballistic missile submarines during refits.

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to the Arizona-California border area, where he toured the Bureau of Reclamation's Yuma, Arizona Area Office-Yuma Desalting Plant with Bureau Commissioner Robert Johnson, and joined Johnson and officials from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Central Arizona Project, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California at groundbreaking ceremonies for the Drop 2 Reservoir Project--part of the Lower Colorado River Water Storage Program--in Imperial County, California

Prime minister of Rhineland-Palatinate Kurt Beck visiting the wrapping maker Huhtamaki in Alf, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Europe

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to the Arizona-California border area, where he toured the Bureau of Reclamation's Yuma, Arizona Area Office-Yuma Desalting Plant with Bureau Commissioner Robert Johnson, and joined Johnson and officials from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Central Arizona Project, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California at groundbreaking ceremonies for the Drop 2 Reservoir Project--part of the Lower Colorado River Water Storage Program--in Imperial County, California

Cummins Vice President Steve Chapman shows U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry an assembled clean-diesel engine while touring the Cummins-Foton Joint Venture Plant in Beijing, China, on Feb. 15, 2014.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses workers at a clean-diesel engine assembly line following a tour of the Cummins-Foton Joint Venture Plant in Beijing, China on February 15, 2014.

ERDC Employees and stakeholders met to celebrate the world's largest heavy vehicle simulator coming online at the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, MS. The Heavy Vehicle Simulator - Titan can simulate road, airstrip and even rail traffic on materials 23 hours a day, allowing for years of surface degradation to happen in a much shorter time frame.

Lech Walesa inspects auto parts as he visits Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly Plant, Detroit, Michigan, USA, North America

View of the keel laying of the Military Sealift Command strategic sealift ship USNS BOB HOPE (T-AKR-300). (L-R) Ron Morley, NSC Engineer; Rob Kuehnel, Asst. Program Mgr.; Don Stewart, NSC Surveyor; LCDR Larry Hawkenes, T-AKR Project Officer; Richard Bloom, MSC T-AKR SENIOR Conrep Deputy; Louis Hose, Prog. Mgr.; Ronnie Clark, Lead Production Eng.; John Lusk, MSC Surveyor, and Gregg Pelowski, MSC Program Manager Ship Introduction Division. Base: Avondale State: Louisiana (LA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

On Thursday 8th October 2020, Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, visits two defence companies essential to the economic fabric of the Brittany region. The Minister of the Armed Forces first visits SOCARENAM, a French shipbuilding company, where she will visit the construction site of an overseas patrol boat (POM). The design and construction of the six POMs represent, on SOCARENAM's sites and for its many subcontractors in France, between 500 and 600 highly qualified jobs that cannot be relocated. Saint-Malo on 2020-10-08.Le jeudi 8 octobre 2020, Florence Parly, ministre des Armees, visite deux entreprises de defense essentielles au tissu economique de la region Bretagne. La ministre des Armees se rend dabord au sein de lentreprise SOCARENAM, entreprise française de construction navale, ou elle visite le chantier de la construction dun patrouilleur outre-mer (POM). La conception et la construction des six POM representent, sur les sites de SOCARENAM et pour ses nombreux

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr. (left front), chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, talks to KSC Shuttle Launch Director Michael Leinbach in the RLV Hangar where the Columbia debris is being organized. The debris was shipped from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the RLV.

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