Spacecraft Technology

Images depicting NASA's spacecraft operations and engineering processes, highlighting advanced technology and spacecraft preparations.

Technicians work on the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion service module in the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) at Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 24, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician on a scissor lift works on the service module for the Orion spacecraft. To the right and left are two of the three fairings that will be installed around the service module.The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its first unpiloted flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, scheduled for launch atop a Delta IV rocket in September 2014. The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket in 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Delta Operations Center near Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the second stage for the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, is lifted high by crane for the move to a test cell.At the Horizontal Integration Facility, all three booster stages will be processed and checked out before being moved to the nearby launch pad and hoisted into position. During the EFT-1 mission, Orion will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, validate existing computer models and innovative new approaches to space systems development, as well as reduce overall mission risks and costs for later Orion flights. Liftoff of Orion on EFT-1 is planned for fall 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the service module for the Orion spacecraft has been placed on a work stand. Preparations are underway to install the first of three fairings around the service module. The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its first unpiloted flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, scheduled for launch atop a Delta IV rocket in September 2014. The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket in 2017.

In the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, technicians and engineers use a crane to move NASA's Parker Solar Probe into position for mating to its third stage, built and tested by Northrup Grumman in Chandler Arizona. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

Technicians work on the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion service module in the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) at Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 24, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello moves across the floor to the Payload Transportation Canister for installation and transfer to Launch Pad 39-B. Raffaello will travel aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight Mission STS-114 to the International Space Station. Raffaello will carry 12 racks of cargo to the Station, including food, clothing, spare parts and research equipment. The Boeing Company, a KSC and NASA prime contractor for ISS element processing, prepared Raffaello for flight. The module was built by the Italian Space Agency for NASA under a cooperative space agreement.

STS-131 PAYLOAD CANISTER ROTATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the descent stage for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission awaits installation on the Curiosity rover, in the background at right. MSL's multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator has been installed onto the aft of the rover for a fit check. The descent stage will cradle the rover and its MMRTG during their approach to the surface of Mars. The MMRTG will generate the power needed for the mission from the natural decay of plutonium-238, a non-weapons-grade form of the radioisotope. Heat given off by this natural decay will provide constant power through the day and night during all seasons. Curiosity, MSL's car-sized rover, has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source. Waste heat from the MMRTG will be circulated throughout th

STS-131 MPLM LEONARDO MOVE FROM WORKSTAND TO WEIGHT & CG THEN MOVE TO CANISTER

Technicians and engineers put finishing touches on the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module and service module stack in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 7, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe stands inside the airlock at Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on Friday, July 13, 2018. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians positioned themselves on a scissor lift that will be raised so that they can assist in the installation of the second of three fairings on the service module for the Orion spacecraft. The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its first unpiloted flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, scheduled for launch atop a Delta IV rocket in September 2014. The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket in 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., the second half of the payload fairing is ready to be lifted to vertical. It will be installed around the GOES-O satellite. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The GOES satellites continuously provide observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. The GOES-O satellite

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Centers Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, Boeing workers hold onto guidelines as the cover is lifted away from the third stage, or upper stage, for the New Horizons spacecraft. The third stage is a Boeing STAR 48 solid-propellant kick motor. The launch vehicle for New Horizons is the Atlas V rocket, scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., during a 35-day window that opens Jan. 11, and fly through the Pluto system as early as summer 2015.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Lockheed Martin-led crew begins pathfinding operations on a full-scale Orion spacecraft mockup. The crew is conducting simulated manufacturing and assembly operations with the mockup to verify the tools, processes and spacecraft integration procedures work as expected.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's International Space Station-RapidScat undergoes testing of its rotating radar antenna in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL in California, the radar scatterometer is the first scientific Earth-observing instrument designed to operate from the exterior of the space station. It will measure Earth's ocean surface wind speed and direction, providing data to be used in weather and marine forecasting. ISS-RapidScat will be delivered to the station on the SpaceX-4 commercial cargo resupply flight targeted for August 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., preparations are under way to enclose NASA's GOES-P meteorological satellite in the Delta IV payload fairing. The fairing is a molded clamshell covering that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamic nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. GOES-P is designed to watch for storm development and observed current weather conditions on Earth. Launch of GOES-P is targeted for March 1 from Launch Complex 37 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A view from above inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shows the service module for the Orion spacecraft secured to a work stand. Technicians are preparing the three fairings for installation around the service module. The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its first unpiloted flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, scheduled for launch atop a Delta IV rocket in September 2014. The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket in 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare the Orion crew module for its move from a processing stand to a dolly. Orion is being prepared for Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orions first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the Space Launch System rocket.

STS-132 PAYLOAD CANISTER ROTATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Lockheed Martin-led crew begins pathfinding operations on a full-scale Orion spacecraft mockup. The crew is conducting simulated manufacturing and assembly operations with the mockup to verify the tools, processes and spacecraft integration procedures work as expected.

Technicians installed a special radiation vault onto the propulsion module of NASA's Juno spacecraft. Each titanium wall measures nearly a square meter (nearly 10 square feet) in area and about 1 centimeter (a third of an inch) in thickness.

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers prepare a Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module for mating to its service module. Cygnus is being prepared to deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials on 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.

NASA engineers install test hardware for the agency's new heavy lift rocket, the Space Launch System, into a newly constructed 50-foot structural test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. In the stand, hydraulic cylinders will be electronically controlled to push, pull, twist and bend the test article with millions of pounds of force. Engineers will record and analyze over 3,000 channels of data for each test case to verify the capabilities of the engine section and validate that the design and analysis models accurately predict the amount of loads the core stage can withstand during launch and ascent. The engine section, recently delivered via NASA's barge Pegasus from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, is the first of four core stage structural test articles scheduled to be delivered to Marshall for testing. The engine section, located at the bottom of SLS's massive core stage, will house the rocket's four RS-25 engines and be an attachment point for the two solid rocket boos

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians on a platform monitor the progress as a crane lowers the service module for the Orion spacecraft onto a static test stand. 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 in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians lift a special fixture inside the high bay of the Operations & Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The fixture is designed to enable precise pre-launch processing of the Orion spacecraft. An Orion capsule is being prepared to make a flight test in 2014 on a mission that will not carry any astronauts. Photo by Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians move the heat shield carrier away from under the heat shield after integration with NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission aeroshell, (containing the compact car-sized rover Curiosity). Earlier, the aeroshell was mated to the cruise stage, which provides solar power, thrusters for navigation, and heat exchangers to the rover during its flight from Earth to Mars. The rover Curiosity has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The European Service Module that will serve as the powerhouse for Orion on Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), is in view on a work stand inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay on March 21, 2019, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For EM-1, Orion will launch atop the Space Launch System rocket from Launch Pad 39B. The spacecraft will travel thousands of miles past the Moon on an approximately three-week test flight. Orion will return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, where it will be retrieved and returned to Kennedy.

Orions service module for NASAs Artemis 1 mission was moved from a test stand to a test cell inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 22, 2019. With microphones, strain gauges and accelerometers attached, the service module will undergo acoustic testing to check for flaws, the latest step in preparing for the agencys first uncrewed flight test of Orion on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Artemis 1 will be the first mission launching Orion on the SLS rocket from Kennedys Launch Pad 39B. The mission will take Orion thousands of miles past the Moon on an approximately three-week test flight. Orion will return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, where it will be retrieved and returned to Kennedy.

STS-132 CREW CEIT IN SSPF & SPACEHAB

KSC Orion Media Day. The European Service Module for NASAs Artemis II mission is shown inside Kennedy Space Centers Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Aug. 8, 2023. Artemis II is the first crewed mission on NASAs path to establishing a long-term lunar presence for science and exploration under Artemis. Crew members are: Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist; and Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist.

On April 29, Orions Service Module, shown here on May 3, 2019, moved to the lift station inside the assembly bay for installation and fastening of systems in preparation for Direct Field Acoustics Test (DFAT). The Service Module will move down to the east end of the bay next week where it will be surrounded with speakers and exposed to the acoustic level that will be experienced in space.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is lowered onto a test stand during preparations for propulsion system testing and leak checks.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Orion crew module, stacked atop its service module, is positioned in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A ceremony will begin to officially turn over the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Flight Test-1 to Lockheed Martin Ground Operations from Orion Assembly, Integration and Production.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 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in December 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 saf

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, work is underway Aug. 21, 2019, to integrate segments of the launch abort system for the agencys uncrewed flight test, Artemis I. During crewed launches of the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System rocket, the LAS will protect the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety if an emergency occurs during launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the S6 truss segment is on display for the media. The S6 truss segment, with its set of large U.S. solar arrays, will be attached to the starboard, or right, side of the station during space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission. The S6 truss will complete the backbone of the station. The two solar wings will provide one-fourth of the total power needed to support a crew of six astronauts. The segment is expected to be loaded into the payload transportation canister Jan. 7, in preparation for its targeted journey to the launch pad Jan. 11.

The Orion crew module for Artemis 1 is lifted by crane on July 16, 2019, in the high bay inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew module is being moved to the final assembly and test cell and work will begin to secure it atop the service module. The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its uncrewed test flight atop NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Artemis 1 is the first test flight of the SLS and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system. Orion will travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon during a mission that will test its systems in space. The spacecraft will return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean where it will be retrieved and transported back to Kennedy.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians prepare to fit a special fixture around an Orion capsule inside the high bay of the Operations & Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The fixture is designed to enable precise pre-launch processing of the Orion spacecraft. An Orion capsule is being prepared to make a flight test in 2014 on a mission that will not carry any astronauts. Photo by Tim Jacobs

Technicians and engineers put finishing touches on the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module and service module stack in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 7, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

STS-132 CARGO CARRIER TO CANISTER

The James Webb Space Telescope was lifted out of its assembly stand for the last time at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. In this photo, the telescope was hanging upside down as the lift crew were about to install it in the rollover fixture where it will be situated before moving on to its upcoming center of curvature test.

Technicians move the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion crew module pressure vessel in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on March 20, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Hubble Space Telescope is lifted into the vertical position in the Vertical Processing Facility as work begins to process the 94-inch primary mirror telescope for launch on the Discovery on STS-31 in March 1990. With Hubble, astronomers will be able to view 97 percent of the known universe, and will be able to get pictures unlimited and undistorted by the Earths atmosphere. Compared with Earth-based observatories, Hubble will be able to view celestial objects that are 50 times fainter, provide images that are 10 times sharper, and see objects that are seven times further away.

Technicians at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany prepare the European Service Module for shipment to Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 1, 2018. The service module will depart Germany on November 5, 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 the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., NASA's GOES-P meteorological satellite is enclosed in the Delta IV payload fairing and ready to be placed on a transporter for its move to the pad. The fairing is a molded clamshell covering that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamic nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. GOES-P is designed to watch for storm development and observed current weather conditions on Earth. Launch of GOES-P is targeted for March 1 from Launch Complex 37 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility check out components of over the Mobile Base System (MBS), part of the payload on mission STS-111 to the International Space Station. The MBS will be installed on the Mobile Transporter to complete the Canadian Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The mechanical arm will then have the capability to "inchworm" from the U.S. Lab Destiny to the MSS and travel along the truss to work sites. STS-111 is the second utilization flight (UF-2) to the Space Station and will also carry the Expedition 5 crew to replace Expedition 4. Launch is scheduled for May 2, 2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers maneuver the position of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, after its rotation. The SDO will be moved to a work stand. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. In preparation for its anticipated November launch, engineers will perform a battery of comprehensive tests to ensure SDO can withstand the stresses and vibrations of the launch itself, as well as what it will encounter in the space environment after launch.

Interior View of CRF

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 crew module has been moved onto the base of a birdcage tool. The birdcage will be used to continue installation of external components in preparation for Orions first uncrewed test flight in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

Installation of the spacecraft adapter (SA) cone to the Artemis I Orion spacecraft shown in progress inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Aug. 10, 2020. This is one of the final major hardware operations the spacecraft will undergo during closeout processing prior to being integrated with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in preparation for the first Artemis mission. The spacecraft adapter cone connects the bottom portion of Orions service module to the top part of the rocket known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Orion will fly on the agencys Artemis I mission - the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers prepare to attach the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack onto the Rack Insertion Device. HRF-2 will be installed into the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello (at left) for flight 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 M

Inside the airlock in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay on Nov. 6, 2018, the European Space Agency's European Service Module (ESM) is uncrated and ready for its move to the high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ESM will supply the main propulsion system and power to the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), a mission to the Moon. The ESM also will house air and water for astronauts on future missions. EM-1 will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration to destinations beyond Earth orbit. EM-1 will be the first integrated test of NASA's Space Launch System, Orion and the ground systems at Kennedy.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Astrotech payload processing facility near Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a lifting device raises the Atlas payload fairing enclosing the Juno spacecraft from the clean-room floor during operations to lift the spacecraft onto a transporter for its trip to Space Launch Complex 41.The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent and will be jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere. 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 NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is lowered toward an orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod that awaits installation on space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1.The OMS pod was returned from White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where it underwent a complete deservicing and cleaning. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of space shuttle Discovery. The shuttle will go to the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., in April 2012.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is lifted for its move to a payload bay canister on the floor. The canister will then be moved to the Orbiter Processing Facility and placed in the bay of the orbiter Endeavour. The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation, or change. The SRTM hardware will consist of one radar antenna in the shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) out from the shuttle. STS-99 is scheduled to launch Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. from Launch Pad 39A

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians inside the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Florida, move the STEREO spacecraft to the spin table. The twin observatories will undergo a spin test to check balance and alignment in preparation for flight. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. The STEREO 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. STEREO is expected to lift off on Aug. 31, from Launch Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the suspended Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello glides above the floor to a work stand at left. The module will be emptied of its contents, returned from the International Space Station on mission STS-114. During the Return to Flight mission STS-114, the crews of Discovery and Expedition 11 transferred more than a ton of material from the ISS to be returned to Earth.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module is tilted to the horizontal position to prepare for final stowage of powered cargo. 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.

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, work is underway Aug. 21, 2019, to integrate segments of the launch abort system for the agencys uncrewed flight test, Artemis I. During crewed launches of the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System rocket, the LAS will protect the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety if an emergency occurs during launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., workers remove the transportation cover from NASA's newly arrived GOES-P meteorological satellite.GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. GOES-P is designed to watch for storm development and observed current weather conditions on Earth. Launch of GOES-P is targeted for no earlier than Feb. 25, 2010, from Launch Complex 37 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the P3_P4 Truss is rotated to the upper deck position in preparation for installation of the upper deck solar array wing. The truss is scheduled to launch on mission 12A, STS-115, to the International Space Station. The wing was removed to replace aging flight batteries. New batteries are being installed to ensure that the batteries do not exceed their lifetime expectancy prior to their planned logistics resupply on-orbit. The new batteries have a lifetime expectancy of approximately 7 years.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians lower a special fixture around an Orion spacecraft inside the high bay of the Operations & Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The fixture is designed to enable precise pre-launch processing of the Orion spacecraft. An Orion capsule is being prepared to make a flight test in 2014 on a mission that will not carry any astronauts. Photo by Tim Jacobs

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agencys Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is being prepared for encapsulation in the United Launch Alliance Atlas V payload fairing on June 18, 2020. The Mars Perseverance rover is scheduled to launch on July 20, 2020, atop the Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rovers seven instruments will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

Orion technicians at the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Facility at the Kennedy Space Center move the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module from the clean room into the birdcage fixture on Dec. 5, 2012. The fixture is designed to enable precise pre-launch processing of the Orion spacecraft.

Artemis II SM Move to Fast Cell. A crane moves the European Service Module (ESM) for NASAs Artemis II mission along the center aisle of the high bay inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 22, 2023. Teams from NASA and Lockheed Martin are preparing the service module for transfer to the FAST (final assembly and system testing) cell for final checkouts before it is stacked with the Orion crew module.. The powerhouse that will fuel and propel Orion in space, the ESM will be used for Artemis II, the first Artemis mission flying crew aboard Orion.

NASAs Psyche spacecraft undergoes processing and servicing ahead of launch atop a work stand inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 3, 2022. Psyche is targeting to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Aug. 1, 2022. The spacecraft will use solar-electric propulsion to travel approximately 1.5 billion miles to rendezvous with its namesake asteroid in 2026. The Psyche mission is led by Arizona State University. NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, is responsible for the missions overall management, system engineering, integration and testing, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. NASAs Launch Services Program (LSP), based at Kennedy, is managing the launch. Psyche will be the 14th mission in the agency's Discovery program and LSPs 100th primary mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello is lowered into the Payload Transportation Canister for installation and transfer to Launch Pad 39-B. Raffaello will travel aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight Mission STS-114 to the International Space Station. Raffaello will carry 12 racks of cargo to the Station, including food, clothing, spare parts and research equipment. The Boeing Company, a KSC and NASA prime contractor for ISS element processing, prepared Raffaello for flight. The module was built by the Italian Space Agency for NASA under a cooperative space agreement.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers watch as the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello is lowered toward a work stand in the Space Station Processing Facility. Raffaello is the second MPLM built by the Italian Space Agency, serving as a reusable logistics carrier and primary delivery system to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. It has been moved across the floor to allow the third MPLM, Donatello, to be brought in for routine testing. Donatello has been stored in the Operations and Checkout Building. This is the first time all three MPLMs are in the SSPF; the other one is the Leonardo. Raffaello is scheduled to fly on Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-114.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a processing hangar at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a cargo bag is lowered into the hands of a Space Exploration Technologies technician who will load it into the Dragon 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.

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians begin to move the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) to a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2, satellite sits atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket prior to encapsulation in its payload fairing at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Launch is scheduled for 2:56 a.m. PDT 5:56 a.m. EDT on July 1.OCO-2 is NASAs first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. The observatory will measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Launch Abort System (LAS) that will be used for the Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test is in view in the foreground on March 13, 2019. In the background, workers are attaching a crane to a test version of the Orion crew module. AA-2 is a full-stress test of the LAS, scheduled for spring 2019. AA-2 will launch from Space Launch Complex 46, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. NASA's Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs and contractors from Jacob's and Northrop Grumman in conjunction with the Air Force Space and

Pictured inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 6, 2020, are the three Spacecraft Adapter Jettison fairing panels that will protect Orion's service module from the environment around it, whether it's heat, wind or acoustics during the ascent. Unlike conventional rocket fairings, Orion's are designed to support half of the weight of the crew module and launch abort system during launch and ascent, which will maximize the size and capability of the spacecraft that can be delivered to orbit. Orion will fly on the agencys Artemis I mission - the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane moves the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, or MPLM, toward a payload canister.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on space shuttle Atlantis July 8, taking with them the MPLM packed with supplies, logistics 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 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Kibo Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, is ready to be moved to a workstand. The ELM-ES is one of the final components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory for the International Space Station. It can provide payload storage space and can carry up to three payloads at launch. The ELM-ES will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch Aug. 6.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), workers observe the canister being lifted from the Swift spacecraft, which is enclosed in a protective cover. Swift is a first-of-its-kind, multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science. Its three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma-ray, X-ray and optical wavebands. Swift is part of NASAs medium explorer (MIDEX) program being developed by an international collaboration. It will be launched no earlier than Oct. 7 into a low-Earth orbit on a Boeing Delta 7320 rocket from pad 17-A at CCAFS. During its nominal 2-year mission, Swift is expected to observe more than 200 bursts, which will represent the most comprehensive study of GRB afterglow to date.

In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers attach an overhead crane to lift the P6 integrated truss segment from a workstand and move it to the payload transport canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39B. There it will be placed in Endeavours payload bay for launch on mission STS-97. The P6 comprises Solar Array Wing-3 and the Integrated Electronic Assembly, to be installed on the International Space Station. The Stations electrical power system will use eight photovoltaic solar arrays, each 112 feet long by 39 feet wide, to convert sunlight to electricity. The solar arrays are mounted on a “blanket” that can be folded like an accordion for delivery. Once in orbit, astronauts will deploy the blankets to their full size. Gimbals will be used to rotate the arrays so that they will face the Sun to provide maximum power to the Space Station. Launch is scheduled for Nov. 30 at 10:06 p.m. EST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Express Logistics Carrier-1, or ELC-1, is positioned over a transportation canister in which it will be secured for its trip to Launch Pad 39A. Once at the pad, it will be installed in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay.The carrier is part of the payload for Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. The STS-129 crew will deliver 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. Launch is targeted for Nov. 16.

JPSS-2 Boat Tail Transport and Mate. Inside the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, technicians secure the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V boattail onto the rockets Centaur upper stage on Oct. 4, 2022, for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) and NASAs Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission. The boattail is the connecting piece of flight hardware that joins that Atlas V upper stage with the payload fairing - the protective casing surrounding the JPSS-2 satellite. Once the payload fairing arrives at the VIF, teams will lower it onto the boattail to complete the Atlas V stack. JPSS-2 is the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series and will scan the Earth as it orbits from the North to the South Pole, crossing the equator 14 times a day. Operating from 512 miles above Earth, JPSS-2 will capture data to improve weather forecasts, in turn helping scientists predict and prepare for extreme

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane has lifted the Orion crew module out of a special test stand and is lowering the module onto another test stand. Lockheed Martin Space Systems and NASA engineers performed a series of static load tests on Orion that simulated the massive loads the spacecraft would experience during its mission.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orions first unpiloted test flight, Exploration Flight Test 1, is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

In the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on Thursday, July 19, 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe is being encapsulated in its payload fairing. The spacecraft is mated to its third stage, built and tested by Northrup Grumman in Chandler, Arizona. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians using an overhead crane, move the aeroshell, a component of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), back to a work stand after a spin and balance test. The aeroshell consists of the backshell which carries the parachute and several components used during later stages of entry, descent and landing, and the spacecraft's heat shield.MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Statio

Engineers and technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida move the Orbital ATK OA-7 Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module (PCM) to a test stand inside the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the Orbital ATK OA-7 mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials that improve life on Earth and drive progress toward future space exploration.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane moves the U.S. Node 2 module, known as Harmony, to the payload canister waiting at right. The canister will deliver Harmony to Launch Pad 39A for installation into space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The Italian-built module is about 21 feet long and 14 feet in diameter. The pressurized module will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. In addition to increasing the living and working space inside the station, it also will serve as a work platform outside for the station's robotic arm. Harmony will be installed on the station during mission STS-120, targeted to launch Oct. 23.

Lockheed Martin engineers assemble Orion's Artemis I crew module at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Operations and Checkout Building on April 27, 2018.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG) for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission rests on its support base in the airlock of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the MMRTG fit check on the Curiosity rover in the high bay. In the background, at right, is the mesh container, known as the "gorilla cage," which protects the MMRTG during transport and allows any excess heat generated to dissipate into the air.The MMRTG will generate the power needed for the mission from the natural decay of plutonium-238, a non-weapons-grade form of the radioisotope. Heat given off by this natural decay will provide constant power through the day and night during all seasons. MSL's components include a car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source. Wast

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At the Astrotech processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers guide NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, into position for mating with its Payload Attach Fitting.The satellite will survey the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, creating a cosmic clearinghouse of hundreds of millions of objects which will be catalogued and provide a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. Launch is scheduled for Dec. 7.

In the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a crane moves the Orbital ATK CYGNUS pressurized cargo module closer to the KAMAG transporter. The module will be secured on the transporter and moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. 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 on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, workers monitor progress as a huge crane is used to remove the top of the crate carrying the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section for the Japanese Experiment Module. The logistics module is one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM, also known as Kibo, which means "hope" in Japanese. Kibo comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and its primary contribution to the station. Kibo will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment in which astronauts can conduct science experiments. The various components of JEM wi

A test version of the Orion crew module is integrated with the Launch Abort System (LAS) in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 13, 2019. Workers will use a crane to practice lifting the test vehicle. The LAS, in view, will be used for the Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test. AA-2 is a full-stress test of the LAS, scheduled for spring 2019. AA-2 will launch from Space Launch Complex 46, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. NASA's Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs and contractors from Jacob's and Northrop Grumman in conjunction with the Air Force S

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A crane is used to lift and move the launch abort system for installation on the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Flight Test-1 inside the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The completed crew and service modules will be tested and verified together with the launch abort system. Orion will remain inside the LASF until mid-November, when the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket is ready for integration with the spacecraft. 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 in December atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surfac

The Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module is moved and mated with the service module at the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on June 9, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, operations are under way to place the International Space Station's Node 3, named Tranquility, into a payload transportation canister for its move to Launch Pad 39A. Here, workers monitor Tranquility as it travels down the transfer aisle toward the waiting canister.The primary payload for the space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, Tranquility is a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the space station's life support systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. The cupola resembles a circular bay window and will provide a vastly improved view of the station's exterior. The multi-directional view will allow the crew to monitor spacewalks and docking operations, as well as provide a spectacular view of Earth and other celestial objects. The module was built in Turin, Italy, by Thales

The Orion Lockheed Martin team continues fabricating and assembling composite structures for the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion service module and launch abort system at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Feb. 5, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers monitor the progress as a crane lifts the Orion crew module from its processing stand for transfer to a dolly. Orion is being prepared for Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orions first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the Space Launch System rocket.

MPLM Hoist. The Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), used during the Space Shuttle Program to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station, is moved by crane inside the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 20, 2023. The MPLM is being prepared for transport to Ellington Field in Houston, where it will then be transported by road to Axioms facility near Ellington to be utilized to further commercialization of space. Three MPLMs were built by Thales Alenia Space Italia (TASI) for the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and named after Italian masters (Leonardo, Raffaello, and Donatello). Only two ever flew to the space station, Leonardo and Raffaello, with Axiom intending to use Raffaello as a future element that will attach to a segment being built by the company for addition to the space station.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. -- Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft has been encapsulated in its payload fairing. It is about to be mounted on a transporter for its trip to Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The TDRS-L satellite will be a part of the second of three next-generation spacecraft designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on January 23, 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Hangar A&E, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the upper canister is mated to the middle panels around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). The spacecraft will be transported to Launch Complex 17-B for mating with its launch vehicle, the Delta II rocket. SIRTF consists of three cryogenically cooled science instruments and an 0.85-meter telescope, and is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello is lowered toward its work stand. The module is being moved to allow the processing team access in order to address concerns with mechanical fasteners inside the module that do not incorporate an adequate secondary locking feature. The assessment and additional work is being conducted to ensure that the fasteners do not disengage during ascent. Raffaello is scheduled to launch on Discovery's Return to Flight mission STS-114.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Express Logistics Carrier-3 is moved from its primary work stand to a payload canister. The canister will protect the space-bound payload on its journey to Launch Pad 39A, where it will later be installed into space shuttle Endeavours payload bay. ELC-3 is packed with a variety of spare parts for the International Space Station, including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields. ELC-3 will fly to the station aboard Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

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