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Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) prepare the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them for electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0713

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-...

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) prepare the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them for electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS... More

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predominantly displayed on the fairing that will encapsulate the satellite for launch. The fairing is in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) where TDRS is undergoing testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0714

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predomi...

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predominantly displayed on the fairing that will encapsulate the satellite for launch. The fairing is in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulatio... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at right sits while one-half of the fairing (left) is moved closer to it. After encapsulation in the fairing, TDRS will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0749

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking an...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at right sits while one-half of the fairing (left) is moved closer to it. After encapsulation in the fairing... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media are briefed on the agency's Space Launch System SLS Program Todd May, program manager for Space Launch Systems SLS at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The briefing took place in the spaceport's Booster Fabrication Facility BFF. During the Space Shuttle Program, the facility was used for processing forward segments and aft skirts for the solid rocket boosters. The BFF will serve a similar role for the SLS. 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 flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-4616

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, memb...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media are briefed on the agency's Space Launch System SLS Program Todd May, program manager for Space Launch Systems SLS at ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a full-size mock-up of the Orion spacecraft and launch abort system were transported to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. In the background are full-size replicas of the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters that mark the entranceway to the new Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. Crane operators and technicians practice de-stacking operations on mock-ups of Orion and the launch abort system in the Vehicle Assembly Building in order to keep processing procedures and skills current. 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. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2013-2903

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a fu...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a full-size mock-up of the Orion spacecraft and launch abort system were transported to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. In the backgro... More

The crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is pulled inside the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) after its arrival at KSC. The TDRS will undergo testing in the SAEF-2. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket KSC-00pp0711

The crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is pulled inside...

The crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is pulled inside the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) after its arrival at KSC. The TDRS will undergo testing in the SAEF-2. One of t... More

LAS VEGAS -- The Boeing Company tests the forward heat shield FHS jettison system of its CST-100 spacecraft at the Bigelow Aerospace facility in Las Vegas as part of an agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities. The FHS will protect the spacecraft's parachutes, rendezvous-and-docking sensor packages, and docking mechanism during ascent and re-entry. During a mission to low Earth orbit, the shield will be jettisoned after re-entry heating, allowing the spacecraft's air bags to deploy for a safe landing. In 2011, NASA selected Boeing for CCDev2 to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also were selected to mature launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corp. SNC, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Boeing The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is developing the necessary ground systems, infrastructure and operational approaches required to safely process, assemble, transport and launch the next generation of rockets and spacecraft in support of NASA’s exploration objectives. Future work also will replace the antiquated communications, power and vehicle access resources with modern efficient systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB opened in 1965. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: Boeing KSC-2012-4386

LAS VEGAS -- The Boeing Company tests the forward heat shield FHS jett...

LAS VEGAS -- The Boeing Company tests the forward heat shield FHS jettison system of its CST-100 spacecraft at the Bigelow Aerospace facility in Las Vegas as part of an agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Pro... More

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) conduct electrical testing on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0715

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-...

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) conduct electrical testing on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS ... More

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is placed onto a transporter for its move to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for testing. The TDRS is one of three (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif. The latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket KSC-00pp0708

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Sa...

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is placed onto a transporter for its move to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for testing. The T... More

The Thorad-Agena launch vehicle with the SERT-2 (Space Electric Rocket Test-2) spacecraft on launch pad at the Western Test Range in California. The SERT-2 was launched on February 4, 1970 and tested the capability of an electric ion thruster system. n/a

The Thorad-Agena launch vehicle with the SERT-2 (Space Electric Rocket...

The Thorad-Agena launch vehicle with the SERT-2 (Space Electric Rocket Test-2) spacecraft on launch pad at the Western Test Range in California. The SERT-2 was launched on February 4, 1970 and tested the capabi... More

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, center, talks to Milt Heflin on the USS Anchorage on the first day of Orion Underway Recovery Test 3. Heflin was a former space shuttle flight director and Mission Operations executive with experience as a recovery engineer for several Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project missions. At left is Brandi Dean, NASA Public Affairs Office. The ship will head out to sea, off the coast of San Diego, in search of conditions to support test needs for a full dress rehearsal of recovery operations. NASA, Lockheed Martin and U.S. Navy personnel will conduct tests in the Pacific Ocean to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module on its return from a deep space mission. The test will allow the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is conducting the underway recovery tests. 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 Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2014-3946

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, center, talks t...

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, center, talks to Milt Heflin on the USS Anchorage on the first day of Orion Underway Recovery Test 3. Heflin was a former space shuttle flight director and... More

Artist: Rick Guidice SIRTF Artwork update - cutaway Space Infrared Telescope Facility's will orbit at 900 kilometers aboard a platform-type spacecraft, providing power, pointing, and communications to Earth. The telescope and its infrared instruments, will reside within a cylindrical cryogen tank. The hollow walls of the tank will contain the superfluid helium that cools the telescope to its operating temperature, a few degrees above absolute zero. SIRTF will carry three versatile instruments to analyze the radiation it collects, the Multiband Imaging Photometer, the Infrared Array Camera, and the Infrared Spectrograph. SIRTF long lifetime - 5 years or more - will permit astronomers of all disciplines to use the facililty to carry out a wide variety of astrophysical programs. It will provide ongoing coverage of variable objects, such as quasars, as well as the capability to study rare and transient events such as comets and supernovae. SIRTF's long lifetime will also allow it to distinguish nearby objects by detecting their gradual motions relative to the more distant background stars. ARC-1988-AC88-0595

Artist: Rick Guidice SIRTF Artwork update - cutaway Space Infrared Te...

Artist: Rick Guidice SIRTF Artwork update - cutaway Space Infrared Telescope Facility's will orbit at 900 kilometers aboard a platform-type spacecraft, providing power, pointing, and communications to Earth. ... More

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. On top, from left, are NASA Crew Survival Engineering Team Lead Dustin Gohmert, NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli and Lee Archambault, and SpaceX Mission Operations Engineer Laura Crabtree. On bottom, from left, are SpaceX Thermal Engineer Brenda Hernandez and NASA astronauts Rex Walheim and Tim Kopra. In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2012-1824

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out th...

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agen... More

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronaut Rex Walheim checks out the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2012-1826

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronaut Rex Walheim checks out the Dragon ...

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronaut Rex Walheim checks out the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. In 201... More

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts are monitored while they check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2012-1825

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts are monitore...

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts are monitored while they check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawtho... More

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket begins erection in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the NASA/Lockheed Martin GOES-L satellite, part of the NOAA National Weather Service system in weather imagery and atmospheric sounding information. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing KSC-00pp0414

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Ce...

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket begins erection in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous t... More

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket begins erection in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the NASA/Lockheed Martin GOES-L satellite, part of the NOAA National Weather Service system in weather imagery and atmospheric sounding information. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing KSC00pp0414

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Ce...

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket begins erection in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous t... More

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is slowly raised in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the NASA/Lockheed Martin GOES-L satellite, part of the NOAA National Weather Service system in weather imagery and atmospheric sounding information. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing KSC00pp0415

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Ce...

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is slowly raised in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous ... More

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is slowly raised in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the NASA/Lockheed Martin GOES-L satellite, part of the NOAA National Weather Service system in weather imagery and atmospheric sounding information. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing KSC-00pp0415

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Ce...

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is slowly raised in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous ... More

The night sky is briefly turned bright as day with the launch of the Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC-00pp0623

The night sky is briefly turned bright as day with the launch of the A...

The night sky is briefly turned bright as day with the launch of the Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary objective of the GOES... More

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L casts a luminescent glow as it starts to clear the tower at Pad A, Complex 36, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC-00pp0620

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite G...

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L casts a luminescent glow as it starts to clear the tower at Pad A, Complex 36, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3... More

Seconds after liftoff, the Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L hurtles into space from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC-00pp0622

Seconds after liftoff, the Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/N...

Seconds after liftoff, the Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L hurtles into space from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. ... More

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L lifts off at 3:07 a.m. EDT from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC00pp0619

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite G...

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L lifts off at 3:07 a.m. EDT from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to pro... More

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L launches toward space from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC-00pp0618

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite G...

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L launches toward space from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary obj... More

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L launches toward space from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC00pp0618

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite G...

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L launches toward space from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary obj... More

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L lifts off at 3:07 a.m. EDT from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC00pp0621

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite G...

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L lifts off at 3:07 a.m. EDT from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to pro... More

Seconds after liftoff, the Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L hurtles into space from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC00pp0622

Seconds after liftoff, the Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/N...

Seconds after liftoff, the Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L hurtles into space from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. ... More

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L lifts off at 3:07 a.m. EDT from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC-00pp0621

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite G...

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L lifts off at 3:07 a.m. EDT from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to pro... More

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L lifts off at 3:07 a.m. EDT from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC-00pp0619

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite G...

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L lifts off at 3:07 a.m. EDT from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to pro... More

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L casts a luminescent glow as it starts to clear the tower at Pad A, Complex 36, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3:07 a.m. EDT. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, in order to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing. Once in orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-11 and will complete its 90-day checkout in time for availability during the 2000 hurricane season KSC00pp0620

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite G...

The Atlas II/Centaur rocket carrying the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-L casts a luminescent glow as it starts to clear the tower at Pad A, Complex 36, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 3... More

After its arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is transported past the Vehicle Assembly Building (in the background) to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for testing. The TDRS is one of three (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif. The latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket KSC00pp0709

After its arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking...

After its arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is transported past the Vehicle Assembly Building (in the background) to the Spacecraft Assembly and Enca... More

At the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2), a crane lowers the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) onto the ground. It was transported to SAEF-2 on the truckbed at right. The TDRS will undergo testing in SAEF-2. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket KSC-00pp0710

At the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2), a cran...

At the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2), a crane lowers the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) onto the ground. It was transported to SAEF-2 on the truckbed at right. The T... More

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is offloaded from an air cargo plane. It will be taken to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for testing. The TDRS is one of three (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif. The latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket KSC-00pp0707

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Sa...

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is offloaded from an air cargo plane. It will be taken to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for t... More

The crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is pulled inside the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) after its arrival at KSC. The TDRS will undergo testing in the SAEF-2. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket KSC00pp0711

The crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is pulled inside...

The crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is pulled inside the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) after its arrival at KSC. The TDRS will undergo testing in the SAEF-2. One of t... More

After its arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is transported past the Vehicle Assembly Building (in the background) to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for testing. The TDRS is one of three (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif. The latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket KSC-00pp0709

After its arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking...

After its arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is transported past the Vehicle Assembly Building (in the background) to the Spacecraft Assembly and Enca... More

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is offloaded from an air cargo plane. It will be taken to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for testing. The TDRS is one of three (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif. The latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket KSC-00pp0706

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Sa...

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is offloaded from an air cargo plane. It will be taken to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for t... More

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits on a workstand in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) in order to undergo electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0712

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits on a workstand in ...

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits on a workstand in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) in order to undergo electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched f... More

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) prepare the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them for electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0713

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-...

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) prepare the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them for electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS... More

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predominantly displayed on the fairing that will encapsulate the satellite for launch. The fairing is in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) where TDRS is undergoing testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0714

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predomi...

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predominantly displayed on the fairing that will encapsulate the satellite for launch. The fairing is in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulatio... More

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits on a workstand in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) in order to undergo electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0712

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits on a workstand in ...

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits on a workstand in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) in order to undergo electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched f... More

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) conduct electrical testing on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0715

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-...

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) conduct electrical testing on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS ... More

Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility help guide the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H), suspended by overhead cranes, to a payload adapter for encapsulation. At right is part of the fairing used for encapsulation. TDRS is scheduled to be launched June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0747

Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility help gui...

Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility help guide the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H), suspended by overhead cranes, to a payload adapter for encapsulation. At right is part of... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, overhead cranes lower the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) onto a payload adapter. Next step is the encapsulation of the satellite in the fairing behind it (right and left). TDRS is scheduled to be launched June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0748

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, overhead cranes...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, overhead cranes lower the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) onto a payload adapter. Next step is the encapsulation of the satellite in the fairing... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, a worker (left center) checks out the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) after its move to the payload adapter (below). Next step is the encapsulation of the TDRS in the fairing. TDRS is scheduled to be launched June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0746

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, a worker (left ...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, a worker (left center) checks out the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) after its move to the payload adapter (below). Next step is the encapsulat... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at left is ready for encapsulation. Workers in an extended platform are moved closer to the fairing at right of the satellite. After encapsulation in the fairing, TDRS will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0751

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking an...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at left is ready for encapsulation. Workers in an extended platform are moved closer to the fairing at right... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at right sits while one-half of the fairing (left) is moved closer to it. After encapsulation in the fairing, TDRS will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0749

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking an...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at right sits while one-half of the fairing (left) is moved closer to it. After encapsulation in the fairing... More

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits fully encapsulated inside the fairing. Next, it will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0755

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits fully encapsulated...

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits fully encapsulated inside the fairing. Next, it will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an... More

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits fully encapsulated inside the fairing. Next, it will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0755

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits fully encapsulated...

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits fully encapsulated inside the fairing. Next, it will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at left is ready for encapsulation. Workers in an extended platform are moved closer to the fairing at right of the satellite. After encapsulation in the fairing, TDRS will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0751

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking an...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at left is ready for encapsulation. Workers in an extended platform are moved closer to the fairing at right... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at left is ready for encapsulation. Workers in an extendable platform wait for the fairing (right) to move into place. After encapsulation in the fairing, TDRS will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0750

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking an...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at left is ready for encapsulation. Workers in an extendable platform wait for the fairing (right) to move i... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at left is ready for encapsulation. Workers in an extendable platform wait for the fairing (right) to move into place. After encapsulation in the fairing, TDRS will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0750

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking an...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at left is ready for encapsulation. Workers in an extendable platform wait for the fairing (right) to move i... More

NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) rises into the blue sky from Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 8:56 a.m. EDT aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built by the Hughes Space and Communications Company, the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0824

NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) rises into the blue ...

NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) rises into the blue sky from Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 8:56 a.m. EDT aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satel... More

NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) rises into the blue sky from Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 8:56 a.m. EDT aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built by the Hughes Space and Communications Company, the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0824

NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) rises into the blue ...

NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) rises into the blue sky from Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 8:56 a.m. EDT aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satel... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Rotating Service Structure at Launch Pad 39A rolls back, revealing the Space Shuttle Discovery on the Mobile Launcher Platform. Discovery is being readied for the STS-92 mission launch to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission payload includes Integrated Truss Structure Z-1, an early exterior framework to allow the first U.S. solar arrays on a future flight to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power; Ku-band communication to support early science capability and U.S. television; and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter to provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. The 11-day mission will include four spacewalks. Liftoff is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 9:16 p.m. EDT KSC-00pp1492

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Rotating Service Structure at Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Rotating Service Structure at Launch Pad 39A rolls back, revealing the Space Shuttle Discovery on the Mobile Launcher Platform. Discovery is being readied for the STS-92 missi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Rotating Service Structure at Launch Pad 39A rolls back, revealing the Space Shuttle Discovery on the Mobile Launcher Platform. Discovery is being readied for the STS-92 mission launch to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission payload includes Integrated Truss Structure Z-1, an early exterior framework to allow the first U.S. solar arrays on a future flight to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power; Ku-band communication to support early science capability and U.S. television; and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter to provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. The 11-day mission will include four spacewalks. Liftoff is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 9:16 p.m. EDT KSC00pp1492

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Rotating Service Structure at Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Rotating Service Structure at Launch Pad 39A rolls back, revealing the Space Shuttle Discovery on the Mobile Launcher Platform. Discovery is being readied for the STS-92 missi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the Rotating Service Structure (left) rolled back from Space Shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A, the xenon lights are turned on. Endeavour rests on the Mobile Launcher Platform that straddles the flame trench below. The trench is 490 feet long, 58 feet wide and 40 feet high. Above the orange external tank behind Endeavour is the "beanie cap," or vent hood assembly at the end of the gaseous oxygen vent arm. STS-111 is the second Utilization Flight to the International Space Station, carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the Mobile Base System (MBS), and a replacement wrist/roll joint for the Canadarm 2. Also onboard Space Shuttle Endeavour is the Expedition 5 crew who will replace Expedition 4 on board the 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. Expedition 4 crew members will return to Earth with the STS-111 crew on Endeavour. Launch is scheduled at 7:44 p.m. EDT, May 30, 2002 KSC-02pd0816

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the Rotating Service Structure (le...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the Rotating Service Structure (left) rolled back from Space Shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A, the xenon lights are turned on. Endeavour rests on the Mobile Launcher Platf... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower rolls back revealing the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket, model 7925-H with heavy lift capability. MESSENGER is ready for liftoff on Aug. 2 at 2:16 a.m. EDT and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1603

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower rolls back revealing the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) sp... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower begins to roll back from the pad, revealing the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket, Model 7925-H with heavy lift capability. MESSENGER is ready for liftoff on Aug. 2 at 2:16 a.m. EDT and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1601

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower begins to roll back from the pad, revealing the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEoch... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, preparations are made to roll the Mobile Service Tower back from the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket, Model 7925-H with heavy lift capability. MESSENGER is ready for liftoff on Aug. 2 at 2:16 a.m. EDT and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1600

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, preparations are made to roll the Mobile Service Tower back from the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemis... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower is rolled back from the pad, revealing the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket. The nine solid booster rockets on this Delta model 7925-H provide it with heavy lift capability. MESSENGER is ready for liftoff on Aug. 2 at 2:16 a.m. EDT and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1602

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower is rolled back from the pad, revealing the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemist... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower has been removed from around the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket. The nine solid booster rockets on this Delta model 7925-H provide it with heavy lift capability. MESSENGER is ready for liftoff on Aug. 2 at 2:16 a.m. EDT and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1604

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower has been removed from around the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ran... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft is ready for mating with the upper stage of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL behind it (right). DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1821

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft is ready for mating with the upper stage of the Orbital Sciences ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Corky Philyaw (left) and Edgar Suarez (right) prepare the flight battery for installation on the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (far left). DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. It is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. DART will be launched from an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket no earlier than Oct. 26. KSC-04pd1824

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Corky Philyaw (left) and Edgar Suarez (right) prepare the flight battery for installation on the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous T... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers prepare to mate the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle that will launch the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1815

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers prepare to mate the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle that will launch the Demonstration ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers begin closing the gap between the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle that will launch the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1823

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers begin closing the gap between the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle that will launch the ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers stand by while an overhead crane moves the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft onto the mobile stand at right. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1818

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers stand by while an overhead crane moves the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft onto the mobile st... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers prepare the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft for launch. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1817

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers prepare the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft for launch. DART was designed and built for NASA ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers begin mating the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle that will launch the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1822

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers begin mating the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle that will launch the Demonstration of ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers help guide the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft onto the mobile stand below. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1819

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers help guide the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft onto the mobile stand below. DART was designe... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a worker prepares the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle for mating. The Pegasus XL will launch the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1816

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a worker prepares the second and third stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle for mating. The Pegasus XL will launch t... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (in background) has been rotated from vertical to horizontal and is ready for mating with the upper stage (foreground). DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1820

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (in background) has been rotated from vertical to horizontal an... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (right) is ready for mating with the upper stage (behind it) in preparation for launch on the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1825

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (right) is ready for mating with the upper stage (behind it) in p... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (right) is ready for mating with the upper stage (foreground) in preparation for launch on the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1826

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (right) is ready for mating with the upper stage (foreground) in ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers maneuver the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft, suspended by a crane, over the upper stage in preparation for launch on the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL. The Pegasus XL will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. Built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation, DART was designed as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1827

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers maneuver the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft, suspended by a crane, over the upper stage in p... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (foreground) is ready to be mated to second and third stages in preparation for the launch aboard the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle. Pegasus will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. Built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation, DART was designed as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1829

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft (foreground) is ready to be mated to second and third stages in p... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers maneuver the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft and mated upper stage toward the second stage behind them in preparation or launch aboard the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle. Pegasus will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. Built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation, DART was designed as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1828

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers maneuver the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft and mated upper stage toward the second stage be... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers maneuver the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft and mated upper stage toward the second stage at right in preparation or launch aboard the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle. Pegasus will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. Built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation, DART was designed as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. DART weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. DART is designed to demonstrate technologies required for a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver close to, other craft in space. Results from the DART mission will aid in the development of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle and will also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer and crew rescue capability to and from the International Space Station. KSC-04pd1830

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Californi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers maneuver the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft and mated upper stage toward the second stage at... More

STS117-S-021 (8 June 2007) --- Framed here by Florida foliage, the Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-117 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 7:38 p.m. (EDT) on June 8, 2007. Onboard are astronauts Rick Sturckow, commander; Lee Archambault, pilot; Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, John "Danny" Olivas, Steven Swanson and Clayton Anderson, all mission specialists. Anderson will join Expedition 15 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the station. Atlantis will dock with the orbital outpost on Sunday, June 10, to begin a joint mission that will increase the complex's power generation capability. Using the shuttle and station robotic arms and conducting three scheduled spacewalks, the astronauts will install another set of giant solar array wings on the station and retract another array, preparing it for a future move. STS117-S-021

STS117-S-021 (8 June 2007) --- Framed here by Florida foliage, the Spa...

STS117-S-021 (8 June 2007) --- Framed here by Florida foliage, the Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-117 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The radome is secured atop a new Doppler weather radar tower being built in an area near S.R. 520 in Orange County, Fla. The dome houses the weather radar dish and pedestal and protects them from the elements. The new tower will replace one at nearby Patrick Air Force Base and will be used by NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the 45th Space Wing and their customers. The tower will be able to monitor weather conditions directly above the launch pads at Kennedy. The weather radar is essential in issuing lightning and other severe weather warnings and vital in evaluating lightning launch commit criteria. The new radar, replacing what was installed 25 years ago, includes Doppler capability to detect winds and identify the type, size and number of precipitation particles. The site is ideally distant from the launch pads and has unobstructed views of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-08pd3222

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The radome is secured atop a new Doppler weathe...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The radome is secured atop a new Doppler weather radar tower being built in an area near S.R. 520 in Orange County, Fla. The dome houses the weather radar dish and pedestal and protects ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The radome is secured atop a new Doppler weather radar tower being built in an area near S.R. 520 in Orange County, Fla. The dome houses the weather radar dish and pedestal and protects them from the elements. The new tower will replace one at nearby Patrick Air Force Base and will be used by NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the 45th Space Wing and their customers. The tower will be able to monitor weather conditions directly above the launch pads at Kennedy. The weather radar is essential in issuing lightning and other severe weather warnings and vital in evaluating lightning launch commit criteria. The new radar, replacing what was installed 25 years ago, includes Doppler capability to detect winds and identify the type, size and number of precipitation particles. The site is ideally distant from the launch pads and has unobstructed views of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-08pd3221

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The radome is secured atop a new Doppler weathe...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The radome is secured atop a new Doppler weather radar tower being built in an area near S.R. 520 in Orange County, Fla. The dome houses the weather radar dish and pedestal and protects t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cupola module is lowered toward the workstand. The module was delivered to Kennedy by the European Space Agency in 2004 from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-08pd3759

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Proc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cupola module is lowered toward the workstand. The module was delivered to Ke... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida oversee placement of the Cupola module onto a workstand. The module was delivered to Kennedy by the European Space Agency in 2004 from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-08pd3760

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers in the Space Station Processing Facili...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida oversee placement of the Cupola module onto a workstand. The module was delivered to Kennedy by... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cupola module is being moved to a workstand. The module was delivered to Kennedy by the European Space Agency in 2004 from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-08pd3757

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Proc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cupola module is being moved to a workstand. The module was delivered to Kenn... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" is lifted by a crane to test the load capability. The Birdcage will be used to lift the Crew Module, or CM, and Launch Abort System, or LAS, assembly for the Ares I-X rocket and to stack and de-stack the assembly from the Service Module/Spacecraft Adapter assembly. It will also have the ability to lift and to stack and de-stack Stack-5 (all of the above components) from the Ares I-X in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1421

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" i...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" is lifted by a crane to test the load capability. The Birdcage will be used to lift the Crew Module, or CM, and Launch Abort System, or LAS,... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" is lifted by a crane to test the load capability. The Birdcage will be used to lift the Crew Module, or CM, and Launch Abort System, or LAS, assembly for the Ares I-X rocket and to stack and de-stack the assembly from the Service Module/Spacecraft Adapter assembly. It will also have the ability to lift and to stack and de-stack Stack-5 (all of the above components) from the Ares I-X in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1422

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" i...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" is lifted by a crane to test the load capability. The Birdcage will be used to lift the Crew Module, or CM, and Launch Abort System, or LAS,... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-130 Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick, practices working on equipment that is part of space shuttle Endeavour's payload on the 32nd assembly flight to the International Space Station. Crew members are at Kennedy for familiarization with mission equipment and hardware, called the crew equipment interface test. The payload on the 32nd assembly flight to the International Space Station includes the Cupola and the Tranquility Node 3. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in the space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is targeted for launch Feb. 4, 2010. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-3883

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Station Processing Facility at NAS...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-130 Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick, practices working on equipment that is part of space shutt... More

POWAY, Calif. – During NASA's Commercial Crew Development Round 1 CCDev1 activities, the rocket motor under development by Sierra Nevada Corp. for its Dream Chaser spacecraft successfully fires at the company's rocket test facility located near San Diego. NASA team members reviewed the motor's system and then watched it fire three times in one day, including one firing under vacuum ignition conditions. The tests, which simulated a complete nominal mission profile, demonstrated the multiple restart capability of Sierra Nevada's hybrid rocket. Two of the company's designed and developed hybrid rocket motors will be used as the main propulsion system on the Dream Chaser after launching aboard an Atlas V rocket. Dream Chaser is one of five systems NASA invested in during CCDev1 in order to aid in the innovation and development of American-led commercial capabilities for crew transportation and rescue services to and from the International Space Station and other low Earth orbit destinations. In 2011, NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP entered into another funded Space Act Agreement with Sierra Nevada for the second round of commercial crew development CCDev2) so the company could further develop its Dream Chaser spacecraft for NASA transportation services. For information about CCP, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. KSC-2012-1013

POWAY, Calif. – During NASA's Commercial Crew Development Round 1 CCDe...

POWAY, Calif. – During NASA's Commercial Crew Development Round 1 CCDev1 activities, the rocket motor under development by Sierra Nevada Corp. for its Dream Chaser spacecraft successfully fires at the company's... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Liberty Launch Vehicle under development by Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) of Promontory, Utah, for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011, NASA and ATK entered into an unfunded Space Act Agreement during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp., Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), and United Launch Alliance (ULA). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Alliant Techsystems Inc. KSC-2011-8113

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Liberty ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Liberty Launch Vehicle under development by Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) of Promontory, Utah, for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011, N... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dragon capsule under development by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance (ULA). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2011-8117

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dragon c...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dragon capsule under development by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011,... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dream Chaser spacecraft under development by Sierra Nevada of Centennial, Colo., for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011, NASA selected Sierra Nevada during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), and United Launch Alliance (ULA). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. KSC-2011-8116

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dream Ch...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dream Chaser spacecraft under development by Sierra Nevada of Centennial, Colo., for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011, NASA selected Si... More

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. The firing was in preparation for the ninth milestone to be completed under SpaceX's funded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). SpaceX is working with CCP during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) in order to mature the design and development of its Dragon spacecraft with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. Eight SuperDracos would be built into the sidewalls of the Dragon capsule to carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch or ascent. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp. and United Launch Alliance (ULA). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew KSC-2012-1210

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a...

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. T... More

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. The firing was in preparation for the ninth milestone to be completed under SpaceX's funded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). SpaceX is working with CCP during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) in order to mature the design and development of its Dragon spacecraft with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. Eight SuperDracos would be built into the sidewalls of the Dragon capsule to carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch or ascent. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp. and United Launch Alliance (ULA). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew KSC-2012-1209

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a...

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. T... More

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. The firing was in preparation for the ninth milestone to be completed under SpaceX's funded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). SpaceX is working with CCP during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) in order to mature the design and development of its Dragon spacecraft with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. Eight SuperDracos would be built into the sidewalls of the Dragon capsule to carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch or ascent. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp. and United Launch Alliance (ULA). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew KSC-2012-1208

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a...

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. T... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dream Chaser spacecraft integrated with an Atlas V rocket. Dream Chaser is under development by Sierra Nevada of Centennial, Colo., for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011, NASA selected Sierra Nevada during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. United Launch Alliance's Atlas V also is being considered under CCDev2. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Five other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. KSC-2012-1015

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dream Ch...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dream Chaser spacecraft integrated with an Atlas V rocket. Dream Chaser is under development by Sierra Nevada of Centennial, Colo., for NASA's Comme... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of an Almaz capsule, the basis of Excalibur Almaz Inc.'s Human Spacecraft design. In 2011, NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP and the Houston-based company entered into an unfunded Space Act Agreement during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems ATK, Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Sierra Nevada Corp., Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Excalibur Almaz Limited KSC-2012-1016

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of an Almaz cap...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of an Almaz capsule, the basis of Excalibur Almaz Inc.'s Human Spacecraft design. In 2011, NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP and the Houston-based company... More

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Lee Pagel, the NASA Participant Evaluation Panel PEP deputy for the Commercial Crew Program CCP, talks to industry partners and stakeholders during a preproposal conference at the Courtyard Marriott in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The meeting focused on information related to NASA's release of the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability CCiCap Announcement for Proposals on Feb. 7. More than 50 people from 25 aerospace companies attended the conference to find out what the space agency would be looking for in terms of milestones, funding, schedules, strategies, safety cultures, business modules and eventual flight certification standards of integrated crew space transportation systems. The goal of the CCiCap is to develop an indigenous U.S. transportation system that can safely, affordably and routinely fly to low Earth orbit destinations, including the International Space Station. Proposals are due March 23 and NASA plans to award multiple Space Act Agreements, valued from $300 million to $500 million each, toward the development of fully integrated commercial crew transportation systems in the summer of 2012. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew Photo credit: Kim Shiflett The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is developing the necessary ground systems, infrastructure and operational approaches required to safely process, assemble, transport and launch the next generation of rockets and spacecraft in support of NASA’s exploration objectives. Future work also will replace the antiquated communications, power and vehicle access resources with modern efficient systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB opened in 1965. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-1328

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Lee Pagel, the NASA Participant Evaluation Panel ...

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Lee Pagel, the NASA Participant Evaluation Panel PEP deputy for the Commercial Crew Program CCP, talks to industry partners and stakeholders during a preproposal conference at the Courtyard... More

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP, talks to industry partners and stakeholders during a preproposal conference at the Courtyard Marriott in Cocoa Beach, Fla. At left, are Cheryl McPhillips, the NASA Participant Evaluation Panel PEP chair for the Commercial Crew Program CCP, and Lee Pagel, the NASA PEP deputy. The meeting focused on information related to NASA's release of the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability CCiCap Announcement for Proposals on Feb. 7. More than 50 people from 25 aerospace companies attended the conference to find out what the space agency would be looking for in terms of milestones, funding, schedules, strategies, safety cultures, business modules and eventual flight certification standards of integrated crew space transportation systems. The goal of the CCiCap is to develop an indigenous U.S. transportation system that can safely, affordably and routinely fly to low Earth orbit destinations, including the International Space Station. Proposals are due March 23 and NASA plans to award multiple Space Act Agreements, valued from $300 million to $500 million each, toward the development of fully integrated commercial crew transportation systems in the summer of 2012. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew Photo credit: Kim Shiflett The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is developing the necessary ground systems, infrastructure and operational approaches required to safely process, assemble, transport and launch the next generation of rockets and spacecraft in support of NASA’s exploration objectives. Future work also will replace the antiquated communications, power and vehicle access resources with modern efficient systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB opened in 1965. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-1329

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercial C...

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP, talks to industry partners and stakeholders during a preproposal conference at the Courtyard Marriott in Cocoa Beach, Fla. ... More

Orion / Space Launch System: NASA has selected the design of a new Space Launch System SLS that will take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts. The SLS will launch human crews beyond low Earth orbit in the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Orion is America’s next generation spacecraft. It will serve as the exploration vehicle that will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel, carry the crew to distant planetary bodies, and provide safe return from deep space. Poster designed by Kennedy Space Center Graphics Department/Greg Lee. Credit: NASA KSC-2012-1865

Orion / Space Launch System: NASA has selected the design of a new Spa...

Orion / Space Launch System: NASA has selected the design of a new Space Launch System SLS that will take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before and provide the cornerstone for America's fu... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Human Spacecraft being considered for NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP. In 2011, NASA and Excalibur Almaz Inc. of Houston entered into an unfunded Space Act Agreement during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Sierra Nevada Corp., Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercialcrew Image credit: Excalibur Almaz Inc. KSC-2012-1823

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Human Sp...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Human Spacecraft being considered for NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP. In 2011, NASA and Excalibur Almaz Inc. of Houston entered into an unfunded... More

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. -- The Boeing Company's CST-100 boilerplate crew capsule floats toward a smooth landing beneath three main parachutes after being released from an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter at about 11,000 feet above Delamar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev. This is one of two tests that Boeing will perform for NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP in order to validate the spacecraft's parachute system architecture and deployment scheme, characterize pyrotechnic shock loads, confirm parachute sizing and design, and identify potential forward compartment packaging and deployment issues. In 2011, NASA selected Boeing during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Boeing KSC-2012-1952

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. -- The Boeing Company's CST-100 boilerplate...

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. -- The Boeing Company's CST-100 boilerplate crew capsule floats toward a smooth landing beneath three main parachutes after being released from an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter at abo... More

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