NASA Events and Space Launches

Images of NASA events highlighting spacecraft and launches, featuring directors, media interactions, and promotional displays.

21st Century Ground System Tour

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Astronaut and Director of Flight Crew Operations, Janet Kavandi addresses the audience after the announcement that revealed the four institutions that will receive shuttle orbiters for permanent display.In a ceremony held in front of Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fl

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - From left, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and NASA Deputy Director Lori Garver pose for a portrait in front of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building high bay following an event marking the spacecraft's arrival in Florida.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

Terrence Hertz, Deputy Associate Administrator for Technology, NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, at the NOAA/NASA Altair flight demo kickoff.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, right, takes questions from the media in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay following an event marking the arrival in Florida of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule. Behind Nelson are, from left, Dan Dumbacher, NASA deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, NASA Deputy Director Lori Garver, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana and Mark Geyer, Orion program manager.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

Center Director Roy Bridges addresses attendees at the dedication of the upgraded Launch Vehicle Data Center in Hangar AE, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The new facilitys three individual control rooms replace a single LVDC control room in use since the mid-1970s. Developed by NASA-KSC to support multiple test operations in parallel or a single large launch operation, the new LVDC allows up to 100 launch vehicle engineers to monitor the voice, data and video systems that support the checkout and launch of an expendable vehicle

A mockup of the cargo logistics module for Sierra Nevada Corporations Dream Chaser, the companys reusable spaceplane, arrived at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida in August. On Sept. 20, 2019, senior leadership had the opportunity to view the cargo module in the SSPF high bay. Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana, at right, listens to John Roth, vice president, Business Development Space Systems, Sierra Nevada Corporation. The SSPF is providing support for current and future NASA and commercial provider programs, including Commercial Resupply Services, Artemis 1, sending the first woman and next man to the Moon, and deep space destinations including Mars.

JSC2002-E-26012 (19 June 2002) --- Flight directors John Shannon (left) and Steve Stich are photographed at their consoles in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houstons Mission Control Center (MCC). At the time this photo was taken the Space Shuttle Endeavour was about to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California, to mark the end of a successful mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

KSC-2014-3922 - CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Former astronaut Bob Cabana, center, director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, speaks at the start of the announcement ceremony to name the providers of the next generation of crewed American spacecraft. Speaking from Kennedys Press Site, Cabana detailed the importance of the development effort by the agency's Commercial Crew Program for United States space exploration ambitions and the economic potential of creating new markets in human space transportation. Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts to complete the design of the CST-100 and Crew Dragon spacecraft, respectively, and begin manufacturing for flight tests with a goal of achieving certification to take astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017. The Commercial Crew Transportation Capability CCtCap contract also covers the beginning of operational missions for these new spacecraft and their systems. NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz, from left, Charles Bolden,

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana speaks during the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft rollout from the companys Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at the Florida spaceport on Nov. 21, 2019. The spacecraft will make the trip to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where it will be secured atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for Boeings Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Launch. Norm Knight, director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, left, and Joe Acaba, Chief of the Astronaut Office, monitor the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-6 mission with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Thursday, March 2, 2023, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev launched at 12:34 a.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Florida Congressman Bill Posey, speaks to the audience during the ceremony announcing the signing of an innovative agreement between NASA and Space Florida. NASA announced a partnership with Space Florida to occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3), the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center. Space Florida has an agreement for use of the OPF-3 with the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft. The 15-year use permit deal is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport.

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana; Kent Rominger, Northrop Grummans vice president and capture lead for the OmegA launch system; and Col. Thomas Ste. Marie, vice commander, U.S. Air Force, 45th Space Wing. Behind them is a scale model of the OmegA launch system. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facilitys High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicles assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A prelaunch briefing at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida brings media up to date on preparations for the liftoff of NOAAs Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR. From left are Michael Curie, moderator, NASA Public Affairs, Stephen Volz, assistant administrator of the NOAA Satellite and Information Service, Tom Berger, director of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, Steven Clarke, NASA Joint Agency Satellite Division director for the agencys Science Mission Directorate, Col. D. Jason Cothern, Space Demonstrations Division chief at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of mission assurance at SpaceX. DSCOVR will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force. DSCOVR will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA's space weather alerts and forec

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach answers reporters' questions in the RLV Hangar. Leinbach is overseeing assessment of the debris, seen in the background, as it is delivered to KSC. The Columbia Reconstruction Project team is identifying pieces and placing them on a grid approximating the shape of the orbiter. About 25 percent of the orbiter has been delivered to the hangar.

Edwards, Calif. - ED-0155-23 - NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden talks to the media about the importance of the agency's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, and the development work Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, will perform with its Dream Chaser flight test vehicle at the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in the coming months. SNC is one of three companies working with CCP during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative, which is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Professor Sam Ting, AMS Principal Investigator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology listens intently as Professor Manuel Aguilar, AMS Spanish Coordinator, speaks to the media before the arrival of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS.AMS, a state-of-the-art particle physics detector, is designed to operate as an external module on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for dark matter. The STS-134 crew will fly AMS to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour, targeted to launch Feb. 26, 2011.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, left, and SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk, right, speak to press in front of the Crew Dragon that is being prepared for the Demo-2 mission, at SpaceX Headquarters, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 in Hawthorne, CA.

President Donald Trump, right, Vice President Mike Pence, and Second Lady Karen Pence watch the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, from the balcony of Operations Support Building II at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, CNN correspondent John Zarrella speaks to guests at the opening of the new "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. Zarrella served as master of ceremonies for the event.The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.

STS-131 Crew Returns Back to KSC

Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXAs Human Spaceflight, speaks during a press briefing Nov. 13, 2020, near the Press Site countdown clock at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 launch. Behind him, from left are NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim. Crew-1 is the first regular crew mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience capsule will launch atop the companys Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A to the space station for a six-month science mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida discusses The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft during a ceremony inside Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Looking on are, from left, John Elbon, Boeing's vice president general manager of Boeing Space Systems,, John Mulholland, Boeing's program manager for the CST-100, and Chris Ferguson, Boeing's director of Crew and Mission Operations.

President Donald Trump walks out on to the roof of the Operations Support Building II to view the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot addresses agency leaders, U.S. and Florida government officials, and employees inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a visit by Vice President Mike Pence. Pence thanked employees for advancing American leadership in space. Behind the podium are, from the left, a flown SpaceX Dragon capsule, the Orion spacecraft flown on Exploration Flight test-1 in 2014, and a mockup of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner. During his visit to Kennedy, the Vice President also toured several facilities highlighting the public-private partnerships, as both NASA and commercial companies prepare to launch American astronauts from the multi-user spaceport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, President Barack Obama addresses the participants of the Conference on the American Space Program for the 21st Century. In his remarks, he outlined the new course his administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human spaceflight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida speaks to the audience during the ceremony announcing the signing of an innovative agreement between NASA and Space Florida. Seated to his right are, Florida Congressman Bill Posey, Florida Representative Sandy Adams, and John Mulholland, vice president and program manager of Boeing's Commercial Crew Programs. NASA announced a partnership with Space Florida to occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3), the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center. Space Florida has an agreement for use of the OPF-3 with the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft. The 15-year use permit deal is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport.

Engineers watch as several Praxair trucks carrying their loads of liquid oxygen, or LO2, arrive at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The trucks will offload the LO2 one at a time into the giant storage sphere located at the northwest corner of the pad. The sphere will gradually be chilled down from normal temperature to about negative 298 degrees Fahrenheit, during the first major integrated operation to prepare for the launch of the agency's Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to pad B to support the launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1, deep space missions and NASAs journey to Mars.

Crew Commercial Office's PAO activities for Boeing's rollout of their CST-100 capsule - "First Look" Media Event. Photo Date: July 22, 2013. Location: Boeing - Houston Product Support Center.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana gives Florida Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez (right) a tour of the Florida spaceports Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building High Bay on April 5, 2019. Also in attendance was Kennedy Deputy Director Janet Petro (left). During her tour, Nunez was shown NASAs Orion spacecraft, which will be flown on the agencys Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). Orion will launch atop the Space Launch System rocket from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B. This uncrewed mission will provide the foundation for human deep space exploration and pave the way for the crewed EM-2 mission.

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana; Kent Rominger, Northrop Grummans vice president and capture lead for the OmegA launch system; and Col. Thomas Ste. Marie, vice commander, U.S. Air Force, 45th Space Wing. Behind them is a scale model of the OmegA launch system. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facilitys High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicles assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

Terry White, United Space Alliance project lead for thermal protection systems, left, sakes hands with President Barack Obama after showing his family, Sasha, First Lady Michelle Obama, Malia, and Marian Robinson, how tiles work on the space shuttle during their visit to the Orbital Processing Facility at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 29, 2011.

Janet Karika, NASA Chief of Staff, left, Ken Bowersox, acting Associate Administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Joel Montalbano, NASAs International Space Station Deputy Program Manager, watch the docking of SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken onboard to the International Space Station, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center and docked with the International Space Station at 10:16am EDT on Sunday, May 31.. A

Members of the news media attend a press conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after the launch of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:11 a.m. EDT. Speaking to the media are, from left, George Diller, NASA Kennedy Communications; Joel Montalbano, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston; Frank Culbertson, president, Orbital ATK Space Systems Group; and Vern Thorp, program manager, commercial missions, United Launch Alliance.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts representing NASA and Boeing participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. From left to right are Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; Bridenstine; NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard; and NASA astronaut Mike Finke. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be the Starliners first flight to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

President Donald Trump speaks inside the Vehicle Assembly Building following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis.Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASAs Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex.

Vern Thorp, United Launch Alliance program manager, NASA missions, discusses the launch of NASAs Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) onboard a ULA Delta II rocket, during a press briefing, Sunday, June 29, 2014, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 is set to launch on July 1, 2014 at 2:59 a.m. PDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, XCOR Director of Flight Test Operations Rick Searfoss, a former NASA astronaut, addresses guests at a presentation during which XCOR Aerospace announced plans to open a manufacturing operation in Brevard County. Space Florida President Frank DiBello is seated to the right.The company's suborbital Lynx Mark II spacecraft possibly will take off and land at Kennedy's shuttle landing facility. XCOR Aerospace is a small, privately held California corporation with focus on the research, development, project management and production of reusable launch vehicles, rocket engines and rocket propulsion systems. XCOR will focus on space tourism, experimental flights and launching satellites.

NASA astronaut, Suni Williams, who will command the first manned launch of the capsule, names the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, Calypso, after it landed in White Sands, New Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The landing completes an abbreviated Orbital Flight Test for the company that still meets several mission objectives for NASAs Commercial Crew program. The Starliner spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 6:36 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, state and local dignitaries participate in a Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. The group includes KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson.Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASAs Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex.

JSC2010-E-112721 (4 Aug. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Steve Lindsey, STS-133 commander, speaks to members of the media and NASA personnel during Robonaut 2 (R2) media day in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. R2, who will hitch a ride with the STS-133 crew members, is the first humanoid robot to travel to space and the first U.S.-built robot to visit the International Space Station. R2 will stay on the space station indefinitely to allow engineers on the ground to learn more about how humanoid robots fare in microgravity.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Dr. Nicky Fox, deputy RBSP project scientist for the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, addresses news media at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At the pad, a United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Atlas V rocket is being prepared for launch of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, satellites. The presentation took place during NASA Administrator Charles Bolden's tour of the facility.Bolden took a few dozen members of the news media on a tour of the space agency's Kennedy Space Center and adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 23, 2012 to show the progress being made for future government and commercial space endeavors that will begin from Florida's Space Coast.

President Donald Trump steps on stage to give remarks inside the Vehicle Assembly Building following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

On Dec. 19, 2018, Jennifer Kunz, deputy program manager for Exploration Ground Systems, speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new liquid hydrogen tank for Launch Complex 39B at the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The storage facility will hold 1.25 million gallons of the propellant for NASA's Space Launch System rocket designed to boost the agency's Orion spacecraft, sending humans to distant destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Edwards, Calif. - ED-0155-12 - Steve Lindsey, Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, director of flight operations and former space shuttle astronaut, right, talks to NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, center, and agency Dryden Flight Research Center Deputy Director Patrick Stoliker about the company's Dream Chaser flight test vehicle. It will undergo ground and approach-and-landing flight tests at Dryden in the coming months as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, development work. SNC is one of three companies working with CCP during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative, which is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- During opening ceremonies for the new 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden speaks to guests gathered for the ceremony.The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the high bay of Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building, Jules Schnieder, Lockheed Martin's Orion production manager at the Florida Spaceport, briefs members of the news media about progress in preparing Orion for its first flight. In the background, the Orion spacecraft is surrounded by a special pre-launch processing access fixture. Lockheed Martin is NASA's prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft. 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. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on a Space Launch System rocket.

In the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium, agency and industry leaders spoke to members of the news media as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 rocket were being prepared for launch. From left are: Mike Curie of NASA Public Affairs, Mike Suffredini, NASA International Space Station program manager, Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX vice president of Mission Assurance, and Maj. Perry Sweat, U.S. Air Forces 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - From left, Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and NASA Deputy Director Lori Garver pose for a portrait in front of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay following an event marking the spacecraft's arrival in Florida.Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The capsule was shipped to Kennedy from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the crew module pressure vessel was built. The Orion production team will prepare the module for flight at Kennedy by installing heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems.

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver talks during a press conference with Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft in the background on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft is under development with support from NASA's Commercial Crew Development Program to provide crew transportation to and from low Earth orbit. NASA is helping private companies develop innovative technologies to ensure that the U.S. remains competitive in future space endeavors.

PHOTO DATE: 07-06-11LOCATION: Bldg. 30SUBJECT: STS-135 Flight Controllers on Console WORK ORDER:01910-BS___STS 135 FLIGHT DIRECTORS-07-06-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and The LEGO Group announce a three-year Space Act Agreement meant to spark the interest of children in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with the future release of four NASA-inspired products in the toy company's LEGO CITY line. From left, are Stephan Turnipseed, president of LEGO Education North America, and Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for Education.To commemorate the beginning of the partnership, two small LEGO space shuttles will launch aboard space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. A 40- by 70-foot activity tent will be set up at Kennedy on Nov. 3 for children of all ages to build their vision of the future with LEGO bricks. LEGO sets also will fly to the space station aboard Endeavour's STS-134 mission, and will be put together on orbit to demonstrate the challenges faced while building things in microgravity.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA, Kennedy Space Center and State of Florida dignitaries helped launch the opening of the newest attraction at Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex, the Shuttle Launch Experience. At the dais is Dan LeBlanc, chief operating officer of the KSC Visitor Complex. Seated on stage are (from left) Lt. Governor of Florida Jeff Kottkamp, Center Director Bill Parsons, and former astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen. The attraction includes a simulated launch with the sights, sounds and sensations of launching into space. Find out more about the Visitor Complex and the Shuttle Launch Experience at http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/visitKSC/attractions/index.asp.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Command module pilot for Apollo 15 Al Worden talks to attendees of the Apollo 14 Anniversary Soirée at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's Saturn V Center. The celebration was hosted by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Apollo 14 landed on the lunar surface 40 years ago on Feb. 5, 1971.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Arriving at the Skid Strip on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (right) and his wife, Columba, are welcomed by Jim Hattaway (left), associate director at NASA Kennedy Space Center, and Woodrow Whitlow Jr., deputy director at KSC. The Bush family is attending the historic launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114, scheduled to lift off at 10 39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B with a crew of seven. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium, agency and industry leaders spoke to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. From left are: Brandi Dean of NASA Public Affairs, Mark Geyer, Orion program manager, Mike Hawes, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager, Jeff Angermeier, Exploration Flight Test-1 Ground Systems Development and Operations mission manager, Ron Fortson, United Launch Alliance director of mission management, and Kathy Winters, U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing Launch Weather officer.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA and aerospace industry representatives tour facilities along Floridas Space Coast prior to announcements made by Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, Space Systems, to prepare for a November 2016 orbital flight of its Dream Chaser spacecraft. Standing at the base of Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, from left, are Steve Lindsey, Dream Chaser program manager for SNC Space Systems Charlie Bolden, administrator of NASA Bob Cabana, director of NASAs Kennedy Space Center Michael Gass, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, or ULA and Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC Space Systems. SNC announced it plans to work with ULA to launch the Dream Chaser spacecraft into orbit atop an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station intends to land the winged spacecraft at the 3.5-mile-long runway at Kennedys Shuttle Landing Facility lease office space at Exploration Park,

Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project Announcement. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks during a news conference on NASAs Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, DC. Through a Funded Space Act Agreement, The Boeing company and its industry team will collaborate with NASA to develop and flight-test a full-scale Transonic Truss-Braced Wing demonstrator aircraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility on NASAs Kennedy Space Center, KSC Director Jim Kennedy talks to attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new NASA Air Traffic Control Tower. The dedication took place in the SLFs new media facilities, which were built for the Return to Flight mission STS-114 and the landing of Shuttle Discovery. The facilities are co-located with the new control tower. The dedication and ribbon cutting were held at the base of the tower and included Center Director Jim Kennedy, Space Gateway Support President William A. Sample, External Relations Director Lisa Malone, Center Operations Director Scott D. Kerr, and KSC Safety Aviation Officer Albert E. Taff. The structure rises 110 feet over the midpoint of the runway and offers air traffic controllers a magnificent 360-degree view of Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and north Brevard County. It replaces the small, portable tower installed at the edge of the runwa

Wernher von Braun and Saturn IB

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA leaders spoke to social media participants as the Orion spacecraft and its Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Speakers included Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.

Members of the news media attend a press briefing Nov. 13, 2020, near the Press Site countdown clock at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the agencys SpaceX Crew-1 launch. Participating in the briefing, on the raised platform, are NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Steve Dickson, administrator, Federal Aviation Administration; Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana; Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXAs Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate; NASA astronaut Jonny Kim; and NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. Crew-1 is the first regular crew mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience capsule will launch atop the companys Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A to the space station for a six-month science mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- William Saputo, L-3 Communications, presents a new piece of technology, developed through a National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and other NASA management watch the launch of space shuttle Discovery (STS-133) from the firing room at Kennedy Space Center, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Discovery, on its 39th and final flight, is carrying the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4) and Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - During a ceremony in the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, state and local dignitaries break ground for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. From left, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson.Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASAs Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex.

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall speaks at the 2022 Air and Space Forces Associations Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 19, 2022. The ASC Conference is a professional development seminar that offers the opportunity for Department of Defense personnel to participate in forums, speeches and workshops.

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall speaks at the 2022 Air and Space Forces Associations Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 19, 2022. The ASC Conference is a professional development seminar that offers the opportunity for Department of Defense personnel to participate in forums, speeches and workshops.

Joshua Santora, with NASA Communications, moderates a NASA Social Facebook Live briefing inside the Press Site auditorium on May 26, 2020, at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 launch. At the counter, from left are NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Kjell Lindgren, and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from historic Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, May 27, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station. This will mark the first launch of astronauts from U.S. soil to the space station since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program, this will be SpaceXs final flight test, paving the way for NASA to certify the crew transportation system for regular, crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:33 p.m. ED

NASA Landing and Recovery Director Melissa Jones briefs the media on the success of Underway Recovery Test-7 on Nov. 7, 2018, at U.S. Naval Base San Diego. Behind her is the test version of the Orion crew module. All of the recovery equipment that was created to safely bring Orion home passed verification and validation testing. The Recovery Team, along with the U.S. Navy, practice recovering the Orion test version as part of URT-7 in the Pacific Ocean. URT-7 is one in a series of tests to verify and validate procedures and hardware that will be used to recover the Orion spacecraft after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean following deep space exploration missions. Orion will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project Announcement. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson holds a model of an aircraft with a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing during a news conference on NASAs Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, DC. Through a Funded Space Act Agreement, The Boeing company and its industry team will collaborate with NASA to develop and flight-test a full-scale Transonic Truss-Braced Wing demonstrator aircraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- House Of Representatives Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, from California's 8th District, is greeted by NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana. Pelosi is at Florida's space center to witness space shuttle Discovery make history as it lifts off on its final scheduled mission from Launch Pad 39A. While at the center, Pelosi attended a presentation in the Operations Support Building II and toured Orbiter Processing Facilities 1 and 2 where shuttles Atlantis and Endeavour are being prepared for their final missions respectively.Discovery and its six-member STS-133 crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Discovery will make its 39th mission and is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This will be the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.

Activities at the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) International User Conference in San Diego, California, where Secretary Dirk Kempthorne joined ESRI President Jack Dangermond among the featured speakers. Secretary Kempthorne announced his instruction--hailed by ESRI's Dangermond--to the U.S. Geological Survey to make its 35-year Landsat satellite image archive available over the Internet for free.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Florida Representative Sandy Adams, speaks to the audience during the ceremony announcing the signing of an innovative agreement between NASA and Space Florida. NASA announced a partnership with Space Florida to occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3), the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center. Space Florida has an agreement for use of the OPF-3 with the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft. The 15-year use permit deal is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport.

MSFC Building 4663, NE corner view of Huntsville Operations Support Center, housing the Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC). The POIC supports ongoing flight operations and scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS)

Flags depicting the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft, the One-Year Mission, and the Expedition 43 Mission are seen on desks in two different rooms separated by glass where Expedition 43 prime and backup crews will meet with space officials on their final check of the Soyuz capsule, Monday, March 23, 2015 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and Russian Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, and Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 28, Kazakh time (March 27 Eastern time.) As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016.

Roscosmos cosmonaut and executive director for piloted spaceflights, Sergey Krikalev speaks to former NASA Administrator and astronaut, Charlie Bolden during an astronaut and cosmonaut panel discussion at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the grand opening of the newly expanded KSC Visitor Complex, Center Director Roy Bridges presents Deep Space Nine star Avery Brooks with a plaque, NASA jacket and hat. Brooks narrates the new film Quest for Life at the Visitor Center. Brooks was recognized for his contribution to advancing the public's understanding of NASA and the search for life elsewhere in the universe. The Complex now includes an International Space Station-themed ticket plaza, featuring a structure of overhanging solar panels and astronauts performing assembly tasks, a new foyer, films, and exhibits. The KSC Visitor Complex was inaugurated three decades ago and is now one of the top five tourist attractions in Florida. It is located on S.R. 407, east of I-95, within the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, officials pose at the site where a Shuttle Program time capsule has been secured vault within the walls of the Space Shuttle Atlantis home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. From the left are: Pete Nickolenko, deputy director of NASA Ground Processing at Kennedy, Patty Stratton of Abacus Technology, currently program manager for the Information Management Communications Support Contract. During the Shuttle Program she was deputy director of Ground Operations for NASA's Space Program Operations Contractor, United Space Alliance, Rita Wilcoxon, NASA's now retired director of Shuttle Processing, Bob Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center and George Jacobs, deputy director of Center Operations, who was manager of the agency's Shuttle Transition and Retirement Project Office.The time capsule, containing artifacts and other memorabilia associated with the history of the program is designated to

At the Operations and Support Building II at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Vice President Mike Pence attends the launch attempt of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carrying the U.S. Air Force's GPS III satellite from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Dec. 18, 2018. Speaking at the podium is Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Heather Wilson.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Bob Cabana talks to media near NASAs mobile launcher (ML) support structure. The media event was held to detail MLs use with NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket, which will take astronauts into deep space on missions to asteroids, the moon or Mars. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden also attended the event. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall ML structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. The ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches.

Edwards, Calif. - ED-0155-20 - NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden talks to the media about the importance of the agency's Commercial Crew Program, or CCP, and the development work Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, will perform with its Dream Chaser flight test vehicle at the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in the coming months. SNC is one of three companies working with CCP during the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, initiative, which is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks to members of the media during a press briefing Nov. 13, 2020, near the Press Site countdown clock at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 launch. Crew-1 is the first regular crew mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience capsule will launch atop the companys Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A to the space station for a six-month science mission.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine participates in a NASA Social YouTube Live briefing May 29, 2020, near the Press Site countdown clock at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 launch. The launch, initially scheduled for May 27, was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather conditions. The next launch attempt is Saturday, May 30. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station. This will mark the first launch of astronauts from U.S. soil to the space station since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program, this will be SpaceXs final flight test, paving the way for NASA to certify the crew transportation system for regular, crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory. Liftoff is scheduled for 3:22 p.m. EDT.

President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Marillyn Hewson, Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin, Mike Hawes, VP of Human Space Exploration and Orion Program Manager at Lockheed Martin Space, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, right, are seen looking at an Orion capsule hatch that will be used for the Artemis II mission during a tour of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building following the departure of NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley for Launch Complex 39A to board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for launch, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The flight test will serve as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Todays launch of Behnken and Hurley was scrubbed due to weather

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA, Kennedy Space Center and State of Florida dignitaries helped launch the opening of the newest attraction at Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex, the Shuttle Launch Experience. Breaking the ribbon are (left to right) Dan LeBlanc, chief operating officer of the KSC Visitor Complex; Lt. Governor of Florida Jeff Kottkamp; former astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen; Center Director Bill Parsons; KSC Director of External Relations Lisa Malone; and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The attraction includes a simulated launch with the sights, sounds and sensations of launching into space. Find out more about the Visitor Complex and the Shuttle Launch Experience at http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/visitKSC/attractions/index.asp.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Arriving at the Skid Strip on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is First Lady Laura Bush, who is attending the historic launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114, scheduled to lift off at 10 39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B with a crew of seven. Mrs. Bush is only the third First Lady to witness a Space Shuttle launch at KSC. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Contro

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA leaders spoke to social media participants as the Orion spacecraft and its Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Speakers included NASA astronaut Rex Walheim.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Following the presentation of the Universal Signal Conditioning Amplifier (USCA), a new piece of technology developed through a National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS-99 Mission Specialist Mamoru Mohri of Japan waves before his departure from Patrick Air Force Base and return to Houston. With the postponement of the launch of STS-99 on Jan. 31, the crew have an opportunity for more training and time with their families. During the launch countdown, Endeavour's enhanced master events controller (E-MEC) No. 2 failed a standard preflight test. Launch was postponed and Shuttle managers decided to replace the E-MEC located in the orbiter's aft compartment. Launch controllers will be in a position to begin the STS-99 countdown the morning of Feb. 6 and ready to support a launch midto late next week pending availability of the Eastern Range. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, it will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from the payload bay. The result could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topograp

A team at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is targeting data congestion challenges by proposing a commercially available network that would increase bandwidth for the Air Force.

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