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Artifacts representing Michael Anderson, who served as payload commander 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
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has arrived on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, ready to boost an enhanced Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft on a resupply mission to the International Space Station. Science payloads aboard the Cygnus include a new life science facility that will support studies on cell cultures, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Also aboard is a microsatellite deployer and the first NanoRacks microsatellite to be deployed from the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with a single-engine Centaur upper stage arrives at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41, ready to boost an enhanced Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft on a resupply mission to the International Space Station. Science payloads aboard the Cygnus include a new life science facility that will support studies on cell cultures, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Also aboard is a microsatellite deployer and the first NanoRacks microsatellite to be deployed from the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Modifications continue inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At far left is the Orion deservicing platform, in the center are three general purpose fuel tanks, and at far right is 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
Modifications continue inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A new elevator structure has been added to the service platform. The MPPF 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
After touching down at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Guppy aircraft exited the runway onto the tarmac near the Landing Aids Control Building. The Orion heat shield ground test article, secured in a shipping container, will be loaded into the aircraft for transportation to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company near Denver, Colorado. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Backdropped by a blue sky streaked with white clouds, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set to launch NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, is flanked by lightning masts at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Preparations are underway to attach NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to the Delta II payload attach structure in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The structure will secure the spacecraft to the rocket's second stage. SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Wiant, U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An aerial view near NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex reveals the Orion crew module, enclosed in its crew module transportation fixture and secured on a flatbed truck that is proceeding along the NASA Causeway to the entrance gate to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Across the inland waterway is the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building. Orion made the 2,700 mile overland trip from Naval Base San Diego in California. The spacecraft 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. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An aerial view reveals the Orion crew module, enclosed in its crew module transportation fixture and secured on a flatbed truck is passing the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its way to the Multi-Operation Support Building. Orion made the 2,700 mile overland trip from Naval Base San Diego in California. The spacecraft 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. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
NASA's InSight spacecraft arrives on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane. The Insight mission is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 3E in March 2016 and land on Mars in September 2016. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, will study processes that formed and shaped Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Wiant
The mobile launcher (ML) that will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 is in view at the Mobile Launcher Park Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ML base and tower structure were modified to accommodate the weight, size and thrust at launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A contract recently was awarded to J.P. Donovan Construction Inc. of Rockledge, Florida, to begin the next phase of work on the 380-foot-tall (including the base) steel structure. The scope of work includes the installation of mechanical, electrical and fluid subsystems, including 800 mechanical, fluid and electrical panels, about 300,000-plus feet of cabling, and miles of tubing and piping. The ML is one of the key elements of ground support equipment that is being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An aerial view near NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex reveals the Orion crew module, enclosed in its crew module transportation fixture and secured on a flatbed truck that is preparing to pull onto the NASA Causeway that leads to the entrance gate to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion made the 2,700 mile overland trip from Naval Base San Diego in California. The spacecraft 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. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An aerial view near NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex reveals the Orion crew module, enclosed in its crew module transportation fixture and secured on a flatbed truck on the NASA Causeway that leads to the entrance gate to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion made the 2,700 mile overland trip from Naval Base San Diego in California. The spacecraft 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. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Preparations are underway to offload NASA's InSight spacecraft from a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane upon its arrival on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The InSight mission is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 3E in March 2016 and land on Mars in September 2016. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, will study processes that formed and shaped Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Wiant
Artifacts representing Judith Resnik, who served as a mission specialist on space shuttle mission STS-51L, 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
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a construction worker works on a section of metal and concrete to prepare High Bay 3 for new work platforms. The first half of one of 10 new levels of work platforms arrived at Kennedy on April 10. Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida is performing the upgrades to the VAB. The new work platforms are being fabricated by subcontractor Steel LLC, of Scottdale, Georgia. Subcontractor Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida, is assembling and delivering the platforms to Kennedy. 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. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction workers continue to prepare High Bay 3 for new work platforms. The first half of one of 10 new levels of work platforms arrived at Kennedy on April 10. Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida is performing the upgrades to the VAB. The new work platforms are being fabricated by subcontractor Steel LLC, of Scottdale, Georgia. Subcontractor Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida, is assembling and delivering the platforms to Kennedy. 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. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction workers continue to prepare High Bay 3 for new work platforms. The first half of one of 10 new levels of work platforms arrived at Kennedy on April 10. Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida is performing the upgrades to the VAB. The new work platforms are being fabricated by subcontractor Steel LLC, of Scottdale, Georgia. Subcontractor Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida, is assembling and delivering the platforms to Kennedy. 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. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction workers continue to prepare High Bay 3 for new work platforms. The first half of one of 10 new levels of work platforms arrived at Kennedy on April 10. Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida is performing the upgrades to the VAB. The new work platforms are being fabricated by subcontractor Steel LLC, of Scottdale, Georgia. Subcontractor Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida, is assembling and delivering the platforms to Kennedy. 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. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a construction worker solders a section of steel to prepare High Bay 3 for new work platforms. The first half of one of 10 new levels of work platforms arrived at Kennedy on April 10. Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida is performing the upgrades to the VAB. The new work platforms are being fabricated by subcontractor Steel LLC, of Scottdale, Georgia. Subcontractor Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida, is assembling and delivering the platforms to Kennedy. 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. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
In High Bay 2 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians complete the installation of one of the new jacking, equalizing and leveling (JEL) hydraulic cylinders on crawler-transporter 2. The JEL cylinders keep the crawler level as it travels along the crawlerway out to and up to the pad surface. The Grounds Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy is upgrading the 50-year-old crawler to handle the increased load of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft on the mobile launcher as it travels to the pad. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The launch gantry is rolled back to reveal the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with the Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, satellite aboard, at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SMAP is a remote sensing mission designed to measure and map the Earth's soil moisture distribution and freeze/thaw stat with unprecedented accuracy, resolution and coverage. SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Feb. 23, 1962 -- Astronaut John Glenn Jr. is honored by President John F. Kennedy after Glenn's historical first manned orbital flight, Mercury-Atlas 6. The ceremony was held in front of Hangar S at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. To Glenn's left are his wife, Annie, daughter, Lyn, and his son, David.
Photo credit: NASA
A flatbed truck, carrying the first half of a new set of work platforms for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), enters through the north gate at 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/Amber Watson
A flatbed truck, carrying the first half of a new set of work platforms, nears the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), at 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 flatbed truck, carrying the first half of a new set of work platforms, nears the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), at 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
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, refurbishment and upgrades to the 175-ton crane continue on the ground floor of the transfer aisle. The crane's 45-year-old controls are being upgraded to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the crane so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Upgrades and modifications continue on the 175-ton crane on the ground floor of the transfer aisle inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view are the top of the crane and power cable systems. The crane's 45-year-old controls are being upgraded to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the crane so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Upgrades and modifications continue on the 175-ton crane on the ground floor of the transfer aisle inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Construction workers check the electrical and pneumatic cable systems on the crane. The crane's 45-year-old controls are being upgraded to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the crane so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
A flatbed truck, carrying the first half of a new set of work platforms for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), leaves Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida. The platform, one-half of the "K" platforms, was fabricated by Steel LLC of Scottdale, Georgia, and assembled by Sauer. 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
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. – 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 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. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Kennedy Space Center's Mate-Demate Device (MDD) is brought down by a hydraulic excavator as the effort begins to break apart the steel beams to be transported for recycling. The MDD was 150 feet long, 93 feet wide and 105 feet high and stood for more than 35 years as a key facility supporting the Space Shuttle Program. It was recently demolished, helping make way for current and future space program needs. Photo credit: NASA
NASA held a panel discussion including agency scientists and engineers, along with actors from the 20th Century Fox Entertainment film, "The Martian," and a prescreening of the movie at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. At far right, US News Correspondent John Zarrella moderates the panel discussion, featuring "The Martian" actors Mackenzie Davis and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Nicole Stott, retired NASA astronaut. While NASA is developing the technology for a journey to Mars, “The Martian” takes the work NASA and others have done exploring Mars and extends it into fiction set in the 2030s. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Center Director Bob Cabana, center, poses with, from left, Jim Barfield, Brevard County Commissioner, and Florida State Senator Thad Altman, before a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Small Class Vehicle Launch Pad, designated 39C, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new launch pad, located in the southeast area of the Launch Pad 39B perimeter, is designed to attract smaller aerospace companies and enable them to develop and launch their vehicles from Kennedy. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program oversaw construction of the new pad and is working with Center Planning and Development to grow commercial space efforts at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Artifacts representing Christa McAuliffe, who served as a payload specialist on space shuttle mission STS-51L, 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
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, refurbishment and upgrades to the 175-ton crane continue on the ground floor of the transfer aisle. The crane's 45-year-old controls are being upgraded to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the crane so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, refurbishment and upgrades to the 175-ton crane continue on the ground floor of the transfer aisle. In view are the new control cab and access platform. The crane's 45-year-old controls are being upgraded to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the crane so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, refurbishment and upgrades to the 175-ton crane continue on the ground floor of the transfer aisle. In view is the interior of the new control cab. The crane's 45-year-old controls are being upgraded to improve reliability, precision and safety. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the crane so that it can support lifting needs for NASA and other exploration vehicles, including the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Preparations are underway to test the aft skirt electrical umbilical (ASEU) at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A section of the ASEU has been attached to the flight-interface simulator on the facility's vehicle motion simulator, to simulate lift off of the Space Launch System (SLS). The ASEU will connect to the mobile launcher and provide electrical power and data connections to the SLS boosters. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy is overseeing the tests. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Preparations are underway to test the aft skirt electrical umbilical (ASEU) at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A section of the ASEU will be attached to the flight-interface simulator on the facility's vehicle motion simulator, to simulate lift off of the Space Launch System (SLS). Workers are applying grease to the flight-interface simulator to help seal the flight to ground connection from water or dust during the test. The ASEU will connect to the mobile launcher and provide electrical power and data connections to the SLS boosters. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy is overseeing the tests. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Preparations are underway to test 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. 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
Preparations are underway to test 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. 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
Feb. 20, 1962 -- Project Mercury astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., enters the Friendship 7 spacecraft during the last part of the countdown on Feb. 20, 1962. At 9:47 a.m. EST, the Atlas launch vehicle lifted the spacecraft into orbit for a three-orbit mission lasting four hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds. Glenn and his spacecraft were recovered by the destroyer Noa just 21 minutes after landing in the Atlantic near Grand Turk Island, to successfully complete the nation's first manned orbital flight.
Photo credit: NASA
Preparations are underway to test 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. 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
Preparations are underway to test 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. 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
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