During a media event, members of the press and photographers tour NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, also called CT-2, as it slowly moves along the crawlerway on a test run to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Fondly referred to as the "workhorses" of the space program, both crawlers, CT-1 and CT-2, have served the agency's space programs for 50 years. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy has made steady progress on upgrades and modifications to CT-2 to be ready to support NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, and CT-1 to support a variety of other launch vehicles. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 4:47 a.m. EST. The commercial resupply mission will deliver 3,700 pounds of scientific experiments, technology demonstrations and supplies, including critical materials to support 256 science and research investigations that will take place on the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossman

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This helicopter view of Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida shows the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket as it stands ready to boost NASA's Orion spacecraft on a 4.5-hour mission. The liftoff was postponed because of an issue related to fill and drain valves on the Delta IV Heavy rocket that teams could not troubleshoot by the time the launch window expired. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Seen from atop Building B of the support village, a nasty storm came through with torrential rains and storm surge that left ocean water flooding the cape well into the next day thanks to a high tide. Thankfully the KSC remained dry, it's built on a raised ground surface just for this purpose

During an International Space Station Program bilateral meeting at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 2, the agency’s international partners toured Commercial Crew Program facilities. They learned more about the work taking place at Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and SpaceX’s Launch Pad 39A facilities for the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Both commercial crew spacecraft, their launch vehicles and ground support infrastructure are going through final development and certification for human transportation services to the International Space Station that will launch from U.S. soil. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

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The second half of the H level work platforms for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) High Bay 3 has arrived at the VAB at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be transferred to a work platform at the VAB west parking lot area. The platform was transported by Hensel Phelps from Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida. It was fabricated by Steel LLC of Scottdale, Georgia, and assembled by Sauer. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the high bay to support processing of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft for the journey to Mars. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platforms altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing in High Bay 3. A contract to modify High Bay 3 in the VAB was awarded to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida in March 2014. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

A technician monitors the progress as NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, also called CT-2, continues to slowly move along the crawlerway on a test run to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Fondly referred to as the "workhorses" of the space program, both crawlers, CT-1 and CT-2, have served the agency's space programs for 50 years. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy has made steady progress on upgrades and modifications to CT-2 to be ready to support NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, and CT-1 to support a variety of other launch vehicles. Photo credit: NASA/Amber Watson

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This helicopter view of the NASA Causeway connecting NASA's Kennedy Space Center with Cape Canaveral Air Force Staton shows the thousands of vehicles parked where guests gather to see the launch of the Orion Flight Test. The liftoff was postponed because of an issue related to fill and drain valves on the Delta IV Heavy rocket that teams could not troubleshoot by the time the launch window expired. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Cyclists pedal away from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), continuing on Kennedy Space Center’s annual Tour de KSC. The bicycle tour took place March 30, giving Kennedy employees and guests the opportunity to choose from three different routes that ranged from seven to 33 miles along some of the Florida spaceport’s most notable facilities such as the VAB, the Shuttle Landing Facility and historic Launch Pad 39A, among others. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

A section of I-beam that once strengthened the World Trade Center in New York has made its way to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will serve as a memorial to the 343 fire/rescue personnel who gave their lives to save others on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

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SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Orion crew module is being lifted by crane from its crew module recovery cradle so it can be placed in its crew module transportation fixture at the Mole Pier at Naval Base San Diego in California. The fixture has been secured on the back of a flatbed truck. Orion is being prepared for the overland trip back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion was recovered from the Pacific Ocean after completing a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 to test systems critical to crew safety, including the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin coordinated efforts to recover Orion. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and pre-transportation efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- After splashdown, NASA's Orion spacecraft has been recovered and is positioned on rubber "speed bumps" inside the flooded well deck of the USS Anchorage in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles off the coast of San Diego, California. After lifting off at 7:05 a.m. EST atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Orion completed a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission to test systems critical to crew safety, including the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin coordinated efforts to recover Orion after splashdown. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the recovery efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a 325-ton crane lifts the first half of the K-level work platforms up for installation in High Bay 3. The platform will be secured into position on tower E, about 86 feet above the floor. The K work platforms will provide access to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. Photo credit: NASA/Glen Benson

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With the Indian River sparkling below, a flatbed truck, carrying the first half of a new set of work platforms for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), proceeds east on the Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville on its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform, one-half of the "K" platforms, was fabricated by Steel LLC of Scottdale, Georgia, and assembled by Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida. A contract to modify High Bay 3 in the VAB was awarded to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida in March 2014. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the high bay to support processing of NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, and other exploration vehicles. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platforms altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing in High Bay 3. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket climbs away from Space Launch Complex 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. On board is NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR.

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

A lot was happening at the Boeing Starliner rollout.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Orion crew module is being moved by crane from its crew module recovery cradle and will be placed in the crew module transportation fixture at the Mole Pier at Naval Base San Diego in California. The fixture has been secured on the back of a flatbed truck. Orion is being prepared for the overland trip back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion was recovered from the Pacific Ocean after completing a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 to test systems critical to crew safety, including the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin coordinated efforts to recover Orion. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and pre-transportation efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Orion crew module has been transported to the Mole Pier at Naval Base San Diego in California where it will be prepared for return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion was secured on its crew module recovery cradle in the well deck of the USS Anchorage after it was recovered from the Pacific Ocean. After lifting off at 7:05 a.m. EST on Dec. 5, atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Orion completed a two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission to test systems critical to crew safety, including the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin coordinated efforts to recover Orion after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Guests at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida look over a custom-made remote-controlled robot that will be used to complete in NASA's Robotic Mining Competition. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with regolith simulant. The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

The Centaur stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission (MMS) is lifted from the transporter that delivered it to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Operations have begun to mate the Centaur stage to the Atlas first stage already in place in the tower. Launch is set for March 12. To learn more about MMS, visit www.nasa.gov/mms. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

The Orion service module stacking assembly interface ring and stack holding stand were secured on a special transportation platform and have been loaded into NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Guppy will fly from Kennedy to NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Orion is the spacecraft that will launch atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket on Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Backdropped by a bright blue sky, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, soars away from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR.

Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Modifications continue inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a close-up view of the service platform that will be used for offline processing and fueling of the Orion spacecraft and service module stack before launch. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) is overseeing the upgrades to the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Moonrise, Kennedy Space Center.

Moon rising over the 52-storey high vehicle assembly building (VAB). It doesn't seem far to get a rocket from the VAB to the moon?

Thanks to The Photographer Ephemeris for helping me setup for the shot.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians use a special tool to help transfer supplies and hardware into the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized module during late stowage operations. The Cygnus spacecraft will carry more than 7,000 pounds of cargo on the next resupply flight to the International Space Station. Cygnus is undergoing prelaunch processing at Kennedy before launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket scheduled for December 3 from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

NASA image use policy.

A screengrab of Google Maps view of the KSC sites that process, launch, and land the shuttle. Wendy and I got to visit a few years ago as part of my Space Flight Awareness award.

Also posted on jimthompson.org

A flatbed truck, carrying the second half of a new set of work platforms for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), proceeds along Saturn Causeway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is the other half of the "K" platforms. The platforms are being fabricated by Steel LLC of Scottdale, Georgia, and assembled by Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida. A contract to modify High Bay 3 in the VAB was awarded to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida in March 2014. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the high bay to support processing of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platforms altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing in High Bay 3. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Retract and release testing begins on the aft skirt electrical umbilical (ASEU), the small, gray cone-shaped structure on the ground, at the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Power lines have been connected from the ASEU to the LETF simulated flight vehicle interface to test its design and functionality. The ASEU will connect to the mobile launcher and provide electrical power and data connections to the Space Launch System boosters. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy is overseeing the tests. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

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A crane lifts the Cygnus spacecraft, fitted inside a payload fairing, into the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 so the spacecraft can bolted to the top of the waiting United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Built by Orbital ATK, the Cygnus is a cargo-only spacecraft that will take about 7,300 pounds of experiments, equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. The version launching on OA-4, the fourth operational cargo resupply flight for Orbital ATK, is an enhanced Cygnus that is capable of carrying 25 percent more mass than its predecessor. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

NASA image use policy.

A crane lifts the Cygnus spacecraft, fitted inside a payload fairing, into the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 so the spacecraft can bolted to the top of the waiting United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Built by Orbital ATK, the Cygnus is a cargo-only spacecraft that will take about 7,300 pounds of experiments, equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. The version launching on OA-4, the fourth operational cargo resupply flight for Orbital ATK, is an enhanced Cygnus that is capable of carrying 25 percent more mass than its predecessor. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

NASA image use policy.

Modifications continue inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This view is from inside the service platform looking up. The service platform will be used for offline processing and fueling of the Orion spacecraft and service module stack before launch. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) is overseeing the upgrades to the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

A flatbed truck, carrying the first half of a new set of work platforms for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), proceeds east on the Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville on its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform, one-half of the "K" platforms, was fabricated by Steel LLC of Scottdale, Georgia, and assembled by Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida. A contract to modify High Bay 3 in the VAB was awarded to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida in March 2014. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the high bay to support processing of NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, and other exploration vehicles. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platforms altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing in High Bay 3. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

A Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway GP40-2, a regular FEC freight service locomotive, pulls the last two NASA Railroad locomotives from the NASA Railroad yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The two locomotives, EMD SW 1500s, will be delivered to new homes on short line railroads. Locomotive no. 1 will be used by the Natchitoches Parish Port in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Locomotive no. 3 will be used by the Madison Railroad in Madison, Indiana, for regular freight service and passenger excursion train service. Locomotive no. 2 has already been delivered to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, Florida for restoration and eventual use. All three locomotives were originally acquired by NASA in 1983 from the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad. They were used primarily to carry the solid rocket booster segment cars and shuttle flight hardware on the NASA Railroad for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Preparations to launch NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, near completion in the Building 1 high bay of the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near Kennedy Space Center. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force. DSCOVR will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA's space weather alerts and forecasts. Launch is targeted for no earlier than Feb. 8 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 v 1.1 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The launch gantry is rolled back to reveal NASA's Orion spacecraft mounted atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37. Orion is NASA's new spacecraft built to carry humans, designed to allow us to journey to destinations never before visited by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

A flatbed truck, carrying the second half of a new set of work platforms arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform, the other half of the "K" platforms, was fabricated by Steel LLC of Scottdale, Georgia, and assembled by Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida. A contract to modify High Bay 3 in the VAB was awarded to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida in March 2014. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the high bay to support processing of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platforms altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing in High Bay 3. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Engineers encapsulate the Orbital ATK enhanced Cygnus spacecraft in a protective payload fairing inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The fairing will provide an aerodynamic cover for the spacecraft as it rides atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket into orbit on a mission to carry supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster, now in a vertical position, is lifted into place inside the Space Launch Complex 41 Vertical Integration Facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Atlas V is slated to lift the Orbital ATK Enhanced Cygnus spacecraft into orbit. The Cygnus mission, OA-4, is to deliver more than 7,000 pounds of equipment, experiments and supplies to the residents of the International Space Station. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

NASA image use policy.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Centaur stage is mounted atop a ULA Atlas V rocket at Launch Complex 41. The launch vehicle will boost the Orbital ATK Cygnus OA-4 spacecraft on a commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. The spacecraft deliver more than 7,000 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials that improve life on Earth and drive progress toward future space exploration.

Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

NASA image use policy.

A technicians monitors the progress as NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, also called CT-2, moves slowly along the crawlerway back to the crawler park site after a test run to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Upgrades to the crawler include 88 new roller bearings, 22 on each "truck" section, and a new jacking, equalizing and leveling system. Fondly referred to as the "workhorses" of the space program, both crawlers, CT-1 and CT-2, have served the agency's space programs for 50 years. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy has made steady progress on upgrades and modifications to CT-2 to be ready to support NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, and CT-1 to support a variety of other launch vehicles as the center transforms to a multi-user spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Lesa Roe, Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot and Kennedy Director Bob Cabana speak to center employees gathered in the low bay of the Vehicle assembly Building. They spoke and answered questions on the agency's and the spaceport's current and future initiatives.

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

A 325-ton crane lifts the first half of the K-level work platforms high up in High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be lifted over the transfer aisle that runs down the center of the VAB and lower it into High Bay 3. It will be secured into position on tower E, about 86 feet above the floor. The K work platforms will provide access to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

Artifacts representing Kalpana Chawla, who served as a mission specialist on space shuttle mission STS-107, are displayed in a new, permanent memorial, "Forever Remembered," opening June 27 in the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. NASA and astronaut families collaborated on the memorial designed to honor the crews lost on missions STS-51L and STS-107, pay tribute to shuttle vehicles Challenger and Columbia, and emphasize the importance of learning from the past. Encompassing nearly 2,000 square feet, the memorial contains the largest collection of memorabilia and personal items of both flight crews. It also includes recovered hardware from both Challenger and Columbia, never before displayed for the public. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Ground support technicians work on crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2) in High Bay 2 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades to the 50-year-old CT-2. Visible are new gear assemblies and jacking, equalizing and leveling (JEL) hydraulic cylinders, and other components have been upgraded to ensure the crawler's ability to handle the load of NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft on the mobile launcher as it travels to the launch pad. For more information, visit: www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis