Space Shuttle Preparation

Images from NASA facilities showing technicians preparing shuttle components and systems, emphasizing space exploration technology.

Assembly work at the Beechcraft factory in Wichita, Kansas.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians monitor the progress as a large crane lifts the right orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod for installation on space shuttle Atlantis. It is the last time an OMS pod will be 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 shut

T&R Endeavour, LH Oms Pod Lift and Move for Installation

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians monitor the progress as a large crane is lowered toward the right orbital maneuvering system OMS pod that will be installed on space shuttle Endeavour. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the transition and retirement processing of each shuttle. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne technicians align a space shuttle main engine for installation on space shuttle Endeavour in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The engine will fly on the shuttle's STS-130 mission to the International Space Station. Even though this engine weighs one-seventh as much as a locomotive engine, its high-pressure fuel pump alone delivers as much horsepower as 28 locomotives, while its high-pressure oxidizer pump delivers the equivalent horsepower of an additional 11 locomotives. The maximum equivalent horsepower developed by the shuttle's three main engines is more than 37 million horsepower. Endeavour is targeted to launch Feb. 4, 2010.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The canister containing the interstage adapter, or ISA, for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is lifted out of its transportation trailer in the high bay of the Building 836 hangar on south Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket will loft SMAP into orbit from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 2. The ISA connects the Delta II first and second stages and encloses the second stage engine and thrust section. The spacecraft will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. The data returned also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for November 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician moves the Hyster forklift carrying 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 Bay 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians work with the Hyster forklift as replica shuttle main engine RSME number 3 is installed 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.

Assembly work at the Beechcraft factory in Wichita, Kansas.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne technician carefully maneuvers a space shuttle main engine into position on space shuttle Endeavour in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The engine will fly on the shuttle's STS-130 mission to the International Space Station.Even though this engine weighs one-seventh as much as a locomotive engine, its high-pressure fuel pump alone delivers as much horsepower as 28 locomotives, while its high-pressure oxidizer pump delivers the equivalent horsepower of an additional 11 locomotives. The maximum equivalent horsepower developed by the shuttle's three main engines is more than 37 million horsepower. Endeavour is targeted to launch Feb. 4, 2010.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, an orbiter main engine is lifted by a new engine hyster, built by Rocketdyne, that is used to remove it from the orbiter. .

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians prepare a large crane that will lift the right orbital maneuvering system OMS pod for installation on space shuttle Endeavour. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the transition and retirement processing of each shuttle. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, technicians complete work on the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft for its encapsulation into the upper stage of its Soyuz booster Nov. 9. Expedition 50-51 crewmembers Peggy Whitson of NASA, Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency will launch on the Soyuz Nov. 18, Baikonur time, for a six-month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Alexander Vysotsky

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The second stage for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, or OCO-2, is suspended from the ceiling of the high bay of the Building 836 hangar on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California following its removal from the transportation trailer in which it arrived. OCO-2 is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 2 in July. The rocket's second stage will insert OCO-2 into a polar Earth orbit. OCO-2 will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and provide scientists with a better idea of the chemical compound's impacts on climate change. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Columbia's engine no. 2 is about to be removed. 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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay No. 1, one of the three main engines for space shuttle Atlantis is positioned near the aft 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.

T&R Endeavour, Alta Pod Installation/Demo, Enterprise/Smithsonia, Day 2

two mechanics working on a thrust reverser for a regional commercial jet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, operations to lift the left orbital maneuvering system OMS pod of space shuttle Endeavour are under way. The OMS pod is being reinstalled on Endeavour following a complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the shuttles transition and retirement processing.Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

Discovery/T&R FRCS Removal & Lift to Transporter

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians use the Hyster forklift to install replica shuttle main engine RSME number 1 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.

In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Tim Chastain (left) and John Peterson (right), with United Space Alliance, prepare to remove the body flap actuator from the orbiter Endeavour. The work is part of return to flight activities on the orbiter fleet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A new block 2 engine is ready for its move to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. There it will be installed on the orbiter Atlantis, on mission STS-104, for its first flight. The Block II Main Engine configuration is manufactured by Boeing Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif., and includes a new Pratt and 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 Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft is seen after being rotated into a horizontal position in preparation for encapsulation in its fairing on Thursday, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 49 flight engineer Shane Kimbrough of NASA, flight engineer Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos, and Soyuz commander Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 19.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare space shuttle Endeavour for its move, or "rollover," from its hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Endeavour and its STS-134 crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, spare parts, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, technicians complete work on the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft for its encapsulation into the upper stage of its Soyuz booster Nov. 9. Expedition 50-51 crewmembers Peggy Whitson of NASA, Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency will launch on the Soyuz Nov. 18, Baikonur time, for a six-month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Alexander Vysotsky

Saturn V S-1C boosters lined up in the Horizontal Assembly area of Michoud Assembly Facility. Image dated 10-5-1967.

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. Other technicians work inside the aft compartment securing the RSME in place.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.

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

The Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft is mated to its booster rocket in a processing hangar at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Monday, October 11, 2004, in preparation for its rollout to the launch pad October 12 and its liftoff October 14 to carry Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao, Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov and Russian Space Forces cosmonaut Yuri Shargin to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians use a Hyster forklift to remove Engine #1, the final engine to be removed from space shuttle Atlantis. The forklift will be used to transport the engine 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.

T&R Endeavour, LH Oms Pod Lift and Move for Installation

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach an overhead crane to shuttle Endeavour. The crane will lift the spacecraft into a high bay where it will be attached to the waiting external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.Endeavour and its STS-134 crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. Endeavour's final launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a space shuttle main engine secured on a Hyster forklift is ready to be installed to space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-3. Three main engines, weighing 7,000 pounds each, will be installed in the shuttle for the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Engines are inspected and maintained in the nearby Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility before installation. 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 station later this year.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a large crane lowers 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis engine well is empty where main engine No. 1 has been removed.The liquid hydrogen lines will be placed in storage to preserve the option to reuse them on NASAs Space Launch System heavy-lift vehicle, under development. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Atlantis. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the Hyster lift at right moves the third Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) into position behind Discovery for installation. Discovery is designated as the Return to Flight vehicle for mission STS-114. Recent improvements to the SSME include the introduction of redesigned high-pressure turbopumps into the SSME fleet. The new pumps are designed and built by Pratt and Whitney at West Palm Beach, Fla. SSMEs and the Pratt and Whitney turbopumps are tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Engines and engine components are delivered to Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians move a portable workstand under a Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine, or SSME, inside the SSME Processing Facility, the engine shop at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The engine is being rotated into a horizontal position with the aid of an engine-handling device attached to a crane.The engine is one of the last SSMEs remaining at Kennedy and is being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The first two groups of engines were shipped from Kennedy to Stennis in November 2011 and January 2012 the remaining engines are scheduled to depart on April 9. Altogether, 15 shuttle-era engines will be stored at Stennis for reuse on NASAs Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, under development.

In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft (left) its moved toward its encapsulation into the upper stage of its Soyuz booster Nov. 9. Expedition 50-51 crewmembers Peggy Whitson of NASA, Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency will launch on the Soyuz Nov. 18, Baikonur time, for a six-month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Alexander Vysotsky

JSC2010-E-044364 (30 March 2010) --- In preparation for an April 2 liftoff for Expedition 23, the final assembly for Soyuz TMA-18 was performed March 30 by TsSKB-Progress personnel in the Launch Vehicle Assembly facility at Site 112 of Baikonur Cosmodrome.

NEW ORLEANS -- Workers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans prepare the Space Shuttle Program's last external fuel tank, ET-122, for transportation to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tank will travel 900 miles by sea secured aboard the Pegasus Barge, offloaded and moved to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be integrated to space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station.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. STS-134, targeted to launch Feb. 2011, currently is scheduled to be the last mission in the Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician moves the Hyster forklift carrying 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.

On Thursday 8th October 2020, Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, visits two defence companies essential to the economic fabric of the Brittany region. The Minister of the Armed Forces then visits SABENA TECHNICS, a company specialising in aeronautical maintenance, aircraft conversion and cabin fittings. Half of this company's turnover is in the military sector. SABENA TECHNICS will benefit from the government's aeronautics support plan with, in particular, the anticipation of the order for a light surveillance and intelligence aircraft (ALSR). Saint-Lunaire on 2020-10-08.Le jeudi 8 octobre 2020, Florence Parly, ministre des Armees, visite deux entreprises de defense essentielles au tissu economique de la region Bretagne. La ministre des Armées visite ensuite la societe SABENA TECHNICS, spécialisee dans la maintenance aeronautique, la transformation davions et laménagement des cabines. La moitie du chiffre daffaire de cette entreprise concerne lactivite militaire. SABENA

STS-335 STS-135 ATLANTIS ENGINE #1 INSTALLATION

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, technicians on the Hyster forklift are ready to install main engine No. 3 on Discovery. The main engine configuration is manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif., and includes a Pratt & Whitney high-pressure fuel turbo pump. 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. Discovery is being processed for its next mission, STS-116 (12A.1), to deliver a third truss segment, a SPACEHAB module and other key components to the International Space Station. The launch is currently scheduled no earlier than Dec. 14.

. The engine that will power NASAs quiet supersonic X-59 in flight is installed, marking a major milestone in the experimental aircrafts journey toward first flight. The installation of the F414-GE-100 engine at Lockheed Martins Skunk Works facility brings the vehicle close to the completion of its assembly.

T & R Discovery, Right OMS Pod Removal

In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft is moved into place for its encapsulation into the upper stage of the Soyuz booster Dec. 12, 2012 as preparations continue for the launch of the Expedition 34/35 crew. The vehicle will be rolled to the launch pad at Baikonur Dec. 17 in advance of the Dec. 19 launch of NASA Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn, Soyuz Commander Roman Romanenko and Flight Engineer Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency for a five-month mission on the International Space Station.

In the foreground is the P-1 truss, resting in a blue workstand in the long, crowded Operations and Checkout Building. Scheduled to fly in spring of 2002, the P-1 is part of a total 10-truss, girder-like structure that will ultimately extend the length of a football field. Astronauts will attach the 14by 15-foot structure to the port side of the center truss, S0, during the spring assembly flight. The 33,000-pound P-1 will house the thermal radiator rotating joint (TRRJ) that will rotate the International Space Stations radiators away from the sun to increase their maximum cooling efficiency

This rear view of the right wing load hardware shows the setup for testing a F/A-18E from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, Maryland. The aircraft is in NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center Flight Loads Laboratory in Edwards, California, for the centers biggest load calibrations tests. This testing is needed before the aircraft can serve as a test vehicle for determining if it can safely manage maneuvers and proposed upgrades.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle main engines line the wall of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.This is the second of the 15 engines used during the Space Shuttle Program to be prepared for transfer to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engines will be stored at Stennis for future use on NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will carry NASA's new Orion spacecraft, cargo, equipment and science experiments to space.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare space shuttle Endeavour for its move, or "rollover," from its hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Endeavour and its STS-134 crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, spare parts, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

. The engine that will power NASAs quiet supersonic X-59 in flight is installed, marking a major milestone in the experimental aircrafts journey toward first flight. The installation of the F414-GE-100 engine at Lockheed Martins Skunk Works facility brings the vehicle close to the completion of its assembly.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician monitors the progress as a bridge crane attached to the Orion ground test vehicle begins to lift it away from the heat shield. The ground test vehicle is being prepared for its move to Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., for a water test. The test vehicle is being used by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program 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. 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 Heavy rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

On Thursday 8th October 2020, Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, visits two defence companies essential to the economic fabric of the Brittany region. The Minister of the Armed Forces then visits SABENA TECHNICS, a company specialising in aeronautical maintenance, aircraft conversion and cabin fittings. Half of this company's turnover is in the military sector. SABENA TECHNICS will benefit from the government's aeronautics support plan with, in particular, the anticipation of the order for a light surveillance and intelligence aircraft (ALSR). Saint-Lunaire on 2020-10-08.Le jeudi 8 octobre 2020, Florence Parly, ministre des Armees, visite deux entreprises de defense essentielles au tissu economique de la region Bretagne. La ministre des Armées visite ensuite la societe SABENA TECHNICS, spécialisee dans la maintenance aeronautique, la transformation davions et laménagement des cabines. La moitie du chiffre daffaire de cette entreprise concerne lactivite militaire. SABENA

DN-ST-89-03579. Country: Unknown

Hangar at HAATS, or High Altitude Army National Guard Training Site, a base where military pilots learn about high density altitude flying, with OH-58 Kiowa Helicopters and a UH-60 Blackhawk. High Dynamic Range, or HDR image.

Discovery/T&R FRCS Removal & Lift to Transporter

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, workers guide the Hyster fork lift close to Atlantis to install a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) in position number one (upper chamber). Overall, an SSME weighs approximately 7,000 pounds. Three engines provide the thrust, along with the two Solid Rocket Boosters, for liftoff. After about 2 minutes, the two boosters are spent and are separated from the external tank. The SSMEs continue firing for about 8 minutes. They shut down just before the craft is inserted into orbit. The SSMEs are tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Atlantis is being processed for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch in a window from July 12 through July 31.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Hyster forklift delivers a space shuttle main engine to Orbiter Processing Facility-1 where it will be installed on space shuttle Atlantis for its upcoming STS-132 mission. A main engine is 14 feet long, weighs approximately 7,000 pounds, and is 7.5 feet in diameter at the end of the nozzle. Inspection and maintenance of each of the shuttle's three main engines are an important safety measure and standard procedure between shuttle missions. Atlantis is scheduled to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on STS-132. 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 radiato

. On May 24, 2022, the core stage production team moved the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine section for Artemis II to the core stage final integration area at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. While there, the engine section team is completing installation of the main propulsion systems, finishing integration of the electrical and avionics systems, and preparing for functional testing of the various systems. During final integration, the team also will install remaining internal thermal protection systems and prepare to position the engine section from vertical to horizontal so that it can be joined with the rest of the core stage. The engine section is located at the bottom of the core stage and includes the rockets main propulsion systems that connect to the core stages four RS-25 engines that will help launch the Artemis II lunar mission. This fall, the engine section will be horizontally integrated with the previously-joined forward assembly and liquid hydroge

T&R Atlantis Engine 3 Removal

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The nose gear of space shuttle Atlantis retracts as the shuttle sits on the orbiter transporter vehicle in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle is being prepared for its move from the OPF to the Vehicle Assembly Building during transition and retirement work. Later, the shuttle will be taken to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex where it will go on public display.

F-27m under construction at Fokker.

T & R Discovery, Right OMS Pod Removal

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Hyster forklift (near top) moves space shuttle main engine No. 1 closer to space shuttle Discovery 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. Discovery is being processed for its next mission, STS-119, targeted for launch on Feb. 12, 2009. Discovery and its crew will deliver integrated truss structure 6 (S6) and solar arrays to the International Space Station.

A view of a KC-10 Extender aircraft as the electronic and hydraulic systems are installed, during its construction inside the McDonnell Douglas aircraft plant. Base: Long Beach State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, one of six space shuttle main engines is prepared for the STS-134 and STS-335 missions. Postflight inspections and maintenance of each engine are conducted in the facility between shuttle missions by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne aerospace technicians. Three main engines are clustered at the aft end of the shuttle and have a combined thrust of more than 1.2 million pounds. Each engine utilizes liquid hydrogen for fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer and operates during the entire eight-and-a-half minute ride to orbit.Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission is the final planned mission of the Space Shuttle Program and will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, as well as critical spare components, to the International Space Station next year. Shuttle Atlantis will be prepared for STS-335, which is the planned "launch on need," or potential rescue mission, for Endeavo

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Justin Pendleton, an instructor at the F-35 maintenance training section assigned to the 388th Logistics Support Squadron, helps guide an F-135 engine into an F-35 Lightning II jet at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Feb. 15, 2024. Airmen completed a project that will save training time lost flying hours by creating a complete engine trainer. Air Force

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ground support technicians monitor the progress as an overhead crane lifts a sprocket shaft assembly away from the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. A section of the treads on the C truck were removed to allow access to the sprocket assemblies. The sprocket assemblies will be placed into shipping cradles on pallets and positioned on a flatbed trailer. The assemblies will be sent to a vendor for inspections and refurbishment. Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agencys Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, l

T&R Endeavour, LH Oms Pod Lift and Move for Installation

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians carefully remove 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.

US Navy Aviation Mechanic Second Class Richard Sage repairs the engine of an A-6E Intruder in a hangar aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS AMERICA CV 66. The 30-year old Sage is from York, Pennsylvania. This mission is in direct support of Operation Restore Hope. Subject Operation/Series: RESTORE HOPE Base: Mogadishu Country: Somalia (SOM)

AFS-8/101

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A section of the fairing for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, hovers above its hardware dolly in the Building 836 high bay on south Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.The fairing will protect the SMAP spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during its ascent to orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 2. SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data will also be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for November 2014.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, technicians wait below while a Hyster lift moves the first of three Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) into position above for installation on Discovery, the vehicle designated for the Return to Flight mission STS-114. Overall, an SSME weighs approximately 7,000 pounds. An SSME operates at greater temperature extremes than any mechanical system in common use today. The liquid hydrogen fuel is -423 degrees Fahrenheit, the second coldest liquid on Earth. When the hydrogen is burned with liquid oxygen, the temperature in the engine's combustion chamber reaches +6000 degrees Fahrenheit -- that's higher than the boiling point of Iron. The maximum equivalent horsepower developed by the three SSMEs is just over 37 million horsepower. The energy released by the three SSMEs is equivalent to the output of 23 Hoover Dams.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The third Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) arrives in the Orbiter Processing Facility for installation on Discovery. Discovery is designated as the Return to Flight vehicle for mission STS-114. Recent improvements to the SSME include the introduction of redesigned high-pressure turbopumps into the SSME fleet. The new pumps are designed and built by Pratt and Whitney at West Palm Beach, Fla. SSMEs and the Pratt and Whitney turbopumps are tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Engines and engine components are delivered to Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, an orbiter main engine is secured on the new engine hyster, built by Rocketdyne, used to remove it from the orbiter. .

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An overhead crane moves a solid rocket motor onto a transporter inside the Solid Rocket Motor Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The motor will be attached to the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket slated to launch NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2, spacecraft in July 2014.OCO-2 will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas.

The Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay is filled with various pieces of flight hardware for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) and Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In this view taken on March 21, 2019, the forward bay cover for Orion (EM-1) is at far left in the foreground. Just to its right is the bay cover (EM-1). Behind these two pieces is the crew module adapter for EM-2. Further back, secured on a test stand is the European Service Module that will serve as the powerhouse for Orion. For EM-1, Orion will launch atop the Space Launch System rocket from Launch Pad 39B. The spacecraft will travel thousands of miles past the Moon on an approximately three-week test flight. Orion will return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, where it will be retrieved and returned to Kennedy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, space shuttle Endeavour is lifted off its transporter. The shuttle will be raised to a vertical position and lifted up into high bay 1 to be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters in preparation for launch on the STS-123 mission, targeted for March 11. The mission will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians on the Hyster forklift and in the facility monitor the progress as replica shuttle main engine RSME number 2 is installed 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.

A top view shows the wing loading test configuration and testing area of an F/A-18E from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River; Maryland. The aircraft is in NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center Flight Loads Laboratory in Edwards; California; for the centers biggest load calibrations tests. This testing is needed before the aircraft can serve as a test vehicle for determining if it can safely manage maneuvers and proposed upgrades.

The Soyuz TMA-8 capsule was mated Monday, March 27, 2006, to its booster in preparation for the launch on March 30, 2006 carrying Expedition 13 crew members, Jeffrey N. Williams, Science Officer and Flight Engineer; Pavel V. Vinogradov, Russias Federal Space Agency International Space Station Commander; and Marcos Pontes, Brazilian Space Agency Soyuz crew member. Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Sailors assigned to the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. FordÕs (CVN 78) aircraft intermediate maintenance department (AIMD) hoist an F/A-18 Super Hornet jet engine in an aircraft maintenance shop, March 26, 2023. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean executing its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully integrate a carrier strike group as a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force and to test their ability to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy's capacity to project power on a global scale.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help guide a heat shield attached to a crane. The heat shield, along with an eyelid, will be installed on one of shuttle Discoverys three replica shuttle main engines.The 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.

T&R Endeavour OMS Pod Mate Test for Smithsonian Operations

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), held by a Hyster fork lift, is maneuvered into place in position number one (upper chamber) in Atlantis. Overall, an SSME weighs approximately 7,000 pounds. Three engines provide the thrust, along with the two Solid Rocket Boosters, for liftoff. After about 2 minutes, the two boosters are spent and are separated from the external tank. The SSMEs continue firing for about 8 minutes. They shut down just before the craft is inserted into orbit. The SSMEs are tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Atlantis is being processed for the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, scheduled for launch in a window from July 12 through July 31.

Photograph taken within the assembly plant at Boeing in Wichita. Dated 20th Century

The Lockheed P-3C (Update II) Orion long distance maritime patrol range 304 (1982-2006) in the hangar at Marineliegkamp Valkenburg.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the KSC Engine Shop, the third Space Shuttle Main Engine for Discoverys Return to Flight mission STS-114 is secure on a stand. The engine has been returned from NASAs Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where it underwent a hot fire acceptance test. Typically, the engines are installed on an orbiter in the Orbiter Processing Facility approximately five months before launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, a technician appears to ride the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) as he maneuvers the SSME on the Hyster lift into position for installation on Discovery, the vehicle designated for the Return to Flight mission STS-114. Overall, an SSME weighs approximately 7,000 pounds. An SSME operates at greater temperature extremes than any mechanical system in common use today. The liquid hydrogen fuel is -423 degrees Fahrenheit, the second coldest liquid on Earth. When the hydrogen is burned with liquid oxygen, the temperature in the engine's combustion chamber reaches +6000 degrees Fahrenheit -- that's higher than the boiling point of Iron. The maximum equivalent horsepower developed by the three SSMEs is just over 37 million horsepower. The energy released by the three SSMEs is equivalent to the output of 23 Hoover Dams.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians oversee the installation of a Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine (SSME) into a transportation canister.This is the second of the 15 engines used during the Space Shuttle Program to be prepared for transfer to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engines will be stored at Stennis for future use on NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will carry NASA's new Orion spacecraft, cargo, equipment and science experiments to space.

. The engine that will power NASAs quiet supersonic X-59 in flight is installed, marking a major milestone in the experimental aircrafts journey toward first flight. The installation of the F414-GE-100 engine at Lockheed Martins Skunk Works facility brings the vehicle close to the completion of its assembly.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians ready 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.

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.

The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma,is the largest depot repair complex in the Air Force. The Complex's depotArtisans perform award-winning program depot maintenance and modificationson B-1 Lancer aircraft, supporting the sustainment of combat-readyairpower. (U.S. Air Force photo/Gina Anderson)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance aerospace Quality Assurance inspector Dave Bliss, left, and Spherion aerospace technician Scott Palmer complete weight and center of gravity checks 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.

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