Space Shuttle Preparations

Historic images of space shuttles being moved and processed at NASA, showcasing significant milestones in space exploration.

STS-131 DISCOVERY ROLLOVER FROM OPF-3 TO VAB

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Atlantis completes a 10-mile journey as it is moved into the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex facility that will serve as its new home.As part of transition and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis is to be displayed at Kennedy's visitor complex beginning in the summer of 2013. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles during 307 days in space over 33 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Before dawn, at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is suspended by a sling under the mate/demate device. The shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, has rolled away. Endeavour, which retains the tail cone that covers and protects the main engines during the ferry flight, will be lowered onto the ground. The SCA carried the shuttle piggyback from California, where Endeavour landed Nov. 30 to end the STS-126 mission. After Endeavour is on the ground, it will be towed via the two-mile tow-way from the SLF by a diesel-powered tractor to the Orbiter Processing Facility where it will begin preparations for its next mission, STS-127, targeted for May 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After a successful return to Earth aboard orbiter Endeavour (background), the STS-108 crew pose for a photo. From left are Mission Specialists Daniel M. Tani and Linda A. Godwin, Pilot Mark E. Kelly and Commander Dominic L. Gorie. The mission had an elapsed time of 11 days, 19 hours and 35 minutes. Main gear touchdown occurred at 12:55:10 p.m. EST (17:55:10 GMT), nose gear touchdown at 12:55:23 p.m. (17:55:23 GMT) , wheel stop at 12:56:13 p.m. (17:56:13 GMT). STS-108 was the 12th mission to the International Space Station. This mission was the 107th flight in the Shuttle program and the 17th flight for the orbiter. The landing is the 57th at KSC in the history of the program. Endeavour carried both the mission crew and the Expedition 3 crew - Commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin - who returned to Earth after 129 days in space on the Space Station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers remove the covers from space shuttle Discoverys windows from the basket of an articulating boom lift. Discovery, attached to the back of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, is scheduled for departure from Kennedy for the final time tomorrow morning. The aircraft, also known as an 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Before daybreak at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way at the mate-demate device to resume mating operations of space shuttle Discovery to a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. A tail cone covers 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 Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on

Crowds come out on October 12, 2012, to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour at a parking lot in Westchester, as it is transported over three days, 12 miles from Los Angeles Airport to its new home at the California Science Center. Los Angeles, California

Dream Chaser 60mph Tow Test

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Against a setting sun, space shuttle Atlantis, atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is towed from the runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Atlantis returned from California atop the SCA after its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding mission STS-125. The ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base began June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The external fuel tank for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission to the International Space Station makes the turn toward the Vehicle Assembly Building, seen behind it, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The tank arrived earlier after a six-day ocean voyage towed by a solid rocket booster retrieval ship from the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans. The tank will be transported to the VAB transfer aisle, lifted and lowered into a checkout cell. The STS-126 mission will deliver a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10.

A partial left side view of the Soviet space shuttle Buran atop an An-225 Mechta aircraft, on display at the 38th Paris International Air and Space Show at Le Bourget Airfield. Base: Le Bourget Airfield, Paris Country: France (FRA)

STS-132 ATLANTIS LIFT & MATE TO ET/SRB STACK

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Under the mate/demate device at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Atlantis is fitted with a sling to lift it for attachment to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, a modified Boeing 747. Atlantis landed at Edwards on May 24, which concluded mission STS-125, after two landing opportunities at Kennedy were waved off due to weather concerns. Atlantis is being returned to Florida on a ferry flight on the SCA. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009.

Workers monitor the lift of the space shuttle Discovery from the the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) at Washington Dulles International Airport, Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Sterling, VA. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASAs shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers.

Super Guppy Delivering X-38 at Dryden Flight Research Center

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 1, the orbiter Atlantis is being lowered into position for mating to its external tank/solid rocket booster stack.; Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch on mission STS-104 in early July

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis is moved away from the mate/demate device where it was separated from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA. Atlantis will be towed to Orbiter Processing Facility 1. After its May 24 landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, which concluded its STS-125 mission, the modified Boeing 747 SCA carried the shuttle on a two-day ferry flight from Edwards to Kennedy beginning June 1. Atlantis' next assignment is the STS-129 mission, targeted to launch in November 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-108 crew wave to the crowd as they head for the van to transport them back to crew quarters. The crew completed their mission with a successful landing on Runway 15 of the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. The mission had an elapsed time of 11 days, 19 hours and 35 minutes. Main gear touchdown occurred at 12 55 10 p.m. EST (17 55 10 GMT), nose gear touchdown at 12 55 23 p.m. (17 55 23 GMT) , wheel stop at 12 56 13 p.m. (17 56 13 GMT). Rollout distance was 8,941 feet. Endeavour carried both the mission crew and the Expedition 3 crew - Commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin - who returned to Earth after 129 days in space on the Space Station. STS-108 was the 12th mission to the International Space Station. This mission was the 107th flight in the Shuttle program and the 17th flight for the orbiter. The landing is the 57th at KSC in the history of the program

NASA N941NA Superguppy lands at the Moffett Field.Cargo is loaded into the Super Guppy when the aircraft's "fold-away" nose rotates 110 degrees to the left, allowing unobstructed access to the 25 foot diameter fuselage.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The sun is setting behind the tail of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, and orbiter Discovery where they are parked in the mate_demate device. Discovery was returned to Kennedy Space Center on a ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California, where it landed Aug. 9 after 13 days in space on mission STS-114. In the mate_demate device, a horizontal structure mounted at the 80-foot level between two towers controls and guides a large lift beam that attaches to the orbiter to raise and lower it. Once Discovery is lifted off the back of the SCA, the 747 can then roll away and the orbiter will be lowered to the ground. It will then be towed from the SLF to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Once inside the OPF, the payload bay doors will be opened and the MPLM Raffaello brought back from the International Space Station will be unloaded and transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. This concludes mission STS-114.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, the orbiter Atlantis is suspended vertically via overhead cranes. The orbiter will be rotated and lifted into high bay 1 where it will be stacked with its external tank and solid rocket boosters. Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch on mission STS-104 in early July

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers secure a sling to space shuttle Discovery in order to lift it onto the top of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the aid of the mate-demate device.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.

A view of the Enterprise Space Shuttle Orbiter during the rollout ceremony. Base: Edwards Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The three Bell Huey 2 helicopters utilized by Kennedy Space Centers Flight Operations team for security purposes are photographed inside the Launch and Landing Facility hangar on Sept. 30, 2020. Two new Airbus H135 (T3) helicopters arrived at the Florida spaceport on Sept. 30 to replace the Bell Huey 2 aircraft in service now. The new helicopters provide a number of technological and safety advantages over the Hueys, such as more lifting power, greater stability in the air, and expanded medical capabilities. The team expects to fully transition to flying the two H135 aircraft later this year. A third is expected to arrive in early 2021, and with its arrival, will complete the fleets upgrade.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An airship from the British Broadcasting Corp., or BBC, flies over Launch Complex 39 past the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.A team of scientists from the BBC's television project "Cloud Lab" are conducting a number of experiments aboard the airship as it flies across the U.S., exploring all aspects of the Earth's atmosphere. One of the experiments is NASA's Microorganisms in the Stratosphere, or MIST, which is designed to measure the microbial survival and cellular responses to exposure in the upper atmosphere.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis is towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility, or OPF, where processing Atlantis for another flight will take place. Towing normally begins within four hours after landing and is completed within six hours unless removal of time-sensitive experiments is required on the runway. In the OPF, turnaround processing procedures on Atlantis will include various post-flight deservicing and maintenance functions, which are carried out in parallel with payload removal and the installation of equipment needed for the next mission. After a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles, Atlantis and crew returned to Earth with a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST to complete the STS-122 mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft moves into position under space shuttle Discovery suspended 60 feet off the ground in the mate-demate device. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, photographers and workers snap pictures as space shuttle Atlantis is towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building toward Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1. Facing Atlantis is space shuttle Discovery after it was completely towed out from OPF-1. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the three space shuttles. Atlantis is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and is scheduled to rollover to the complex in November.

USA, California, Los Angeles, Space shuttle Endeavour being towed

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, platforms of the mate-demate device surround the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with space shuttle Discovery on top. The piggybacked shuttle and aircraft touched down on runway 33 at 12:05 p.m. EDT. Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Sept. 11 after the 13-day STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. Landings at Kennedy were waved off on two days due to inclement weather, leading to the landing at Edwards. The two-day return flight from California began at 9:20 a.m. EDT Sept. 20.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the external fuel tank designated ET-133 is transported from the Turn Basin to the Vehicle Assembly Building, behind it. The tank will be used for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission. In the VAB, the tank will be moved into a high bay for checkout. The tank was shipped aboard the Pegasus from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans. Pegasus was towed to Port Canaveral by the Freedom Star Retrieval Ship. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for November.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large yellow, metal sling lifts shuttle Discovery from the transfer aisle into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to attach a lifting sling on space shuttle Endeavour following its arrival in the Vehicle Assembly Building transfer aisle.The rollover began at 12:53 a.m. EST and was completed at 2:08 p.m. when Endeavour was towed into the VAB's transfer aisle. Next, Endeavour will be attached to the sling, hoisted over a transom and lowered into High Bay 1, where it will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Rollout of the shuttle stack to Kennedys Launch Pad 39A, a significant milestone in launch processing activities, is planned for early January 2010. The Italian-built Tranquility module, the primary payload for Endeavour's STS-130 mission, will be installed in the payload bay after the shuttle arrives at the pad. Launch is targeted for early February.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery -- its nose encased in protective plastic, its cockpit windows covered, and strongbacks attached to its payload bay doors -- rolls past the Thermal Protection System Facility, at right, on its way from Orbiter Processing Facility-2, or OPF-2, to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB.Discovery will be stored inside the VAB for approximately one month while shuttle Atlantis undergoes processing in OPF-2 following its final mission, STS-135. Discovery flew its 39th and final mission, STS-133, in February and March 2011, and currently is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Discovery, atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, has left the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on its way to Launch Pad 39B. First motion out of the VAB was at 2 04 p.m. EDT. The Mobile Launcher Platform is moved by the Crawler-Transporter underneath. The Crawler is 20 feet high, 131 feet long and 114 feet wide. It moves on eight tracks, each containing 57 shoes, or cleats, weighing one ton each. Loaded with the Space Shuttle, the Crawler can move at a maximum speed of approximately 1 mile an hour. A leveling system in the Crawler keeps the Shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5 percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission, STS-114, is targeted for May 15 with a launch window that extends to June 3. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys seven-person crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Discov

(TRACT) Transport Rotorcraft Aircraft Testbed: Helicopter airframe drop test at NASA Langley's Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, media photograph space shuttle Atlantis after its landing and final return from space at 5:57 a.m. EDT July 21, 2011. Securing the space shuttle fleet's place in history, Atlantis marks the 26th nighttime landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program and the 78th landing at Kennedy. Atlantis and its crew delivered to the International Space Station the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, equipment and supplies that will sustain station operations for the next year. STS-135 is the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis and the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program.

Edwards, Calif. - ED13-0266-069- Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, team members check the company's Dream Chaser flight vehicle systems following a 60 mph tow test on taxi and runways at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Ground testing at 10, 20, 40 and 60 miles per hour is helping the company validate the performance of the spacecraft's braking and landing systems prior to captive-carry and free-flight tests scheduled for later this year.SNC is continuing the development of its Dream Chaser spacecraft under the agency's Commercial Crew Development Round 2, or CCDev2, and Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, phases, which are intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Atop a transporter, the external tank seen here turns the corner from the Vehicle Assembly Building toward the Turn Basin and the Banana River. The tank will be loaded onto the waiting barge and transferred to the Michoud Space Systems Assembly Facility near New Orleans where redesign of the external tank is underway for Return to Flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - External tank #120 makes the turn toward the nearby Turn Basin. It is being moved from NASA Kennedy Space Centers Vehicle Assembly Building (behind it). The tank will be loaded onto the barge Pegasus for towing to NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana for additional modifications. This tank is the first of the newly designed tanks that were delivered to Kennedy. Previously, the tank was stacked with Discovery and, more recently, Atlantis. The tank has already gone through two tanking cycles during tanking tests but was replaced with tank #121 for Discoverys return to flight mission STS-114.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Discovery, atop a Mobile Launcher Platform, nears the opening to high bay 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. A Security helicopter hovers nearby, over the Launch Control Center. The Shuttle is being rolled back from Launch Pad 39B. Once inside the VAB, Discovery will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be lifted and attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2-mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31.

DN-SC-88-06681. Base: Naval Air Station, Keflavik Country: Iceland (ISL)

The space shuttle Enterprise is towed by barge up the Hudson River in New York with the New York City Skyline, including the Empire State Building, in the background while on it's way to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum where it will be permanently displayed, Wednesday, June 6, 2012.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dozens of KSC employees accompany the orbiter Atlantis on its rollover from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building. In the VAB, the orbiter will be lifted into high bay 3 for mating to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Atlantis' launch window begins Aug. 28. During its 11-day mission to the International Space Station, the STS-115 crew of six astronauts will install the Port 3/4 truss segment with its two large solar arrays.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Discovery rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, into darkness for its trip to the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF. Its move got under way at 5 a.m. EDT. A tail cone has been installed over its three replica shuttle main engines to reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during its upcoming ferry flight. Discovery was in storage in the VABs high bay 4 awaiting departure from Kennedys Launch Complex 39 area for the final time. At the SLF, Discovery will be hoisted onto a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with the aid of a mate-demate device. The SCA, a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, is scheduled to transport Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on permanent public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Endeavour arrives in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building after rollover from Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2. In the VAB, Endeavour will be lifted to vertical and transferred to high bay 3 for stacking with its solid rocket boosters and external tank atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. Endeavour is scheduled to launch April 19 on mission STS-100, the ninth flight to the International Space Station

USA, California, Los Angeles, Space shuttle Endeavour being towed

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's U.S. Air Force E-4B aircraft is refueled by KC-135 Stratotankers, assigned to the 50th Expeditionary Air Refueling squadron and the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling squadron within the CENTCOM area of responsibility.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the space shuttle Atlantis is gently lowered into place next to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for its maiden flight, STS-51J.

A lift device was attached to Sierra Nevada Corps Dream Chaser for a helicopter to pick it up to drop for its successful approach and landing test at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California on Nov. 11, 2017.

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen as it is transported to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceports Pad-0A, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grummans 15th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 8,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. The CRS-15 Cygnus spacecraft is named after NASA mathematician, Katherine Johnson, a Black woman who time and again broke through barriers of gender and race. The launch is scheduled for 12:36 p.m. EST, Feb. 20, 2021.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis is towed into the Orbiter Processing Facility. Atlantis was removed from its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters stack in the Vehicle Assembly Building after the delay of its STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, crew members of space shuttle Discoverys last mission, STS-133, have arrived. From the left, are Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Nicole Stott, Michael Barrett and Steve Bowen, Pilot Eric Boe and Commander Steve Lindsay. In the background is the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with space shuttle Discovery attached atop after being backed away from the mate/demate device. Known as the MDD, the devise is a large gantry-like steel structure used to hoist a shuttle off the ground and position it onto the back of the SCA.The SCA is a Boeing 747 jet that was originally manufactured for commercial use and 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 Airp

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson leads his crew out of the Crew Transport Vehicle (CTV) following brief and standard medical checks. Behind Ferguson is Pilot Doug Hurley. Four astronauts brought space shuttle Atlantis home to the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:57 a.m. EDT bringing a close NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Atlantis' final return from space completed a 13-day, 5.2-million-mile journey to the International Space Station. STS-135 delivered spare parts, equipment and supplies in the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module that will sustain station operations for the next year. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which has spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and traveled 125,935,769 miles.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Satellite trucks are lined up in the parking lot at the NASA Kennedy Space Center News Center to cover the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114. More than a thousand media representatives from 36 states, the District of Columbia and 32 countries converged on the News Center for the historic launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Universal Coolant Transporter (UCT), manufactured in Sharpes, Fla., drives past the Vehicle Assembly Building (background, left) and Operations Support Building (background, right) on its way to the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). Replacing the existing ground cooling unit, the UCT is designed to service payloads for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, and may be capable of servicing space exploration vehicles of the future. It will provide ground cooling to the orbiter and returning payloads, such as science experiments requiring cold or freezing temperatures, during post-landing activities at the SLF and during transport of the payloads to other facilities.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A United States military Apache H64A helicopter patrols Kennedy Space Center airspace near the Vehicle Assembly Building as the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-108 to the International Space Station approaches. Launch is scheduled for 7 41 p.m. EST on Nov. 29

USA, Florida, Titusville, Kennedy Space Center, Apollo/Saturn V center, NASA, Apollo 14 command module.

Apollo 16 Command Module. Davidson Center for Space Exploration: Saturn V Hall. U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the space shuttle Atlantis pauses during its 10-mile journey to the Kennedy Visitor Complex for a ceremony to commemorate the transfer. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden spoke Kennedy employees and guests at the event.As part of transition and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis is to be displayed at Kennedy's Visitor Complex beginning in the summer of 2013. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles during 307 days in space over 33 missions.

Vehicle Assembly Gebäude im Kennedy Space Center, Florida Vehicle Assembly Building in Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. Vehicle Assembly Gebäude im Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. Copyright: xZoonar.com/UlfxNammertx 21839056

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida is marked by celebration and fireworks. Atlantis made the 10-mile trip from Kennedys Vehicle Assembly Building to the visitor complex where it will be put on public display.As part of transition and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis will be displayed at Kennedys Visitor Complex beginning in the summer of 2013. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles during 307 days in space over 33 missions.

STS-132 LAUNCH L-4 CREW ARRIVAL

Air and Space Museum

Skylab 3 Command Module being relocated to the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland Ohio

(TRACT) Transport Rotorcraft Aircraft Testbed: Helicopter airframe drop test at NASA Langley's Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR)

From left, NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Gover and Michael Hopkins, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), board a plane from Ellington Field near the agencys Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, en route to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission to begin final launch preparations. Crew-1 is the first operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.

Round-the-World Flight of Burt Rutan's Global Flyer Aircraft

jsc2017e067113 (June 6, 2017) --- NASA portrait of 2017 Astronaut Candidate Raja Chari in front of a T-38 trainer aircraft at Ellington Field near NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance Chief Operating Officer Mike McCulley welcomes guests to the Landing Operations Facility and commissioning ceremony for the new Convoy Command Vehicle behind him. The new 40-foot vehicle is replacing a 15-year old model, and will be used following Shuttle landings as the prime vehicle to control critical communications between the orbiter, the crew and the Launch Control Center, to monitor the health of the Shuttle Orbiter systems and to direct convoy operations at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Upgrades and high-tech features incorporated into the design and development of this vehicle make it more reliable and efficient for the convoy crew. Seating capacity was increased from 4 to 12, and video recorders and television monitors were added to provide the convoy team with the maximum amount of visual information

Aircrafts - HH-65 Dolphin - 26-HK-54-100. HH-65 No. 22 tail in hangar, date stamped 10 28 2005. Hurricane Katrina

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