NASA Space Launch Preparations

Images depicting the preparation and testing of space vehicles at NASA. The setting is high-tech and dynamic, capturing innovation in aerospace technology.

Crew Module Water Landing Model Assessment (CMWLMA)Test site photos at Aberdeen Test Center Aberdeen Maryland

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Shelley McCoy, 334th Training Squadron student, uses a condensed air traffic control tower simulator at Cody Hall at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, June 2, 2022. A similar system has been installed in the dorm building to allow students the opportunity to increase tower control contact hours and to provide students additional study time outside the classroom.

Left side view of the Navy's Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) being fired up on the runway in preparation for testing with Carrier Group One (CVG-1). The Predator is capable of over 50 hours of non-stop flight. It has a wingspan of 48.4 feet, length of 26.7 feet and weighs approximately 1,500 pounds when fully fueled. Average speed is approximately 70 knots. Cost of the Predator is about 3.2 million dollars. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

THULE AIR BASE, Greenland - Clouds roll over the Thule Tracking Station, known as callsign POGO, operated by the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, Detachment 1, at Thule Air Base, Greenland, Aug. 11, 2022. POGO is the northernmost unit of seven worldwide tracking stations in the Satellite Control Network. A component of Space Delta 6 - Cyberspace Operations, Det 1s mission is to provide telemetry, tracking and commanding operations to the U.S. and allied government satellite programs. The detachments extreme northern location allows contact with polar orbiting satellites 10-12 times per day ranging in altitude from 120 miles to 24,800 miles above the earth's surface.

An unmanned drone flying in a clear sky, computer artwork.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - During a free-flight test of the Project Morpheus vehicle at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the vehicle lifted off the ground and then experienced a hardware component failure, which prevented it from maintaining stable flight. No one was injured and the resulting fire was extinguished by Kennedy fire personnel. Engineers are looking into the test data and the agency will release information as it becomes available. Failures such as these were anticipated prior to the test, and are part of the development process for any complex spaceflight hardware.Testing of the prototype lander had been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free-flight test at Kennedy Space Center. Morpheus was manufactured and assembled at JSC and Armadillo Aerospace. Morpheus is large enough to carry 1,100 pounds of cargo to the moon - for example, a humanoid robot, a small rover, or a small laboratory to con

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - In a clean room at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians complete a second fillet and wing fit check on the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus rocket will launch the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) into space.After the rocket and spacecraft are processed at Vandenberg, they will be flown on the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at the Pacific Oceans Kwajalein Atoll for launch. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census for black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. For more information, visit science.nasa.gov/missions/nustar/.

On Dec. 19, 2018, NASA and contractor managers gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new liquid hydrogen tank for Launch Complex 39B at NASA'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.

Northrop Grumman's L-1011 Stargazer is being readied for takeoff June 6, 2018, from the hot pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The company's Pegasus XL rocket, containing NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), is attached beneath the aircraft. The explorer will launch on June 15, 2018, from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands (June 14 in the continental United States). ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above. The explorer will help determine the physics of Earth's space environment and pave the way for mitigating its effects on our technology, communications systems and society.

SIERRA (Systems Integration Evaluation Remote Research Aircraft) Uninhabited Aerial System (UAV plane) on the Ames flightline (aka; Sierra Unpiloted Aerial system (UAS))

A full-scale mockup of NASAs Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is on display at the News Center at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 29, 2020. The rover and Ingenuity helicopter are scheduled to launch July 30, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and its service module stand atop the test stand at Launch Complex 32, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, in preparation for the Pad Abort Test. Boeings Pad Abort Test is designed to verify that each of Starliners systems will function not only separately, but in concert, to protect astronauts by carrying them safely away from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff. This will be Boeings first flight test as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The Pad Abort Test is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2019.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the slidewire basket landing area near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members learn about landing procedures during an emergency exit from the pad. From left are Mission Specialist Tom Marshburn, Commander Mark Polansky, and Mission Specialists Tim Kopra, Julie Payette, Christopher Cassidy, Dave Wolf and (far right) Pilot Doug Hurley. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization. Endeavour's STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13.

An Israeli Air Force Hermes 900 Kochav unmanned aerial vehicle in flight.

This is an artist's interpretation of a future launch complex for third generation propulsion reusable launch vehicles such as the X-33. The X-33 is a sub-scale technology demonstrator prototype of a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), with a vertical take off / horizontal landing (lifting body) concept, which was manufactured and named as the Venture Star by Lockheed Martin. The X-33 program was cancelled in 2001.

At the IMAX Theater at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, the Orion crew module from Exploration Flight Test 1, secured on its custom-made ground support equipment, has been lowered to the ground. The crew module will be moved inside the theater where it will be prepared for display in the NASA Now exhibit. The Orion spacecraft launched atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket Dec. 5, 2014, from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft built for humans traveled 3,604 miles above Earth and splashed down about 4.5 hours later in the Pacific Ocean.

SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) primary mirror being moved into N-211, readied and move into the Ames Vacuum Chamber for the coating process.

The protective payload fairing containing the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is seen atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 after the rocket was lifted to vertical at Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Nov. 20, 2020.The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission consists of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, which will be followed by its twin, the Sentinel-6B satellite, in 2025. The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission is part of Copernicus, the European Unions Earth observation program, managed by the European Commission. Continuing the legacy of the Jason series missions, Sentinel-6/Jason-CS will extend the records of sea level into their fourth decade, collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height for more than 90% of the worlds oceans, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography, marine meteorology, and climate studies. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is scheduled to launch on Nov. 21, 2020, at 9:17 PST (12:17 EST). NASA

Members of the 5th Civil Engineer Squadron Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear team (CBRN) train on the new Vision 60 "Robot Dog" on Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, June 14, 2022. The Robot Dog is a high endurance, agile and durable all-weather ground drone that will aid the 5 CES to respond to and recover from CBRN events.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the new countdown clock at the spaceport's Press Site is being tested. The modern, multimedia display is similar to the screens seen at sporting venues. The new screen will be nearly 26 feet wide by 7 feet high, a foot taller than the original clock.The historic countdown clock was designed by Kennedy engineers and built by space center technicians before Apollo 12 in 1969. NASA has requested to acquire the countdown clock from the agencys Artifact Working Group at the agency's Headquarters for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

X-48B Blended Wing Body

Chris McDonald with Orbital Sciences, drives the Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, from the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) to launch Pad-0A, Thursday, July 10, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares will launch with the Cygnus spacecraft filled with over 3,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station, including science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions. The Orbital-2 mission is Orbital Sciences' second contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite known as TDRS-K arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard an Air Force C-17 transport aircraft at 8:29 a.m. Dec. 18 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for a Jan. 29 launch to a location in geostationary orbit. TDRS-K flew aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 from the Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems assembly facility in El Segundo, Calif., for final preparation to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.TDRS-K is the first of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for NASA by expanding the lifespan of the fleet. Each of the new satellites has a higher performance solar panel design to provide more spacecraft power. This upgrade will return signal processing for the S-Band multiple access service to the ground -- the same as the first-generation TDRS spacecraft. Ground-based processing allows TDRS to service more customers with di

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - At the U.S. Naval Base San Diego in California, support hardware for the Orion boilerplate test vehicle is be loaded in the well deck of the USS Anchorage for Underway Recovery Test 2. NASA, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will conduct tests in the Pacific Ocean to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module, forward bay cover and parachutes on its return from a deep space mission. The second underway recovery test will allow the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, new 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 the Orion is sch

NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) F-cab SIMFR (Simulation Frequency Response) Project; Pilots cockpit and out-the-window (OTW) view

STS-97 Commander Brent Jett arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a T-38 jet aircraft. He and the rest of the crew are at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that include emergency egress training, familiarization with the payload, and a simulated launch countdown. The other crew members are Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Carlos Noriega and Marc Garneau, who is with the Canadian Space Agency. Mission STS-97is the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at 10:05 p.m. EST

The heat shield for Orions Artemis 2 mission, NASAs first crewed mission, arrives in its shipping container aboard NASAs Super Guppy aircraft at the agencys Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida on July 9, 2019. The heat shield, measuring roughly 16 feet in diameter, will protect astronauts upon re-entry on the second mission of Artemis. The heat shield arrived from Lockheed Martins manufacturing facility near Denver. It will be offloaded and delivered to the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout facility high bay. The heat shield is a base titanium truss structure. Over the next several months, technicians will apply Avcoat, an ablative material that will provide the thermal protection. Artemis 2 will confirm all of the spacecrafts systems operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space with astronauts aboard.

Space Shuttle SSV orbiter model OA100 (0.36 scale) 40x80ft w.t.

Assured Vehicle Automation (AVA) - Hazard Perception and Avoidance (HPA), Human-In-The-Loop Simulation 1 (AVA-1h Simulation) in the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). Primary flight display screen, left, and traffic display screen, right, of the ownship aircraft in the VMSs R-Cab during the AVA-1h simulation in the VMS, N243.

$A Low-Cost Threat Emitter sits at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Feb. 9, 2024. Paired with visual training aids, the near-peer emitters offer remotely cued mobile threat replication capabilities at a fraction of the cost of currently utilized field emitters. Air Force$

Crews from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility prepare the balloon for flight for the 2014 NASA Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator test from the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This view shows the 32-inch-ball turret system mounted on the nose of a WB-57 aircraft at Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa Beach, Fla. It houses an optical bench, providing installation of both HDTV and infrared cameras as part of the NASA-approved WB-57 Ascent Video Experiment (WAVE). Flown during launch of a Space Shuttle, the WAVE provides both ascent and entry imagery and enables better observation of the Shuttle on days of heavier cloud cover and areas obscured from ground cameras by the launch exhaust plume. The WB-57 is being prepared for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114.

As the rising sun dawns over the parched bed of Rogers Dry Lake, AeroVironment's solar-electric Pathfinder-Plus awaits takeoff on its final research flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians move the Project Morpheus lander on a small transporter to a support building at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF. Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for free flight testing at Kennedy.The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASAs Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden addresses news and social media representatives at the Press Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the successful launch of NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station. Beside him on the podium is Gwynne Shotwell, president of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX. SpaceX built both the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule that launched at 8:35 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX CRS-1 is an important step toward making Americas microgravity research program self-sufficient by providing a way to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to and from the orbiting laboratory. NASA has contracted for 12 commercial resupply flights from SpaceX and eight from the Orbital Sciences Corp.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Johnson Controls operator Kenny Allen makes adjustments on one of the recently acquired Contraves-Goerz Kineto Tracking Mounts (KTM). There are 10 KTMs certified for use on the Eastern Range. The KTM, which is trailer-mounted with a center console/seat and electric drive tracking mount, includes a two-camera, camera control unit that will be used during launches. The KTM is designed for remotely controlled operations and offers a combination of film, shuttered and high-speed digital video, and FLIR cameras configured with 20-inch to 150-inch focal length lenses. The KTMs are generally placed in the field and checked out the day before a launch and manned 3 hours prior to liftoff.

LOUISVILLE, Colo. - During NASA's Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities for the Commercial Crew Program CCP, Sierra Nevada Corp. SNC built a Simulator and Avionics Laboratory to help engineers evaluate the Dream Chaser's characteristics during the piloted phases of flight. Located at Sierra Nevadas Space Systems facility in Louisville, Colo., it consists of a physical cockpit and integrated simulation hardware and software. The simulator is linked to the Vehicle Avionics Integration Laboratory, or VAIL, which serves as a platform for Dream Chaser avionics development, engineering testing and integration. VAIL also will also be used for verification and validation of avionics and software. Sierra Nevada is one of seven companies NASA entered into Space Act Agreements SAAs with during CCDev2 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 l

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Johnson Controls operators Rick Wetherington (left) and Kenny Allen work on two of the recently acquired Contraves-Goerz Kineto Tracking Mounts (KTM). There are 10 KTMs certified for use on the Eastern Range. The KTM, which is trailer-mounted with a center console/seat and electric drive tracking mount, includes a two-camera, camera control unit that will be used during launches. The KTM is designed for remotely controlled operations and offers a combination of film, shuttered and high-speed digital video, and FLIR cameras configured with 20-inch to 150-inch focal length lenses. The KTMs are generally placed in the field and checked out the day before a launch and manned 3 hours prior to liftoff.

PALMDALE, Calif. (May 22, 2013) The Northrop Grumman-built Triton unmanned aircraft system completed its first flight from the company's manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif. The one an a half hour flight successfully demonstrated control systems that allow Triton to operate autonomously. Triton is specially designed to fly surveillance missions up to 24 hours at altitudes of more than 10 miles, allowing coverage out to 2,000 nautical miles. The system's advanced suite of sensors can detect and automatically classify different types of ships.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-113 Mission Commander James Wetherbee practices driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier, part of emergency egress training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. He and the rest of the crew are preparing for the mission aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is scheduled to launch Nov. 10. The TCDT includes a launch countdown. The primary payloads on mission STS-113 are the first port truss segment, P1, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart B. Once delivered, the P1 truss will remain stowed until flight 12A.1 in 2003 when it will be attached to the central truss segment, S0, on the Space Station. Also onboard Space Shuttle Endeavour will be the Expedition 6 crew who will replace Expedition 5, returning to Earth after 4 months.

Doublebubble MIT N+3 D8 1/11 Scale Model in the 14x22 Foot Subsonic Tunnel

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Workers prepare to unload NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rocket-powered descent stage that will fly the rover during the final moments before landing on Mars. It arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo plane along with the MSL rover known as Curiosity. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-121 crew members wait for the release of the slidewire basket on Launch Pad 39B. They are taking part in emergency egress practice, part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities that include a simulated countdown culminating in main engine cutoff. Mission STS-121 is scheduled to be launched July 1.

LOUISVILLE, Colo. - Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems Dream Chaser full-scale test vehicle is lifted by an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter to verify proper aerodynamic flight performance near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County, Colo. This captive-carry test is one of several milestones the company is meeting during its partnership with NASAs Commercial Crew Program CCP. Data from this test will provide SNC an early opportunity to evaluate and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations in preparation for approach and landing tests scheduled for later this year.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 b

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robot Outstretches its Boom

Sierra Uninhaited Aerial System (UAV plane) in the Ames hangar. aks; Sierra Unpiloted Aerial system (UAS) with Leslie Monforton (on detail from the Naval Reesearch Lab)

The team Mountaineers robot is seen as it attempts the level one challenge during the 2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge, Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Eighteen teams are competing for a $1.5 million NASA prize purse. Teams will be required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge is to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth.

Marine Barracks Washington installs the solar powered EV ARC 2020 system at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, Washington D.C. The installation is a step towards modernizing and deploying a more efficient Marine Corps Motor Transportation fleet.

Models of the Orion spacecraft and Launch Abort System are on display for viewing at Naval Base San Diego in California. Service members, base employees and their families had the opportunity to view a test version of the Orion crew module (in view in the background) before Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5). NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will head out to sea with the Orion test vehicle aboard the USS San Diego to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of Orion on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket in 2018.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, a Shuttle Training Aircraft is directed for takeoff. STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Kevin Ford are practicing shuttle landings as preparation for space shuttle Discovery's launch Aug. 25 on the STS-128 mission. The 13-day mission will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill.

ORLANDO, Fla. - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., unveiled an inflatable, full-size model of the Mars Science Laboratory mission's Curiosity rover at the "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology," or FIRST, competition at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The rover is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard an Atlas V later this year. FIRST, founded in 1989, is a non-profit organization that designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue academic opportunities. The robotics competition challenges teams of high school students and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard kit of parts and a common set of rules.

Astronauts participate in a Boeing/United Launch Alliance emergency egress system demonstration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Launch Complex 41 in Florida on June 19, 2018. The system features seats attached to slide wires which would carry astronauts and ground crew more than 1,300 feet away from the crew access tower in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff on launch day.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With STS-110 Mission Specialists Jerry Ross (far left) and Steven Smith (third from left) on board, Commander Michael Bloomfield scatters dust as he practices driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier. The driving is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. Scheduled for launch April 4, the 11-day mission will feature Shuttle Atlantis docking with the International Space Station (ISS) and delivering the S0 truss, the centerpiece-segment of the primary truss structure that will eventually extend over 300 feet

The Reconnaissance Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle IAI Eitan Steadfast BERLIN - JUNE 06, 2024: The Reconnaissance Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle IAI Eitan Steadfast, also known as Heron TP. ILA Berlin Air Show 2024. Copyright: xZoonar.com/SergeyxKohlx 21897719

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporations TigerShark prepares for its final takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration in the National Airspace Systems, Flight Test Series Six (FT6) project. FT6 flight tests took place at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and focused on low size weight and power sensors for Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations in controlled airspace to inform the FAA through the RTCA Special Committee DAA Working Group on the phase 2 minimum operational performance standards for DAA and air-to-air radar.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers deliver an enlarged replica of the STS-107 crew emblem to the RLV Hangar where it will be installed on an outside wall. Inside the hangar, members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project team are identifying pieces of Columbia debris as they arrive at Kennedy Space Center and placing them on a grid approximating the shape of the orbiter.

DARPA, U.S. Air Force, Boeing X-45A UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle) at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 crew receives instruction on slidewire basket operation, part of the emergency exit system on the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A. Seen here near the catch nets in the landing zone are, from left, Mission Specialists Leopold Eyharts, Hans Schlegel and Rex Walheim; Commander Steve Frick; Mission Specialists Stanley Love and Leland Melvin; and Pilot Alan Poindexter. Seven slidewire baskets are available to carry the crew from the level of the pad's Orbiter Access Arm to this landing site, if needed. Each basket can hold up to three people. A braking system catch net and drag chain slow, and then halt, the baskets as they travel down the wire at approximately 55 miles per hour. The journey takes about half a minute. A bunker is located in the landing zone 1,200 feet west of the pad, with an M-113 armored personnel carrier stationed nearby. The STS-122 crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to take part in te

Close-up of a helmet with an Action Cam mounted on it. In the background the engine to make Powered Paragliding. PPG.

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporations TigerShark prepares for its final takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration in the National Airspace Systems, Flight Test Series Six (FT6) project. FT6 flight tests took place at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and focused on low size weight and power sensors for Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations in controlled airspace to inform the FAA through the RTCA Special Committee DAA Working Group on the phase 2 minimum operational performance standards for DAA and air-to-air radar.

A view of an antenna at the Comsat Earth Station for Satellite Communications. Base: Majuro Atoll Country: Marshall Islands (MHL)

Boeing, NASA and U.S. Army teams rehearse safely bringing the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft home to Earth on Wed., June 6, 2018, at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. During the detailed landing simulation, engineers, technicians and spaceflight specialists worked through tight timelines and intense heat running through simulations of the spacecraft's landing and recovery, an operation that will cap each Starliner mission. For flight controllers at Mission Control in Houston, the simulation offered the chance to evaluate their own processes and rehearse everything from undocking the Starliner from the space station to communicating with the recovery teams in the field.

Boeings CST-100 Starliners parachute systems successfully completed a “lawn dart” test at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona in February. The test involved dropping the dart from a C-17 aircraft. This reliability test was part of a special studies program NASA initiated to validate the robust design of Starliners parachute systems, and is an important milestone in proving the systems are ready to safely land Starliner. NASA and Boeing are preparing for the companys uncrewed and crewed flight tests of Starliner as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - With applause and cheers from the onlookers, Space Shuttle Atlantis roars off the launch pad for a rendezvous with the International Space Station on mission STS-115. In the foreground is the countdown clock, marking launch and mission-elapsed time, on the grounds of the NASA News Center. After launch attempts were scrubbed Aug. 27 and 29 and Sept. 3 and 8 due to weather and technical concerns, this launch was executed perfectly. During the STS-115 mission, Atlantis' astronauts will deliver and install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment on the station. The girder-like truss includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics and will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation capability for the completed station. This mission is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the ISS. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft is moved out of an Antonov An-124 cargo plane at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Launch and Landing Facility on Nov. 1, 2019. The spacecraft was delivered to the Florida spaceport from Munich, Germany, then transported to the Astrotech Space Operations facility in nearby Titusville. Solar Orbiter is a European Space Agency mission with strong NASA participation. The mission aims to study the Sun, its outer atmosphere and solar winds. The spacecraft will provide the first images of the Suns poles. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch. Liftoff is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Expedition 6 crew member Nikolai Budarin takes his turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier during emergency egress training at the pad. The crew is preparing for the mission aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is scheduled to launch Nov. 10, by taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT includes a simulated launch countdown.. The Expedition 6 crew will travel on Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station to replace Expedition 5, returning to Earth after 4 months. The primary payloads on mission STS-113 are the first port truss segment, P1, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart B. Once delivered, the P1 truss will remain stowed until flight 12A.1 in 2003 when it will be attached to the central truss segment, S0, on the Space Station. Launch is scheduled for Nov. 10, 2002.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Research team members aboard one of the watercraft being utilized to conduct underwater acoustic research in the Launch Complex 39 turn basin monitor some of the project's equipment just released into the water. Several government agencies, including NASA, NOAA, the Navy, the Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission are involved in the testing. The research involves demonstrations of passive and active sensor technologies, with applications in fields ranging from marine biological research to homeland security. The work is also serving as a pilot project to assess the cooperation between the agencies involved. Equipment under development includes a passive acoustic monitor developed by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and mobile robotic sensors from the Navys Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit.

NASA's Psyche Spacecraft Move at Astrotech. Technicians and engineers moved NASAs Psyche spacecraft along the road to Building 9 at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 14, 2023. Psyche will explore its namesake, a metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Psyche has NASAs Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration onboard the spacecraft. DSOC will be the agency's first demonstration of optical communication beyond the Moon. Psyche will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. Launch is targeted for Oct. 5, 2023.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The solar array on the prototype rover Artemis Jr. for NASAs Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction, or RESOLVE, project soaks up the sunlight as it takes a test drive around the field next to the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.RESOLVE consists of a rover and drill provided by the Canadian Space Agency to support a NASA payload that is designed to prospect for water, ice and other lunar resources. RESOLVE also will demonstrate how future explorers can take advantage of resources at potential landing sites by manufacturing oxygen from soil. NASA will conduct field tests in July outside of Hilo, Hawaii, with equipment and concept vehicles that demonstrate how explorers might prospect for resources and make their own oxygen for survival while on other planetary bodies.

A security guard keeps watch as the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010. The TMA-01M is a new modified Soyuz vehicle that features upgraded avionics and a digital cockpit display. The crew of Expedition 25 Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri, NASA Flight Engineer Scott Kelly and Russian Flight Engineer Oleg Skripochka is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 at 5:10 a.m. Kazakhstan time.

NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley speak to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceXs Demo-2 mission, Wednesday, May 20, 2020, 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. Behnken and Hurley are scheduled to launch at 4:33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 27, 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.

The Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, arrives at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

Robot rescue Search and rescue robot unit with tracks Copyright: xZoonar.com/Baloncicix 7063959

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A NASA helicopter releases the contents of the high-impact-resistant flexible plastic bucket it holds. The 324-gallon container will be used for fire protection on property and buildings at Kennedy Space Center. Known as the "Bambi" bucket, it will also support the Fish and Wildlife Service for controlled burns plus any wild fires in the area.

Scientists work on laptops inside their tent at the Columbia Glacier, near Valdez, Alaska.

World's largest radio speaker on Dadeng Island, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China

Glove on F-16 Used in Laminar Flow Test

NextSafe 2.5 Motion Simulation Experiment Crew evaluation of vision system technologies

Cruise Missile Rocket-212, a long-range missile with a liquid-fuelled rocket engine designed to be used against remote targets.

Used by Signal Soldiers from the 505th Signal Brigade, who traveled to Camp Navajo, Arizona, to conduct a ten-day Annual Training event, July 24 through August 4, 2022, the Secure Internet Protocol Router/Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router (SIPR/NIPR) Access Point (SNAP) ground satellite terminal, which is a Beyond Line of Sight communication transport system (BLOS) and is used to extend network access to company, platoon and team-level units at the tactical edge of the battlefield. The U.S. Army Signal Corps is the branch of the U.S. Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of the combined arms forces.

A U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft arrives at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, with NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft aboard. The spacecraft will be offloaded and transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

L59 RC Kit Model/Learn to fly test technique and modeling developmentPersons in the picture: Left to right: Jay Brandon, Sue Grafton, Wes O'Neal, Mark Croom, Earl Harris, and Eric Viken

Electronic Flight Instrument System Display

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, right, speaks to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center with fellow crewmates NASA astronaut Robert Hines, left, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, second from left, and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, second from right, ahead of SpaceXs Crew-4 mission, Monday, April 18, 2022, in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti are scheduled to launch at April 23 at 5:26 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine made his first official visit to the agency's Kennedy Space Center on Monday, Aug. 6, 2018. His up-close look at the premier, multi-user spaceport began with a helicopter tour over the bustling Florida spaceport that included the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media from around the globe gather on the grounds of the Press Site and countdown clock at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to photograph and cover the prelaunch activities and lift off of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis began its final flight, with Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim on board, at 11:29 a.m. EDT July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Also in Atlantis' payload bay is the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 is the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space s

An artist's concept of the F-16 multimission cockpit head up display, showing a pilot's view of the low altitude navigation and targeting infra-red system for night. Country: Unknown

An artist's concept of a Hen House radar installation. An artist's concept of a Hen House radar installation.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A space shuttle model built of LEGO bricks is on display at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking a new partnership between the U.S. space agency and The LEGO Group. The three-year Space Act Agreement is 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. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, singer-songwriter Brad Paisley receives a response from astronaut Reid Wiseman, an Expedition 40 crew member in Earth orbit on the International Space Station, after Paisley announced through social media the release of a new song titled "American Flag on the Moon." Wiseman responded, "Hold on @BradPaisley, we don't usually like leaks at the launch pad." In the background is Launch Pad 39A from which the Apollo moon landing missions were launched.For more on Kennedy Space Center, visit http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy. To read more of Wiseman's Twitter posts from the station, go to

2-Prop. R.C.F. (Rotating Cylinder Flap) in 40 x 80ft. wind tunnel - overhead view propeller spinning with Chuck Greco.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The STS-135 crew members talk to media as their vehicle, space shuttle Atlantis, makes its final journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion was at 8:42 p.m. EDT. It will take the crawler-transporter about six hours to carry the shuttle, attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, to the seaside launch pad. The milestone move paves the way for the launch of the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for July 8.STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, arrives on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway aboard an Air Force C-5M aircraft from Europe. The 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. AMS will fly to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch Feb. 26, 2011.

One of multiple microphone stations used in the CarpetDIEM flight series, which gave researchers valuable lessons learned in preparations to deploy a similar array for the quiet supersonic X-59. Prior to community overflights, X-59 will undergo an acoustic validation phase, during which NASA will deploy the array of specially-configured microphones to measure the X-59s thumps, in order to verify that they are as quiet as predicted.

In the foreground of this aerial photo is the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Support Complex at Kennedy Space Center. At right is a multi-purpose hangar and to its left is a building for related ground support equipment and administrative/ technical support. The complex is situated at the Shuttle Landing Facility (center). At the upper left is the runway. The RLV complex will be available to accommodate the Space Shuttle; the X-34 RLV technology demonstrator; the L-1011 carrier aircraft for Pegasus and X-34; and other RLV and X-vehicle programs. The complex is jointly funded by the Spaceport Florida Authority, NASAs Space Shuttle Program and KSC

Digital cockpit also called glass cockpit, with avionics system G3X Touch of the manufacturer Garmin in a microlight aircraft of the type Sparker of the Czech manufacturer TL-Ultralight. International Trade Fair for General Aviation AERO Friedrichshafen 2023, Bodenseekreis, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, Europe

Man dressed as astronaut using smart phone

A NASA "Tweep" has his picture taken in front of space shuttle Atlantis at launch pad 39A during a tour of Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. Space shuttle Atlantis is set to launch on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 and dock with the International Space Station (ISS) two days later.

ILA Berlin Air Show 2024. BERLIN - JUNE 05, 2024: Remote Carrier Multidomain Multirole Effector RCM2 by MBDA. ILA Berlin Air Show 2024. Copyright: xZoonar.com/SergeyxKohlx 21806573

A view of the Mars rover concept, developed by vehicle designers, the Parker Brothers, with advice from NASA, is seen here during the Smithsonian Institutions National Air and Space Museums Mars Day, an annual event celebrating the Red Planet with exhibits, speakers, and educational activities, Friday, July 21, 2017 in Washington. The Mars rover concept is currently on an East Coast tour from its home base at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center in Florida, and is designed to engage and educate the public by demonstrating the types of features and equipment a future human exploration vehicle may need.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- From the viewing site near Launch Pad 39A, STS-118 Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell practices using a video camera to film the external tank/solid rocket booster stack on Space Shuttle Endeavour. Caldwell will capture the separation of the tank from Endeavour after launch. The STS-118 crew is at Kennedy to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, including M-113 training, payload familiarization, emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. The payload aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour includes the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The STS-118 mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug. 7. NASA/George Shelton

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