NASA Space Mission Preparation

Technicians work in clean rooms at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, preparing spacecraft modules and equipment for various missions to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-117 Pilot Lee Archambault points to a part on the external airlock in the payload bay of Atlantis. He and other crew members are at KSC to take part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test that allows them opportunities to become familiar with equipment and hardware for their mission. STS-117 will deliver the S3/S4 and another pair of solar arrays to the space station. The 21st shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-117 is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 16.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to load the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, Robonaut 2, or R2, into the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM. Packed inside a launch box called SLEEPR, or Structural Launch Enclosure to Effectively Protect Robonaut, R2 will be placed in the in the same launch orientation as space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew members -- facing toward the nose of the shuttle with the back taking all the weight. Although R2 will initially only participate in operational tests, upgrades could eventually allow the robot to realize its true purpose -- helping spacewalking astronauts with tasks outside the International Space Station. STS-133 is targeted to launch Nov. 1.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-117 Pilot Lee Archambault points to a part on the external airlock in the payload bay of Atlantis. He and other crew members are at KSC to take part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test that allows them opportunities to become familiar with equipment and hardware for their mission. STS-117 will deliver the S3/S4 and another pair of solar arrays to the space station. The 21st shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-117 is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 16.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the clean room of the Payload Hazardous Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers attach an overhead crane to the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS. The COS is being lifted and moved to a protective enclosure on the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, part of the payload for the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, STS-125. Other payloads include the Flight Support System, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier. COS will be the most sensitive ultraviolet spectrograph ever flown on Hubble and will probe the "cosmic web" - the large-scale structure of the universe whose form is determined by the gravity of dark matter and is traced by galaxies and intergalactic gas. The COS far-ultraviolet channel has a sensitivity 30 times greater than that of previous spectroscopic instruments for the detection of extremely low light levels. Launch of Atlantis on the STS-125 mission is

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians guide an overhead crane as it lifts the pump module assembly plate for transfer to the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier, or LMC. The module assembly will be used to secure the return of a failed ammonia pump module in shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis and its payload are being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help guide the control moment gyro, or CMG, as a crane lifts and moves it from its container. The CMG is part of the payload on the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, space shuttle Atlantis also will deliver the orbital spares and replacement parts to sustain the life of the station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers prepare to attach equipment that will enable the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) spacecraft to be raised to a vertical position and moved to a workstand. It will undergo state-of-health checks, and electrical ground-support equipment testing. CALIPSO will fly in combination with the CloudSat satellite to provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will join three other satellites in orbit to enhance understanding of climate systems. The launch date for CALIPSO_CloudSat is no earlier than Aug. 22.

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) is inspected shortly after arrival. ECOSTRESS is designed to monitor one of the most basic processes in living plants: the loss of water through the tiny pores in leaves. ECOSTRESS will launch to the International Space Station aboard a Dragon spacecraft launched by a Falcon 9 rocket on the SpaceX CRS-15 mission in June 2018.

A technician dressed in a clean room suit closely monitors the progress as a crane lowers NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) onto a test stand inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the PHSF, the satellite will be processed and prepared for its flight. TESS is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. TESS is the next step in NASA's search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MITs Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASAs Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Space Tel

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, technicians test the deployment of an antenna from the Inter Orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. The antenna and a pointing mechanism will be used to communicate with JAXAs Data Relay Test Satellite, or DRTS. The ICS-EF will be launched, along with the Extended Facility and Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127mission targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-126 Commander Chris Ferguson (left) and Mission Specialist Steve Bowen get a close look at hardware inside space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. Members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew are at Kennedy to participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. The CEIT provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on the mission. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians attach a crane to the Soft Capture Mechanism (SCM), part of the Soft Capture and Rendezvous System, or SCRS. The SCM will be lifted and transferred to the stand holding the Flight Support System, or FSS, carrier, where the SCM will be mated to the FSS. The SCRS will enable the future rendezvous, capture and safe disposal of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope by either a crewed or robotic mission. The ring-like device attaches to Hubbles aft bulkhead. The SCRS greatly increases the current shuttle capture interfaces on Hubble, therefore significantly reducing the rendezvous and capture design complexities associated with the disposal mission. The FSS will join the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier as payload on space shuttle Atlantis's STS-125 mission. The payload is scheduled

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians wait for the rotation of the Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3, in order to attach a crane. The WFC3 will be transferred to the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier. WFC3 is part of the payload on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission for the fifth and final Hubble servicing flight to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The part shown here is the radiator, the "outside" of WFC3 that will be exposed to space and will expel heat out of Hubble and into space through black body radiation. As Hubble enters the last stage of its life, WFC3 will be Hubble's next evolutionary step, allowing Hubble to peer ever further into the mysteries of the cosmos. WFC3 will study a diverse range of objects and phenomena, from young and extremely distant galaxies, to much more nearby stellar systems, to objects within our very own solar system. WFC3 will take the place of Wide Field Planetary Came

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare equipment to be used closing the hatch on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. The module is the payload for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. The 15-day mission will deliver equipment and supplies to the space station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. Leonardo holds supplies and equipment, including additional crew quarters, equipment for the regenerative life support system and spare hardware. Endeavour is targeted for launch Nov. 14.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base's Astrotech processing facility in California, NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, spacecraft is lowered onto the flight conical adapter and test stand. The satellite will survey the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, creating a cosmic clearinghouse of hundreds of millions of objects, which will be catalogued, providing a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. Launch is scheduled no earlier than Dec. 7.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, crew members with the STS-125 mission get a close look at some of the equipment associated with their mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Mission Specialists Mike Massimino (left) and John Grunsfeld look at the portable foot restraint on the Axial Science Instrument Protective Enclosure, or ASIPE. The STS-125 crew is taking part in a crew equipment interface test, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on their mission. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch on the STS-125 mission Oct. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians at Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. attach an overhead crane to the high-gain antenna that will be installed to NASA's Juno spacecraft. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians lower the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, or MAVEN, onto the rotation fixture for further testing and prelaunch preparations next week. MAVEN is being readied for its scheduled November launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to Mars. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

Technicians unpack and inspect a Nitrogen/Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) tank inside the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 2020. The NORS tanks and their support fixtures are designed to connect to the International Space Stations existing air supply network to refill the previous generation of tanks installed during construction of the space station. These reusable tanks measure 3 feet long and 21 inches in diameter, and weigh about 200 pounds when filled. Once onboard, the tanks will be used to fill the oxygen and nitrogen tanks that supply the needed gases to the space stations airlock for spacewalks. They could also be used to replenish the atmosphere inside the station. The NORS tanks will launch to the station later in the year on a commercial resupply mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, Robonaut 2, or R2, begins is move to a horizontal position in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Packed inside a launch box called SLEEPR, or Structural Launch Enclosure to Effectively Protect Robonaut, R2 will be placed in the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM, in the same launch orientation as space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew members -- facing toward the nose of the shuttle with the back taking all the weight. Although R2 will initially only participate in operational tests, upgrades could eventually allow the robot to realize its true purpose -- helping spacewalking astronauts with tasks outside the International Space Station. STS-133 is targeted to launch Nov. 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-119 Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba takes a close look at part of the payload on the mission. Acaba and other crew members are at Kennedy for a Crew Equipment Interface Test that provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on the mission. On the STS-119 mission, space shuttle Discovery will carry the S6 truss segment to complete the 361-foot-long backbone of the International Space Station. The truss includes the fourth pair of solar array wings and electronics that convert sunlight to power for the orbiting laboratory. Discovery is targeted for launch on Feb. 12, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians clean contamination from the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier, or SLIC. Contamination discovered Sept. 17 during preparations to deliver NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing payload to Launch Pad 39A. Cleanliness is extremely important for space shuttle Atlantis STS-125 mission to Hubble, and the teams have insured that the SLIC is ready to fly. The SLIC, which holds battery module assemblies, is built with state-of-the-art, lightweight, composite materials - carbon fiber with a cyanate ester resin and a titanium metal matrix composite. These composites have greater strength-to-mass ratios than the metals typically used in spacecraft design. The carrier is one of four being transferred to Launch Pad 39A. At the pad, the carriers will be loaded into Atlantis payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help guide the control moment gyroscope, or CMG, toward the small adapter plate assembly below. The CMG is part of the payload on the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, space shuttle Atlantis also will deliver the orbital spares and replacement parts to sustain the life of the station.

Inside the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers remove the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1 from it shipping container. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the STS-130 crew inspect space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. In the right corner, from left are Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts Jr. and Mission Specialist Robert Behnken.The crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which provides hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. The STS-130 flight will carry the Tranquility pressurized module with a built-in cupola to the International Space Station aboard Endeavour. Launch is targeted for Feb. 4, 2010.

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help secure the hatch for closure on the Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module (PCM) for the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the commercial resupply services mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians deploy one of four solar panels on the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft A. Deploying these arrays is standard procedure to ensure they work properly on Earth before they head into space. NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. As the spacecraft orbits Earth, the panels will continuously face the sun to provide constant power to its instruments.RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Launch is targeted for Aug. 23.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts look at one end of a module being processed for the International Space Station. Accompanied by technicians, at far left is Leopold Eyharts; at far right is Peggy Whitson. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians remove the protective wrapping from the rocket-powered descent stage for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). The descent stage will fly the MSL rover, Curiosity, during the final moments before landing on Mars.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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers move the Hubble Fine Guidance Sensor, or FGS, before removing the protective cover. The FGS will be integrated onto the Orbital Replacement Unit carrier in the clean room of the facility. The sensor will extend the life of the pointing control system on the Hubble Space Telescope. On the mission, this FGS will replace one of the three sensors that is failing and thus outfit the telescope with two completely healthy units, which are needed. A third, older FGS aboard the telescope will provide additional target-pointing efficiency and redundancy. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch on the STS-125 mission Oct. 8.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians check the sensors on the Soft Capture Mechanism (SCM), part of the Soft Capture and Rendezvous System, or SCRS, after mating of the SCM to the Flight Support System, or FSS, carrier. The SCRS will enable the future rendezvous, capture and safe disposal of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope by either a crewed or robotic mission. The ring-like device attaches to Hubbles aft bulkhead. The SCRS greatly increases the current shuttle capture interfaces on Hubble, therefore significantly reducing the rendezvous and capture design complexities associated with the disposal mission. The FSS will join the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier as payload on space shuttle Atlantis's STS-125 mission. The payload is scheduled to go to Launch Pad 39A in mid-September to be installed into Atlantis'

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians check the progress of the Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) and Small Adapter Plate Assembly being lowered onto the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier. The CMG will launch aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission, STS-114 to the Space Station. The CMGs provide altitude control for the outpost keeping it properly oriented toward the Sun without the use of rocket fuel. During the STS-114 mission, astronauts will perform a spacewalk to replace an inoperable CMG. Four CMGs are mounted on the Z1 Truss of the Station. The launch window for STS-114 is May 15 to June 3, 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians move a system that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft in orbit from a processing lab to a high bay in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The move prepares the system for its lift into the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC), which will carry it into orbit. Called the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), the system will be processed to fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Also going up will be the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The mission also will return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135, targeted to launch June 28, will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final m

STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE-1 CARGO STORAGE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers prepare to lift the SV1 and mate it to the SV2 spacecraft for the Space Tracking and Surveillance System - Demonstrators, or STSS Demo, Program. STSS-Demo is a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detecting, tracking and discriminating ballistic missiles. The spacecraft is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors. It will be launched by NASA for the Missile Defense Agency between 8 and 8:58 a.m. EDT Sept. 18. Approved for Public Release 09-MDA-04886 (10 SEPT 09)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., Boeing technicians lower a protective cover over the Deep Impact spacecraft to protect it before the canister is installed around it. Once the spacecraft is completely covered, it will be transferred to Launch Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Then, in the mobile service tower, the fairing will be installed around the spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch. Scheduled for liftoff Jan. 12, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. After releasing a 3- by 3-foot projectile to crash onto the surface, Deep Impacts flyby spacecraft will reveal the secrets of its interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the craters de

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-117 Pilot Lee Archambault (left) and Mission Specialist James Reilly (right) look over the external airlock in the payload bay of Atlantis. They and other crew members are at KSC to take part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test that allows them opportunities to become familiar with equipment and hardware for their mission. STS-117 will deliver the S3/S4 and another pair of solar arrays to the space station. The 21st shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-117 is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 16.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-111 Mission Specialist Franklin Chang-Diaz (right) rests after practicing a maneuver on the replacement pitch roll joint for the SSRMS (Canadarm 2). The joint will be installed during the mission to the International Space Station. Part of the payload on mission STS-111 is the Mobile Base System (MBS), which will be installed on the Mobile Transporter to complete the Canadian Mobile Servicing System, or MSS. The mechanical arm will then have the capability to "inchworm" from the U.S. Lab Destiny to the MSS and travel along the truss to work sites. STS-111 is the second utilization flight (UF-2) to the Space Station and will also carry the Expedition 5 crew to replace Expedition 4. Launch is scheduled for May 30, 2002

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, cargo has arrived for late loading in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FIa. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers keep close watch as an overhead crane lifts the flexible hose rotary coupler. The coupler will be moved to the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier for installation. The carrier will be installed in space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. The 15-day flight will deliver equipment and supplies to the space station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. The mission also will include four spacewalks to service the stations Solar Alpha Rotary Joints.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility prepare the heat shield that will be attached to the backshell, surrounding Mars Exploration Rover 1 (MER-1). NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can't yet go. MER-1 is scheduled to launch June 25 as MER-B aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Inside the high bay of the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a technician prepares NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) to be attached to the payload adapter, on Aug. 20, 2018. The satellite is being prepared for its scheduled launch from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg on the final United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. ICESat-2 will measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. The satellite will carry the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS). ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much our planet's frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing in a warming climate.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane lifts the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, so it can be lifted onto a work stand and processed for launch. 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. AMS will fly to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch Feb. 26, 2011.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- A technician ensures no contaminants on the payload fairing or the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM, spacecraft about to be mounted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Space Launch Complex-3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM is the future of Landsat satellites. It will continue to obtain valuable data and imagery to be used in agriculture, education, business, science, and government. The Landsat Program provides repetitive acquisition of high resolution multispectral data of the Earth's surface on a global basis. The data from the Landsat spacecraft constitute the longest record of the Earth's continental surfaces as seen from space. It is a record unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and value. Liftoff is planned for Feb. 11, 2013 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Workers inside the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida lift the orbital replacement unit for the space station's utility transfer assembly before placing it in a shipping container. The assembly, which was processed at Kennedy, will be shipped to Japan at the beginning of the year for the HTV-4 launch, which is currently scheduled for 2013.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to perform a magnetic swing test on Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft A. The magnetic swing test is performed to characterize the magnetic signature of the spacecraft so that when it is taking measurements with its sensors in space scientists can subtract out background noise from the spacecraft itself. NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Launch is targeted for Aug. 23.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) in the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-116 Mission Specialist Sunita Williams points to an area of the orbiter boom sensor system in Discoverys payload bay. A CEIT allows astronauts to become familiar with equipment and hardware they will use on the mission. STS-116 will be mission No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way to install the parabolic high gain antenna, right, onto the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN spacecraft. The antenna will communicate vast amounts of data to Earth during the mission. MAVEN is being prepared inside the facility for its scheduled November launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to Mars. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers operate a rack insertion device being used to install science racks into Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo during processing for space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 mission to the International Space Station.The science racks Leonardo delivers will be transferred to laboratories on the station. Three spacewalks during STS-131 will include work to attach a spare ammonia tank assembly to the station's exterior and return a European experiment from outside the station's Columbus module. STS-131 will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station. Launch is targeted for March 18, 2010.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians remove the protective cover from NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover known as Curiosity, before processing and testing.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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the STS-127 crew check out equipment related to the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, part of the payload on the mission. The crew is Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. They are at Kennedy for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, or CEIT, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware for the mission. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers remove the protective cover from the Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG), which will be delivered to the International Space Station on Mission STS-114 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery to replace one that has failed. CMGs are critical to ISS operation, keeping the outpost properly oriented toward the Sun without the use of rocket fuel. Four CMGs are mounted inside a truss that extends upward from the Unity modules zenith port. The Z1 truss, attached to the ISS during Mission STS-92 in October 2000, also carries the stations main solar arrays. The launch window for Discovery is May 15 to June 3, 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians check the nitrogen tank assembly closely as an overhead crane lifts and moves it to the Express Logistics Carrier 1, or ELC-1. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, workers check the movement of a GetAway Special canister (GAS can) being lowered onto the Hitchhiker Bridge. The bridge is a carrier for the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments on mission STS-107. A research mission, the primary payload is the first flight of the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM), also known as SPACEHAB. The experiments range from material sciences to life sciences (many rats). STS-107 is scheduled to launch July 11, 2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., technicians secure NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's high-gain antenna into place for stowage. The antenna completed a range of motion test. The orbiter will carry seven instruments to provide scientists with detailed maps of the lunar surface and enhance our understanding of the moon's topography, lighting conditions, mineralogical composition and natural resources. Information gleaned from LRO will be used to select safe landing sites, determine locations for future lunar outposts and help mitigate radiation dangers to astronauts. Launch of LRO is targeted no earlier than June 2.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 prepare a solar panel and the Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft (in the background) for installation of the panel. The spacecraft will provide the first detailed look into the heart of a comet -- the nucleus. The spacecraft will fly as close as 60 miles (100 kilometers) to at least two comets and will take the sharpest pictures yet of the nucleus while analyzing the gas and dust that surround these rocky, icy building blocks of the solar system. Launch of CONTOUR aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for July 1 from Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, technicians deploy an antenna from the Inter Orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. The antenna and a pointing mechanism will be used to communicate with JAXAs Data Relay Test Satellite, or DRTS. The ICS-EF will be launched, along with the Extended Facility and Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127mission targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-133 crew members gather inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM for a close look at the storage racks. The PMM will be used to carry supplies and critical spare parts to the station and will be left behind so it can be used for microgravity experiments in fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology. The astronauts are at Kennedy for the Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT, which provides the crew with hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware for their mission to the International Space Station. Launch of the STS-133 mission on space shuttle Discovery is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4 33 p.m. EDT.

The Materials International Space Station Experiment-Flight Facility, or MISSE-FF, hardware arrived at the Space Station Processing Facility low bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians assist as one of the components is lowered onto another MISSE component. MISSE will be used to test various materials and computing elements on the exterior of the space station. They will be exposed to the harsh environment of low-Earth orbit, including to a vacuum, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, direct sunlight and extreme heat and cold. The experiment will provide a better understanding of material durability, from coatings to electronic sensors, which could be applied to future spacecraft designs. MISSE will be delivered to the space station on a future commercial resupply mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-114 crew members check out the hardware in Atlantis that will fly on the STS-114 mission. STS-114 is a utilization and logistics flight (ULF-1) that will carry Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the External Stowage Platform (ESP-2), as well as the Expedition 7 crew, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for March 1, 2003.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers adjust a cover on the top two rings to be installed over the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF is currently scheduled for transportation to Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and mating with the Delta II on or about April 4.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Inside an environmental enclosure at Vandenberg Air Force Base's processing facility in California, the turnover rotation fixture has been removed from around NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, following its mating to an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket. The turnover rotation fixture was used to rotate the spacecraft into a horizontal position and supported it during mating operations. The uniting of the spacecraft with the rocket is a major milestone in prelaunch preparations.After processing of the rocket and spacecraft are complete, they will be flown on Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Oceans Kwajalein Atoll for launch. The high-energy x-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare the ICS Exposed Facility, ICS-EF, to be lifted and installed on the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES. The ICS-EF is composed of several components, including an antenna, pointing mechanism, frequency converters, high-power amplifier and various sensors including the Earth sensor, Sun sensor and inertial reference unit. The ICS-EF is part of space shuttle Endeavour's payload on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of the STS-124 crew look over the scientific airlock in the Kibo pressurized module. The module is part of the payload for the mission, targeted for launch no earlier than April 24. The crew comprises seven: Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Kenneth Ham, and Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ronald Garan, Michael Fossum and Akihiko Hoshide. The crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test that includes familiarization with tools and equipment that will be used on the mission. The STS-124 mission is the second of three flights that will launch components to complete the Japanese pressurized module, the Kibo laboratory. The mission will include two spacewalks to install the new lab and its remote manipulator system. The lab's logistics module, which will have been installed in a temporary location during STS-123, will be attached to the new lab.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, mission STS-120 crew members familiarize themselves with equipment during a visit to Kennedy Space Center. Crew members are Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Douglas Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson, Paolo Nespoli (with the European Space Agency), Daniel Tani and Clayton Anderson. Mission STS-120 will deliver the Node 2 "Harmony" connecting module to the station. During the mission, Tani and Anderson will transfer to the station and remain as flight engineers for Expedition 15. The mission is tentatively scheduled for August of this year.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers prepare to close the hatch on the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo. The module is part of the payload for Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery is scheduled to launch in July.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers prepare the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) spacecraft to be lifted and transferred to a workstand. CALIPSO will undergo state-of-health checks, and electrical ground-support equipment testing. CALIPSO will fly in combination with the CloudSat satellite to provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will join three other satellites in orbit to enhance understanding of climate systems. The launch date for CALIPSO_CloudSat is no earlier than Aug. 22.

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers inspect components for the Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass investigation, or CREAM, instrument. It is designed to measure the charges of cosmic rays to better understand what gives them such incredible energies, and how that effects the composition of the universe. The instrument will be launched to the space station on the SpaceX CRS-12 commercial resupply mission in August 2017.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1, astronauts of the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, and United Space Alliance technicians look over the Orbital Boom Sensor System (OBSS) in Atlantis' payload bay. In the railed enclosure are, from left, the United Space Alliance (USA) bucket operator, Mission Specialist Piers J. Sellers, a USA trainer, and Mission Specialist Michael E. Fossum. The 50-foot-long OBSS is attached to the Remote Manipulator System, or Shuttle robotic arm, and is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight, equipping the orbiter with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttles Thermal Protection System while in space. The STS-121 crew is at KSC to participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT). During CEIT, the crew has an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the orbiter and equipment they will be working with on their mission. STS-121, the second Return to Flight mission, is scheduled to launch aboard Atlanti

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Processing for mission STS-107 continues in the Operations and Checkout Building as the tunnel that will connect Space Shuttle Columbia's crew compartment to the SPACEHAB module is moved into a transportation canister. A research mission, the primary payload of STS-107 is the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM) or SPACEHAB, making its first flight. The experiments on board will range from material sciences to life sciences (many rats). STS-107 is scheduled to launch July 19, 2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians perform a solar array illumination test after the solar arrays and magnetometer boom were deployed on the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft A. Deploying these components are a standard procedure to ensure they work properly on Earth before they head into space.NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. As the spacecraft orbits Earth, the four solar panels will continuously face the sun to provide constant power to its instruments. The boom will provide data of the electric fields that energize radiation particles and modify the structure of the inner magnetosphere. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard a United Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, crew members with the STS-125 mission get a close look at some of the equipment associated with their mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Reaching over the Main Electronics Box is Mission Specialist Mike Massimino, replacing the cover. The STS-125 crew is taking part in a crew equipment interface test, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on their mission. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch on the STS-125 mission Oct. 10.

RBSP-A, Canister Removal, First Bag Removal, Solar Panels Unbagged and into Work Stand

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician works to replace the protective cover on the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier, or SLIC. The cover was removed to clean the carrier of contaminants found Sept. 17 during preparations to deliver NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing payload to Launch Pad 39A. Cleanliness is extremely important for space shuttle Atlantis STS-125 mission to Hubble, and the teams have insured that the SLIC is ready to fly. The SLIC, which holds battery module assemblies, is built with state-of-the-art, lightweight, composite materials - carbon fiber with a cyanate ester resin and a titanium metal matrix composite. These composites have greater strength-to-mass ratios than the metals typically used in spacecraft design. The carrier is one of four being transferred to Launch Pad 39A. At the pad, the carriers will be loaded into Atlantis payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted fo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians keep watch as the control moment gyroscope is lowered toward an EXPRESS Logistics Carrier. The carrier is part of the STS-129 payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12 .

Closing Up AIM Spacecraft

Functional testing of NASAs Mars Helicopter and its cruise stage occurred in the airlock inside Kennedy Space Centers Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on March 10, 2020. The helicopter was tested on a stand while the cruise stage was tested on the rotation fixture. The helicopter will be attached to the Mars Perseverance rover during its mission, which is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Perseverance will land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is targeted for mid-July from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, technicians install the second Materials International Space Station Experiments, or MISSE, in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. The MISSE is part of the payload onboard Endeavour for mission STS-123. The MISSE project is a NASA/Langley Research Center-managed cooperative endeavor to fly materials and other types of space exposure experiments on the International Space Station. The objective is to develop early, low-cost, non-intrusive opportunities to conduct critical space exposure tests of space materials and components planned for use on future spacecraft.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians use a special mechanism to assist with late cargo installation in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members become familiar with the payload and hardware for their mission. Here they are looking at the Experiment Logistics Module - Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, berthing mechanism. The mission payload also includes the Extended Facility and the Inter Orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. Equipment familiarization is part of a Crew Equipment Interface Test. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in Building AE adjust the payload attach fitting for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF will be mated with the Delta II launch vehicle via the fitting. SIRTF is currently scheduled for transportation to Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and hoisting atop the Delta II on or about April 4.

Mission engineers load the final cargo into the Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at launch Pad-0A of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grummans 11th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 7,600 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Technicians at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepare to move NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, known as Curiosity, to the high bay floor where the instrument mast and science boom will undergo deployment testing. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, crew members with the STS-125 mission get a close look at some of the equipment associated with their mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. At right is Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld, handling the RSU change-out tool from the Small ORU Protective Enclosure, or SOPE. Behind him, at right, is Johnson Space Center EVA Trainer Ron Sheffield. The STS-125 crew is taking part in a crew equipment interface test, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on their mission. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch on the STS-125 mission Oct. 10.

These photos show highlights from Artemis II NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch of NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen visit to NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Nov. 27. The crew met and spoke to employees and viewed facilities for SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. All four astronauts signed the Orion stage adapter (OSA), a small ring structure that connects SLS to NASAs Orion spacecraft, that will be used for Artemis II. Koch and Wiseman also visited the Systems Integration Lab, where SLS flight software testing is conducted. The four astronauts will launch atop SLS inside Orion to venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed flight for Artemis.

In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-114 crew members get hands-on experience with a Video Stanchion Support Assembly (VSSA). From left are Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas, Commander Eileen Collins, and Mission Specialists Stephen Robinson and Soichi Noguchi, who is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. Thomas is a new addition to the mission crew. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in crew equipment and orbiter familiarization.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-134 Mission Specialist Roberto Vittori inspects the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) with the experiment's technicians. Vittori, who is with the European Space Agency, and his five crewmates are at Kennedy participating in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), which gives them an opportunity for hands-on training with tools they'll be using in space and familiarization of the payload they'll be delivering to the International Space Station. Space shuttle Endeavour is targeted to launch on the STS-134 mission Feb. 27, 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, technicians test the deployment of an antenna and boom from the Inter Orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. The antenna and a pointing mechanism will be used to communicate with JAXAs Data Relay Test Satellite, or DRTS. The ICS-EF will be launched, along with the Extended Facility and Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127mission targeted for launch on May 15, 2009.

An Orion weight and center of gravity test with the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module takes place at the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on June 8, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-115 crew members inspect equipment in Atlantis's payload bay. Looking at the airlock are Mission Specialists Steven MacLean (left) and Daniel Burbank (foreground). The crew is at KSC for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, which involves equipment familiarization, a routine part of astronaut training and launch preparations. The STS-115 mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 truss, to the International Space Station. The crew will attach the P3 to the first port truss segment, the P1 truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch on Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, engineers control the movement of the overhead crane lifting the Flight Support System carrier with the Soft Capture Mechanism. It will be installed in the payload canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. The carrier is one of four associated with the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. At the pad, all the carriers will be loaded into space shuttle Atlantis payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to remove the cover from around NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. The satellite's primary mission is to search for water ice on the moon in a permanently shadowed crater near one of the lunar poles. LCROSS is a low-cost, accelerated-development, companion mission to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. At Kennedy, the two spacecraft will be integrated with an Atlas V launch vehicle and tested for final flight worthiness. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is no earlier than April 24.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician cleans the edge of the radiator on the Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3,that will be installed on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The radiator is the "outside" of WFC3 that will be exposed to space. It will expel heat out of Hubble and into space through black body radiation. WFC3 is part of the payload on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission for the fifth and final Hubble servicing flight to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. As Hubble enters the last stage of its life, WFC3 will be Hubble's next evolutionary step, allowing Hubble to peer ever further into the mysteries of the cosmos. WFC3 will study a diverse range of objects and phenomena, from young and extremely distant galaxies, to much more nearby stellar systems, to objects within our very own solar system. WFC3 will take the place of Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, which astronauts will bring back to Earth aboard the shut

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers ensure the tile box is secured onto a stand. The box was removed from the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC) that was returned on Space Shuttle Discovery from mission STS-114. The tile box is the Detailed Test Objective (DTO) tile sample repair kit that astronauts experimented with on the mission. The box is being returned to Johnson Space Center in Houston.

In Building 1555 on North Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians maneuver the spacecraft handling fixture toward the AIM spacecraft. AIM, which stands for Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, is being prepared for integrated testing and a flight simulation. The AIM spacecraft will fly three instruments designed to study polar mesospheric clouds located at the edge of space, 50 miles above the Earth's surface in the coldest part of the planet's atmosphere. The mission's primary goal is to explain why these clouds form and what has caused them to become brighter and more numerous and appear at lower latitudes in recent years. AIM's results will provide the basis for the study of long-term variability in the mesospheric climate and its relationship to global climate change. AIM is scheduled to be mated to its launch vehicle, Orbital Sciences' Pegasus XL, during the second week of April, after which final inspections will be conducted. Launch is scheduled for April 25.

- VANDENBERG AFB - An engineer makes preparations on the starboard side of the payload fairing before it is connected into place for NASA's IRIS spacecraft. The fairing connects to the nose of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket that will lift the solar observatory into orbit in June. The work is taking place in a hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base where IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch on a Pegasus XL rocket. Scheduled for launch from Vandenberg June 26, IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the suns corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mission STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly, and Mission Specialist Piers Sellers (kneeling) and Commander Steven Lindsey (right) get a close look at the Integrated Cargo Carrier at the SPACEHAB facility in Cape Canaveral during a Crew Equipment Interface Test. This test allows the astronauts to become familiar with equipment they will be using on their upcoming mission. STS-121 is scheduled to launch in July aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the hatch is closed for the upcoming flight of a Cygnus cargo vessel. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, one of two Materials International Space Station Experiments, or MISSE, is lowered into space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay for installation. The MISSE is part of the payload onboard Endeavour for mission STS-123. The MISSE project is a NASA/Langley Research Center-managed cooperative endeavor to fly materials and other types of space exposure experiments on the International Space Station. The objective is to develop early, low-cost, non-intrusive opportunities to conduct critical space exposure tests of space materials and components planned for use on future spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Ball Aerospace technicians at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., begin lifting the high-gain communications antenna to attach it to an overhead crane. The antenna will be installed on the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. During the encounter phase, the high-gain antenna transmits near-real-time images of the impact back to Earth. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch Jan. 8 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

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