NASA Space Operations

Images from NASA's operations, featuring cleanrooms and teams working on spacecraft assembly for future space missions.

STS-133 MPLM RACK REMOVAL AND CONVERSION TO PERMANENT MODULE

OpComm Delivery For Orion Artemis II. Inside the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assemble on the Optical Communications System for the Artemis II mission on June 2, 2023. Optical communications is the latest space communications technology that is able to provide data rates as much as a hundred times higher than current systems. This will allow astronauts to send and receive ultra-high-definition video from the surface of the Moon or other planets such as Mars. Artemis II will be the first Artemis mission flying crew aboard Orion.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - Technicians get ready to lift NASA's IRIS spacecraft at Vandenberg where the spacecraft will be readied for launch aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket. IRIS is short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph and the spacecraft's mission will improve our understanding of how heat and energy move through the deepest levels of the suns atmosphere, thereby increasing our ability to forecast space weather.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers connect cables to the Kibo Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, or ELM-ES. The ELM-ES will be moved to a work stand. The ELM-ES is one of the final components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory for the International Space Station. It can provide payload storage space and can carry up to three payloads at launch. In addition, the ELM-ES provides a logistics function where it can be returned to the ground aboard the space shuttle. The ELM-ES will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch May 15, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-119 crew members get a close look at the cargo - the integrated truss structure S6 and solar arrays -- installed in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Seen here are Commander Lee Archambault (left) and Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba. The astronauts are at Kennedy to prepare for launch through Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT includes equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Discovery is targeted to launch on the STS-119 mission Feb. 12. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and solar arrays to the starboard side of the International Space Station, completing the station's truss, or backbone.

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base, workers prepare to move NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft and upper stage booster (right) to mate it with the Pegasus XL aircraft (left). The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX is the first mission designed to detect the edge of the Solar System. IBEX is targeted for launch from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, on Oct. 19.

Inside Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers install one of eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft on its deployment module. Processing activities will prepare the spacecraft for launch aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket. When preparations are competed at Vandenberg, the rocket will be transported to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft with in its payload fairing. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians apply tape to the thermal blanket for the MAVEN spacecraft's parabolic high gain antenna. MAVEN stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution. 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 Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers install a camera pack on the orbiter boom sensor system in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. The scheduled launch vehicle for the STS-126 missions, Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Endeavour is also the backup shuttle, if needed for rescue, for the STS-125 mission in October that will make repairs on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. For that purpose, it is designated STS-400.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to load a cargo bag onto a resupply stowage platform. The platform will be installed inside the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, in the background at left, for space shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Atlantis and its payload are being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver Raffaello packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. 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 mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

In the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians secure the Orbital ATK CYGNUS pressurized cargo module on the KAMAG transporter. The module will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. 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 on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the CloudSat spacecraft is again being lowered, but on a different mounting stand. CloudSat will undergo electrical and spacecraft transmitter testing. In combination with the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), the spacecraft will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites to enhance understanding of climate systems. The launch date for CloudSat_CALIPSO is no earlier than Aug. 22.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians install a battery charge-discharge unit on an EXPRESS Logistics Carrier for flight. 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.

VANDENBERG AFB - Orbital Sciences engineers connect the payload fairing over 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.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Orbital Sciences technicians move the second section of the Pegasus payload fairing toward NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, inside the Orbital Sciences processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NuSTAR already is mated to its Pegasus XL rocket, which is positioned outside the environmental enclosure, at left. Encapsulation of NuSTAR in its fairing is a significant prelaunch milestone.The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during ascent to orbit. 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 in March. 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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician, garbed in protective wear, commonly known as a 'bunny suit,' inspects a piece of equipment prior to installation into the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module for shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Atlantis and its payload is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Atlantis is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last shuttle flight for the Space Shuttle Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF), workers attach an overhead crane to the multi-purpose logistics module Donatello in order to move it to a payload canister. Donatello is being transferred to the Operations and Checkout Building to make room in the SSPF for the arrival of elements for future flights from other ISS partners.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-117 Mission Specialists Steven Swanson (left) and Patrick Forrester look at a piece of equipment. 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. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-114 crew members get a close look at the newly installed Orbiter Boom Sensor System in Discoverys payload bay. The crew is at KSC for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. During CEIT, the crew has an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the orbiter and equipment they will be working with on the mission. Return to Flight Mission STS-114 will carry the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies for the International Space Station, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope. Launch of STS-114 has a launch window of May 12 to June 3.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the STS-102 crew, known as the Expedition II crew, and workers from Johnson Space Center get a close look at the Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA-3) in the Space Station Processing Facility. The PMA-3 is a component of the International Space Station (ISS). Making up the Expedition II crew are James S. Voss, Susan J. Helms and Yuriy Vladimirovich Usachev, of Russia. Along with the crew, Mission STS-102 also will be carrying the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) to the ISS. The Leonardo will be filled with equipment and supplies to outfit the U.S. laboratory module, which will have been carried to the ISS on a preceding Shuttle flight. In order to function as an attached station module as well as a cargo transport, logistics modules (there are three) also include components that provide some life support, fire detection and suppression, electrical distribution and computer functions. Eventually, the modules also will carry refrigerato

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are installing a debris shield over the aft hatch on the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module for shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. 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. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the Multi-Use Logistic Equipment, or MULE, carrier is lowered into the payload canister. It is being placed next to the Flight Support System carrier already in the canister. The MULE is one of four associated with the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. It will be installed in the payload canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. At the pad, all the carriers will be loaded into space shuttle Atlantis payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10.

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, at left, tours Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) on Oct. 25, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner will launch on its first uncrewed flight test on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The Starliner is being developed and manufactured in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program to return human spaceflight capabilities to the U.S.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Inside the Vertical Processing Facility, members of the STS-109 crew looks over equipment for their Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Servicing mission. Seen in the foreground are Commander Scott Altman and Mission Specialist Nancy Currie. Other crew members are Pilot Duane Carey, Payload Commander John Grunsfeld and Mission Specialists James Newman, Richard Linnehan and Michael Massimino. The goal of the mission is to service the HST, replacing Solar Array 2 with Solar Array 3, replacing the Power Control Unit, removing the Faint Object Camera and installing the Advanced Camera for Surveys, installing the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Cooling System, and installing New Outer Blanket Layer insulation on bays 5 through 8. Mission STS-109 is scheduled for launch Feb. 14, 2002

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, workers connect an overhead crane to the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module. The module, part of the payload for space shuttle Discoverys STS-124 mission, will be lifted, moved and placed in the payload canister for transportation to Launch Pad 39A. On the mission, the STS-124 crew will transport the Kibo module as well as the Japanese Remote Manipulator System to the International Space Station to complete the Kibo laboratory. The launch of Discovery is targeted for May 31.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians remove a side panel that protected the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, during shipment.AMS, a state-of-the-art particle physics detector, is designed to operate as an external module on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for dark matter. The STS-134 crew will fly AMS to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour, targeted to launch Feb. 26, 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-117 Mission Specialist James Reilly stands in front of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Reilly and STS-115 Mission Specialist Joseph Tanner are at KSC for equipment familiarization, a routine part of astronaut training and launch preparations.

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers prepare a Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module for mating to its service module. Cygnus is being prepared to deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials on 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.

In the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers place the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft in a protective container. It then will be mounted on a transport trailer for its move to Space Launch Complex 2. At the pad, JPSS-1 will be lifted for mating atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff is scheduled to take place from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 2.

Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-124 Pilot Ken Ham (right) and Mission Specialist Ron Garan get on their backs for a different view of the payload in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The payload bay walkdown is part of the launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians in the Space Station Processing Facility set up a lifting device to help open the 270-pound starboard hatch on the Node 2 module. The second of three Station connecting modules, the Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for several other elements. Node 2 is scheduled to launch on mission STS-120, Station assembly flight 10A.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock (left) gets hands-on experience with equipment earmarked for the mission. The primary payload for mission STS-120 is the U.S. Node 2, another element to be added to the International Space Station. Node 2 will provide a passageway between three station science experiment facilities: the U.S. Destiny Laboratory, the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module, and the European Columbus Laboratory. STS-120 is targeted for launch on Sept. 7 with a crew of six, including Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka, and Mission Specialist Mike Foreman.

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an inspection is being performed on the bare metal parts of the "tang" end of the segment. The tang mates with the "clevis" and creates a field joint where each segment is put together. Grease has been coated on the bare steel to inhibit rust and corrosion.The booster along with its twin will be stacked on the mobile launcher platform along with an external fuel tank awaiting the arrival of space shuttle Endeavour for its flight to the International Space Station. As the final planned mission of the Space Shuttle Program, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, as well as critical spare components to the station on the STS-134 mission targeted for launch Feb. 26, 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Under the eyes of a technician (center), STS-113 crew members look over equipment involved in their mission during Crew Equipment Interface Test activities in the Space Station Processing Facility. At left is Mission Specialist Michael Lopez-Alegria; at right is Mission Specialist John Herrington. Part of the payload on mission STS-113 is the first port truss segment, P1 Truss, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, on the International Space Station. Once delivered, the P1 truss will remain stowed until flight 12A.1. Launch date for STS-113 is under review.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- - - Technicians in the Space Station Processing Facility set in place a lifting device to help open the 270-pound starboard hatch on the Node 2 module. The second of three Station connecting modules, the Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for several other elements. Node 2 is scheduled to launch on mission STS-120, Station assembly flight 10A.

STS-100 Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Chris Hadfield look at the reel tether on the crew compartment hatch. They are taking part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) along with other crew members Commander Kent V. Rominger, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby and Mission Specialists John L. Phillips, Umberto Guidoni, who is with the European Space Agency, and Yuri Lonchakov, who is with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Endeavour is also carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello to the International Space Station. Raffaello carries six system racks and two storage racks for the U.S. Lab. Launch of mission STS-100 is scheduled for April 19 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, astronauts Terry Virts, left, and Charles Hobaugh, pointing, familiarize themselves with the International Space Station's Cupola module. Vehicle integration test engineer Louise Kleba of Flight Crew Operations looks on, at right. The module was delivered by the European Space Agency in 2004 to Kennedy from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide unprecedented views of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Crew members working inside the module will have a 360-degree panoramic view. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. Cupola is the final element of the space station core and is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In a clean room at Astrotech, workers begin checking the solar panels of the Dawn spacecraft. The panels will also undergo black light inspection. Dawn's mission is to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn is scheduled to launch June 30 from Launch Complex 17-B.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians inspect areas of the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier, or SLIC, for contamination. Contamination discovered Sept. 17 during preparations to deliver NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing payload to Launch Pad 39A will be removed. 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 for servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope on the STS-125 mission, 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 39B, STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi (kneeling) inspects the payloads in Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay as Mission Specialist Charles Camarda (left) looks on. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys seven-person crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Discoverys payloads include the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC), and the External Stowage Platform-2 (ESP-2). Raffaello will deliver supplies to the International Space Station including food, clothing and research equipment. The LMC will carry a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope and a tile repair sample box. The ESP-2 is outfitted with replacement parts. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission STS-114 is set for July 13.

The solar arrays that will provide electricity to the Orion spacecraft were put through launch-day paces at ESAs Test Centre in the Netherlands to verify that they can handle the rigours of the trip around the Moon... .The wings are seen here on April 11, 2018, on the shaking table that vibrates with the full force of a rumbling rocket. They were also placed in front of enormous speakers that recreate the harsh conditions they can expect on launch day. The solar arrays passed with flying colours... .The wings will be tested on how they deploy before shipping to Bremen, Germany, for integration with the European service module. ESAs contribution to the Orion mission will provide power, propulsion, water, and air... .The first mission will take Orion around the Moon without astronauts. The solar panels will be folded inside the rocket fairing, once released from NASAs Space Launch System rocket they will unfold and rotate towards the Sun to start delivering power... .With solar wings tes

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At NASA Kennedy Space Center, a new environmental control and life support system is moved into the Space Station Processing Facility after being removed from its shipping container. The life support system is part of the payload on the second return-to-flight test mission, STS-121, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. The system will add to the station’s oxygen-making capabilities and could provide enough oxygen for up to six people. Managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, the system was built by Hamilton Sundstrand Corp. in Connecticut. Discovery will carry more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. This second return-to-flight test mission is to carry on analysis of safety improvements that debuted on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114, and build upon those tests. The launch is targeted for a date no earlier than May.

The Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module is moved and mated with the service module at the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on June 9, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians monitor the placement of the Soft Capture Mechanism (SCM), part of the Soft Capture and Rendezvous System, or SCRS, as it is lowered onto a stand. The SCRS will enable the future rendezvous, capture and safe disposal of Hubble 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 SCRS comprises the Soft Capture Mechanism system and the Relative Navigation System and is part of the payload on the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, STS-125, targeted for launch Oct. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecrafts two solar arrays are undergoing cleaning inspections and voltage checks in preparation for installation on June 24 -25. One array will be installed each day, followed by a deployment test. The spacecraft will fly past Earth once, Venus twice and Mercury three times before starting a year-long orbital study of Mercury in March 2011. Launch is scheduled for July 30, 2004 from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-107 Payload Commander Michael Anderson checks equipment during training at SPACEHAB. STS-107 is a research mission. The primary payload is the first flight of the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM). The experiments range from material sciences to life sciences (many rats). Also part of the payload is the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments. STS-107 is scheduled to launch July 11, 2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members look at the SEDA-AP (Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload), part of the payload for the mission. The crew members are at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on 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, 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Astrotech Space Operations facility, Orbital Science technicians install a computer chip on the Dawn spacecraft. The silicon chip holds the names of more than 360,000 space enthusiasts worldwide who signed up to participate in a virtual voyage to the asteroid belt and is about the size of an American five-cent coin. Dawn's mission is to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn is scheduled to launch June 30 from Launch Complex 17-B.

STS-88 crew members inspect the orbital docking mechanism in the payload bay of Orbiter Endeavor during the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), held in the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 at KSC. The tunnel and airlock are below it. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity for a hands-on look at the payloads on which they will be working on orbit. STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for the International Space Station. Scheduled to lift off from KSC on Dec. 3, 1998, the seven-day mission will be highlighted by the mating of the U.S.-built Unity connecting module to the Zarya control module, which will already be in orbit, and two space walks to connect power and data transmission cables between the two modules

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a bench review in the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts dressed in bunny suits get a close look at hardware they will be taking into and using in orbit. The astronauts are slated to join future expedition crews aboard the International Space Station. Among those participating in the review are Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman, who will fly on mission STS-123 in 2008, Koichi Wakata, who will fly on mission STS-126 in 2008, and Tim Kopra, who is a backup for Reisman.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, a technician makes final preparations for closing 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.

Dustin Holta, launch engineer, left, and Rebecca Rogers, systems engineer, right, wrap the CAPSTONE spacecraft dispenser in a thermal blanket with the spacecraft stowed inside at Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc., in Irvine, California.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are installing a debris shield over the aft hatch on the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module for shuttle Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. 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. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 Mission Specialist Christopher Cassidy looks at a piece of equipment to be used on the mission. Other crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. The mission payload includes the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, 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.

Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Here, Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus makes notes regarding a piece of hardware on a stowage rack. The CEIT provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment slated to fly on their 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-122 crew members manipulate the cover on the Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure - Non-Deployable (MPESS-ND), part of the payload on their mission. Seen here are Mission Specialist Rex Walheim (left) and Commander Steve Frick (right). The crew is participating in a crew equipment interface test that provides opportunities for hands-on experience with payloads and equipment. The other crew members are Pilot Alan Poindexter and Mission Specialists Stan Love, Leland Melvin and Hans Schlegel, who represents the European Space Agency. The 24th mission to the International Space Station, STS-122 will also include the Columbus European Laboratory. Launch of STS-122 on Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled no earlier than October.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Mating of the Symphonie spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility stand by after opening the hatch on the Italian-built Node 2, a future element of the International Space Station. Node 2 arrived at KSC June 1. The second of three Station connecting modules, the module attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet.Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet.Installation of the module will complete the U.S.

STS-132 CREW CEIT - ATLANTIS

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians control the descent of the crew airlock module into Endeavour's payload bay, where it will be installed. The airlock is located in the middeck. The airlock and airlock hatches permit flight crew members to transfer from the middeck crew compartment into the payload bay for extravehicular activities in their space suits without depressurizing the orbiter crew cabin. The airlock is sized to accommodate two fully suited flight crew members simultaneously. Endeavour is targeted for flight on Aug. 9 on mission STS-118 to the International Space Station.

Technicians at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany weigh the European Service Module on Oct. 31, 2018 ahead of shipment to Kennedy Space Center. The service module will depart Germany on November 5th, 2018 and will arrive in the U.S. on November 6...For the first time, NASA will use a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft, extending the international cooperation of the International Space Station into deep space. The European Service Module is a unique collaboration across space agencies and industry including ESAs prime contractor, Airbus, and 10 European countries. The completion of service module work in Europe and shipment to Kennedy signifies a major milestone toward NASAs human deep space exploration missions to the Moon and beyond.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Attired in clean-room gear, known as 'bunny suits,' STS-133 Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialist Nicole Stott peer into the shuttle's payload bay under the watchful eye of a technician in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of the STS-123 crew get hands-on experience with some of the equipment related to the mission. Crew members are Commander Dominic Gorie, Pilot Gregory Johnson and Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Takao Doi, Robert Behnken, Gerrett Reisman and Michael Foreman. Doi represents the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Reisman will remain on the space station after the mission as a flight engineer for Expedition 16. STS-123 will carry and install one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM. Known as Kibo, the JEM comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three space shuttle missions. The first of those thr

STS-132 CREW CEIT - SSPF - SPACHAB

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Mission Specialist Alvin Drew practices with a tool he will use while in space as Mission Specialist Tim Kopra looks on. 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.

STS-131 MPLM LEONARDO MEDIA EVENT

Inside the Astrotech facility near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's TDRS-M satellite, enclosed in its payload fairing, is being prepared for lifting to a transport vehicle. Engineers and technicians in clean room attire review procedures before the lifting process begins. The TDRS-M is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 18 at 8:03 a.m. EDT.

Woman typing on display of a machine

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, STS-121 Mission Specialists Piers Sellers (left) and Michael Fossum look at the Detailed Test Objective (DTO) tile sample repair kit situated on the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC). The STS-121 crew is at KSC to take part in Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, which provide hands-on experience with equipment they will use on-orbit. STS-121, the second Return to Flight mission, is targeted for launch in a lighted planning window of Sept. 9 to Sept. 25.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-134 Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff, center, inspects the Express Logistics Carrier-3 with the carrier's technicians. Chamitoff 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.

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In the Vertical Processing Facility, a TRW technician checks the attachment of the solar panel array (out of sight to the right) to the Chandra X-ray Observatory, at left. Formerly called the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, Chandra comprises three major elements: the spacecraft, the science instrument module (SIM), and the world's most powerful X-ray telescope. Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-temperature gas clouds, giving the observatory the potential to rewrite the books on the structure and evolution of our universe. Chandra is scheduled for launch July 9 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, on mission STS-93

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians at the Space Station Processing Facility prepare to lift and move a Thermal Protection System Sample Box onto the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC) for a fit check. The box is the actual flight hardware scheduled to fly on the Space Shuttle Return to Flight mission STS-114. The fit check is performed to ensure the hardware mates properly with the newly modified LMC and will be returned to NASAs Johnson Space Center for installation of tile samples in support of the STS-114 mission. The Thermal Protection Detailed Test Objective will enable astronauts to test new on-orbit Thermal Protection System repair techniques. Mission STS-114 is scheduled to launch in May 2005.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, workers place bags on the racks for installation in the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo. The module is being prepared for the second return-to-flight mission, STS-121, on space shuttle Discovery, carrying more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. This will be the fourth trip to the station for Leonardo, the first of three Italian-built logistic modules. Equipment and supplies no longer needed on the station will be moved to Leonardo before it is unberthed on Flight Day 10 and put back into Discovery's cargo bay for return to Earth. This second return-to-flight test mission is to carry on analysis of safety improvements that debuted on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114, and build upon those tests. The launch is targeted for a date no earlier than May.

The CubeSat CeREs short for Compact Radiation Belt Explorer. Its final destination: Earth’s radiation belts. Our planet is nestled in the center of two immense doughnut-shaped rings of radiation that swell and shrink in response to solar activity. This is a dynamic region of near-Earth space through which spacecraft and astronauts travel; understanding the belts’ behavior is crucial for ensuring their safety. From its high inclination, low-Earth orbit, the CubeSat no larger than a loaf of bread will face the tumultuous storms of the radiation belts. In particular, CeREs will examine how radiation belt electrons are energized and lost, particularly during events called microbursts when sudden swarms of electrons stream into the atmosphere. CeREs will also inspect and characterize the high-energy particles that arrive at near-Earth space by way of the solar wind, the constant flow of charged particles from the Sun, 93 million miles away. The CubeSat was designed and built at NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Members of the STS-107 crew take part in In-Flight Maintenance training for their mission. One of the payload elements on the mission is the SPACEHAB Double Module in its first research flight into space. Working with equipment inside the SPACEHAB Double Module are (left to right) Commander Rick D. Husband, Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon of Israel and Pilot William C. "Willie" McCool , while SPACEHAB trainer David Butler (standing) looks on. Research mission STS-107 is scheduled to launch July 19, 2001

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At SPACEHAB in Titusville, Fla., STS-127 crew members look at the SGANT (Space to Ground Antenna) at left and the pump module assembly at right, all attached to the Integrated Cargo Carrier-VLD (Vertical Light Deployment), part of the payload for the mission. The crew members are at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on 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, 2009.

NaMLab GmbH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technician cleans 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 hoist the Express Logistics Carrier-4, or ELC-4, for the deck-to-keel mate. The deck is about 14 by 16 feet and spans the width of a space shuttles payload bay. It is capable of providing astronauts aboard the International Space Station with a platform and infrastructure to deploy experiments in the vacuum of space without requiring a separate dedicated Earth-orbiting satellite. Space shuttle Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the carrier along with critical spare parts to the station later this year.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At SPACEHAB in Titusville, Fla., STS-127 Mission Specialist Christopher Cassidy gets a close look at the Pump Module Assembly, part of the payload for the mission. The crew members are at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which provides experience handling tools, equipment and hardware they will use on 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, 2009.

Construction of a communication satellite

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-113 Mission Specialist Michael Lopez-Alegria looks over the P1 Integrated Truss Structure, the primary payload for the mission. The P1 truss will be attached to the central truss segment, S0 Truss, during spacewalks. The payload also includes the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart B that can be used by spacewalkers to move along the truss with equipment. STS-113 is scheduled to launch Oct. 6, 2002.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronaut Peggy Whitson, a member of the Expedition 5 crew, points to a part of the equipment she is using as part of familiarization for the mission. She and other crew members Commander Valeri Korzun and Sergei Treschev will be traveling to the International Space Station on mission STS-111 and will be replacing the Expedition 4 crew. Part of the payload on STS-111 will be the Mobile Base System, to be installed 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 fixture to the MSS and travel along the Truss to work sites. STS-111 is scheduled to launch in May 2002

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-121 Mission Specialist Piers Sellers works with the cover for the trailing umbilical system reel assembly that will be installed on the International Space Station during their mission. A CEIT provides hands-on experiences with equipment used on-orbit. Mission STS-121 is the second in the Return to Flight sequence and will carry on improvements that debuted during last year's STS-114 mission and build upon those tests. Launch is scheduled in July.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians inspect areas of the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier, or SLIC, for contamination. Contamination discovered Sept. 17 during preparations to deliver NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing payload to Launch Pad 39A will be removed. 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 for servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope on the STS-125 mission, 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After their arrival at KSC, STS-117 crew members take part in a payload bay walkdown on Launch Pad 39A to look at the cargo in Space Shuttle Atlantis. The payload includes the S3/S4 integrated truss structure for the International Space Station. The payload includes the S3/S4 integrated truss structure for the International Space Station. STS-117 is scheduled to launch at 7:38 p.m. June 8. During the 11-day mission and three spacewalks, the crew will work with flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to install the 17-ton segment on the station's girder-like truss and deploy the set of solar arrays, S3/S4. The mission will increase the space station's power capability in preparation for the arrival of new science modules from the European and Japanese space agencies.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FIa. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers supervise as an overhead crane lowers the flexible hose rotary coupler onto 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. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers help prepare the Small Adapter Plate Assembly to receive the Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG), which will be delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) 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.

While engineers in Europe continue to outfit the Orion spacecrafts service module for Artemis I in preparation for shipment to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida next year, work is already beginning on the service module that will power, propel, cool and provide air and water for the first crewed mission in the Orion spacecraft in the early 2020s. On Sept. 19, 2017, technicians at Thales Alenia in Turin, Italy, work on the primary structure of the European Service Module that will carry astronauts in Orion beyond the Moon during Artemis II. ESA (European Space Agency) and its contractors are providing Orions service module for its first two missions atop the Space Launch System rocket. NASA is leading the next steps in human space exploration and will send astronauts to the vicinity of the Moon to build and test the systems needed for challenging missions to deep space destinations including Mars. NASA is working with domestic and international partners to solve the great challenges

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in KSC's Vertical Processing Facility install a solid state recorder into a transport assembly in its protective enclosure as part of the prelaunch preparations for STS-82, the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. The digital solid state recorder will replace one of three engineering/science tape recorders on Hubble. The solid state recorder has no moving parts to wear out. It also is more flexible than a reel-to-reel recorder and can store 10 times as much data. Liftoff aboard Discovery is targeted Feb. 11 with a crew of seven.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 mission crew members get hands-on familiarization with equipment to be used on the mission. Crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. The mission payload includes the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians close the clamshell doors of space shuttle Discovery's payload bay in preparation for the STS-133 launch to the International Space Station.Targeted to launch Nov. 1, STS-133 will carry the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station.

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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-118 Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski practices using a tool that is part of equipment for the mission. The crew is taking part in equipment familiarization in the Space Station Processing Facility. The STS-118 mission will be delivering and installing the third starboard truss segment, the ITS S5, to the International Space Station, and carry a SPACEHAB Single Cargo Module with supplies and equipment. Launch date is under review.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers supervise the lowering of NASA's Dawn spacecraft in the mobile service tower. The spacecraft is clad in a shipping canister for its transport from Astrotech in Titusville, Fla. The canister will be removed and the spacecraft prepared for launch. Launch is scheduled for July 7. Dawn is the ninth mission in NASA's Discovery Program. The spacecraft will be the first to orbit two planetary bodies, asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, during a single mission. Vesta and Ceres lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It is also NASA's first purely scientific mission powered by three solar electric ion propulsion engines.

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