Space Technology Processing

Technicians working in clean room environments with satellites and spacecraft, highlighting preparation and technology in space missions.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. In the Orbital Sciences Building 836 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians complete mating of the three micro-satellites on the payload support structure. The three satellites make up the Space Technology 5 spacecraft, called ST5, and will be launched by a Pegasus XL rocket. The satellites contain miniaturized redundant components and technologies. Each will validate New Millennium Program selected technologies, such as the Cold Gas Micro-Thruster and X-Band Transponder Communication System. After deployment from the Pegasus, the micro-satellites will be positioned in a “string of pearls” constellation that demonstrates the ability to position them to perform simultaneous multi-point measurements of the magnetic field using highly sensitive magnetometers. The data will help scientists understand and map the intensity and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field, its relation to space weather events, and affects on our planet.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare a powered cargo unit for late stowage in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians garbed in protective wear, commonly known as 'bunny suits,' prepare to install the cargo inside the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module for shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Atlantis and its payload is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Atlantis is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last shuttle flight for the Space Shuttle Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 2 during Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), Mission Specialists Joe Tanner (left) and Carlos Noriega (right) practice working parts of the Orbital Docking System (ODS) in Endeavours payload bay. The CEIT provides an opportunity for crew members to check equipment and facilities that will be on board the orbiter during their mission. The STS-97 mission will be the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. The payload includes a photovoltaic (PV) module, providing solar power to the Station. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 from KSC for the 10-day mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility at Port Canaveral, Fla., workers dressed in clean room attire, known as bunny suits, inspect the seals around the hatch of the Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1, or MRM-1, before the hatch is closed for flight. The six-member crew of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and the MRM-1, known as Rassvet, to the International Space Station. The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, MRM-1 will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya control module. Rassvet, which translates to 'dawn,' will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the 132nd space shuttle mission. Launch is targeted for May 14.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician installs protective thermal blankets around the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft A.NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Launch is targeted for Aug. 23.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians watch closely as the overhead crane lifts the pump module orbital replacement unit. The module will be moved to the Express Logistics Carrier 1, or ELC-1, for installation. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the hatch of Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo open, the contents are ready to be removed. The MPLM has just returned from its maiden voyage to the International Space Station aboard Discovery on mission STS-102. It has brought back to KSC nearly a ton of trash and excess equipment from the Space Station. Leonardo is one of three MPLMs built by the Italian Space Agency to serve as cargo vans to the Station, carrying supplies and equipment. In the SSPF, Leonardo will be prepared for a future mission

In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Ball Aerospace technicians NASAs National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft for its move to the launch pad. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians connect an overhead crane to the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM, for its transfer into a payload canister.The canister will then be transported to Launch Pad 39A and installed into space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the PMM, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 4:40 p.m. EDT, Nov. 1.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians at the Space Station Processing Facility prepare the Thermal Protection System Detailed Test Objective (DTO) box to be lifted onto the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC). It will be placed on the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC) to fly on Space Shuttle Discovery for mission STS-114. The DTO contains tile samples that will enable astronauts to test new on-orbit Thermal Protection System repair techniques. The launch window for mission STS-114 is May 12 to June 3.

Psyche Prelaunch Spacecraft Processing. Psyche Prelaunch Spacecraft Processing

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, members of the STS-118 crew learn important information from technicians about the control moment gyro (CMG) in front of them that is part of the payload on their mission. At left is Commander Scott Kelly; at right is Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell. The CMG will replace a faulty one on the International Space Station. The payload also includes the SPACEHAB single cargo module, the third starboard truss segment (ITS S5) and the external stowage platform 3 (ESP3). STS-118 is targeted to launch June 28 from Launch Pad 39A.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker wraps equipment in plastic in preparation for the expected impact of Hurricane Frances on Saturday. The various modules in the SSPF, such as the Japanese Experiment Module, U.S. Node 2 and Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, are being covered as well. KSC workers also have powered down the Space Shuttle orbiters, closed their payload bay doors and stowed the landing gear. They are also taking precautions against flooding by moving spacecraft hardware off the ground and sandbagging facilities. The SSPF can withstand sustained winds of 110 mph and wind gusts up to 132 mph. The Orbiter Processing Facility is constructed of concrete and steel and was designed to withstand winds of 105 mph. The Vehicle Assembly Building is constructed of concrete and steel and was designed to withstand winds of 125 mph. Other payload and flight hardware support facilities can endure winds of 110 mph. Launch pads and the Payloa

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., STS-121 Mission Commander takes a look at a pump module. The STS-121 crew is at KSC to take part in Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, which provide hands-on experience with equipment they will use on-orbit. STS-121, the second Return to Flight mission, is targeted for launch in a lighted planning window of Sept. 9 to Sept. 25.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH, is moved into a clean area. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing the one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The SIC&DH is being prepared for integration onto the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The carrier holds the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission servicing NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted to launch May 12.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In space shuttle Discovery's payload bay, STS-120 crew members get a close look at the equipment and payloads. Seen here are Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson and Paolo Nespoli, who represents the European Space Agency. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery on mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT on a 14-day mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-118 crew members look over parts of the mission payload, the control moment gyroscope, at SPACEHAB during crew equipment interface test activities. Seen here are Mission Specialists Dr. Dafydd Williams and Tracy Caldwell. The crew comprises Commander Scott Kelly, Pilot Charles Hobaugh, and Mission Specialists Williams, Barbara Morgan, Richard Mastracchio, Caldwell and Benjamin Drew. Williams is with the Canadian Space Agency. The STS-118 mission will be delivering the third starboard truss segment, the ITS S5, to the International Space Station, and a SPACEHAB Single Cargo module with supplies and equipment. Launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for August.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Pad 39A, technicians install the replacement wrist joint for the Space Station Remote Manipulator System into Space Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. The new wrist joint, called an Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU), will be installed next to the arm's Latching End Effector during the final of three planned spacewalks. Mission STS-111 is designated UF-2, the 14th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Endeavour's payload includes the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo and Mobile Base System. The mission also will swap resident crews on the Station, carrying the Expedition 5 crew and returning to Earth Expedition 4. Liftoff of Endeavour is scheduled between 4 and 8 p.m. May 30, 2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 mission crew members get hands-on familiarization with equipment to be used on the mission. Crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. The mission payload includes the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, Extended Facility and the Inter-orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. Equipment familiarization is part of a Crew Equipment Interface Test. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility examines the Mars Exploration Rover-1 during prelaunch testing. While at KSC, each of the two rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing, each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars. Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30. MER-2 will follow June 25.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the STS-127 crew check out equipment related to the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, part of the payload on the mission. The crew is Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. They are at Kennedy for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, or CEIT, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware for the mission. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician begins uncovering the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier, or SLIC. Contamination discovered Sept. 17 during preparations to deliver NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing payload to Launch Pad 39A will be removed. Cleanliness is extremely important for space shuttle Atlantis STS-125 mission to Hubble, and the teams have insured that the SLIC is ready to fly. The SLIC, which holds battery module assemblies for servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope on the STS-125 mission, is built with state-of-the-art, lightweight, composite materials - carbon fiber with a cyanate ester resin and a titanium metal matrix composite. These composites have greater strength-to-mass ratios than the metals typically used in spacecraft design. The carrier is one of four being transferred to Launch Pad 39A. At the pad, the carriers will be loaded into Atlantis payload bay. Launch of Atla

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians check closely as the nitrogen tank assembly is lowered closer to the Express Logistics Carrier 1, or ELC-1. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-134 crew and technicians check space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay for sharp edges that could affect the astronauts' work in space. Seen here, from left, are Mission Specialist Roberto Vittori with the European Space Agency, a technician, Mission Specialist Michael Finke, and another technician. The six STS-134 astronauts are participating in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), which gives them an opportunity for hands-on training with the tools and equipment they'll use in space and familiarization of the payload they'll be delivering to the International Space Station. Endeavour is targeted to launch on the STS-134 mission Feb. 27, 2011.

STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE-1 MEDIA DAY

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to close the hatch of the Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module (PCM) for the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the commercial resupply services mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians attach cables to lift the Soft Capture and Rendezvous System, or SCRS. The SCRS will enable the future rendezvous, capture and safe disposal of Hubble by either a crewed or robotic mission. The ring-like device attaches to Hubbles aft bulkhead. The SCRS greatly increases the current shuttle capture interfaces on Hubble, therefore significantly reducing the rendezvous and capture design complexities associated with the disposal mission. The SCRS comprises the Soft Capture Mechanism system and the Relative Navigation System and is part of the payload on the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, STS-125, targeted for launch Oct. 8.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare several Nanoracks for installation on the exterior of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than March 21, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dwayne Light (left), director of Florida Operations, Astrotech, assists Jim Adams, deputy project manager for NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), Goddard Space Flight Center, as he cuts the ribbon to officially open the new class 10,000 clean-room enclosure at Astrotech, a payload processing facility near Kennedy Space Center. This clean-room enclosure, within the high bay at Astrotech, meets the additional stringent cleanliness requirements necessary for processing STEREO for launch. The enclosure was designed and constructed by Astrotech to meet the spacecraft requirements provided by STEREO project management at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. STEREO consists of two spacecraft whose mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-D. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled to occur over the summer.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility 1, technicians begin a functional test on the orbital docking system on space shuttle Atlantis. The STS-129 mission will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers move the SORCE satellite back under the protective canopy for mating to the Pegasus launch vehicle. The satellite will be rotated before the mating to Pegasus. SORCE is equipped with four instruments that will measure variations in solar radiation and observe some spectral properties of solar radiation for the first time. With data from NASA's SORCE mission, researchers should be able to follow how the Sun affects our climate now and in the future. Launch of SORCE aboard the Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2003, at approximately 3:14 p.m. EST, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, members of the STS-121 crew take part in the crew equipment interface test (CEIT). Seen here are Mission Specialists Piers Sellers (hands raised) and Michael Fossum (foreground). They are looking at the replacement trailing umbilical system reel assembly that will be installed on the International Space Station. The CEIT provides hands-on experiences with equipment used on-orbit. Mission STS-121 is the second in the Return to Flight sequence and will carry on improvements that debuted during last year's STS-114 mission and build upon those tests. Launch is scheduled in May.

NASA's Psyche Solar Array Integration. A NASA team member prepares the agencys Psyche spacecraft for integration with its twin solar arrays inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 20, 2023. The solar arrays were shipped from Maxar Technologies, in San Jose, California. They are part of the solar electric propulsion system, provided by Maxar, that will power the spacecraft on its journey to explore a metal-rich asteroid. Psyche will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. Launch is targeted for Oct. 5, 2023. Riding with Psyche is a pioneering technology demonstration, NASAs Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment.

Participating in the Crew Equipment Integration Test (CEIT) at Kennedy Space Center are STS-87 crew members Winston Scott, at left, and Takao Doi, Ph.D., of the National Space Development Agency of Japan, both mission specialists on STS-87. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the payloads with which they will be working on-orbit. STS-87 will be the fourth United States Microgravity Payload and flight of the Spartan-201 deployable satellite. During the STS-87 mission, scheduled for a Nov. 19 liftoff from KSC, Dr. Doi and Scott will both perform spacewalks. STS-87 is scheduled for a Nov. 19 liftoff from KSC

NaMLab GmbH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3, is lowered toward the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier. WFC3 is part of the payload on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission for the fifth and final Hubble servicing flight to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. As Hubble enters the last stage of its life, WFC3 will be Hubble's next evolutionary step, allowing Hubble to peer ever further into the mysteries of the cosmos. WFC3 will study a diverse range of objects and phenomena, from young and extremely distant galaxies, to much more nearby stellar systems, to objects within our very own solar system. WFC3 will take the place of Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, which astronauts will bring back to Earth aboard the shuttle. Launch of Atlantis is targeted at 1:34 a.m. EDT Oct. 8.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-134 crew and technicians check out space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. The six STS-134 astronauts are participating in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), which gives them an opportunity for hands-on training with the tools and equipment they'll use in space and familiarization of the payload they'll be delivering to the International Space Station. Endeavour is targeted to launch on the STS-134 mission Feb. 27, 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians determine the weight and center of gravity of the Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1, or MRM-1, before its move to the payload canister in which it will be transported to Launch Pad 39A. The six-member crew of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and the MRM-1, known as Rassvet, to the International Space Station. The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, MRM-1 will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya control module. Rassvet, which translates to 'dawn,' will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the 132nd shuttle mission overall. Launch is targeted for May 14.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility, building 1032, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers apply blankets and edge tape to the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO. After the protective coverings over the spacecraft are removed, blanket preparations and edge taping will be done, followed by mechanical preparations and work on the electronic ground support equipment. The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory is targeted to launch Jan. 15 from Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Changeout Room on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker uses the payload ground handling mechanism to install the payload for the STS-125 mission into space shuttle Atlantis payload bay. STS-125 is the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission for NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. The payload comprises four carriers holding various equipment for the mission. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 14 on the 11-day mission.

Inside Building 836 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, a worker inspects and prepares hardware used during the installation of ejectable data recorders onto NASAs Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) on Aug. 19, 2022. Dedicated to the memory of Bernard Kutter, LOFTID is a technology demonstration mission aimed at validating inflatable heat shield technology for atmospheric re-entry. This technology could enable missions to other planetary bodies, as well as allow NASA to return heavier payloads from low-Earth orbit. LOFTID is a rideshare launching with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite. NASA and NOAA are targeting Nov. 1, 2022, for the launch of JPSS-2 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At SPACEHAB, STS-107 crew members check equipment for their mission. From left are Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, Payload Commander Michael Anderson (seated) and Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla. STS-107 is a research mission. The primary payload is the first flight of the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM). The experiments range from material sciences to life sciences (many rats). Also part of the payload is the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments. STS-107 is scheduled to launch July 11, 2002

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility attempt to open the hatch on the Italian-built Node 2, a future element of the International Space Station. Node 2 arrived at KSC June 1. The second of three Station connecting modules, the module attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet.Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a bench review in the Space Station Processing Facility, astronaut Tim Kopra gets hands-on experience on hardware he could be using in orbit. Kopra is backup for Garrett Reisman, who will join the Expedition 16 crew on the International Space Station in 2008. Reisman will fly on mission STS-123 to the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician dressed in a clean-room suit prepares to install a back shell tile panel onto the Orion crew module. Preparations are underway for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The International Space Station's Node 1 and Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) are rotated by workers in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility. The node is rotated to provide access to different areas of the flight element for processing. Here, the node is rotated to provide access for the installation of heat pipe radiators and a flight computer. The node is scheduled to launch into space on STS-88, slated for a July 9 liftoff at 1:11 p.m. from KSC's Launch Pad 39B

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility, General Dynamics technicians install one of twin solar arrays on NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST. The telescope will launch aboard a Delta II rocket May 16 from Launch Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A powerful space observatory, the GLAST will explore the most extreme environments in the universe, and answer questions about supermassive black hole systems, pulsars and the origin of cosmic rays. It also will study the mystery of powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecrafts two solar arrays are undergoing cleaning inspections and voltage checks in preparation for installation on June 24 -25. One array will be installed each day, followed by a deployment test. The spacecraft will fly past Earth once, Venus twice and Mercury three times before starting a year-long orbital study of Mercury in March 2011. Launch is scheduled for July 30, 2004 from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility watch as the cover is lifted off the second Mars Exploration Rover, MER-1. MER-2 and other hardware have already arrived at KSC for processing. MER-1 will undergo prelaunch testing, including deployment of the lander petals, the rover's solar arrays, camera mast and camera. While at KSC, each of the rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing, each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars. Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled fo

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-120 Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski (left), Paolo Angelo Nespoli (center) and Douglas H. Wheelock practice using some of the equipment for the Node 2, another element to be added to the International Space Station. They and other crew members are at KSC for equipment familiarization. Node 2 will provide a passageway between three station science experiment facilities: the U.S. Destiny Laboratory, the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module, and the European Columbus Laboratory. STS-120 is targeted for launch on October 20.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician continues processing the Express Logistics Carrier-3, or ELC-3 while the STS-133 mission astronauts continue training.The astronauts are at Kennedy to participate in the Payload Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT, which gives the crew an opportunity for hands-on training with tools they'll be using in space and familiarization of the payload they will be delivering to the International Space Station. Launch of space shuttle Discovery is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians watch as the rack insertion device maneuvers the Resupply Stowage Platform, or RSP, into the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo. The module is part of the payload for space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission. Discovery will carry science and storage racks to the International Space Station . Launch of Discovery is targeted for Aug. 6.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians load a powered cargo unit into the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module during final stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mission Specialists Tom Marshburn and Dave Wolf review their on-orbit task to install and make the JEM Exposed Facility operational. Other crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. They are at Kennedy for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, or CEIT, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware for the mission. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians garbed in protective wear, commonly known as 'bunny suits,' begin to install the cargo inside the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module for shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Atlantis and its payload is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Atlantis is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last shuttle flight for the Space Shuttle Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-114 Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence manipulates part of a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Lawrence is a new addition to the mission crew. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in crew equipment and orbiter familiarization.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Orbital Sciences spacecraft technicians guide half of the Pegasus payload fairing away from NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, in Orbitals hangar on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.Access to the spacecraft is needed for compatibility testing to verify communication with a tracking station in Hawaii. With the change in the launch timeframe to June, this station will be needed to support launch. After processing of Orbitals Pegasus XL rocket and the spacecraft are complete, they will be flown on Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Oceans Kwajalein Atoll for launch. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker inside the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello is ready for installation of the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack. Raffaello will fly on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

Technicians at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany weigh the European Service Module on Oct. 31, 2018 ahead of shipment to Kennedy Space Center. The service module will depart Germany on November 5th, 2018 and will arrive in the U.S. on November 6...For the first time, NASA will use a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft, extending the international cooperation of the International Space Station into deep space. The European Service Module is a unique collaboration across space agencies and industry including ESAs prime contractor, Airbus, and 10 European countries. The completion of service module work in Europe and shipment to Kennedy signifies a major milestone toward NASAs human deep space exploration missions to the Moon and beyond.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech's Hazardous Processing Facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians prepare cable for an overhead crane to lift the cover from NASA's Juno spacecraft before its move to a fueling stand where the spacecraft will be loaded with the propellant necessary for orbit maneuvers and the attitude control system.Juno is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At SPACEHAB in Titusville, Fla., STS-127 Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy and Tom Marshburn (center) get hands-on experience with the Pump Module Assembly, part of the payload for the mission. At right is Mission Specialist Julie Payette (not in clean room garb). The crew members are at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on the mission. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Mission STS-120 crew members familiarize themselves with equipment and payloads inside the Space Station Processing Facility during a visit to Kennedy Space Center. Standing in front of the Node 2 Harmony module is Paolo Nespoli, who is with the European Space Agency. Other STS-120 crew members include Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Douglas Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson, Daniel Tani and Clayton Anderson. Mission STS-120 will deliver the Node 2 "Harmony" connecting module to the station. During the mission, Tani and Anderson will transfer to the station and remain as flight engineers for Expedition 15. The mission is tentatively scheduled for August of this year.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a processing hangar at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Space Exploration Technologies technicians prepare to close the hatch of the Dragon capsule. The hatch was open for cargo to be stowed in the capsule in preparation for its scheduled April 30 liftoff aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.Known as SpaceX, the launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of checkout procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. The cargo includes food and provisions for the stations Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries, and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two private companies to launch cargo safely to the station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers are installing in Discoverys cargo bay wiring that will support the addition of an Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS). The OBSS is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight, equipping the Shuttle with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttles Thermal Protection System while in space. Discovery is designated as the Return to Flight vehicle for mission STS-114, no earlier than March 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Boeing technicians install a resupply stowage platform in Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo during processing for space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 mission to the International Space Station.The cargo secured to the racks and platforms Leonardo delivers will be transferred to locations throughout the station. Three spacewalks during STS-131 will include work to attach a spare ammonia tank assembly to the station's exterior and to return a European experiment from outside the station's Columbus module. STS-131 will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station. Launch is targeted for March 18, 2010.

San Luis Obispo, Calif. -- 101116-F-8290C-060 -- Roland Coelho, a student at California Polytechnic State University Cal Poly, inspects the integration alignment of miniature research satellites called a CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer PPOD container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by Cal Poly and Stanford Universitys Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASAs Educational Launch of Nanosatellite ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about 4-inches cubed and is about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion.The satellites are being prepared to launch with NASA's Glory spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket, targeted to lift off Feb. 23, 2011, from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E. Glory is scheduled to collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon from its place in low Earth orbit. It also will help s

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 mission crew members look over hardware for the mission. From left are Mission Specialists Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf and Pilot Doug Hurley. Remaining crew members are Commander Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. The mission payload includes the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, Extended Facility and the Inter-orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. Equipment familiarization is part of a Crew Equipment Interface Test. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-115 Mission Specialist Joseph Tanner is practicing folding a sequential shunt unit launch to activation multilayer installation blanket He and other crew members are at the center for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. Equipment familiarization is a routine part of astronaut training and launch preparations. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch on Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians at the Space Station Processing Facility carefully watch as a crane lifts the Thermal Protection System Detailed Test Objective (DTO) box. It will be placed on the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC) to fly on Space Shuttle Discovery for mission STS-114. The DTO contains tile samples that will enable astronauts to test new on-orbit Thermal Protection System repair techniques. The launch window for mission STS-114 is May 12 to June 3.

OpComm Delivery For Orion Artemis II. Inside the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assemble on the Optical Communications System for the Artemis II mission on June 2, 2023. Optical communications is the latest space communications technology that is able to provide data rates as much as a hundred times higher than current systems. This will allow astronauts to send and receive ultra-high-definition video from the surface of the Moon or other planets such as Mars. Artemis II will be the first Artemis mission flying crew aboard Orion.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science, or OPALS, experiment has been unpacked in a test cell at a Space Station Processing Facility offline laboratory. The optical technology demonstration experiment arrived from the agencys Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.NASA will use the International Space Station to test OPALS communications technology that could dramatically improve spacecraft communications, enhance commercial missions and strengthen transmission of scientific data. The experiment is slated to fly later this year aboard a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission to the space station. The mission is expected to run 90 days after installation on the outside of the station.

STS-131 MPLM LEONARDO FM-1 O-G RACK INSTALLATION

At Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., Lora Lawrence, with Johnson Space Center, makes a bonding check on the International Cargo Carrier that will be used during future International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions. The nonpressurized ICC fits inside the payload bay of the orbiter. The ICC will carry the SPACEHAB Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier. SHOSS can hold a maximum of 400 pounds of equipment and will carry items to be used during STS-96 and future ISS assembly flights. Also aboard the ICC will be the ORU Transfer Device (OTD), a U.S.-built crane that will be stowed on Unity for use during future ISS assembly missions. The ICC will fly on mission STS-96, targeted for launch on May 20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-88 Pilot Rick W. Sturckow inspects equipment on the Unity connecting module, part of the International Space Station, in the Space Station Processing Facility at KSC. During the mission, the Unity connecting module will be mated to the Zarya control module, which will already be in orbit. The STS-88 crew is participating in a Crew Equipment Interface Test, which gives astronauts an opportunity for a hands-on look at the payloads on which they will be working while on orbit. STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for December 1998

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronauts Salizhan Sharipov and Michael Fincke look over hardware on the Node 2 module in the Space Station Processing Facility. They and other astronauts are familiarizing themselves with the various elements to be installed on the International Space Station on future spaceflights. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF.

STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE-1 CARGO STORAGE

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a bench review in the Space Station Processing Facility, astronaut Koicki Wakata gets hands-on experience on hardware he will be using in orbit. Wakata, with the Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency, will join the Expedition 18 crew in 2008, flying on mission STS-126.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-115 Mission Specialists (foreground, from left) Daniel Burbank, Joseph Tanner, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, and Steve Maclean are fit checking a sequential shunt unit, electronics control unit and multiplexer de-multiplexer launch to activation multi-layer installation blankets in a large Orbital Replaceable Unit transfer bag. They and other crew members are at the center for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. Equipment familiarization is a routine part of astronaut training and launch preparations. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch on Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the hatch is closed for the upcoming flight of a Cygnus cargo vessel. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians garbed in protective wear, commonly known as 'bunny suits,' install cargo inside the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module for shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Accompanied by a technician, STS-112 Pilot Pamela Melroy (left) and Mission Specialist David Wolf (right) look at equipment in the payload bay of Atlantis during a Crew Equipment Interface Test at KSC. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station and will be ferrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure. The S1 truss is the first starboard (right-side) truss segment, whose main job is providing structural support for the radiator panels that cool the Space Station's complex power system. The S1 truss segment also will house communications systems, external experiment positions and other subsystems. The S1 truss will be attached to the S0 truss. STS-112 is currently scheduled for launch Aug. 22, 2002

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- One of a team of robotic experts prepares the site scraped on the robotic arm for removal. The scrape occurred while work platforms were being installed to gain access to repair the oxygen leak in the Shuttle's mid-body. The site will be cut out and ultrasound testing will be done on the structure underneath. Launch of Endeavour on mission STS-113 has been postponed until no earlier than Nov. 22.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician repairs a cell from one of the electricity-producing solar arrays for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft. MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch in November from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

Inside a clean room in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians install the first half of the Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL payload fairing around NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) on Aug. 22, 2018. ICON is being prepared for its launch on the Pegasus XL rocket, which is attached beneath the company's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft. Launch is scheduled for Oct. 26, from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above. The explorer will help determine the physics of Earth's space environment and pave the way for mitigating its effects on our technology, communications systems and society.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician with United Space Alliance checks wiring in the mid-body of orbiter Atlantis as part of routine maintenance.

NASA astronauts Barry Butch” Wilmore, left, and Sunita "Suni" Williams visit the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 17, 2020. The astronauts are at Kennedy to prepare for their flights to the International Space Station on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Wilmore and Williams will command the Crew Flight Test and the Starliner-1 mission, respectively.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mission Specialists Michael E. Fossum (left) and Piers J. Sellers, Ph.D., (right) open the SPACEHAB Oceaneering Enhanced Deployable box. Looking on are Mission Specialist Stephanie D. Wilson, Pilot Mark E. Kelly, Mission Specialist Lisa M. Nowak and Commander Steven W. Lindsey. The astronauts of the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, were at the SPACEHAB facility in Cape Canaveral to participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT). This test allows the astronauts to become familiar with equipment they will be using on their upcoming mission. STS-121 is scheduled to launch in July aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In space shuttle Discovery's payload bay, STS-120 crew members get a close look at the equipment and payloads. Seen here, from left, are Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson, Daniel Tani and Scott Parazynski. After the mission, Tani will remain aboard the International Space Station and return with the STS-122 crew, targeted to launch Dec. 6. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery on mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT on a 14-day mission.

LCROSS in Ames clean room N-240- cleaning and wrapping for transfer to Northrup Grumman Redondo Beach, CA where more calibration will be done before finally being sent for mating with the LRO spacecraft (with Steve Ord, Project Management Division (l) and Tony Colaprete (r) LCROSS P.I.)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-117 Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester practices using a tool he will handle during the mission. He and other crew members are at KSC to take part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test that allows them opportunities to become familiar with equipment and hardware for their mission. STS-117 will deliver the S3/S4 and another pair of solar arrays to the space station. The 21st shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-117 is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 16.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FIa. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane lowers the flexible hose rotary coupler toward the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier for installation. The carrier will be installed in space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. The 15-day flight will deliver equipment and supplies to the space station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. The mission also will include four spacewalks to service the stations Solar Alpha Rotary Joints.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 crew members take part in a payload bay walkdown to check out the cargo secured in Atlantis' bay. Seen here are Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus (left) and Commander Chris Ferguson.The astronauts are at Kennedy to participate in a launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Atlantis and its crew are targeted to lift off July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, a

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida, technicians with Spectrum Astro Inc. secure the plastic cover around the Swift spacecraft before moving it to the launch pad. The launch of the Swift observatory, a NASA spacecraft to pinpoint the location of gamma-ray bursts, is scheduled for Nov. 17 from Pad 17-A on CCAFS. Liftoff aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is targeted at the opening of a one-hour launch window beginning at 12 09 p.m. EST. Gamma-ray bursts are distant, yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes. They are the most powerful explosions known in the universe, emitting more than 100 billion times the energy that the Sun emits in a year. Yet they last only from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, never to appear in the same spot again.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In Bldg. 1610 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the NOAA-N Prime spacecraft is waiting for a transportation canister to be placed around it. NOAA-N Prime is the latest polar-orbiting operational environmental weather satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The satellite is scheduled to launch Feb. 4 aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -In Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 crew members check out the space shuttle Discovery's robotic arm. Seen here are Mission Specialists Christer Fuglesang and John "Danny" Olivas. The crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which provides hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. The STS-128 flight will carry science and storage racks to the International Space Station on Discovery. Launch is targeted for Aug. 7.

In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a Ball Aerospace technician NASAs National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft for its move to the launch pad. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-135 Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus along with technicians are inspecting the mid-deck of shuttle Atlantis. The four-member crew is at Kennedy participating in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), which gives them an opportunity for hands-on training with the spacecraft and familiarization of the payload they'll deliver to the International Space Station. Atlantis and its payload is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Atlantis is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last shuttle flight for the Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The University of Colorado's Bruce Jankosky, principal investigator for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, mission, speaks to a member of the news media. Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, MAVEN is going through pre-launch processing. Engineers will soon fold MAVEN's power-generating solar arrays into launch position on either side of the spacecraft's main body.MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch in November from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

STS-131 MPLM LEONARDO FM-1 O-G RACK INSTALLATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-125 Mission Specialists Mike Massimino (left) and Michael Good (right) check out the orbiter boom sensor system and the attached camera in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Equipment familiarization is part of the crew equipment interface test, which provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment for the mission. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8 on the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission crew will perform history-making, on-orbit surgery” on two important science instruments aboard the telescope. After capturing the telescope, two teams of spacewalking astronauts will perform the repairs during five planned spacewalks.

of 3