Space Technology Testing

Images of advanced testing equipment and processes for NASA projects, focusing on technologies for lunar exploration and trash-to-energy conversion.

Space cargo module with ground support equipment

DUAL ION SPECTROMETER (DIS) ENGINEERING TEST UNIT (ETU) AT THE LOW ENERGY ELECTRON AND ION FACILITY (LEEIF), NSSTC

NASAs Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor, or OSCAR, undergoes vibration testing inside the Vibration Test Lab at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 14, 2021. The tests are part of ongoing preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year. Beginning as an Early Career Initiative project, OSCAR studies technology to convert trash and human waste into useful gasses such as methane, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. By processing small pieces of trash in a high-temperature reactor, OSCAR would reduce the amount of space needed for waste storage within a spacecraft, turn some waste into gasses that have energy storage and life support applications, and ensure waste is no longer biologically active.

Inside a laboratory in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checking Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, testing is underway on the Molten Regolith Electrolysis (MRE) on Aug. 30, 2022. This is a high-temperature electrolytic process which aims to extract oxygen from the simulated lunar regolith. Extraction of oxygen on the lunar surface is critical to the agencys Artemis program. Oxygen extracted from the Moon can be utilized for propellent to NASAs lunar landers., breathable oxygen for astronauts, and a variety of other industrial and scientific applications for NASAs future missions to the Moon.

NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster - Commercial, NEXT-C Flight Power Processing Unit, PPU

Stage Separation Test of the Space Launch System(SLS) in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT). The model used High Pressure air blown through the solid rocket boosters. (SRB) to simulate the booster separation motors (BSM) firing.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - Inside the NASA spacecraft processing hangar 1610 located on North Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-N) spacecraft is undergoing testing. The testing includes a the Spacecraft Electrical Performance Test, battery conditioning, a Solar Array Illumination Telemetry Test, final instrument inspections and closeouts for flight. Launch of NOAA-N aboard the Boeing Delta II rocket is currently scheduled for May 11, 2005. NOAA-N is the fourth in the series of support dedicated microwave instruments for the generation of temperature, moisture, surface, and hydrological products in cloudy regions where visible and infrared (IR) instruments have decreased capability.

SATELITE INSTAR DE LA NASA. Location: CONSTRUCCIONES AERONAUTICAS-CASA. GETAFE. MADRID. SPANIEN.

Space cargo module with ground support equipment

PA084 SOLAR THERMAL PROPULSION BLDG 4590, STROFIO THERMAL BALANCE TEST, OVERALL VIEW

iss057e106407 (11/20/2018) -- A view of the Cold Atom Lab (CAL) in the Destiny module aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) produces clouds of atoms that are chilled to about one ten billionth of a degree above absolute zero -- much colder than the average temperature of deep space. At these low temperatures, atoms have almost no motion, allowing scientists to study fundamental behaviors and quantum characteristics that are difficult or impossible to probe at higher temperatures

jsc2020e003407 (9/27/2019) --- A preflight image of the Polymer Convection investigation the the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG). Polymer Convection examines the effect of gravity on formation and crystallization of Broadband Angular Selective Material (BASM). An optical material with the ability to control the reflection and absorption of light, BASM has applications in polymer packaging, optical films, solar power, and electronic displays. Improved fabrication methods could produce BASM films that are more durable and have better optical and mechanical properties.

Press tour as part of SPIN2030, a campaign to highlight the diversity, excellence and attractiveness of Saxony as a centre of science, : Nanoelectronic Materials Laboratory (NaMLab) Test facility for measuring and analysing surface structures

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, an overhead crane moves the Dawn spacecraft across the floor toward the upper stage booster for mating. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.

Oncological hadrontherapy for the treatment of cancer with hadrons, protons or carbon ions, view from the synchrotron.

Saxon research and manufacturer network for radiopharmaceuticals

In view is the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) ground unit inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 14, 2020. Part of the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment, a ground control crop of radishes was grown at Kennedy and harvested on Dec. 14. The experiment also involves growing two similar radish crops inside the International Space Stations APH. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested the first crop on Nov. 30, and the second harvest aboard the orbiting laboratory is planned for Dec. 30. Once samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those grown in space to the radishes grown here on Earth to better understand how microgravity affects plant growth.

JSC2003-E-42549 (For Release 18 June 2003) --- The Experiment Logistics Modules-Exposed (ELM-ES) of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), Japan's primary contribution to the International Space Station (ISS), is shown in a processing facility. There are two JEM logistics modules, one each for the Pressurized Module and the Exposed Facility, that serve as on-orbit storage areas that house materials for experiments, maintenance tools and supplies. The ELM-ES is a pallet that can hold 3 experiment payloads for the JEM Exposed Facility.

A89650 U12P DISKO ELM FRONT END EXPERIMENT BRETT BEDEAUX (Project Engineer) JUN 26 89 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 6/26/1989 DISKO ELM; DISKO ELM TEST; EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; EQUIPMENT (SNL); FRONT-END EXPERIMENT; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; P-TUNNEL; PIPES; TEST SITES; TUNNELS; UGT; UNDERGROUND; UNDERGROUND TESTING; WIRE & CABLES; WIRES; DISKO ELM-FRONT END EXPERIMENT historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

ATOMIC OXYGEN BEAM CONTAMINATION SYSTEM

Laboratory technician working on a device in laboratory of science center

iss059e034705 (4/23/2019) --- A view taken during the installation of the Space Fibers experiment hardware into the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in the Destiny module aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Manufacturing Fiber Optic Cable in Microgravity (Space Fibers) evaluates a method for producing fiber optic cable from a blend of zirconium, barium, lanthanum, sodium and aluminum, called ZBLAN, in space. ZBLAN produces glass one hundred times more transparent than silica-based glass, exceptional for fiber optics. Microgravity suppresses two mechanisms that commonly degrade fiber, and previous studies showed improved properties in fiber drawn in microgravity compared to that fabricated on the ground.

Aero Fundamental Testing with Airfoil and Various Probes

Advanced Electric Propulsion Systems Contract, Technology Demonstration Unit, TDU-3 Checkout Test Hardware Installed in Vacuum Facility 5, VF-5

This scale model depicts the Materials Science Research Rack-1 (MSRR-1) being developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the European Space Agency (ESA) for placement in the Destiny laboratory module aboard the International Space Station. The rack is part of the plarned Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF) and is expected to include two furnace module inserts, a Quench Module Insert (being developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center) to study directional solidification in rapidly cooled alloys and a Diffusion Module Insert (being developed by the European Space Agency) to study crystal growth, and a transparent furnace (being developed by NASA's Space Product Development program). Multi-user equipment in the rack is being developed under the auspices of NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR) and ESA. Here the transparent furnace is extracted for servicing. Key elements are labeled in other images (0101754, 0101829, 0101830, and TBD).

A scaffolding structure built around NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer allows engineers to freeze its hydrogen coolant. The WISE infrared instrument is kept extremely cold by a bottle-like tank filled with frozen hydrogen, called the cryostat.

A92871 U3KV VICTORIA P-14 DETECTOR PACKAGE BILL COLTER (Project Engineer) APR 7 92 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 4/7/1992 DETECTOR PACKAGE; DETECTORS; EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; EQUIPMENT (SNL); INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; KV-TUNNEL; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; P-14 DETECTOR PACKAGE; PIPES; TEST SITES; TUNNELS; UGT; UNDERGROUND; UNDERGROUND TESTING; VICTORIA; VICTORIA TEST; VICTORIA-P-14 DETECTOR PACKAGE historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

STS-132 JAXA FISH SCALES & HYDROTROP EXPERIMENTS

An Orbital Maneuvering System engine is vibration tested at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston on June 16, 2016, before shipment to the agencys White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, where it will be fired to qualify the engine for use on Orions service module. The vibration testing will help ensure the engine can withstand the loads induced by launch on the agencys Space Launch System rocket. This summer, another Orbital Maneuvering System engine will be tested at Johnson before it is supplied to ESA (European Space Agency) to integrate into Orion's service module, which will power, propel and cool Orion in space, and also provide consumables like air and water for future crews. ..ESA and its contractor Airbus Defence and Space are providing the service module for Artemis I. This Orbital Maneuvering System engine was used on the space shuttle to provide the thrust for orbital insertion, orbit circularization, orbit transfer, rendezvous, deorbit and abort situations and flew on 31

President Barack Obama, with Professor Vladimir Bulovic, tours an alternative energy research laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., Oct. 23, 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The GOES-N satellite is checked out on the rotation stand at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla. Since its arrival on March 11, the satellite has been undergoing final testing by Boeing Satellite Systems of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) are sponsored by the NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. GOES-N is targeted to launch May 4 onboard a Boeing expendable launch vehicle Delta IV (4,2) with a 3-burn second stage operation. Once in orbit GOES-N will be designated GOES-13 and will complete checkout and be placed in on-orbit storage as a replacement for an older GOES satellite. GOES-N is the first in the next series of GOES satellites, N-P. The multi-mission GOES series N-P will be a vital contributor to weather, solar and space operations and science. The GOES N-P series will aid activities ranging from severe storm

X-RAY MIRROR REPLICATION AND SHELL SEPARATION PROCESS: CHET SPEEGLE, JOHN HOOD, KEITH BOWEN, CARL WIDRIG, RATANA MEEKHAM, AMY MEEKHAM

The Equiaxed Dendritic Solidification Experiment (EDSE) is a material sciences investigation under the Formation of Microstructures/pattern formation discipline. The objective is to study the microstructural evolution of and thermal interactions between several equiaxed crystals growing dendritically in a supercooled melt of a pure and transparent substance under diffusion controlled conditions. This image shows the isothermal bath and video system for the EDSE in the Microgravity Development Lab (MDL).

Reportage in the National Oncology Particle Therapy Centre in Milan, Italy (The CNAO - Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica). Particle therapy is a state-of-the-art technique used to treat cancer. It consists of using hadrons, protons (proton therapy) and cabon ions (carbon-ion treatment) to irradiate tumours. It has two therapeutic purposes, a high ballistic accuracy which allows healthy tissue surrounding the tumour to be spared, and a greater efficiency at treating certain cancers. The CNAO is the only centre to own carbon-ion treatment technology in Europe. The synchrotron.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The Ocean Surface Topography Mission, or OSTM/Jason 2, spacecraft is being prepared for bagging before encapsulation and transfer to the launch pad. The launch of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission, or OSTM/Jason 2, aboard a Delta II rocket is scheduled for Friday, June 20, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch window extends from 12:46 a.m. to 12:55 a.m. PDT. The satellite will be placed in an 830-mile-high orbit at an inclination of 66 degrees after separating from the Delta II 55 minutes after liftoff. The five primary science instruments of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission aboard the Jason 2 spacecraft are dedicated to measuring ocean surface height. These measurements will be used to evaluate and forecast climate changes and improve weather forecasting. The results also are expected to help forecasters better predict hurricane intensity.

RAYLEIGH SCATTERING SET UP ON LARGE NOZZLE RIG

A781434 U12N DIABLO HAWK DIGITAL ALCOVE POST SHOT J. LEE (PROJECT ENGINEER) OCT 4 78 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 10/4/1978 CHAIN LINKED FENCES; DIABLO HAWK; DIGITAL ALCOVE POST SHOT; EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; LEE, J.; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; ROPES BY USAGE; TEST SITES; UGT; UNDERGROUND TESTING; WIRE & CABLES; U12N DIABLO HAWK DIGITAL ALCOV historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

S81-25565 (Feb 1981) --- Expected to be a busy item of flight hardware on the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-1) mission is this low-gravity centrifuge. To be flown onboard Columbia for STS-40, the centrifuge is able to simulate several gravity levels (0.5 g, 1.0 g, 1.5 g. and 2.0 g). Blood samples, taken during the flight, will be placed in the centrifuge, fixed for post flight analysis and transferred to a freezer.

PhD student during his research work adjusting his experimental setup, laser laboratory of Prof. Georg Pretzler's group for laser and plasma physics at Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

S67-15795 (1967) --- Overall view of the Lunar Module Mission Simulator, Bldg. 5, Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas.

BLDG 4711 ATOMIC OXYGEN BEAM FACILITY

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, a worker prepares the THEMIS spacecraft for black/white light inspection. White light inspection assures the telemetry is operating. Black light inspection uses UVA fluorescence to detect possible particulate microcontamination, minute cracks or fluid leaks. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

A870170 U12P MISSION CYBER FAC H.E. WRAP STALLER (Project Engineer) JAN 14 87 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 1/14/1987 EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; EQUIPMENT (SNL); FAC ASSEMBLY; FAC ASSEMBLY PLATFORM; FAC H.E. WRAP; HIGH ENERGY FAC; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; MISSION CYBER; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; P-TUNNEL; STALLER, GEORGE; TEST SITES; TUNNELS; U12P; U12P MISSION CYBER; UGT; UNDERGROUND; UNDERGROUND TESTING; WEAPONS EFFECTS; WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

iss005e06524 (7/2/2002) --- View of the Single-Locker Thermal Enclosure System (STES), located on the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack 4 in the Destiny / U.S. Laboratory.

At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians conduct black light inspection of the THEMIS probes. Black light inspection uses UVA fluorescence to detect possible particulate microcontamination, minute cracks or fluid leaks. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology - UEET - Proof of Concept Compressor - POCC - Advanced Compressor Casing Treatment Testing

Onko Ray, research set-up, for magnetic fields in radiotherapy

Voyager's RTG. Each of NASA's Voyager probes are equipped with three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), including the one shown here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The RTGs provide power for the spacecraft by converting the heat generated by the decay of plutonium-238 into electricity. Launched in 1977, the Voyager mission is managed for NASA by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California. https //photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25782

The electricity for NASA's Mars 2020 rover is provided by a power system called a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG. Essentially a nuclear battery, an MMRTG uses the heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium-238 to generate about 110 watts of electricity at the start of a mission. Besides generating electrical power, the MMRTG produces heat. Some of this heat can be used to maintain the rover's systems at the proper operating temperatures in the frigid cold of space and on the surface of Mars. This device, seen here before fueling and testing at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, has fins that radiate excess heat. MMRTGs are provided to NASA for civil space applications by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The radioisotope fuel is inserted into the MMRTG at the DOE's Idaho National Laboratory before the MMRTG is shipped to the launch site. Electrically heated versions of the MMRTG are used at JPL to verify and practice i

The Flys Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator will map lightning strikes using 30 photometers, instruments that measure the intensity of light.

Astronaut Scott Kelly initiated VEG-01 B, the second crop of lettuce, on July, 8, 2015, and both Kelly and Astronaut Kjell Lindgren cared for the plants. The crop grew for 33 days. VEG-01 B included one set of six plant pillows planted with red romaine lettuce seeds. On Aug. 10, 2015, the crew harvested and consumed leaves from each plant. This was the first crop grown and consumed in NASA hardware. They harvested the rest of the plant tissue and froze it in the stations Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for return to Earth for further study including microbial analysis, antioxidant capacity, mineral analysis and anthocyanin concentration.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, Tom Shain, project manager on Deep Space 1, displays a CD containing 350,000 names of KSC workers that he will place in a pouch and insert inside the spacecraft. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999. Deep Space 1 will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in October. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launc

An Orbital Maneuvering System engine is vibration tested at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston on June 16, 2016, before shipment to the agencys White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, where it will be fired to qualify the engine for use on Orions service module. The vibration testing will help ensure the engine can withstand the loads induced by launch on the agencys Space Launch System rocket. This summer, another Orbital Maneuvering System engine will be tested at Johnson before it is supplied to ESA (European Space Agency) to integrate into Orion's service module, which will power, propel and cool Orion in space, and also provide consumables like air and water for future crews. ..ESA and its contractor Airbus Defence and Space are providing the service module for Artemis I. This Orbital Maneuvering System engine was used on the space shuttle to provide the thrust for orbital insertion, orbit circularization, orbit transfer, rendezvous, deorbit and abort situations and flew on 31

ISS035-E-020086 (15 April 2013) --- NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, Expedition 35 flight engineer, conducts routine maintenance of the Combustion Integration Racks Optic Bench in the U.S. lab Destiny aboard the Earth-orbiting Internatioanl Space Station.

A88339 U12P MISSION CYBER EXPERIMENT INSTALLATION BREEZE (PROJECT ENGINEER) MAR 17 88 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 3/17/1988 EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; EXPERIMENT INSTALLATION; INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; LAREDO; MANG-1; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; TEST SITES; UGT; UNDERGROUND; UNDERGROUND TESTING; WIRE & CABLES; U3MH LAREDO EXPERIMENT INSTALL historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

Azzurro-Halbleiter

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft being lifted into the thermal vacuum chamber at Lockheed Martin for environmental testing.

STS-133 DISCOVERY ET-137 X-RAY BACK SCATTER & SLIDE BASKET

An integrated test of the MARCO POLO/Mars Pathfinder in-situ resource utilization, or ISRU, system takes place at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A mockup of MARCO POLO, an ISRU propellant production technology demonstration simulated mission, is tested in a regolith bin with RASSOR 2.0, the Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot. On the surface of Mars, mining robots like RASSOR will dig down into the regolith and take the material to a processing plant where usable elements such as hydrogen, oxygen and water can be extracted for life support systems. Regolith also shows promise for both construction and creating elements for rocket fuel.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, equipment is set up to conduct a sway test on the Ares I-X launch vehicle. The test will simulate conditions the rocket could experience during rollout to Launch Pad 39B, wind conditions at the pad and first-stage ignition. During the test, vibrations are mechanically induced into the rocket by four hydraulic shakers and a sway is manually introduced for lateral motion to measure the vehicle's response. A total of 44 accelerometers are installed on the flight test vehicle that required more than 27,000 feet of cable. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system . The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31.

DATE: 1-18-13LOCATION: Bldg. 9NW - ISS MockupsSUBJECT: Soyuz 43 crew members Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui (JAXA) during ISS hatch and rack training with instructor Jehon Leonce.

Onko Ray, research set-up, for magnetic fields in radiotherapy

The Lowell Observatory's High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultation rests on its dolly in the lab prior to installation on the SOFIA airborne observatory.

SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astromony) primary mirror coating completed at the Ames Vacuum Chamber in N-211.

A gas chromatograph being used as part of a scientific experiment by scientists from Sydney University, Australia, in the Snowy mountains. The study is monitoring C02 exchange betw

Astronaut Scott Kelly initiated VEG-01 B, the second crop of lettuce, on July, 8, 2015, and both Kelly and Astronaut Kjell Lindgren cared for the plants. The crop grew for 33 days. VEG-01 B included one set of six plant pillows planted with red romaine lettuce seeds. On Aug. 10, 2015, the crew harvested and consumed leaves from each plant. This was the first crop grown and consumed in NASA hardware. They harvested the rest of the plant tissue and froze it in the stations Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for return to Earth for further study including microbial analysis, antioxidant capacity, mineral analysis and anthocyanin concentration.

The COS consists of a specially designed (VDA) Vapor Diffusion Apparatus tray with 6 chambers, a video camera for each chamber, a lighting system, and associated hardware. By observing the crystal growth in each chamber, researchers can identify which conditions and concentrations of proteins and precipitants are best for promoting the crystal growth to a particular protein.

PhD student during his research work adjusting his experimental setup, laser laboratory of Prof. Georg Pretzler's working group for laser and plasma physics at Heinrich Heine University, Duesseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

SPACE ACCELERATION MEASUREMENT SYSTEM 2 - SAMS 2 - FLIGHT HARDWARE - ICU - INTERIM CONTROL UNIT - RTS - REMOTE TRIAXIAL SENSOR DRAWERS

High Flow Liquid Acquisition Device (LAD) Test, Cold Shock Test in Small-Scale Multipurpose Research Facility, SMIRF

Microscope Science microscope at a laboratory Copyright: xZoonar.com/JavierxEspunyxFXEGSx 2070113

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Cross section view of the inside of an airplane engine

SSVUVA - STEADY STATE VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET AUTOMATED

LONG TERM DURABILITY LABORATORY FACILITIES

Vintage Photograph. Scientist using an advanced electron microscope in a laboratory setting.

iss050e053932 (3/3/2017) --- A view of Long Duration Sorbent Testbed during Inlet Filter change. The Long Duration Sorbent Testbed (LDST) investigation exposes desiccants and CO2 sorbents to the ISS atmosphere for an extended period (such as one year) before returning them to earth for analysis of contamination level and capacity loss. The results will determine which types of sorbents would be most effective on long-term missions to Mars or other destinations.

S93-50137 (December 1993) --- This small mobility-aiding back harness, complemented in extravehicular activity (EVA) with a hand controller unit and called the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system, will get extensive in-space evaluation and testing during the STS-64 mission. In this view the SAFER is open to reveal the gas supply and thrusters. SAFER is to fly on STS-76 as well.

iss055e020137 (4/13/2018) --- Photographic documentation taken in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) during preparations for the install of the Materials ISS Experiment - Flight Facility (MISSEE-FF). The MISSE-FF platform provides the ability to test materials, coatings, and components or other larger experiments in the harsh environment of space, which is virtually impossible to do collectively on Earth.

LCROSS flight hardware in clean room at Ames N-240.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the canister is removed from the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP). Launch of MAP via a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for June 30. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures

Clean room in a laboratory

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Star-27 kick motor and nozzle for NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft are on top” and part of the IBEX flight system, known as the adapter cone, is in the foreground/bottom. The Star-27 motor has a silver tank that contains the solid propellant. The nozzle fits down inside the adapter cone. The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX is the first mission designed to detect the edge of the Solar System. As the solar wind from the sun flows out beyond Pluto, it collides with the material between the stars, forming a shock front. IBEX contains two neutral atom imagers designed to detect particles from the termination shock at the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX also will study galactic cosmic rays, energetic particles from beyond the Solar System that pose a health and safety ha

iss052e016460 (7/19/2017) --- A view taken of Capillary Structures setup in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) beside the internal airlock. This investigation studies a new method using structures of specific shapes to manage fluid and gas mixtures. It also studies water recycling and carbon dioxide removal, benefiting future efforts to design lightweight, more reliable life support systems for future space missions.

Titan Cassini Remote Sensing Platform installation in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility

Water department engineer standing in treatment injection room

Telescope inside CFHT (Canada France Hawaii Telescope) Observatory atop Mauna Kea, 4200 meter mountain in Hawaii; Island of Hawaii, Hawaii, United Sta...

Life Sceince Division Facilities, Labs and Personnel (Code-SL)

Operation to stack Ares 1-X Segment US5 onto US4

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Life Science Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, this space experiment rack is under development for flight aboard NASA's first commercially-provided research flights on Zero Gravity Corporation's reduced gravity aircraft. Known as the FASTRACK Space Experiment Platform, the rack is designed to support two standard lockers that fit inside the space shuttle's crew middeck. It is being developed jointly by Kennedy and Space Florida to facilitate NASA and commercial use of reusable U.S. suborbital flight vehicles currently under development. FASTRACK will enable investigators to test experiments, apparatus and analytical techniques in hardware compatible with the International Space Station, and to perform science that can be carried out during the reduced gravity available for brief periods during aircraft parabolas. Flight testing of the FASTRACK will be performed on four consecutive days between September 9-12 from Ellington Field near NASA's Johns

iss028e020313 (8/2/2011) --- A view of the Biorisk-MSN platform with three containers to be installed on the exterior of the Pirs Docking Compartment (DC1) during Russian EVA-29 (Extravehicular Activity). The Influence of Factors of the Space Environment on the Condition of the System of Microorganisms-Hosts Relating to the Problem of Environmental Safety of Flight Techniques and Planetary Quarantine (Biorisk) investigation aims to obtain new data on physical and genetic changes in bacteria and fungi typically found on spacecraft equipment, and also in various biological test objects (higher plant seeds, dormant forms of lower crustaceans) under exposure in the interior ISS compartments and on the exterior ISS surfaces.

Advanced Electric Propulsion Systems Contract, Technology Demonstration Unit, TDU-3 Checkout Test Hardware Installed in Vacuum Facility 5, VF-5

Levi Daniels adjusts the streak camera in the target facility for the Pharos III laser at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). During operations, laser beams are reflected off of mirrors located on a space frame and focused into the target chamber. Base: Washington State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Interior lights give the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) the appearance of a high-tech juke box. The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA are developing the MSG for use aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Scientists will use the MSG to carry out multidisciplinary studies in combustion science, fluid physics and materials science. The MSG is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

A view of an electric discharge laser device during an experiment in the laser laboratory of the Air Force Weapons Laboratory. The lasers are used to determine the laser interaction with various types of materials. Base: Kirtland Air Force Base State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

NEA Scout spacecraft after de-integration from hot box

Shown is the disassembly, examination, refurbishment and testing of the LH2 ( liquid hydrogen) and LOX (liquid oxygen) vent and relief valves for the S-IVB-211 engine stage in support of the Constellation/Ares project. This image is extracted from high definition video and is the highest resolution available.

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