Spacecraft Assembly and Testing

Pictures of various space modules and telescopes during assembly and testing phases at space centers, highlighting preparations for space missions.

JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE CRYOGENIC TEST #4 SIX MIRROR DE-INTEGRATION, JULY 13, 2010, MSFC X-RAY & CRYOGENIC FACILITY

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Joint Airlock Module is suspended by an overhead crane in the Operations and Checkout Building before being moved and placed into the payload canister for transfer to the Space Station Processing Facility. There the module will undergo more preflight processing for the STS-104 mission scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis May 17, 2001. The Joint Airlock Module is the gateway from which crew members aboard the International Space Station will enter and exit the 470-ton orbiting research facility

The Joint Airlock Module waits on a stand in the Operations and Checkout Building to be lifted and moved into a vacuum chamber for testing. The module is the gateway from which crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will enter and exit the 470-ton orbiting research facility. The airlock is a critical element of the ISS because of design differences between American and Russian spacesuits. The Joint Airlock Module is specially designed to accommodate both suits, providing a chamber where astronauts from every nation can suit up for space walks to conduct maintenance and construction work or to do science experiments outside the Station. The Space Shuttle Atlantis will carry the airlock to orbit on mission STS-104, the 10th International Space Station flight, currently targeted for liftoff in May 2001. The Shuttle crew will secure the airlock to the right side of Unity, the American-built connecting node that currently comprises one-third of the current Space Station,

JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE CRYOGENIC TEST #4 SIX MIRROR DE-INTEGRATION, JULY 13, 2010, MSFC X-RAY & CRYOGENIC FACILITY

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The inside of the first Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) for the International Space Station (ISS) is seen after the end cap is removed. The Italian-built module, named Leonardo, is undergoing testing at the Space Station Processing Facility. It is one of three from Alenia Aerospazio, and will be operated by NASA and supported by ASI, the Italian space agency. The MPLMs will be carried in the payload bay of a Shuttle orbiter, and will provide storage and additional work space for up to two astronauts when docked to the ISS. Leonardo is scheduled to be launched on STS-100 in December 1999. The second MPLM, named Raffaello, is scheduled to be handed over in April 1999. A third module, to be named Donatello, is due to be delivered in October 2000 for launch in January 2001

This photograph shows the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) flight article assembly with multilayer insulation, high gain anterna, and solar arrays in a clean room of the Lockheed Missile and Space Company. The HST is the first of NASA's great observatories and the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made. The purpose of the HST is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit by placing the telescope in space, enabling astronomers to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had overall responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company, Sunnyvale, California, produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

he SOFIA airborne observatory's 2.5-meter infrared telescope peers out from its cavity in the SOFIA rear fuselage during nighttime line operations testing.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Complex 39B, the payload bay doors on the orbiter Discovery, scheduled to launch mission STS-95, are poised for closure. The mission includes the SPACEHAB single module (seen at the top of the bay) with experiments on space flight and the aging process, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3), the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, and the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft. STS-95 is expected to launch at 2 p.m. EST on Oct. 29, last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and land at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers ensure smooth closure of space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay doors. Elements stored in the payload bay are, at bottom, the Integrated Cargo Carrier-Vertical Light Deploy (with the Space-to-Ground Antenna showing), the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section (middle) and the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility (at top). The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station.

In the Space Station Processing Facility, members of the STS-92 crew practice working with the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3, part of the payload for their mission to the International Space Station (ISS). STS-92 is targeted for launch in December 1999. STS-92 crew members visiting KSC are Commander Brian Duffy and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, Leroy Chiao, Jeff Wisoff, Michael Lopez-Alegria and Bill McArthur. STS-92 is the fourth U.S. flight for construction of the International Space Station. The payload also includes an integrated truss structure

The Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, served as the primary scientific instrument unit aboard the Skylab. The ATM contained eight complex astronomical instruments designed to observe the Sun over a wide spectrum from visible light to x-rays. This image shows the ATM spar assembly. All solar telescopes, the fine Sun sensors, and some auxiliary systems are mounted on the spar, a cruciform lightweight perforated metal mounting panel that divides the 10-foot long canister lengthwise into four equal compartments. The spar assembly was nested inside a cylindrical canister that fit into the rack, a complex frame, and was protected by the solar shield.

This view of a portion of the descent stage of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory shows two of the stage's three spherical fuel tanks flanking the bridle device assembly.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) waits for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASAs family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A, the payload ground-handling mechanism moves the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo toward space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Leonardo is the primary payload on Discovery's STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery will deliver 33,000 pounds of equipment to the station, including science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch is targeted for late August.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Payload is seen inside of the Bay just before the doors are closed for flight at Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Discovery, the orbiter for STS-82 mission, is ready for the launch of the second Hubble Space Telescope service mission. The payload consists of the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) that will be installed, Fine Guidance Sensor #1 (FGS-1), and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) to be installed. The STS-82 will launch with a crew of seven at 3:54 a.m. EST, Feb. 11, 1997. The launch window is 65 minutes in duration. The Mission Commander for STS-82 is Ken Bowersox. The purpose of the mission is to upgrade the scientific capabilities, service or replace aging components on the Telescope, and provide a reboost to the optimum altitude.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER,FLA. -- Inside the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) in the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) at Launch Pad 39-B, technicians in clean suits and tethers prepare to move the payloads for mission STS-95 through the open doors of the payload bay (left) of Space Shuttle Discovery. At the top of the RSS is the Spacehab module; below it are the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbiting Systems Test Platform (HOST), and the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3). The PCR is an environmentally controlled facility with seals around the mating surface that fit against the orbiter or payload canister and permit the payload bay or canister doors to be opened and cargo removed without exposing it to outside air and contaminants. Payloads are installed vertically in the orbiter using the extendable payload ground handling mechanism. Fixed and extendable work platforms provide work access in the PCR. The SPACEHAB single module invo

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The final tasks to prepare the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) payload for the STS-85 mission are completed aboard Discovery at Launch Complex 39A. The CRISTA is a system of three telescopes and four spectrometers to measure infrared radiation emitted by the Earths middle atmosphere. During the 11-day mission, the CRISTA-SPAS-2 free-flying satellite will be deployed from Discovery and retrieved later in the flight. Also onboard the satellite will be the Middle Atmosphere High Resolution Spectrograph Investigation (MAHRSI) to measure ultraviolet radiation emitted and scattered by the Earths atmosphere.

Space station cargo carrier

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility watch closely while the U.S. Lab Destiny is lowered onto the Launch Package Integration Stand (LPIS) for a weight and center of gravity determination. Destiny is the payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-98 to the Space Station. The lab is fitted with five system racks and will already have experiments installed inside for the flight. The launch is scheduled for January 2001

. NASA's Lunar Trailblazer Gets a Taste of Space. NASA's Lunar Trailblazer undergoes thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) testing at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, in June 2023. The extremely low pressures and temperatures during these tests simulate the conditions that the spacecraft will experience during in space. Lunar Trailblazer, which has a mass of about 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measures only 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide with its solar panels deployed, has now completed TVAC testing and is nearing completion before its planned launch in early 2024. The spacecraft's two science instruments will map the form, abundance, and locations of water in on the lunar surface while also revealing the thermal properties and surface composition of those regions.

On Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the canister that surrounded the Mars Odyssey orbiter rises up and away while workers watch its progress. Scheduled to launch 11:02 a.m. EDT April 7, the spacecraft will map the Martian surface in search of geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past, and may contribute significantly toward understanding what will be necessary for a more sophisticated exploration of Mars

The Mid-Infrared Instrument, a component of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, underwent testing inside the thermal space test chamber at the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Space in Oxfordshire, England.

ELECTRO MAGNETIC RADIATION CONTROL EXPERIMENT IN TANK 6

The open doors of the payload bay on Space Shuttle Discovery await the transfer of four of the payloads on mission STS-95: the SPACEHAB single module, Spartan, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbiting Systems Test Platform (HOST), and the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3). At the top of bay are the airlock (used for depressurization and repressurization during extravehicular activity and transfer to Mir) and the tunnel adapter (enables the flight crew members to transfer from the pressurized middeck crew compartment to Spacelab's pressurized shirt-sleeve environment). SPACEHAB involves experiments on space flight and the aging process. Spartan is a solar physics spacecraft designed to perform remote sensing of the hot outer layers of the sun's atmosphere or corona. HOST carries four experiments to validate components planned for installation during the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and to evaluate new technologies in an Earth-orbiting environment. IEH-3 c

SPLASH P1 Test 7 Swing Test: Documentation of preparation, set up and results of full scale BTA (Boilerplate Test Article) vertical drop test series performed in 2012 at the LaRC Hydro Impact Basin (HIB)

B-2 FACILITY WITH DELTA 111 2ND STAGE - B-2 DELTA 111 2ND STAGE GOING INTO CHAMBER AT NASA PLUM BROOK STATION

Space station cargo carrier

Workers rotate the Node 1, part of the primary payload of the first Space Shuttle launch of an International Space Station (ISS) element, during processing activities in the Space Station Processing Facility. Along with two Pressurized Mating Adapters, Node 1 is scheduled to be launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on Mission STS-88 in July 1998. The 22-foot-long module has a diameter of 18 feet. Node 1 will serve as a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the ISS

SIX OF THE EIGHTEEN JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRROR SEGMENTS ARE BEING PREPPED TO MOVE INTO THE X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY FOR TESTING.

The Neurolab payload for STS-90, scheduled to launch aboard the Shuttle Columbia from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on April 2, 1998, is installed in the Spacelab module by Boeing technicians in the Operations and Checkout Building at KSC. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90 will include Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster - Commercial, NEXT-C

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers help maneuver one segment of the fairing around the STEREO spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. Designed and built by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) , the STEREO mission is being managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. APL will maintain command and control of the observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the science results. STEREO is expected to lift o

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, the fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander is prepared for lowering toward the rocket below. The lander, which will be launched on Jan. 3, 1999, is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998

Inside the Vertical Processing Facility, a worker keeps check on the transfer of the Chandra X-ray Observatory (right) as it is transferred to the KSC payload canister transporter (left). The transporter will carry Chandra out to Launch Pad 39B for its scheduled launch, to take place no earlier than July 20 at 12:36 a.m. EDT aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, on mission STS-93. With the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-temperature gas clouds, giving the observatory the potential to rewrite the books on the structure and evolution of our universe

Switzerland, Geneva, Part of ATLAS Cavern in CERN. ATLAS Cavern, located 92 m. below ground, hosts the detector, with its muon wheel, 240 tones end-cap magnets and 830 tones barrel toroid magnets. CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is the biggest particle physics laboratory in the world.

Frames of honey in a honey extractor machine. As the frames of honey spin, centrifugal force throws the honey against the side walls of the extractor where it will run down and collect at the bottom of the extractor.

Covered in a protective sheath, International Space Station Node 1 is installed in its work stand in the Space Station Processing Facility. The module is the first element of the International Space Station to be manufactured in the United States and the first scheduled to be launched on the Space Shuttle. The Node 1 is currently scheduled to lift off aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in July 1998, along with Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMAs) 1 and 2. The 18-foot-in-diameter, 22-foot-long aluminum module was manufactured by the Boeing Co. at Marshall Space Flight Center. Once in space, the Node 1 will function as a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the International Space Station. It has six hatches that will serve as docking ports to the U.S. laboratory module, U.S. habitation module, an airlock and other space station elements

A crane lifts the airlock from the cargo bay of space shuttle Atlantis in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The airlock was the connecting point between the shuttle and International Space Station. It was removed as part of the ongoing work to prepare the shuttles for public display. The shuttle is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The first half of the United Launch Alliance Delta II payload fairing is secured around NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) on Sept. 4, 2018, at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The satellite is being prepared for its scheduled launch on the final Delta II rocket. ICESat-2 will measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. The satellite will carry the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS). ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much our planet's frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing in a warming climate.

Telescope inside CFHT (Canada France Hawaii Telescope) Observatory atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii; Island of Hawaii, Hawaii, United States of America

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air force Station, Fla., the first half of the fairing is moved into place around the Deep Impact spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nosecone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Scheduled for liftoff Jan. 12, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. After releasing a 3- by 3-foot projectile to crash onto the surface, Deep Impacts flyby spacecraft will reveal the secrets of its interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the craters depth and diameter as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Ear

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers mate the Mars Exploration Rover-2 (MER-2) to the third stage of a Delta II rocket for launch on June 5. NASAs twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans cant yet go. MER-1 (MER-B) will launch June 25.

In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane moves the S3/S4 integrated truss above the floor to a payload canister. Several space station modules can be seen at various points on the floor. After it is stowed in the canister, the S3/S4 truss will be transported to the launch pad. The truss is the payload on mission STS-117, targeted for launch on March 15.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air force Station, Fla., the partly enclosed Deep Impact spacecraft (background) waits while the second half of the fairing (foreground left) moves toward it. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nosecone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Scheduled for liftoff Jan. 12, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. After releasing a 3- by 3-foot projectile to crash onto the surface, Deep Impacts flyby spacecraft will reveal the secrets of its interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the craters depth and diameter as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produce

This is a wide-angle view of the Orbital Workshop lower level experiment area. In center foreground is the ergometer bicycle. In center background is a litter chair for the Human Vestibular Function experiment (Skylab Experiment M131) and in right background is the Lower Body Negative Pressure System experiment (Skylab Experiment M092). The ergometer bicycle was used for metabolic activity experiments and exercise. The purpose of the Human Vestibular (irner ear) Function experiment was to examine the effect of weightlessness on man's sensitivity and susceptibility to motion rotation, and his perception of orientation. The Lower Body Negative Pressure experiment investigated the relationship between the zero gravity environment and cardiovascular deconditioning. A characteristic of cardiovascular deconditoning is the partial failure of the blood vessels resulting in the excessive pooling of the blood in the legs when a person assumes an erect posture in a gravity field. The Marshall Spa

Mechanical Structure Of Moon Unit Telescope 2, Belonging To The Very Large Telescope (Vlt) Operated By The European Southern Observatory On Cerro Para...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, a worker stands by as one of space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay doors closes. Still seen, at the bottom of the payload bay, is the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory, the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section, or ELM-PS. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on the 16-day STS-123 mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour and its crew will deliver the ELM-PS and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre.

Flying observatory SOFIA, Boeing 747 SP, interior view of the aircraft, SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) is a joint project of the US space agency NASA and the German Aerospace Center DLR, Stuttgart Airport, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, Europe

On Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the canister that surrounded the Mars Odyssey orbiter is moved away. The orbiter is at bottom right. Scheduled to launch 11:02 a.m. EDT April 7, the spacecraft will map the Martian surface in search of geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past, and may contribute significantly toward understanding what will be necessary for a more sophisticated exploration of Mars

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers move NASA's Kepler spacecraft toward the opening above the Delta II rocket. The spacecraft will be lowered into the opening and mated with the Delta II for launch. The liftoff of Kepler is currently scheduled for 10:48 p.m. EST March 5. Kepler is designed to survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy to determine the number of sun-like stars that have Earth-size and larger planets, including those that lie in a star's "habitable zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them and the first to measure how common they are.

STS093-(S)-015 (28 July 1999) --- Following the landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia on July 27, 1999, this medium close-up low-angle view of the three main engines shows what appears to be three small holes in the liquid hydrogen tubes inside the nozzle on main engine No. 3. Engineers will examine the engine to determine if a possible hydrogen leak occurred during the STS-93 launch on July 23.

Boeing technicians discuss mating Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)-2 to Node 1 of the International Space Station (ISS) in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). The node is the first element of the ISS to be manufactured in the United States and is currently scheduled to lift off aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 later this year, along with PMAs 1 and 2. This PMA is a cone-shaped connector to Node 1, which will have two PMAs attached once this mate is completed. Once in space, Node 1 will function as a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the ISS. It has six hatches that will serve as docking ports to the U.S. laboratory module, U.S. habitation module, an airlock and other space station elements

Members of the STS-88 crew examine the Node 1 of the International Space Station in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility. The module is the first element of the International Space Station to be manufactured in the United States and the first scheduled to be launched on the Space Shuttle. The Node 1 is currently scheduled to lift off aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in July 1998, along with Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMAs) 1 and 2. The 18-foot-in-diameter, 22-foot-long aluminum module was manufactured by the Boeing Co. at Marshall Space Flight Center. Once in space, the Node 1 will function as a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the International Space Station. The six hatches on the Node 1 will serve as docking ports to the U.S. laboratory module, U.S. habitation module, an airlock and other space station elements.

Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers attach an overhead crane to the U.S. Lab Destiny. The lab is being moved from its test and integration stand to the Launch Package Integration Stand (LPIS) for a weight and center of gravity determination. Destiny is the payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-98 to the International Space Station. The lab is fitted with five system racks and will already have experiments installed inside for the flight. The launch is scheduled for January 2001

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After successfully completing a leak test inside a vacuum chamber in the Operations and Checkout Building, the U.S. Lab, a component of the International Space Station, is ready to be lifted and removed from the chamber. The 32,000-pound scientific research lab, named Destiny, is the first Space Station element to spend seven days in the renovated vacuum chamber. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Shuttle mission STS-98, the 5A assembly mission, targeted for Jan. 18, 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biot

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The floor of the Space Station Processing Facility is filled with racks and hardware for testing the various components of the International Space Station (ISS). The large module in the center of the floor (top) is the U.S. Lab, Destiny. The U.S. Laboratory module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research. It is scheduled to be launched on mission STS-98 (no date determined yet for launch). At top left are the Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules Raffaello and Leonardo and the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3). Italy's major contributions to the ISS program, Raffaello and Leonardo are reusable logistics carriers to resupply and return Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. They are slated as payloads on mis

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

Flying observatory SOFIA, Boeing 747 SP, interior view of the aircraft, SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) is a joint project of the US space agency NASA and the German Aerospace Center DLR, Stuttgart Airport, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, Europe

Switzerland, Geneva, Part of ATLAS Cavern in CERN. ATLAS Cavern, located 92 m. below ground, hosts the detector, with its muon wheel, 240 tones end-cap magnets and 830 tones barrel toroid magnets. CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is the biggest particle physics laboratory in the world.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) waits for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASAs family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After successfully completing a leak test inside a vacuum chamber in the Operations and Checkout Building, the U.S. Lab, a component of the International Space Station, is lifted out of the chamber. A rotation and handling fixture holds the Lab. The 32,000-pound scientific research lab, named Destiny, is the first Space Station element to spend seven days in the renovated vacuum chamber. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Shuttle mission STS-98, the 5A assembly mission, targeted for Jan. 18, 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, prov

S98-00157 --- A mock-up of TransHab, the large-volume inflatable space vehicle, is seen during 1998 testing at the Johnson Space Centers Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL). SESL houses the giant Chamber A, the door of which has a 40-foot diameter and weight of 40 tons. TransHab, the large-volume inflatable space vehicle, was a proposed design for a habitation element for lengthy space missions. It is not part of NASAs current plans.

After arriving from New Orleans by Super Guppy, Artemis I Orion is moved to the work stand at the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 2, 2016. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to close the doors of space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay that is filled with hardware for the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. At the bottom are the Flight Support System with the Soft Capture mechanism and Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier with the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH. At center is the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and an IMAX 3D camera. At top is the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier with the Wide Field Camera 3. Atlantis' crew will service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time. The flight will include five spacewalks during which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014. L

STS-35 Astronomy Laboratory 1 (ASTRO-1) is installed in Columbia's, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102's, payload bay (PLB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). On the left, in the aft PLB is the Broad Band X Ray Telescope (BBXRT) mounted on the two axis pointing system (TAPS). In the center, the three ultraviolet telescopes - Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE), the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT), and the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) - are mounted on the instrument pointing system (IPS) and are in stowed position. At the far right is the Spacelab Pallet System (SPS) igloo. View provided by KSC with alternate number KSSC-90PC-421.

A760665 U12N MIGHTY EPIC SCATTER ALCOVE PALMER NELSON (PROJECT ENGINEER) APR 29 76 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 4/29/1976 EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; MIGHTY EPIC; NELSON, PALMER; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; SCATTER ALCOVE; TEST SITES; UGT; UNDERGROUND; UNDERGROUND TESTING; MIGHTY EPIC-SCATTER ALCOVE historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is a modular, multi-user facility to accommodate microgravity science experiments on board Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The FCF will be a permanet facility aboard the ISS, and will be capable of accommodating up to ten science investigations per year. It will support the NASA Science and Technology Research Plans for the International Space Station (ISS) which require sustained systematic research of the effects of reduced gravity in the areas of fluid physics and combustion science. From left to right are the Combustion Integrated Rack, the Shared Rack, and the Fluids Integrated Rack. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (

The 2.1-meter telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, Sells, Arizona, USA - Property Release covering editorial use only

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers are disconnecting and dismantling components on shuttle Endeavour. Seen here is the spacecraft's docking port in the payload bay.The work is part of Endeavour's transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavour's STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

NASA's Rover 1 sits atop the deployed lander with its solar arrays and wheels stowed.

Discovery T & R, Oms Pod Rotate for Removal

United States Microgravity Payload-4 (USMP-4) experiments are prepared to be flown on Space Shuttle mission STS-87 in the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Seen in the foreground at right is the Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE), which will be used to study the dendritic solidification of molten materials in the microgravity environment. The metallic breadbox-like structure behind the IDGE is the Confined Helium Experiment (CHeX) that will study one of the basic influences on the behavior and properties of materials by using liquid helium confined between solid surfaces and microgravity. The large white vertical cylinder at left is the Advanced Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (AADSF) and the horizontal tube behind it is MEPHISTO, the French acronym for a cooperative American-French investigation of the fundamentals of crystal growth. Just below the left end of MEPHISTO is the Space Acceleration Measurement System, or SAMS, which m

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers maneuver the second half of the fairing to encapsulate Deep Space 1, targeted for launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket on Oct. 24. 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, including the engine. Propelled by the gas xenon, the engine is being flight-tested for future deep space and Earth-orbiting missions. Deceptively powerful, the ion drive emits only an eerie blue glow as ionized atoms of xenon are pushed out of the engine. While slow to pick up speed, over the long haul it can deliver 10 times as much thrust per pound of fuel as liquid or solid fuel rockets. Other onboard experiments include 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 obj

large hadron collider cms detecter

Switzerland, Geneva,. The ATLAS Cavern, located 92 m. below ground, hosts the detector, with its muon wheel, 240 tonnes end-cap magnets and 830 tonnes barrel toroid magnets. CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is the biggest particle physics laboratory in the world.

Loading the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter into the thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center. Diviner is one of seven instruments aboard NASA's LRO Mission.

View of Solid Rocket Booster

At Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check the fairing now enclosing the Mars Odyssey spacecraft inside. The Mars Odyssey is scheduled for launch aboard a Delta II rocket April 7, 2001, at 11:02 a.m. EST. NASAs latest explorer carries three scientific instruments to map the chemical and mineralogical makeup of Mars: a thermal-emission imaging system, a gamma ray spectrometer and a Martian radiation environment experiment. The imaging system will map the planet with high-resolution thermal images and give scientists an increased level of detail to help them understand how the mineralogy of the planet relates to the land forms. In addition, Odyssey will serve as a communications relay for U.S. and international landers arriving at Mars in 2003/2004

Workers at Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carefully maneuver the Delta rocket fairing as it closes in on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. NASAs latest explorer carries three scientific instruments to map the chemical and mineralogical makeup of Mars: a thermal-emission imaging system, a gamma ray spectrometer and a Martian radiation environment experiment. The imaging system will map the planet with high-resolution thermal images and give scientists an increased level of detail to help them understand how the mineralogy of the planet relates to the land forms. In addition, Odyssey will serve as a communications relay for U.S. and international landers arriving at Mars in 2003/2004. The Mars Odyssey is scheduled for launch aboard a Delta II rocket April 7, 2001, at 11:02 a.m. EST

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the open payload bay doors of Columbia reveal the hardware after the orbiter's return from the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission, STS-109. Columbia returned from the successful mission March 12, 2002

NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite sits ready for the fairing installation at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The satellite is scheduled for launch June 24 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. FUSE is designed to scour the cosmos for the fossil record of the origins of the universe hydrogen and deuterium. Scientists will use FUSE to study hydrogen and deuterium to unlock the secrets of how the primordial chemical elements of which all stars, planets and life evolved, were created and distributed since the birth of the universe

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower of Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers move the canister lid away from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, visible in the foreground. Phoenix is scheduled to launch on the Delta II launch vehicle no earlier than Aug. 3. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. NASA/George Shelton

The Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) was designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and served as the primary scientific instrument unit aboard Skylab (1973-1979). The ATM consisted of eight scientific instruments as well as a number of smaller experiments. This image is of the ATM thermal unit being tested in MSFC's building 4619. The thermal unit consisted of an active fluid-cooling system of water and methanol that was circulated to radiators on the outside of the canister. The thermal unit provided temperature stability to the ultrahigh resolution optical instruments that were part of the ATM.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) place a rolled-up document inside Deep Space 1. The paper was signed by the workers in the PHSF. Deep Space 1 is scheduled to fly on the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket to be launched in October. 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 will also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers wait for the Lockheed Martin Atlas V Centaur stage (above) to be lowered to the first stage for installation. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both v

A89932 U12P DISKO ELM FAC DET INSTALLATION RAY PEABODY (Project Engineer) AUG 25 89 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 8/25/1989 DET INSTALLATION; DISKO ELM; DISKO ELM TEST; EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; EQUIPMENT (SNL); FAC DET INSTALLATION; FAC INSTALLATION; FAST ACTION CLOSURE; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; P-TUNNEL; TEST SITES; TUNNELS; UGT; UNDERGROUND; UNDERGROUND TESTING; WIRE & CABLES; DISKO ELM-FAC DET INSTALLATION historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Suspended under an overhead crane, the U.S. Lab Destiny nears the weigh stand at left. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research

In this photograph, the Pegasus, meteoroid detection satellite is installed in its specially modified Apollo service module atop the S-IV stage (second stage) of a Saturn I vehicle for the SA-9 mission at Cape Kennedy. Personnel in the service structure moved the boilerplate Apollo command module into place to cap the vehicle. The command and service modules, visible here, were jettisoned into orbit to free the Pegasus for wing deployment. The satellite was used to obtain data on frequency and penetration of the potentially hazardous micrometeoroids in low Earth orbits and to relay the information back to Earth. The SA-9 was launched on February 16, 1965.

STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE-1 MEDIA DAY

A payload canister in the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) at Launch Pad 39A holds the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) payload for the STS-85 mission (center), as well as the Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) (top) and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) (bottom) payloads. All three will be transferred from the PCR into the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery after the space vehicle arrives at the pad. The CRISTA is a system of three telescopes and four spectrometers to measure infrared radiation emitted by the Earths middle atmosphere. During the 11-day mission, the CRISTA-SPAS-2 free-flying satellite will be deployed from Discovery and retrieved later in the flight. Also onboard the satellite will be the Middle Atmosphere High Resolution Spectrograph Investigation (MAHRSI) to measure ultraviolet radiation emitted and scattered by the Earths atmosphere.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crane lifts the airlock from the cargo bay of space shuttle Atlantis in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The airlock was the connecting point between the shuttle and International Space Station. It was removed as part of the ongoing work to prepare the shuttles for public display. The shuttle is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In this closeup, the U.S. Lab Destiny is seen installed in the payload bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis before closure of the doors. A key element in the construction of the International Space Station, Destiny is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node on the ISS using the Shuttles robot arm, seen here on the left side, with the help of an elbow camera attached to the arm (near the upper end of the lab in the photo). This research and command-and-control center is the most sophisticated and versatile space laboratory ever built. It will ultimately house a total of 23 experiment racks for crew support and scientific research. Destiny will fly on STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the ISS. Launch of STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2:11 a.m. EST

At Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers stand by as a piece of the Delta rocket fairing is moved into place around the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. NASAs latest explorer carries three scientific instruments to map the chemical and mineralogical makeup of Mars: a thermal-emission imaging system, a gamma ray spectrometer and a Martian radiation environment experiment. The imaging system will map the planet with high-resolution thermal images and give scientists an increased level of detail to help them understand how the mineralogy of the planet relates to the land forms. In addition, Odyssey will serve as a communications relay for U.S. and international landers arriving at Mars in 2003/2004. The Mars Odyssey is scheduled for launch aboard a Delta II rocket April 7, 2001, at 11:02 a.m. EST

JSC2003-E-42548 (For Release 18 June 2003) --- The Remote Manipulator System (RMS) Small Fine Arm is shown in a processing facility. The RMS consists of two robotic arms that support operations on the outside of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Japan's primary contribution to the International Space Station. The Main Arm can handle up to seven tons (14,000 pounds) of hardware and the Small Fine Arm, when attached to the Main Arm, handles more delicate operations. Each arm has six joints that mimic the movements of a human arm.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The second stage of the Delta II rocket arrives at the top of the launch tower on Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be mated with the first stage in preparation for the launch of the Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-A). The MER Mission consists of two identical rovers designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. Identical to each other, the rovers will land at different regions of Mars. Launch date for this first of NASA's two Mars Exploration Rover missions is scheduled June 5.

A89188 U12P DISKO ELM SLIFER INSTALLATION JOHN BROUILLARD (PROJECT ENGINEER) FEB 22 89 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 2/22/1989 DISKO ELM; EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT & INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS & EQUIPMENT; NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; SLIFER INSTALLATION; TEST SITES; TUNNELS; UGT; UNDERGROUND; UNDERGROUND TESTING; WIRE & CABLES; U12P DISKO ELM SLIFER INSTALLA historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building, the U.S. Lab moves overhead toward the open floor after being lifted out of the vacuum chamber where it was tested for leaks. The test was very successful. The 32,000-pound scientific research lab, named Destiny, is the first Space Station element to spend seven days in the renovated vacuum chamber. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Shuttle mission STS-98, the 5A assembly mission, targeted for Jan. 18, 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics

A wide-angle view of the floor of the Space Station Processing Facility. The floor is filled with racks and hardware for processing and testing the various components of the International Space Station (ISS). At center left is the Zenith-1 (Z-1) Truss, the cornerstone truss of the Space Station. The Z-1 Truss was officially turned over to NASA from The Boeing Co. on July 31. It is scheduled to fly in Space Shuttle Discovery's payload pay on STS-92 targeted for launch Oct. 5, 2000. The Z-1 is considered a cornerstone truss because it carries critical components of the Station's attitude, communications, thermal and power control systems as well as four control moment gyros, high and low gain antenna systems, and two plasma contactor units used to disperse electrical charge build-ups. The Z-1 truss and a Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA-3), also flying to the Station on the same mission, will be the first major U.S. elements flown to the ISS aboard the Shuttle since the launch of the Unit

of 3