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NASA Aircraft and Space Missions

Photos showcasing NASA aircraft on runway and during missions. Features different planes against blue skies, capturing dynamic movement and space exploration themes.

Airplane in Hangar with remove before flight Labels in red. Airplane in Hangar with remove before flight Labels in red warning safety

STS-135 Crew Arrives on T-38's & Unsuited STA's

DF-ST-85-05289. Base: Tucson State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the plane carrying the STS-122 crew taxis toward the runway for the return trip to Houston. The crew is flying back to Houston after launch of space shuttle Atlantis was delayed when a failure occurred in a fuel sensor system while the vehicle's external fuel tank was being filled. One of the four engine cutoff, or ECO, sensors inside the liquid hydrogen section of the tank gave a false reading and NASA's current Launch Commit Criteria require that all four sensors function properly. The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle's main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low. Space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission now is targeted to launch no earlier than Jan. 2. The liftoff date depends on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, a Gulfstream III jet is preparing to take off with space shuttle Atlantis' four STS-135 astronauts and their families for the return trip home to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew touched down on Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility runway 5:57 a.m., July 21, 2011, bringing a close to 30 years of space shuttle missions. Securing the space shuttle fleet's place in history, Atlantis marked the 26th nighttime landing of the Space Shuttle Program and the 78th landing at Kennedy. Atlantis and its crew delivered to the International Space Station the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, equipment and supplies that will sustain station operations for the next year. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis and the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program.

Aircrafts - HU-25 Guardian - 26-HK-55-39. Nose of HU-25 on ramp. Hurricane Katrina

Small white private jet parked in airport Small white private jet parked in airport. Wealthy people turn to private jets to avoid coronavirus or covid 19 risk and pandemic restrictions Copyright: xZoonar.com/DawidxKalisinskix 15383658

Turboprop Raytheon Prop Fixed Wing Aviat Airplanes Beech King Air 300 charter silhouette taxiing runway

An Airplane Loading Passengers On The Tarmac At Frankfurt Airport; Frankfurt, Germany

Pilatus PC-12/47E single-engine turboprop business jet at the Jet Aviation Executive Terminal, Duesseldorf Airport, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Airplane in Hangar with remove before flight Labels in red. Airplane in Hangar with remove before flight Labels in red warning safety

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg H. Johnson are ready to take off and perform touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An STA is a Gulfstream II jet that is modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Kelly and Johnson will practice landings as part of standard training before space shuttle Endeavour's launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

detail Learjet Jets Fixed Wing Aviat Airplanes 31A charter sky nose

Aircraft learjet Plane in front of the Airport with cloudy sky. Aircraft learjet Plane in front of the Airport with cloudy sky and sun

Coast Guard Structures - Air Stations - New Orleans - 26-HK-95-189. AIRSTA NOLA--Coast Guardsman standing on stairs of CG aircraft on ramp (3). Hurricane Katrina

Business executives in front of corporate jet (MR)

Jets Fixed Wing Cessna Aviat Airplanes Citation Jet charter sky nose

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-117 Commander Frederick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault aim high to begin landing practice in the shuttle training aircraft (STA). The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. STS-117 is scheduled to launch at 7:38 p.m. June 8. During the 11-day mission and three spacewalks, the crew will work with flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to install the 17-ton segment on the station's girder-like truss and deploy the set of solar arrays, S3/S4. The mission will increase the space station's power capability in preparation for the arrival of new science modules from the European and Japanese space agencies.

Private jet on the runway. Jet airplane stop for wait VIP passenger on runway. Comfortable flights.. Private jet on the runway. Jet airplane stop for wait VIP passenger on runway.

Coast Guard Structures - Air Stations - New Orleans - 26-HK-95-308. AIRSTA NOLA--HU-25 on ramp, personnel on stairs2. Hurricane Katrina

Coast Guard Structures - Air Stations - New Orleans - 26-HK-95-309. AIRSTA NOLA--HU-25 on ramp. Hurricane Katrina

DF-ST-86-09209. Base: Tempelhof Central Airport_Berlin

A C-21A Learjet aircraft arrives at Riyadh Air Base, transporting MAJ. GEN. Gunther Greindl, an Austrian officer en route to Kuwait. Greindl will command a peacekeeping force in the area in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm.. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Base: Riyadh Air Base Country: Saudi Arabia(SAU)

Right rear view of a Marine C-9B aircraft sitting on the flight line. The C-9B is from the Station Operations Engineering Squadron. Base: Mcas, Cherry Point State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Private jet / Business jet at take off, Runway 18 West, Frankfurt Airport, Hesse, Germany, Europe

An eight-foot-long pod designed to carry a synthetic aperture radar hangs from the underbelly of NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed.

A C-20A Gulfstream aircraft carrying GEN. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander-in-chief, U.S. Central Command, stands on the airfield as the general prepares to disembark. Schwarzkopf is visiting the base in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm.. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Saudi Arabia(SAU)

Beech 200 turbo aircraft being refueled at dawn, Victoria International Airport, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

picture of a sports plane on a runway

Galena, Alaska, June 29, 2013 In remote areas of the Yukon River, charter air travel is the only option for transportation in an effort to help the people and communities recover from the severe flooding. Security Air is contracted to transport FEMA specialists into the affected territories to provide response and recovery services to the disaster survivors. Adam DuBrowa/ FEMA.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

030225-F-1131H-017. Base: Ramstein Air Base State: Rheinland-Pfalz Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)

detail Learjet Jets Fixed Wing Aviat Airplanes 31A charter nose

040421-N-3228G-011. Base: Mcas, Kaneohe State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

STS-131 LAUNCH L-3 SUITED STA'S

Jets Fixed Wing Cessna Aviat Airplanes Citation Jet CJ1 charter

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the skies over the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Training Aircraft begins its long turn to achieve the right position for landing. The mission crew members arrived at Kennedy to prepare for launch. STS-126 is the 124th space shuttle flight and the 27th flight to the International Space Station. The 15-day mission will feature four spacewalks and work that will prepare the space station to house six crew members for long- duration missions. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:55 p.m. EST Nov. 14.

Private jet on the runway. Jet airplane stop for wait VIP passenger on runway. Comfortable flights.. Private jet on the runway. Jet airplane stop for wait VIP passenger on runway.

Front of a Jet Plane

2007 Liberty XL2 airplane parked on the tarmac at an airport. The aircraft has a composite fuselage and aluminum wings. The engine is a fuel injected FADEC(Full Authority Digital Engine Control) equipped Continental IOF-240B driving a Sensenich wooden fixed pitch prop. The landing gear is of tricycle configuration and all three wheels are 4130 Chromally steel sprung. The nose wheel is free-castering and steering is by differential braking via two finger-controlled brake handles mounted on the c

An air-to-air left front view of an 89th Military Airlift Wing C-12C Huron aircraft. State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Jet Airplane Tail

Commercial jets San Francisco International Airport

Doorway of private airplane.

An-74-200 of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

in crains austalia little popular plane parking in the airport

A C-21 aircraft from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois comes in for a landing at Azaraq Air Base, Jordan. The plane is carrying MGEN. Carl F. Franklin, the Joint Task Force, Southwest Asia Commander. He will be meeting personnel participating in the Air Power Expeditionary Force. An ancillary mission of the Force is to assist US Air Force and other multinational forces operating in Saudi Arabia and other nearby countries patrol the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. Subject Operation/Series: AIR POWER EXPEDITIONARY FORCE Base: Azraq Air Base Country: Jordan (JOR)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Shuttle Training Aircraft, or STA, with STS-126 Commander Chris Ferguson and Pilot Eric Boe on board, is ready to take off. Ferguson and Boe will practice shuttle landings on the STA, a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate a shuttles cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the aircraft duplicates the shuttles atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet to landing. The practice is part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, which includes equipment familiarization, emergency exit procedures and a simulated launch countdown. On the STS-126 mission, space shuttle Endeavour's crew will deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. The mission also will include four spacewalks to

STS-130 TCDT - SUITED STA'S WITH COMMANDER AND PILOT

Ratheron Hawker 400XP Business Jet arriving at Inverness Airfield. SCO 9995.

in crains austalia little popular plane parking in the airport

A Military Airlift Command C-5A Galaxy aircraft, center background, rolls along a taxiway after arriving at Simon Bolivar Airport with a load of personnel and equipment for the joint Ecuadoran/U.S. exercise Blue Horizon '86. An Ecuadoran air force BAe 748 military transport aircraft is in the foreground at right. Subject Operation/Series: BLUE HORIZON '86 Base: Guayaquil Country: Ecuador (ECU)

A Cessna 550B Citation Bravo aircraft of MJets with the registration HS-EMT at Koh Samui Airport, Thailand, Asia

Turboprop Raytheon Prop Fixed Wing Aviat Airplanes Beech King Air C90SE charter sky

A Bombardier Learjet 45 aircraft of Ryanair with registration number M-ABJA at Porto Airport, Portugal, Europe

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Pilot Greg H. Johnson performs touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are Gulfstream II business jets that are modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Practice landings are part of standard training before space shuttle Endeavour's upcoming STS-134 launch to the International Space Station.Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

Zurich airport, aviation, airline, Donald Trump, Davos, politics, business, jet, travel, Switzerland, aviation, Boeing, Airbus, Star Alliance, government, economy, world

A Tyrol Air Ambulance TAA Cessna 550B Citation Bravo aircraft with registration OE-GPS at Heraklion Airport, Greece, Europe

The Lockheed P-3C (Update II) Orion long distance maritime patrol range 300 (1981-2006) at Marineliegkamp Valkenburg.

overhead Turboprop Raytheon Prop Fixed Wing Aviat Airplanes Beech B200 King Air charter sky

Randy Hutchcraft, a T-1A Jayhawk flightline mechanic, guides the pilots onboard the T-1 onto the flightline at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, June 22. The T-1 color scheme is dedicated to the first assignment instructor pilots of Vance.

Air-to-air, side view of a 63rd Airlift Wing's C-141B Staflifter, "Spirit of the Inland Empire," inflight with Norton AFB in the background. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Base: Norton Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Gulfstream G550 G V SP flyby G flyby at the Reno Stead airport during the Reno Air Races.

Photos from Aviation Training Center, Mobile - 26-HK-422-54. Hurricane Katrina

Jets Fixed Wing Embraer Commercial Aviat Airplanes Airlines ERJ-135 commuter Continental Express sky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, in Florida, a flight instructor and his students inspect the lightweight aircraft they flew in earlier in the day from Florida Tech, or FIT, in Melbourne. Several instructors and their students arrived at the SLF in Cherokee Warrior and Cessna 172S lightweight aircraft.The middle and high school students are participating in FITs Av/Aero summer camp experience. They and their flight instructors toured the SLF midfield control tower, viewed F104 Starfighters and NASA Huey helicopters in the RLV Hangar, viewed the runway plaques marking wheels stop for each of the three space shuttles, and toured the Vehicle Assembly Building where space shuttle Atlantis currently is stored.

QSRA (NASA-715) takeoff and landing trials onboard the USS Kitty Hawk

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg H. Johnson return after performing touch-and-go landings aboard a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.An STA is a Gulfstream II jet that is modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Kelly and Johnson will practice landings as part of standard training before space shuttle Endeavour's launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

At EBACE in Geneva Europe's largest private aviation exhibition, the latest business jets such as this Gulfstream are shown

Pilatus aircraft of the Red Cross take off from Calvinia airstrip, Northern Cape, South Africa.

NASA KingAir N801NA during takeoff.

Luftwaffe VFW 614 at MBBs factory airport in Lemwerder, Wesermarsch district, Germany, Europe

NASAs X-57 Maxwell, the agencys first all-electric X-plane and first crewed X-planed in two decades, is delivered to NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California in its Mod II configuration. The first of three primary modifications for the project, Mod II involves testing of the aircrafts cruise electric propulsion system. Delivery to NASA from prime contractor Empirical Systems Aerospace of San Luis Obispo, California, marks a major milestone for the project, at which point the vehicle is reintegrated for ground tests, to be followed by taxi tests, and eventually, flight tests. X-57s goal is to further advance the design and airworthiness process for distributed electric propulsion technology for general aviation aircraft, which can provide multiple benefits to efficiency, emissions, and noise.

A right side view of the commander, Fleet Logistic Support Wing I (CFLSW-1) VC-20D Gulfstream III aircraft assigned to transport the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Base: Naval Air Facility, Andrews Afb State: Maryland (MD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. In the specially configured aircraft, STS-115 Commander Brent Jett and Pilot Christopher Ferguson practiced landing the shuttle this morning. STA practice is part of launch preparations. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiters cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiters atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Mission STS-115 is scheduled to lift off about 12:29 p.m. Sept. 6. Mission managers cancelled Atlantis' first launch campaign due to a lightning strike at the pad and the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto along Florida's east coast. The mission will deliver

A Dassault Falcon 7X of VW Air Services with registration D-AGBG at Stuttgart Airport (STR), Stuttgart, Germany, Europe

A Beechcraft 400XP Beechjet aircraft of FOSFA with registration OK-PPP at Gdansk Airport (GDN), Gdansk, Poland, Europe

NAVAL AIR FACILITY MISAWA, Japan (Jan. 11, 2013) An A/S 32A aircraft tractor tows a P-3C Orion belonging to Patrol Squadron (VP) 10, onto the Naval Air Facility Misawa flight line. VP-10 is currently deployed in northern Japan aboard NAF Misawa in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

Jets Fixed Wing Embraer Commercial Aviat Airplanes Airlines Continental Express ERJ-145 mesa Arizona commuter head on

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The pathfinder” aircraft for space shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight taxis down the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The NASA C-9 aircraft will fly about 100 miles ahead of Discovery to scout for the safest route between destinations. Its crew includes an SCA flight engineer who studies the weather patterns along the flight path to find a route free of rain and other turbulence. The carrier aircraft, also known as an SCA, is a Boeing 747 jet, originally manufactured for commercial use which was modified by NASA to transport the shuttles between destinations on Earth. NASA 905 is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, and is assigned to all remaining ferry missions, delivering the shuttles to their permanent public display sites. After its arrival at Dulles, Discovery will be placed on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F

plane, airport, tourism and transportation concept - plane on runway at airport

A Piaggio P-180 Avanti II aircraft of Aviostart with registration LZ-ASP at Corfu Airport, Greece, Europe

The turboprop-powered commuter airliner Dornier 328-120. Flying hydrogen test laboratory by DLR BERLIN - JUNE 06, 2024: The turboprop-powered commuter airliner Dornier 328-120. Flying hydrogen test laboratory by DLR German Aerospace Center. ILA Berlin Air Show 2024. Copyright: xZoonar.com/SergeyxKohlx 21897647

STS-131 TCDT - Suited STA's

Perseid Meteor flight on Google's Gulfstream Aircraft. P.I. Peter Jenniskens, SETI Group - Google's Gulfstream Aircraft on flightline before take-off

modern jet against a sunset

private white jet plane in the blue sky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a shuttle training aircraft taxis toward the runway for takeoff. STS-119 Commander Lee Archambault and Pilot Tony Antonelli are practicing shuttle landings as part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT includes equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate a shuttles cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the aircraft duplicates the shuttles atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet to landing. The crew of space shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch on the STS-119 mission Feb. 12. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and solar arrays to the starboard side of the International Space Station, completing the station's truss, or backbone.

A Cessna Caravan plane at the Amboseli airport in Amboseli National Park in Kenya with an anti-poaching elephant sticker.

Detailed Isometric Vector Illustration of a Learjet 60

Jets Fixed Wing Cessna Aviat Airplanes Citation Encore charter runway takeoff landing

Airlink plane on the tarmac at the Maun international airport which serves as the main gateway to the Okavango Delta and the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana.

An An-72 military transport airplane of the Russian Air Force at parking position.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, in Florida, a flight instructor and his students inspect the lightweight aircraft they flew in earlier in the day from Florida Tech, or FIT, in Melbourne. Several instructors and their students arrived at the SLF in Cherokee Warrior and Cessna 172S lightweight aircraft.The middle and high school students are participating in FITs Av/Aero summer camp experience. They and their flight instructors toured the SLF midfield control tower, viewed F104 Starfighters and NASA Huey helicopters in the RLV Hangar, viewed the runway plaques marking wheels stop for each of the three space shuttles, and toured the Vehicle Assembly Building where space shuttle Atlantis currently is stored.

U.S. Air Force C-145A Combat Coyote from the 6th Special Operations Squadron, Duke Field, Florida, lands at Hanley Air Field, Michigan, during the Northern Agility 22-1 exercise hosted by the Michigan National Guard, June 28, 2022. The exercise was designed to enhance the ability to operate in austere environments.

Vintage Photograph. Airplanes on a reflective runway at a bustling airport at night.

The X-57 Mod II wing is rejoined with the aircrafts fuselage to begin preparations for reintegration at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. Once the integration work is complete, it will begin ground tests to be followed by taxi tests, and eventually, flight tests.

Coast Guard Structures - Air Stations - New Orleans - 26-HK-95-301. AIRSTA NOLA--HU-25 and other CG aircraft on ramp. Hurricane Katrina

Rurrenabaque Airport, with a stretch of grass as a runway, gateway to Madidi National Park, Bolivia, South America

Grandson and grandfather getting ready to take off airplane at airfield