Space Shuttle Assembly and Upgrades

Aerial views of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building, showcasing space shuttle assembly, modernization, and infrastructure upgrades for upcoming missions.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - This aerial view shows space shuttle Atlantis suspended by crane over the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Next, Atlantis will be lifted over a transom and lowered onto a mobile launch platform in High Bay 1. It then will be attached to an external fuel tank and pair of solid rocket boosters already secured to the platform. Rollout of the completed shuttle stack to Kennedys Launch Pad 39A, a significant milestone in launch processing activities, is planned for Oct. 13. Liftoff of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for 4:04 p.m. EST Nov. 12 during a 10-minute launch window.

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

A heavy-lift crane lowers the first half of the E-level work platforms, E south, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The E platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3, about 246 feet above the floor. The E platforms are the sixth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs journey to Mars.

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

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane has lowered Super Stack 2, part of the Ares I-X upper stage, onto Super Stack 1 for assembly. The upper stage comprises five super stacks, which are integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval.

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

A heavy-lift crane lifts the first half of the E-level work platforms, E south, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high above the floor of the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The E platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3, about 246 feet above the floor. The E platforms are the sixth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs journey to Mars.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane lifts a new generator up for installation in crawler-transporter 1, or CT-1. Work continues in high bay 3 to upgrade CT-1 as part of its general maintenance. CT-1 could be available to carry commercial launch vehicles to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis is lowered to a horizontal position. Atlantis has been taken off its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters stack after of the delay of its STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis will be returned to the Orbiter Processing Facility. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building, the redesigned external fuel tank that will launch Space Shuttle Atlantis on the next shuttle mission, STS-115, is lowered into the checkout cell where it will undergo further work. Designated ET-118, the tank will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps.

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

The second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, is lowered by crane for installation on the north side of High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Construction workers will secure the large bolts that hold the platform in place on the north wall. The B platforms are the ninth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs Journey to Mars.

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

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion ground test vehicle, or GTA, was lifted high in the air by crane in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building and is being lowered toward a mockup of the service module in high bay 4. The ground test vehicle is being used for path finding operations, including simulated manufacturing, assembly and stacking procedures.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 heavy-lift crane lifts the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Large Tandemloc bars have been attached to the platform to keep it level during lifting and installation. The C platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs Journey to Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians attach a crane to a full-size mock-up of the Orion spacecraft to prepare it to be lifted into High Bay 4. Crane operators and technicians practice stacking and de-stacking operations in order to keep processing procedures and skills current for the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orions first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

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

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

A heavy-lift crane lowers the first half of the E-level work platforms, E south, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into position for installation in High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Large Tandemloc bars have been attached to the platform to keep it level during lifting and installation. The E platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3, about 246 feet above the floor. The E platforms are the sixth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs journey to Mars.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X aft booster segment with the aft skirt is lifted across the VAB transfer aisle. The stack will be hoisted into the upper regions of the VAB and lowered onto the mobile launch platform in High Bay 3. This is the start of the buildup of the Ares I-X launch vehicle for the flight test targeted for no earlier than Aug. 30. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system.

A 250-ton crane is used to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up from High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being lifted up and over the transfer aisle and will be lowered into High Bay 3 for installation. It will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank continues in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians are modifying 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. After the modifications of the stringers are complete, foam insulation will be re-applied to the tank.Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24, 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This bird's-eye view of a high bay in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) shows the open payload bay of Space Shuttle Discovery surrounded by the standard platforms and equipment required to process a Space Shuttle orbiter. The high bay is 197 feet (60 meters) long, 150 feet (46 meters) wide, 95 feet (29 meters) high, and encompasses a 29,000-square-foot (2,694-meter) area. The 30-ton (27-metric-ton) bridge crane (yellow device, right) has a hook height of approximately 66 feet (20 meters). Platforms, a main access bridge, and two rolling bridges with trucks provide access to various parts of the orbiter. In addition to routine servicing and checkout, the inspections and modifications made to enhance Discovery's performance and upgrade its systems were performed in the OPF during its recently completed Orbiter Major Modification (OMM) period.

A view looking up in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage pathfinder will be lowered into the bay after being lifted high up in the vertical position in the transfer aisle on Oct. 16, 2019. The 212-foot-long core stage pathfinder arrived on NASA's Pegasus Barge at Kennedys Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on Sept. 27, 2019. The Pegasus Barge made its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The pathfinder is being used by Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy through at least the month of October before trekking back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

A heavy-lift crane lowers the first half of the E-level work platforms, E south, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into position for installation in High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Large Tandemloc bars have been attached to the platform to keep it level during lifting and installation. In view are five levels of platforms previously installed. The E platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3, about 246 feet above the floor. The E platforms are the sixth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs journey to Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a new platform is installed on the 16th level in high bay 3. The refurbishment of the facility is for the Constellation Program's Ares vehicles. The Ares I and Ares V rockets will be 325 feet and 360 feet tall, respectively, considerably taller than the space shuttle atop its mobile launcher platform.

The engine service platform is moved into position beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 23, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The service platform allows access to the RS-25 engines on the Space Launch System core stage for routine work or inspections. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch teams countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the engine service platform that will provide access to the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is lifted up in the center of the mobile launcher (ML) in High Bay 3 on June 18, 2019. The large work platform is designed to provide unrestricted access to the RS-25 engines on the SLS core stage from the ML. The service platform will be used for Artemis 1 and subsequent missions. For Artemis 1, the Orion spacecraft will launch atop the SLS rocket from Launch Pad 39B and begin an approximately three-week mission that will send Orion thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Exploration Ground Systems is overseeing work on the ML.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a special payload removal device is used to transfer the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module from Atlantis cargo bay to the payload canister. Raffaello will then be readied for transport to the Space Station Processing Facility where its contents will be unloaded. Atlantis completed NASAs final space shuttle mission, STS-135, after landing at the centers Shuttle Landing Facility, July 21, 2011, at 5:57 a.m. EDT. Following removal of all payloads in Atlantis cargo bay, workers will begin to prepare the spacecraft for eventual permanent display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Construction workers assist as a crane lifts the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical into position for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The CSFSU will be located at about the 180-foot level on the tower, above the liquid oxygen tank. The CSFSU is an umbilical that will swing into position to provide connections to the core stage forward skirt of the SLS rocket, and then swing away before launch. Its main purpose is to provide conditioned air/GN2 to the SLS core stage forward skirt cavity. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.

The M-Frat Hr.Ms. Abraham van der Hulst (1993-2004) in the covered dock of the Rijkswerf in Den Helder in 2000

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

ERA COLTS 30 Toot Checkout Structure Installation: Document relocation of COLTS loading platen 30 Foot Station and installation of 30 Foot Checkout Structure

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

In the transfer aisle inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lift up the shipping container with the ground test motor for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) inside on July 20, 2018. The container will be lowered onto another transporter and moved to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility where it will be inspected and prepared for transport to Space Launch Complex 46 (SLC-46) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mechanical fit testing. This inert motor will not be used for flight, but will be used to certify flight hardware assembly in preparation for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, the booster will launch from SLC 46, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronau

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

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

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

Old Control Room Cable & Old Racks Removal

Interior of industrial plant. CoppenHill Power Plant, Copenhagen, Denmark. Architect: BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, 2019.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4, assembly of the Ares I-X rocket nears completion. The yellow framework, nicknamed the "birdcage," lifts Super Stack 5 toward an opening at the 16th floor crossover into the transfer aisle. The stack will be positioned on top of the segments already in place on the mobile launcher platform in High Bay 3, completing assembly of the 327-foot-tall rocket. Five super stacks make up the rocket's upper stage that is integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval.

Room gas cleaning in a coal-fired power plant The coal-fired power plant supplies many households and companies with district heating by giving power and power and generates electricity for the base load. Overall, it has an electrical output of 273 megawatts and a thermal output of 680 megawatts. Block 4 was built in 1994 and uses natural gas as a fuel. It has a net output of 99 MW and is designed for the power tip loads. , Property released copyright: xzoonar.com/wolfgangxcezannex 21783150, model released, symbolic photo, property released

Engine installation in Oberhausen pumping station, new construction of Emscher sewer, Emscher conversion, Ruhr area, Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Steel structures surround High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view, high above, is the 175-ton crane. Banners note the heights of the Saturn V, Space Launch System, or SLS, and shuttle on the steel structure. Modifications are underway in the VAB to prepare High Bay 3 for a new platform system.The modifications are part of a centerwide refurbishment initiative under the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. High bay 3 is being refurbished to accommodate NASAs Space Launch System and a variety of other spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact is raised off its transporter. It will be lifted up into the mobile service tower and mated to the Delta II, joining six others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comets sunlit side, Deep Impacts flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the craters depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the third and final replica shuttle main engine (RSME) slides into an engine well of space shuttle Discovery with the aid of a Hyster forklift, a specially designed engine installer.The RSME is one of three being installed on Discovery during Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement activities. The replicas are built in the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engine shop at Kennedy to replace the shuttle engines which will be placed in storage to support NASA's Space Launch System, under development. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

SPLASH P1 Test 7 Swing Test: Documentation of preparation, set up and results of full scale BTA (Boilerplate Test Article) vertical drop test series performed in 2012 at the LaRC Hydro Impact Basin (HIB)

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, is lowered into position for installation on the north side of High Bay 3. In view below are the seven levels of previously installed platforms. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASAs Journey to Mars.

Businessman standing with colleague on staircase at power station

Scrubbers in A Coal-Fired Power Station 1074706770

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis is raised into a vertical position. Atlantis will next be lifted into high bay 3 and mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters designated for mission STS-122, already secured atop a mobile launcher platform. On this mission, Atlantis will deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's largest contribution to the station, Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The laboratory will expand the research facilities aboard the station, providing crew members and scientists from around the world the ability to conduct a variety of experiments in the physical, materials and life sciences. Mission STS-122 is targ

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

SLS ENGINE SECTION TEST STAND READY FOR STRUCTURAL TEST ARTICLE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the orbiter boom sensor system, or OBSS, is lifted from space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The workers are dressed in clean-room attire, known as 'bunny suits.' The 50-foot-long OBSS attaches to the end of the shuttles robotic arm and supports the cameras and laser systems used to inspect the shuttles thermal protection system while in space. The OBSS' inspection boom assembly, or IBA, is removed from the arm every other processing flow for a detailed inspection. After five consecutive flights, all IBA internal components are submitted to a thorough electrical checkout in Kennedy's Remote Manipulator System Lab. Discovery next will deliver the first Permanent Multi-purpose Module, or PMM; the Express Logistics Carrier 4; and critical spare parts to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Launch is targeted for Sept. 16.

S75-20909 (January 1975) --- A high-angle view of the high-bay area in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center showing the second (S-IVB) stage of the Saturn 1-B launch vehicle for the joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission being hoisted into position for mating atop the first (S-1B) stage. The major components of the American ASTP space vehicle will be the S-1B stage, the S-IVB stage, and a payload consisting of a Command/Service Module and a Docking Module.

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

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

View of Installation with Pete Zell (In Cap) and Felton Smith and Richard McLimoil (In Shadows). Wright Flyer Replica Test-40-0047 40 x 80 ft. Wind Tunnel.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As part of NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a work platform is lowered onto a transporter for removal from the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. As part of a modernization effort, flexible settings area being designed for multiple launch vehicles instead of the whole building supporting one design.The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is developing the necessary ground systems, infrastructure and operational approaches required to safely process, assemble, transport and launch the next generation of rockets and spacecraft in support of NASAs exploration objectives. Future work also will replace the antiquated communications, power and vehicle access resources with modern efficient systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB opened in 1965.

Welding steel plates, dry dock, Queen Mary 2, Saint-Nazaire, France

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the external tank for space shuttle Atlantis is moved across the transom to high bay 3 where it will be lowered toward the solid rocket boosters for mating. The tank and boosters will be secured on the mobile launcher platform below. Atlantis' STS-125 mission is the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), Space Shuttle Atlantis is positioned horizontally as it is lowered into the transfer aisle. The vehicle was just demated from its External Tank_Solid Rocket Booster stack in one of the VAB's high bays. The orbiter will be rolled back to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 where processing will begin for mission STS-115, the 19th flight to the International Space Station. The tank, ET-120, is the first redesigned ET to arrive at KSC and will undergo further testing before Return to Flight mission STS-121 next year.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mobile Launcher Platform-3 (MLP), which supported space shuttle Atlantis for its final flight to the International Space Station on the STS-135 mission, is being prepared for its last journey from Launch Pad 39A to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Here, workers check the position of the massive crawler-transporter positioned under the MLP -- the last mobile launcher platform to launch a shuttle. For more than 40 years, the MLPs have traveled between the massive VAB to both launch pads at Launch Complex 39, and then returned to the VAB for future use. MLP-3 was first used to launch Columbia on the STS-32 mission on Jan. 9, 1990.

Boat building area on ground floor level. Boathouse 4, Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Architect: Walters and Cohen Ltd, 2015.

The ground test motor for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) arrives by flatbed truck in its shipping container in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building on July 20, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be transferred to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility where it will be inspected and prepared for transport to Space Launch Complex 46 (SLC-46) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mechanical fit testing. This inert motor will not be used for flight, but will be used to certify flight hardware assembly in preparation for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, the booster will launch from SLC 46, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Lau

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Platform C is being moved from high bay 3 to allow refurbishment of the facility for the Constellation Program's Ares 1-X vehicle. The platform will be removed from the VAB and demolished.

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

Low Bay in the Vehicle Assembly Building

Scrubbers in A Coal-Fired Power Station 1074706764

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

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup of crawler-transportation (CT) number 2 shows the new muffler system on the vehicle. The CT also recently underwent modifications to the cab. The CT is transporting a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). The CT moves Space Shuttle vehicles, situated on the MLP, between the VAB and launch pad. Moving on four double-tracked crawlers, the CT uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system for the journey that keeps the top of a Space Shuttle vertical within plus- or minus-10 minutes of arc. The system enables the CT-MLP-Shuttle to negotiate the ramp leading to the launch pads and keep the load level. Unloaded, the CT weighs 6 million pounds. Seen on top of the MLP are two tail service masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiters liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft umbilicals.

Detail of the blast furnaces at Volklinger Hutte (Volklingen Ironworks), Volklingen, Germany

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

Workmen at the Kennedy Space Center position the nose cone for the 204LM-1, an unmanned Apollo mission that tested the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) in Earth orbit. Also known as Apollo 5, the spacecraft was launched on the fourth Saturn IBC launch vehicle. Developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as an interim vehicle in MSFC's building block approach to the Saturn rocket development, the Saturn IBC utilized Saturn I technology to further develop and refine a larger booster and the Apollo spacecraft capabilities required for the manned lunar missions.

Elbe Aircraft Works

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

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

J-2X engine No. 10001 is returned March 8, 2012, to the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center for its second round of tests. The developmental engine underwent an initial series of tests last year. The J-2X engine is being built for NASA by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

This photograph shows the flight article of the Airlock Module (AM)/Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) assembly being readied for testing in a clean room at the McDornell Douglas Plant in St. Louis, Missouri. Although the AM and the MDA were separate entities, they were in many respects simply two components of a single module. The AM enabled crew members to conduct extravehicular activities outside Skylab as required for experiment support. Oxygen and nitrogen storage tanks needed for Skylab's life support system were mounted on the external truss work of the AM. Major components in the AM included Skylab's electric power control and distribution station, environmental control system, communication system, and data handling and recording systems. The MDA, forward of the AM, provided docking facilities for the Command and Service Module. It also accommodated several experiment systems, among them the Earth Resource Experiment Package, the materials processing facility, and the control and

Structural Heat Intercept-Insulation-Vibration Evaluation Rig, SHIVER

Romania, Transilvania, Near Targo Mures City, Salt Mine of Turda

Ukraine, Chernobyl, building site of a new sarcophagus to cover the former reactor n°4 of the nuclear power station.

Installation of wastewater pumps in the new pumping station Oberhausen, new construction of the Emscher sewer, Emscher conversion, Oberhausen, Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

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

Solar Sail Testing at the Plum Brook Space Power Facility (SPF)

Scaffolding on chalice pillar in the cathedral, Construction Site Open Day 2023, Stuttgart 21 underground railway project, Central Station, Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, Europe

ORION Project-(SPLASH) Structural Passive Landing Attenuation for Survivability of Human Crew (BTA) Boiler Plate Test Article Water Impact Test-Pot Phase"0" Test POT#2 Tested at the Hydro Impact Basin at the Landing and Impact Research Facility (Gantry)

Before shot of stage prior to refurbishment. Stockton Globe under construction, Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom. Architect: Space Group Architects, 2021.

Preparations are underway to move the Space Launch System Core Stage pathfinder to the north end of the transfer aisle inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 3, 2019. A cover, called a spider, in view at the far end of the transfer aisle, will be attached to the top of the pathfinder. With the spider secured in place, a crane will be attached to it to lift the pathfinder into the vertical position. The 212-foot-long core stage pathfinder arrived in NASA's Pegasus Barge at Kennedys Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on Sept. 27, 2019. The Pegasus Barge made its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The upgraded 310-foot-long barge arrived, ferrying the SLS core stage pathfinder, a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's core stage. It will be used by Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train emp

ORION Project-(SPLASH) Structural Passive Landing Attenuation for Survivability of Human Crew (BTA) Boiler Plate Test Article Water Impact Test-PIT Test-2Tested at the Hydro Impact Basin at the Landing and Impact Research Facility (Gantry)

pendennis shipyard shipyard views-dry dock

Orion Project SPLASH BTA Water Impact POT Boiler Plate Test Article (BTA) (SPLASH) Structural Passive Landing Attenuation for Survivability of Human Crew. (POT) Phase "0" Test Water Impact Test #3

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

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