Space Shuttle Engine Removal

Images depict the removal of main engines from space shuttles in a NASA facility. Focus on machinery, engine details, and technicians at work in a high-tech environment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the wheel well behind Atlantis right-hand main landing gear shown here, a replacement retract link is being installed. A small crack was found recently on the retract link assembly. To lower the main landing gear, a mechanical linkage released by each gear actuates the doors to the open position. The landing gear reach the full-down and extended position with 10 seconds and are locked in the down position by spring-loaded downlock bungees Atlantis is scheduled to launch in September 2005 on the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121.

STS-133 DISCOBVERY ENGINE-3 REMOVAL IN OPF-3 AND XFERRED TO ENGINE SHOP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the third and final main engine has been removed from space shuttle Discovery. Engine removal is part of the post-landing processing. Discovery completed the STS-119 mission March 28 with a landing at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility. Each engine is 14 feet long, weighs about 6,700 pounds, and is 7.5 feet in diameter at the end of the nozzle. Discovery next will be used on the STS-128 mission to deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. The launch is targeted for Aug. 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians, using a Hyster forklift, have removed Engine #3 from space shuttle Atlantis. The engine will be transported to the Engine Shop for possible future use. Each of the three space shuttle main engines is 14 feet long and weighs 7,800 pounds. Removal of the space shuttle main engines is part of the Transition and Retirement work that is being performed in order to prepare Atlantis for eventual display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians complete the removal of main engine No. 1 from space shuttle Discovery using a specially designed engine installer, called a Hyster forklift. The work is taking place in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The removal is part of Discovery's transition and retirement processing. Work performed on Discovery is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for future public display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians prepare to remove one of three main engines from space shuttle Atlantis using a specially designed Hyster engine lift.Inspection and maintenance of each main engine is standard procedure following a shuttle mission. Atlantis is next slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission. The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module will be permanently attached to the Zarya module. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also are payloads on the flight. Launch is targeted for M

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida move a replica shuttle main engine (RSME) toward 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the wheel well behind Atlantis right-hand main landing gear shown here, a replacement retract link is being installed. A small crack was found recently on the retract link assembly. To lower the main landing gear, a mechanical linkage released by each gear actuates the doors to the open position. The landing gear reach the full-down and extended position with 10 seconds and are locked in the down position by spring-loaded downlock bungees Atlantis is scheduled to launch in September 2005 on the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay No. 1, one of the three main engines for space shuttle Atlantis is ready for installation. Main engine No. 1 has already been installed. Atlantis is the designated vehicle for the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Atlantis nose wheels are cycled to test compression of the new Thermal Protection System seal. Processing continues on Atlantis for mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. The second Return to Flight mission, STS-121 is scheduled for liftoff in a launch window extending from Sept. 9 - 24.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida,preparations are underway to install the right orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod on space shuttle Atlantis. It will be the last time an OMS pod is installed on Atlantis. The OMS provided the shuttle with thrust for orbit insertion, rendezvous and deorbit, and could provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system.The OMS is housed in two independent pods located on each side of the shuttles aft fuselage. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers. Atlantis OMS pods were removed and sent to the test facility at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico to be cleaned of residual toxic propellant. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis

STS-335 STS-135 ATLANTIS ENGINE#3 (LAST) MOVED FROM ENGINE SHOP TO OPF-1

On Jan. 13, 2016, technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans finish welding together the primary structure of the Orion spacecraft destined for deep space on Artemis I. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers monitor an overhead crane as it lowers shuttle Discovery's right-hand orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod toward a transporter. It then will be moved to the Hypergol Maintenance Facility. The removal is part of Discovery's transition and retirement processing. Work performed on Discovery is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for future public display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle main engine No. 3 is installed in shuttle Discovery. The engine was removed to give technicians time to replace a suspect turbopump in main engine No. 1, which encountered an issue during torque testing. Discovery and its STS-133 crew are targeted to deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-4 filled with external payloads and experiments, as well as critical spare components to the International Space Station later this year.

T & R Discovery, Right OMS Pod Removal

STS-133 DISCOVERY - SPACE SHUTTE MAIN ENGINE (SSME) #1 REMOVAL

Discovery T&R Removal of Heat Shield Around Engine #3

. Technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift a ring for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. Flight hardware of the SLS EUS, a more powerful in-space propulsion stage beginning with Artemis IV, is in early production at Michoud. The rings make up the barrel sections for the flight hardware. The Exploration Upper Stage will be used on the second configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts in NASAs Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon. EUS will replace the interim cryogenic propulsion stage for the Block 1 configuration of SLS. It has larger propellant tanks and four RL10 engines, enabling SLS to launch 40% more cargo to the Moon along with crew. NASA and Boeing, the SLS lead contractor for the core stage and EUS, are currently manufacturing

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Centers Orbiter Processing Facility, bay 3, workers secure the Canadian-built orbiter boom sensor system robotic arm onto a stand after removal from Discoverys payload bay. The boom, which was was used on Return to Flight mission STS-114 to provide more extensive inspection and photography of Discovery, will undergo inspection. The orbiter will be processed for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assist as a large crane lowers the forward reaction control system (FRCS) for installation on space shuttle Endeavour. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement processing of Endeavour. The FRCS helped maneuver a shuttle while it was in orbit. The FRCS was removed from Endeavour and sent to White Sands Test Facility in N.M. to be cleaned of its toxic propellants. Endeavour is being prepared for display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

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

T&R Atlantis Engine 3 Removal

T&R Atlantis Final Engine Removal

In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, technicians on a Hyster forklift install space shuttle main engine no. 3 into Endeavour. Each space shuttle main engine is 14 feet long, weighs about 6,700 pounds, and is 7.5 feet in diameter at the end of the nozzle. The orbiter is scheduled for mission STS-118, targeted for launch on June 28. The mission will be the 22nd flight to the International Space Station, carrying another starboard array, S5, for installation.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's transfer aisle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, external tank No. 119 is suspended in a vertical position. The tank will lifted into high bay 3 for stacking with solid rocket boosters. The tank and boosters will launch Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121 in July.

T&R Atlantis Final Engine Removal

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A new block 2 engine heads toward Atlantis in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. There the new engine will be installed for its first flight on Atlantis, for mission STS-104. The Block II Main Engine configuration is manufactured by Boeing Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif., and includes a new Pratt & Whitney high-pressure fuel turbo pump. Engine improvements are managed by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Each Space Shuttle Main Engine is 14 feet (4.3 meters) long, weighs about 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms), and is 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) in diameter at the end of the nozzle

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker checks the hydraulic system that has lifted shuttle Atlantis off the floor to enable the orbiter transport system, or OTS, to be rolled underneath for its move, or "rollover," to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Once there Atlantis will be joined with the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians move the Hyster forklift into position for installation of replica shuttle main engine RSME number 3 on the space shuttle Endeavour.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

At NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, technicians from Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin have welded together three cone-shaped panels on Orions crew module for the Artemis III mission that will land the first woman and next man on the Moon.The crew modules primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space, and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orions crew module are integrated. Infographic showing the seven pieces of Orion's underlying structureWith welding complete on the crew module cone panels - one of which contains windows providing astronauts views of the Moon and Earth - work will begin joining the forward bulkhead to the tunnel to create the top of the spacecr

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians prepare the ground test article Launch Abort System, or LAS, ogive panel and an Orion crew module simulator for a GIZMO demonstration test. A technician moves the GIZMO, a pneumatically-balanced manipulator that will be used for installation of the crew module and LAS flight hatches for the uncrewed Exploration Flight Test-1 and Exploration Mission-1, toward the mockup. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is running the test to demonstrate that the GIZMO can meet the reach and handling requirements for the task.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is schedu

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians sitting on the Hyster forklift monitor the progress as they guide replica shuttle main engine RSME number 1 toward space shuttle Atlantis. Three RSMEs will be installed on Atlantis. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis is scheduled to roll over to the visitor complex in November in preparation for the exhibits grand opening in July 2013.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians on the Hyster forklift position replica shuttle main engine RSME number 2 for installation on space shuttle Atlantis. Three RSMEs will be installed on Atlantis. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis is scheduled to roll over to the visitor complex in November in preparation for the exhibits grand opening in July 2013.

Viper Egress Test. Viper Egress Test

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians complete the removal of main engine No. 1 from space shuttle Discovery using a specially designed engine installer, called a Hyster forklift. The work is taking place in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The removal is part of Discovery's transition and retirement processing. Work performed on Discovery is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for future public display.

France, Occitanie, Blagnac on 2023-07-10. Bruno Le Maire, French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Roland Lescure, French Minister for Industry, Dominique Faure, French Minister for Local Authorities and Rural Affairs, and Clement Beaune, French Minister for Transport, inaugurate Airbus' new A320 Family final assembly line in Blagnac. This new assembly line, which is highly digitised and automated, will employ almost 700 people. They were welcomed by Guillaume Faury, Executive Chairman of Airbus, Marion Smeyers, Director of the new assembly line, and Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie Region. Photograph by Martin Bertrand.France, Occitanie, Blagnac le 2023-07-10. Bruno Le Maire, ministre de lEconomie, des Finances et de la Souverainete industrielle et numerique, Roland Lescure, ministre de lIndustrie, Dominique Faure, ministre des Collectivites territoriales et de la Ruralite, et Clement Beaune, ministre des Transports, inaugurent la nou

T&R Atlantis Final Engine Removal

In the transfer aisle inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Jacobs technicians on the Test Operations Support Contract attach a crane to a shipping container with the ground test motor for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) inside on July 20, 2018. The container will be lifted and transferred to 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 t

Production hall with facility for welding of aluminum alloy

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians carefully remove engine No. 2, one of three space shuttle main engines from Endeavour, using a specially designed engine installer, called a Hyster forklift.The removal is part of Endeavour's transition and retirement processing. Endeavour 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.

At NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, technicians from Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin have welded together three cone-shaped panels on Orions crew module for the Artemis III mission that will land the first woman and next man on the Moon.The crew modules primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space, and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orions crew module are integrated. Infographic showing the seven pieces of Orion's underlying structureWith welding complete on the crew module cone panels - one of which contains windows providing astronauts views of the Moon and Earth - work will begin joining the forward bulkhead to the tunnel to create the top of the spacecr

At NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, technicians from Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin have welded together three cone-shaped panels on Orions crew module for the Artemis III mission that will land the first woman and next man on the Moon.The crew modules primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space, and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orions crew module are integrated. Infographic showing the seven pieces of Orion's underlying structureWith welding complete on the crew module cone panels - one of which contains windows providing astronauts views of the Moon and Earth - work will begin joining the forward bulkhead to the tunnel to create the top of the spacecr

Crews Complete SLS Liquid Oxygen Tank Forward Dome for Artemis IV. Teams completed welding of the liquid oxygen dome for the core stage of a future SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The dome, which will cap off the forward end of the liquid oxygen tank, was lifted off of the robotic weld tool and moved to an assembly area for the next phase of production. Later, crews will add the forward dome to join the two barrels and the aft dome to complete the liquid oxygen tank. The flight hardware will be used for Artemis IV, the first flight of SLS in its Block 1B configuration. The SLS core stage liquid oxygen tank holds 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid propellant. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank, and the engine section. The liquid oxygen and the liquid hydrogen tanks will provide propellant to the four RS-25 engines to produce more than two mil

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a lift holds a replica shuttle main engine (RSME) for installation on space shuttle Discovery. This is the first of three replica engines to be installed. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Hyster forklift moves the first of three space shuttle main engines closer to space shuttle Atlantis for installation. Each engine is 14 feet long, weighs about 6,700 pounds, and is 7.5 feet in diameter at the end of the nozzle. This is the final planned engine installation for the Space Shuttle Program.Atlantis is being prepared for the "launch on need," or potential rescue mission, for the final planned shuttle flight, Endeavour's STS-134 mission.

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

STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-1 INSTALLATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians carefully remove main engine No. 3 from space shuttle Discovery using a specially designed engine installer, called a Hyster forklift. The work is taking place in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The removal is part of Discovery's transition and retirement processing. Work performed on Discovery is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for future public display.NASA/Jim Grossmann

In this photograph, Russians are working on the aft portion of the United States-funded, Russian-built Functional Cargo Bay (FGB) also known as Zarya (Russian for sunrise). Built at Khrunichev, the FGB began pre-launch testing shortly after this photo was taken. Launched by a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonu Cosmodrome on November 20, 1998, Zarya was the first element of the International Space Station (ISS) followed by the U.S. Unity Node. The aft docking mechanism, Pirs, on the far right with ventilation ducting rurning through it, will be docked with the third Station element, the Russian Service Module, or Zvezda.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians move the Hyster forklift back after using it to install replica shuttle main engine RSME number 1 on space shuttle Atlantis. Three RSMEs will be installed on Atlantis. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis is scheduled to roll over to the visitor complex in November in preparation for the exhibits grand opening in July 2013.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane carries the forward reaction control system (FRCS) for installation on space shuttle Discovery.The FRCS was returned from White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where it underwent a complete deservicing and cleaning. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

First weld of Orion Exploration Mission 1 crew module

First weld of Orion Exploration Mission 1 crew module

Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - Technicians perform a fit check on an Orbital Sciences Pegasus rocket as the launcher is processed for the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph mission known as IRIS. The technicians are attaching the wing of the Pegasus to the fuselage.

Interior View of Orbiter Processing Facility 3

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Preparations are under way to install a replica shuttle main engine (RSME) on space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The RSME is one of three that will be installed on Discovery during Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement activities. The replicas are being 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Columbia's engine no. 2 is seen at left after its removal from the orbiter. After small cracks were discovered on the LH2 Main Propulsion System (MPS) flow liners in two other orbiters, program managers decided to move forward with inspections on Columbia before clearing it for flight on STS-107. The heat shields were removed, and after removing the three main engines, inspections of the flow liners will follow. The July 19 launch of Columbia on STS-107 has been delayed a few weeks

NASA engineers install test hardware for the agency's new heavy lift rocket, the Space Launch System, into a newly constructed 50-foot structural test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. In the stand, hydraulic cylinders will be electronically controlled to push, pull, twist and bend the test article with millions of pounds of force. Engineers will record and analyze over 3,000 channels of data for each test case to verify the capabilities of the engine section and validate that the design and analysis models accurately predict the amount of loads the core stage can withstand during launch and ascent. The engine section, recently delivered via NASA's barge Pegasus from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, is the first of four core stage structural test articles scheduled to be delivered to Marshall for testing. The engine section, located at the bottom of SLS's massive core stage, will house the rocket's four RS-25 engines and be an attachment point for the two solid rocket boos

Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew modules primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orions crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and clo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help guide a dome heat shield for installation around one of space shuttle Discoverys three replica shuttle main engines.The dome heat shields are composed of two, semi-circle-shaped sections of thermal protection system tiles that surround the engines. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

Discovery/T&R FRCS Removal & Lift to Transporter

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers use a new engine hyster, built by Rocketdyne, to remove an engine on an orbiter. .

S94-30393 (23 Nov 1993) --- In the south level IV stand of the Operations and Checkout Building low bay, the Space Radar Laboratory -1 (SRL-1) antenna is being placed atop a pallet which holds the antenna electronics. SRL-1 is scheduled to fly on Space Shuttle mission STS-59 next year. It is comprised of two different imaging radars, the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) and the X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR). These radars are the most advanced of their kind to fly in space to date, and will allow scientists to make highly detailed studies of the Earth's surface on a global scale. An Interface Verification Test of the antenna and a Mission Sequence Test will be performed on the fully assembled SRL-1 later this month.

THE ORION HEAT SHIELD, WHICH WAS AT NASAS MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER FROM MARCH-MAY 2015 FOR ENGINEERING AND ANALYSIS, IS READIED FOR DEPARTURE AT THE END OF ITS STAY. THE HEAT SHIELDS ABLATED SURFACE MATERIAL WAS REMOVED AT MARSHALL FOR ANALYSIS, USING THE CENTERS STATE-OF-THE-ART SEVEN-AXIS MILLING MACHINE. IT NEXT WILL GO TO NASAS LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER FOR WATER-IMPACT TESTING. NASAS JOHNSON SPACE CENTER LEADS THE ORION PROGRAM FOR NASA.

T&R Atlantis Final Engine Removal

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians stand on the Hyster forklift as replica shuttle main engine RSME number 2 is installed on the space shuttle Atlantis.Three RSMEs were installed on Atlantis. The replicas were built in the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engine shop at KSC to replace the space shuttle main engines SSMEs which will be placed in storage to support NASA's Space Launch System currently under development. The RSME installation is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18, 2012 for Atlantis future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis is scheduled to roll over to the visitor complex during November in preparation for the exhibits grand opening in July 2013.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to open space shuttle Endeavours payload bay doors in order to retract an antenna. Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement work continues on Discovery and Endeavour in the orbiter processing facilities, while shuttle Atlantis is in temporary storage in high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Endeavour is being prepared for display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

The Soyuz rocket and Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft is assembled at Building 112 on the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, May 25, 2014 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz is scheduled for May 29 and will send Expedition 40 Soyuz Commander Maxim Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, ESA, and Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman of NASA to the International Space Station for a five and a half month stay.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- As the giant forklift moves closer to Atlantis, workers keep watch as the new block 2 engine nears its installation point. The work is being done in the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. The engine will have its first flight on mission STS-104, scheduled for launch June 14. The Block II Main Engine configuration is manufactured by Boeing Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif., and includes a new Pratt & Whitney high-pressure fuel turbo pump. Engine improvements are managed by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Each Space Shuttle Main Engine is 14 feet (4.3 meters) long, weighs about 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms), and is 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) in diameter at the end of the nozzle

The Orion service module structural test article for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), built by the European Space Agency, is prepared for shipment to Lockheed Martin's Denver facility to undergo testing. Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers secure the protective covering around the module and a crane lifts the module, secured on stand, for the move to the transport truck. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop the agency's Space Launch System rocket on EM-1 in 2019.

Discovery T&R, Right Hand Inner Heat Shield Removal from Engine #1

Interior view of the Space Station Processing Facility

Lockheed Martin Photography By Garry Tice1011 Lockheed Way, Palmdale, Ca. 93599Event: SEG 210 ForebodyDate: 1/19/2021Additional Info:

three mechanics repairing thrust reverser on commercial aircraft

NASA Connects All Major Structures of Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have fully integrated all five major structures of the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets core stage for Artemis II, the first Artemis mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon and return them home. Technicians joined the engine section to the rest of the rocket stage March 17. Next, teams will integrate the four RS-25 engines to the engine section to complete the stage. Located at the bottom of the 212-foot-tall core stage, the engine section is the most complex and intricate part of the rocket stage, helping to power Artemis missions to the Moon. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. It houses the engines a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Kibo Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, is carried high above the floor as it is moved to a workstand. The ELM-ES is one of the final components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory for the International Space Station. It can provide payload storage space and can carry up to three payloads at launch. The ELM-ES will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch June 13.

A worker removes a protective cover from an engine as the Soyuz rocket and Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft are assembled on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 49 flight engineer Shane Kimbrough of NASA, Soyuz commander Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos, and flight engineer Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 19.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians carefully begin removing a main engine from space shuttle Discovery using the specially designed engine installer. The work is taking place in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The transition and retirement processing is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for display.

Space Launch System Corestage-2 Engine Section is lifted into a thrust structure tool at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

Italy, Piedmont, Turin, Mirafiori. Worker in Fiat car factory assembling plant

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the right orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod is being installed on space shuttle Discovery. The OMS pods were returned from White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where they underwent a complete deservicing and cleaning. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

MAN AG: production of lorries, BAVARIA, MUNICH, GERMANY.

The crew and service module for Artemis I continue preparations for mating inside the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building High Bay at Kennedy Space Center on March 21, 2019. Alongside, the pressure vessel for Artemis II is undergoing install of its secondary structure.

Engineers work at the Beechcraft factory in Wichita, Kansas.

STS-133 DISCOVERY ENGINE-3 INSTALLATION

NASA removed J-2X engine No. 10001 from the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in early October. Opening of the test stand clamshell flooring allowed a clear view of the next-generation engine and stub nozzle, which is being built to help power future deep-space missions. The engine is an upgrade from the heritage J-2 rocket engine, which helped power Apollo missions to the moon during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building begin to secure a large yellow, metal sling to shuttle Discovery for its lift from the transfer aisle into High Bay 3. In the bay, the shuttle will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. The operation began Sept. 9 and wrapped up early Sept. 10. Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A later this month in preparation for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission.Targeted to lift off Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station.

DAVID OSBORNE, A MACHINIST ON THE METTS CONTRACT, OPERATES THE 7-AXIS MILLING MACHINE WITH CF1 BARREL BEING PREPARED FOR SHELL BUCKLE TESTING

Super Guppy arrival and (MBB) Multi-Bay Box Delivery ; Super Guppy arrival and MBB Delivery: super Guppy arrival at NASA Langley hangar, and unloading of (MBB) multi-bay box, transport of MBB to COLTS and move into building 1256.

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. - Inside a processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians assist as a crane moves the wing closer for a fit check with the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle.NASAs Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, spacecraft will launch aboard the Pegasus XL in late 2012. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the suns corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and heliosphere, or region around the sun.

. These images and videos show technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lifting and installing the liquid oxygen dome weld confidence article for a future upper stage for NASAs SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the LTAC (LOX Tank Assembly Center) in Building 115 at Michoud for the next phase of manufacturing in July 2023. The dome makes up a portion of the liquid oxygen tank weld confidence article for the EUS (exploration upper stage). Teams use weld confidence articles to verify welding procedures and structural integrity of the welds to manufacture structural test and flight versions of the hardware. EUS flight hardware is in early production at Michoud. The more powerful upper stage and its four RL10 engines will be used on the second configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts in NASAs Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon. NASA and Boeing, the lead contractor fo

Interior View of Orbiter Processing Facility 3

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lifts the Multi-Use Logistic Equipment, or MULE, carrier. The carrier is one of four associated with the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. It will be installed in the payload canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. At the pad, all the carriers will be loaded into space shuttle Atlantis payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10.

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

From Above With Nose Installed. Lockheed Martin Photography By Garry Tice1011 Lockheed Way, Palmdale, Ca. 93599Event: From Above With Nose InstalledDate: 11/07/2022Additional Info:

The forward skirt section of NASA's SLS rocket is completed and awaiting stacking for the EM-1 launch.

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