Space Shuttle Launch Pad

Dramatic images of space shuttles on launch pads during sunset and various launch preparations at the Kennedy Space Center.

Sun Setting Behind Space Shuttle Columbia

Sun Setting Behind Space Shuttle Columbia

A view of the launch pad for the space shuttle Columbia at the Kennedy Space Center. Base: Cape Canaveral State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, dwarfs the car parked at right on the median of the 130-foot-wide crawlerway. Traveling at 1 mph, the crawler-transporter takes about five hours to cover the journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B. Here it is moving toward the turn that will take it to the pad. Liftoff of Discovery on mission STS-96 is targeted for May 20 at 9:32 a.m. EDT. STS-96 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-led experiment

S82-32169 (26 May 1982) --- View of the space shuttle Columbia sitting on Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), following rollout for STS-4, as preparations continue toward a late June launch. The fourth liftoff of the Columbia will mark the beginning of the final test flight in the Space Transportation System (STS) program. Astronauts Thomas K. Mattingly II and Henry W. Hartsfield will man the vehicle for a scheduled eight-day flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Atop the crawler/transporter, the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis rolls out to Launch Complex 39A in preparation for mission STS-86, which is targeted for a September launch. STS-86 will be the seventh of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle orbiter with the Russian Space Station Mir.

An Air Force Atlas IIAS Space Vehicle sits poised on the launch complex 36B ready to carry a Telestar 401 Communications Satellite into orbit. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

STS-134 Endeavour Sitting on Launch Pad 39A

Space Shuttle.

After successfully arriving at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39B, Exploration Ground Systems mobile launcher continues its journey atop crawler-transporter 2 up to the pad surface on June 28, 2019. The mobile launcher began its final solo trek to the pad at midnight on June 27, departing from NASAs Vehicle Assembly Building. The mobile launcher will remain at the pad over the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agencys Space Launch System rocket and Orion in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building (left), to the Mobile Launcher east park site. The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. Once there, the ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program.

August 24, 2009 - The space shuttle Discovery is poised for liftoff on the STS-128 mission from pad 39a at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Moscow, Russia, august 25, 2020: Vostok rocket and launcher at the Exhibition of achievements of the national economy, All-Russian Exhibition Center, Europe

Expedition 70 Preflight. The Soyuz rocket is seen, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 at pad 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft on Sept. 15.

STS-130 Endeavour Rollout - Includes 1st Motion

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An overhead crane in the mate/demate device at the Shuttle Landing Facility lowers the orbiter Atlantis onto its wheels. A tail cone covers the aft engines. Atlantis was removed from the back of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft after a ferry flight from California. Atlantis landed Feb. 19 at Edwards Air Force Base concluding mission STS-98. The ferry flight began March 1; unfavorable weather conditions kept it on the ground at Altus AFB, Okla., until it could return to Florida. Atlantis will be transported to the Orbiter Processing Facility to prepare it for mission STS-104, the 10th construction flight to the International Space Station, scheduled to launch June 8

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis rolls along the crawlerway toward Launch pad 39A after leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hannas shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After rotation in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis is suspended vertically above the transfer aisle. The shuttle will be lifted into High Bay 3 where it will be lowered and mated with its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A for a targeted launch on May 12 on the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Space shuttle Endeavour is in place at Launch Pad 39A, Friday, June 12, 2009 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Endeavour is undergoing final preparations for its upcoming 16-day mission to the International Space Station.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - APRIL 23, 2019: Booster rocket Vostok at the pavilion Space on VDNCH. Walking Muscovites and tourists MOSCOW, RUSSIA - APRIL 23, 2019: Booster rocket Vostok at the pavilion Space on VDNCH. Walking Muscovites and tourists. Copyright: xZoonar.com/AlexanderxStrelax 20048793

Space shuttle launching from a space station, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 19 and a spaceflight participant on March 26, 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Discovery nears the ramp to the top of Launch Pad 39B. The early morning fog that had cleared for the rollout can be seen rolling back over the pad. Discovery will be flying on mission STS-102 to the International Space Station. Its payload is the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, a moving van, to carry laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies to and from the Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle. The flight will also carry the Expedition Two crew up to the Space Station, replacing Expedition One, who will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch is scheduled for March 8 at 6 45 a.m. EST

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Columbia rolls out.

SDO ATLAS V ROLLOUT FROM VIF TO PAD 41

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- As the Rotating Service Structure is rolled back, Space Shuttle Columbia, with its orange external tank and white solid rocket boosters, is revealed on pad 39A prior to launch. The Shuttle sits atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. Columbia is scheduled for launch Jan. 16 at 10:39 a.m. EST, the start of a 2.5-hour window, on mission STS-107.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-48 Discovery

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft arrives at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 21, 2019. Starliner will be prepared for Boeings Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The spacecraft rolled out from Boeings Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center earlier in the day.

The Space Shuttle Enterprise in launch position on the Space Launch Complex (SLC) #6, commonly known as "SLICK 6", during the ready-to-launch checks to verify launch procedures. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, rolls out to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch complex (LC) pad 39B on top of the crawler transporter. OV-103 nears LC pad 39B after a six-hour journey from the vehicle assembly building (VAB). When locked onto the nearby rotating service structure (RSS), work will continue to ready the vehicle for the STS-26 launch later in the summer.

USA, Florida, Titusville, Kennedy Space Center rocket garden, NASA.

Close-up view of Space Shuttle Enterprise in launch position on the Space Launch Complex (SLC) #6, commonly known as "SLICK 6", during the ready-to-launch checks to verify launch procedures. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

SDO ATLAS V ROLLOUT FROM VIF TO PAD 41

The space shuttle Enterprise, mated to an external tank and solid rocket boosters, rests on the launch mount next to the access tower at Space Launch Complex Six. In the background is the mobile service tower. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The first stage of Boeing's Delta 7326 rocket, which will be used to launch the Deep Space 1 spacecraft, arrives at Pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Station. .

Space Shuttle Discovery Begins Her Historic Return to Flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is rolling off Launch Pad 39B for the 3.4-mile rollaround to Launch Pad 39A. The waving flag indicates the crawler-transporter is nearing the pad gate. First motion was at 8:28 a.m. EDT. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14 on the STS-126 mission. On this 27th mission to the International Space Station, Endeavour will carry the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo that will hold supplies and equipment, including additional crew quarters, additional exercise equipment, spare hardware and equipment for the regenerative life support system.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Endeavour rests on Launch Pad 39A after rolling out from the Vehicle Assembly Building over night. First motion out of the VAB was at 8:10 p.m. July 10, and the shuttle was hard down on the pad at 3:02 a.m. July 11. The shuttle sits on top of the mobile launcher platform. At far left is the rotating service structure, which can be rolled around to enclose the shuttle for access during processing. Behind it is the fixed service structure, topped by an 80-foot-tall lightning mast. At right is the 290-foot-tall water tank, which provides the deluge over the mobile launcher platform for sound suppression during liftoff. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-118 on Aug. 7. During the mission, Endeavour will carry into orbit the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and will mark the first flight of Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, the teacher-

Saturn V on display inside the Davidson Center for Space Exploration building at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center located in Huntsville, Alabama, USA.

DN-ST-87-06501. Base: Cape Canaveral State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

STS-132 ATLANTIS ROLLOUT FROM VAB TO PAD 39A

A view of the Atlas NDS-5 spacecraft at Space Launch Complex Three during a simulated launch. Base: Los Angeles Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An aerial view south along the seashore shows shuttles on both launch pads. The Atlantic Ocean is a thin line on the horizon. At left is space shuttle Atlantis, preparing for its launch on the STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted for Oct. 10. At right is space shuttle Endeavour, which rolled out Sept. 19, completing the 4.2-mile journey at 6:59 a.m. EDT. This is the first time since July 2001 that two shuttles are on the launch pads at the same time at the center. Endeavour will stand by at pad B in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary during space shuttle Atlantis' upcoming mission. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue spacecraft, it will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for the STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch Nov. 12.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour is lowered onto the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display.

Space shuttles at the space center, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

Space Shuttle Discovery Begins Her Historic Return to Flight

Florida, Kennedy Space Center. Lauch Of Space Shuttle Columbia.

The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after arrival to the launch pad Sunday, June 13, 2010, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 24 on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 3:35 a.m. Kazakhstan time.

The Soyuz rocket is erected into position after being rolled out to the launch pad by train, on Sunday, October 21, 2012, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for October 23 and will send Expedition 33/34 Flight Engineer Kevin Ford of NASA, Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin of ROSCOSMOS on a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

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The space shuttle Enterprise, mated to an external tank and solid rocket boosters, rests on the launch mount next to the access tower at Space Launch Complex Six. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is lowered onto the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in the mate-demate device during mating operations.The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. This SCA, designated NASA 905, is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Aerials - STS-133 Discovery on Pad 39A, LEED Bldg., VAB

Rockets displayed at a museum, Saturn V Rocket, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, USA

Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion stacked on the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle at United Launch Alliance Launch Complex 37B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 24, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Space Shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A, Prepared for the Final Flight of the Space Shuttle Program

SPACE X MMRTG Offload and Lift for Insertion

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The rising sun and some scattered clouds provide a picturesque backdrop for the Space Shuttle Discovery as it travels along the crawlerway toward Launch Pad 39A in preparation for the STS-82 mission. The Shuttle is on a Mobile Launcher Platform, and the entire assemblage is being carried by a large, tracked vehicle called the crawler transporter. A seven-member crew will perform the second servicing of the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during the 10-day STS-82 flight, whcih is targeted for a Feb. 11 liftoff.

USA, Virginia, Herndon, National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, air museum, US NASA Space Shuttle, engine detail

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery slowly is lifted off the ground inside the mate-demate device in preparation for the arrival of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Atop the crawler/transporter, the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis rolls out to Launch Complex 39A in preparation for mission STS-86, which is targeted for a September launch. STS-86 will be the seventh of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle orbiter with the Russian Space Station Mir

One step closer to its maiden voyage, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building, headed to Launch Pad 39B. Launched on May 7th 1992, the STS-49 mission was the first U.S. orbital flight to feature 4 extravehicular activities (EVAs), and the first flight to involve 3 crew members working simultaneously outside of the spacecraft. The primary objective was the capture and redeployment of the INTELSAT VI (F-3) which was stranded in an unusable orbit since its launch aboard the Titan rocket in March 1990.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft moves along the roadway from the Vertical Integration Facility to the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Rollout began on schedule with first motion at 9:57 a.m.Launch is scheduled for Nov. 18 during a window that extends from 1:28 to 3:28 p.m. Once positioned in orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study its upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-55 Columbia

August 4, 2009 - Sitting on top of the mobile launcher platform, space shuttle Discovery arrives on top of Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A view from inside bay three of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) shows the Space Shuttle Discovery washed in white xenon light as it makes a nighttime departure from the VAB on its way to pad 39B. Discovery will fly for mission STS-26 now scheduled for launch in earlly September with its five-man crew and the TDRS-C payload. First motion in the Shuttle's move from the VAB toward the pad came at 12 50 a.m. July 4, 1988.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, launch pad gantry arms are seen closing around the Soyuz rocket in this long exposure photograph, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. Expedition 57 crewmembers Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch on October 11 on the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft for a six-month mission living and working aboard the International Space Station.

USA, Florida, Titusville, Kennedy Space Center, Apollo/Saturn V center, NASA, Saturn V.

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STS116-S-056 (22 Dec. 2006) --- Discovery approaches touchdown on Runway 15 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, concluding mission STS-116. Aboard are astronauts Mark L. Polansky, commander; William A. Oefelein, pilot; and Robert L. Curbeam Jr., Joan E. Higginbotham, Nicholas J.M. Patrick and European Space Agency astronauts Christer Fuglesang and Thomas Reiter--all mission specialists. Reiter is returning from a six-month stay on the International Space Station. During the mission, three spacewalks attached the P5 integrated truss structure to the station, and completed the rewiring of the orbiting laboratory's power system. A contingency spacewalk was added to retract a stubborn solar array. Main gear touchdown was at 5:32 p.m. (EST). Nose gear touchdown was at 5:32:12 p.m. and wheel stop was at 5:32:52 p.m. At touchdown -- nominally about 2,500 ft. beyond the runway threshold -- the orbiter is traveling at a speed ranging from 213 to 226 mph. Discovery travel

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After rollback of the rotating service structure (RSS) on Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Discovery stands bathed in lights from the RSS and fixed service structure. The rollback was in preparation for launch July 1 on mission STS-121. Extending toward the cockpit of the shuttle is the orbiter access arm with the White Room extended. The White Room provides access into the orbiter for the astronauts. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. The structure is supported by a rotating bridge that pivots about a vertical axis on the west side of the pad's flame trench. The hinge column rests on the pad surface and is braced to the fixed service structure. Support for the outer end of the bridge is provided by two eight-wheel, motor-driven trucks that move along circular twin rails installed flush with the pad surface. The track crosses the flame trench on a permanent bridge. The RSS is 102 feet lon

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USA, Washington D.C. National Air and Space Museum, joint USA-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz space station (Editorial Use Only)

The Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft is seen after having rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 25, 2015. NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and Russian Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, and Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 28, Kazakh time (March 27 Eastern time.) As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Two of the three United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy boosters for NASAs upcoming Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, mission with the Orion spacecraft, have arrived by barge at the U.S. Army Outpost wharf at Port Canaveral in Florida. The core booster and starboard booster are being offloaded and will be transported to the Horizontal Integration Facility, or HIF, at Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The port booster and the upper stage are planned to be shipped to Cape Canaveral in April. At the HIF, all three boosters will be processed and checked out before being moved to the nearby launch pad and hoisted into position. During the EFT-1 mission, Orion will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, validate existing computer models and innovative new approaches to space systems development, as well as reduce overall missio

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A high-flying bird takes a closer look at the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 with twin solid rocket boosters bolted to it as it crawls toward Launch Pad 39A, in the background. The crawler is moving along the crawlerway at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

The flags representing Kazakhstan and the nations of the three crewmembers who will launch in the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft are shown at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, July 12, 2012. From left to right are the flags of Russia, Japan, the United States and Kazakhstan. Scheduled to launch on the morning of July 15 local time are Expedition 32 Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko, NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide.

USA, Ohio, Dayton: US Air Force Museum and National Aviation Hall of Fame, 1960s Era USAF Missles

S66-41179 (25 May 1966) --- Sunrise at Pad 39A during a checkout of facilities. An Apollo/Saturn Facilities Test Vehicle and Launch Umbilical Tower (LUT) stand atop the pad's bandstand. This test vehicle, designated Apollo/Saturn 500-F, is being used to verify launch facilities, train launch crews, and develop test and checkout procedures.

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A transporter moves NASA's MAVEN spacecraft, inside a payload fairing, to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 where it will be hoisted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will lift it into space and on to Mars. MAVEN is short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Discovery makes its way along the crawlerway to Launch Pad 39B. First motion for the 4-mile, 6-hour journey was at 1 58 a.m. EDT. The Space Shuttle rests on a Mobile Launcher Platform that sits atop a Crawler-Transporter. This is the second rollout of Discovery after being returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building for connection to an improved External Tank. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission STS-114 is targeted for a launch window extending from July 13 to July 31.

A Lockheed Martin Corp. ATLAS IIAS/AC-117 sits poised on Launch Complex 36A. The expendable launch vehicle is carrying a Japanese Communication Satellite into orbit. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft is seen in silhouette after being rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Sunday, May 13, 2012. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 31 Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin of Russia, and prime NASA Flight Engineer Joe Acaba is scheduled for 9:01 a.m. local time on Tuesday, May 15.

STS084-S-001 009

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Payload canister #1 departs the high bay of the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the last time. The canister is being moved to the Reutilization, Recycling and Marketing Facility on Ransom Road. The two payload canisters used to transport space shuttle payloads to the launch pad for installation in the shuttles' cargo bays are being decommissioned following the end of the Space Shuttle Program. Each canister weighs 110,000 pounds and is 65 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 18 feet, 7 inches high. The canisters were prescreened through NASA Headquarters as possible artifacts, but their size makes them difficult to transport to locations off the center. Federal and state agencies now will be given the opportunity to screen the canisters for potential use before a final decision is made on their disposition.

The Rocket Garden at dusk, Kennedy Space Center - Cape Canaveral Florida, USA

France, Midi-Pyrenees Region, Haute-Garonne Department, Toulouse, Cite de l'Espace space park, Ariane 5, French Space Rocket

Rocket Space Ship. Military missile flying high in blue sky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Program's last external fuel tank, ET-122, enters the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tank traveled 900 miles by sea from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to Kennedy's Turn Basin aboard the Pegasus Barge. The tank eventually will be attached to space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. STS-134, targeted to launch in Feb. 2011, currently is scheduled to be the last mission in the shuttle program. The tank, which is the largest element of the space shuttle stack, was damaged during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and restored to flight configuration by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company employees.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-51-D Discovery

The Soyuz rocket after arrival, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

The Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft is seen after having rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 25, 2015. NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and Russian Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, and Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 28, Kazakh time (March 27 Eastern time.) As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane begins to lift space shuttle Atlantis into the upper levels to move it into High Bay 3. In the bay, the shuttle will be lowered and mated with its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A for a targeted launch on May 12 on the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

A Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft and its booster rocket is transported on a rail car to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003 in preparation for liftoff Oct. 18 to carry Expedition 8 Commander and NASA Science Officer Michael Foale, Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri and European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain to the International Space Station.

The space shuttle Columbia lifts off from the launch pad for its first mission into space. Astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen are aboard to test the shuttle's systems and to land the shuttle like an airplane at Edwards Air Force Base, California..

The space shuttle Atlantis moves to Launch Pad 39A during rollout at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, in Florida. ( NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool ).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Before daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery hovers above the ground at the mate-demate device. Operations are under way to position Discovery on top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in preparation for its departure from Kennedy on Tuesday. A tail cone has been installed over Discoverys three replica shuttle main engines to reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during the ferry flight.The device, known as the MDD, is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the aircraft, or SCA. The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use, which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. The SCA designated NASA 905 is assigned to the remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- With the American flag flapping in the morning breeze, Space Shuttle Discovery, across the turn basin, makes its crawl to Launch Pad 39B (background, left) atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter. Once at the pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a "call-up" due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-François Clervoy of France, both with the European Space A

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