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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane moves the Ares I-X crew module simulator toward a stand at right.  Other Ares I-X segments are stacked around the floor of the bay.  Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I.   The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 327-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts.  Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2009-1866

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane moves the Ares I-X crew module simulator toward a stand at right. Other Ares I-X segment... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to remove the gear boxes on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. A section of the treads were removed to allow access to the gear boxes.    Work continues in high bay 2 to upgrade CT-2. The modifications are designed to ensure CT-2’s ability to transport launch vehicles currently in development, such as the agency’s Space Launch System, to the launch pad. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades. For more than 45 years the crawler-transporters were used to transport the mobile launcher platform and the Apollo-Saturn V rockets and, later, space shuttles to Launch Pads 39A and B. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/crawler-transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2014-1951

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to remove the gear boxes on the C truck of crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2. A sect... More

NASA Jupiter rocket - Early Rockets, Army ballistic missile agency

NASA Jupiter rocket - Early Rockets, Army ballistic missile agency

The Jupiter rocket was designed and developed by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA). ABMA launched the Jupiter-A at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 1, 1957. The Jupiter vehicle was a direct derivative o... More

Delta 174 Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.

Delta 174 Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Delta launch vehicle family started development in 1959. The Delta was composed of parts from the Thor, an intermediate-range ballistic missile, as its first stage, and the Vanguard as its second. The first... More

Big Joe launch vehicle after launching at Cape Canaveral

Big Joe launch vehicle after launching at Cape Canaveral

B59-00556 (9 Sept. 1959) --- U.S. Air Force photo of Big Joe launch vehicle after launching at Cape Canaveral, Florida, for a suborbital test of the Mercury capsule. The capsule was recovered successfully after... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ares IX upper stage segments’ ballast assemblies are positioned along the floor of high bay 4 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, part of the preparations for the test of the Ares IX rocket. These ballast assemblies will be installed in the upper stage 1 and 7 segments and will mimic the mass of the fuel.  Their total weight is approximately 160,000 pounds.  The test launch of the Ares IX in 2009 will be the first designed to determine the flight-worthiness of the Ares I rocket.  Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low-Earth orbit. The Ares I first stage will be a five-segment solid rocket booster based on the four-segment design used for the space shuttle. Ares I’s fifth booster segment allows the launch vehicle to lift more weight and reach a higher altitude before the first stage separates from the upper stage, which ignites in midflight to propel the Orion spacecraft to Earth orbit.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd3248

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ares IX upper stage segments’ ballast assemblie...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ares IX upper stage segments’ ballast assemblies are positioned along the floor of high bay 4 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, part of the preparations for... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded from the C-5 aircraft. The hardware consists of a precisely machined, full-scale simulator crew module and launch abort system to form the tip of NASA's Ares I-X rocket. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.    Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1405

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded from the C-5 aircraft. The ha... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed vehicle, is being transported out from its checkout building for a short trip to a launch position at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Morpheus is designed to demonstrate new green propellant propulsion systems and autonomous landing and an Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT, system.      Checkout of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free flight. The SLF site will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html  Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-4110

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed veh...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed vehicle, is being transported out from its checkout building for a short trip to a launch position at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the mobile launcher parking area behind the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Ares rockets is under  construction.  The ML will be the base to launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle and the cargo vehicle. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the added load of the 345-foot tower and taller rocket. When the structural portion of the new mobile launcher is complete, umbilicals, access arms, communications equipment and command/control equipment will be installed. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-3140

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the mobile launcher parking area behind the ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the mobile launcher parking area behind the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Ares rockets is under construc... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ground support equipment technicians monitor the progress as crawler-transporter 1 begins its trek to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New jacking, equalizing and leveling, or JEL, hydraulic cylinders were installed on CT-1 and are being tested for increased load carrying capacity and reliability. The Vehicle Assembly Building is visible in the background.    The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy continues to upgrade the crawler-transporter as part of its general maintenance. CT-1 could be available to carry a variety of launch vehicles to the launch pad. Two crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2013-4203

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ground support equipment technicians monitor t...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ground support equipment technicians monitor the progress as crawler-transporter 1 begins its trek to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New jacking, equalizing an... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Fire Station No. 2 near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Fire Rescue Services personnel have deployed and extended the ladder on the aerial fire truck during training in order to be certified in the operation and use of the vehicle.    The center’s Fire Rescue Services recently achieved Pro Board Certification in aerial fire truck operations. Pro Board Certification is a globally recognized certification that puts on multiple courses that all fire departments throughout the world recognize and use to train their personnel. The unique aerial truck contains a 100-foot extendable ladder with a bucket at the end of it that can be used for rescues from taller buildings or aircraft rescue firefighting. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2013-3735

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Fire Station No. 2 near the Shuttle Landing ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Fire Station No. 2 near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Fire Rescue Services personnel have deployed and extended the ladder on the aerial fire ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –    In the Parachute Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, parachutes for the Ares rockets are being prepared for packing.  Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low-Earth orbit. The Ares I first stage will be a five-segment solid rocket booster based on the four-segment design used for the shuttle. As with the shuttle, this booster will fall away when spent, lowered by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean where it can be retrieved for re-use. Unlike the shuttle, the booster will be flying faster, at Mach 6, when its separation from the rest of Ares I occurs.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd1801

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Parachute Refurbishment Facility at N...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Parachute Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, parachutes for the Ares rockets are being prepared for packing. Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that wil... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As night settles over Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, xenon lights reveal the Ares I-X rocket awaiting the approaching liftoff of its flight test.    This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad.   Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I.  The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27.  For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-5857

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As night settles over Launch Complex 39B at NAS...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As night settles over Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, xenon lights reveal the Ares I-X rocket awaiting the approaching liftoff of its flight test. This is... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad Yard at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way for the departure of a train made up of tank cars.  The railroad’s track runs past Kennedy’s 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building in the background.  The train is headed for the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla., where the train’s helium tank cars, a liquid oxygen tank car, and a liquid hydrogen dewar or tank car will be transferred for delivery to the SpaceX engine test complex outside McGregor, Texas.      The railroad cars were needed in support of the Space Shuttle Program but currently are not in use by NASA following the completion of the program in 2011. Originally, the tankers belonged to the U.S. Bureau of Mines.  At the peak of the shuttle program, there were approximately 30 cars in the fleet.  About half the cars were returned to the bureau as launch activity diminished. Five tank cars are being loaned to SpaceX and repurposed to support their engine tests in Texas. Eight cars previously were shipped to California on loan to support the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Launch Complex-4 on Vandenberg Air Force Base.  SpaceX already has three helium tank cars previously used for the shuttle program at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-3033a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad Yard at NASA’s Kennedy Spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad Yard at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way for the departure of a train made up of tank cars. The railroad’s track runs past Kennedy’... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance workers attach lifting cranes to the container holding the remote manipulator system, or RMS. The RMS is placed on a flatbed truck for shipment back to the Canadian Space Agency.    The RMS, also called the Canadarm, was manufactured for NASA’s Space Shuttle Program by SPAR Aerospace Ltd., which later became a part of MD Robotics in Ontario, Canada.  During shuttle missions, the RMS was attached in the payload bay. Mission specialists operated the arm to remove payloads from the payload bay and hand them off to the larger Canadarm 2 on the International Space Station. The shuttle arm also was used during astronaut spacewalks. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3838

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance workers attach lifting cranes to the container holding the remote manipulator system,... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed into the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD will be used to lift and connect the shuttle to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display. The shuttle was towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-5105

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed into the Mate-...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed into the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD will be used to lift and connect the shuttle to the top of NASA's ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis dwarfs the crowd gathered around it in Space Florida's Exploration Park during its 10-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis stopped in the park for a viewing opportunity for visitor complex guests before completing the trip to its new home.    As part of transition and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis will be displayed in a new exhibit hall at the visitor complex beginning in the summer of 2013. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles, completing 33 missions during 307 days in space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-6085

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis dwarfs the crowd gathered around it in Space Florida's Exploration Park during its 10-mile journey from the Vehicle Assem... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The hazard field for the Project Morpheus lander is conveniently located near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  In the distance is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building.    Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free flight. The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit.  For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3360

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The hazard field for the Project Morpheus lande...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The hazard field for the Project Morpheus lander is conveniently located near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the distance is the 525-foot-tall... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media get an up close view of space shuttle Atlantis in her new home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The shuttle is wrapped in a protective plastic to protect it from dust and debris while being prepared for display. Atlantis was lifted 26 feet from the ground level and slowly tilted to exactly a 43.21 angle to its portside to allow optimum viewing of the vehicle with its payload bay doors open.      Atlantis is being prepared for display in the new 90,000-square-foot facility under construction at the visitor complex which is managed by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-6364

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media get an up close view of sp...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media get an up close view of space shuttle Atlantis in her new home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The shuttle is wrapped in a protective plastic ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a full-size mock-up of the Orion spacecraft and launch abort system were transported to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. In the background are full-size replicas of the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters that mark the entranceway to the new Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. Crane operators and technicians practice de-stacking operations on mock-ups of Orion and the launch abort system in the Vehicle Assembly Building in order to keep processing procedures and skills current.    Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2013-2903

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a fu...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a full-size mock-up of the Orion spacecraft and launch abort system were transported to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. In the backgro... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the RLV Hangar near NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, in Florida, students and their flight instructors from Florida Tech, FIT, in Melbourne view F104 Starfighter aircraft and hear a presentation from Starfighter Director Rick Svetkoff. The group arrived at the SLF in Cherokee Warrior and Cessna 172S lightweight aircraft.    The middle and high school students are participating in FIT’s Av/Aero summer camp experience. They and their flight instructors toured the SLF midfield control tower, viewed F104 Starfighters and NASA Huey helicopters in the RLV Hangar, viewed the runway plaques marking wheels stop for each of the three space shuttles, and toured the Vehicle Assembly Building where space shuttle Atlantis currently is stored. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3992

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the RLV Hangar near NASA Kennedy Space C...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the RLV Hangar near NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, in Florida, students and their flight instructors from Florida Tech, FIT, in Melbourne view F104 S... More

A distinguished group look at the solid rocket booster in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Starting second from left are Gen. Ralph Everhart, Commander, Space Command; Center Director Roy Bridges, Dave King, director of Shuttle Processing, and Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit, Commander of the 45th Space Wing, Cape Canaveral KSC01pp0378

A distinguished group look at the solid rocket booster in the Vehicle ...

A distinguished group look at the solid rocket booster in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Starting second from left are Gen. Ralph Everhart, Commander, Space Command; Center Director Roy Bridges, Dave King, dire... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space Shuttle Discovery’s move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, is complete as the sun comes up over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A tail cone has been installed over its three replica shuttle main engines to reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during its upcoming ferry flight.    At the SLF, Discovery will be hoisted onto a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, with the aid of a mate-demate device.  The SCA, a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner, is scheduled to ferry Discovery to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17, after which the shuttle will be placed on permanent public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.  For more information on shuttle transition and retirement activities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-2100

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space Shuttle Discovery’s move from the Vehicle...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space Shuttle Discovery’s move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, is complete as the sun comes up over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first of four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection, or MRAP, vehicles arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas. Each vehicle will be processed in and then transported to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility near the Vehicle Assembly Building for temporary storage.    The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy led the efforts to an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could quickly use to leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. During crewed launches of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, the MRAP will be stationed by the slidewire termination area at the pad. In case of an emergency, the crew will ride a slidewire to the ground and immediately board the MRAP for safe egress from the pad. The new vehicles replace the M-113 vehicles that were used during the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2013-4300

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first of four new emergency egress vehicle...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first of four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection, or MRAP, vehicles arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida from the U.S. Army Red River Depot ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A representative of the 301st Rescue Squadron and a volunteer from the NASA Vehicle Integration Test Team office get ready to demonstrate rescue equipment that is used by participants in the Mode VIII exercise being conducted at Patrick Air Force Base. In the background is an HH-60G helicopter.  In support of, and with logistical support from, NASA, USSTRATCOM is hosting a major exercise involving Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, search and rescue (SAR) forces, including the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, which support space shuttle astronaut bailout contingency operations, known as Mode VIII.  This exercise tests SAR capabilities to locate, recover and provide medical treatment for astronauts following a space shuttle launch phase open-ocean bailout. Participants include members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center.  This will be the 15th Mode VIII exercise conducted in the past 20 years.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd1347

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A representative of the 301st Rescue Squadron ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A representative of the 301st Rescue Squadron and a volunteer from the NASA Vehicle Integration Test Team office get ready to demonstrate rescue equipment that is used by participants in... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A memorial erected by the Hemphill, Texas, community commemorates a location where remains of a fallen Columbia astronaut were found. Kennedy Space Center workers are participating in the Columbia Recovery efforts at the Lufkin (Texas) Command Center, four field sites in East Texas, and the Barksdale, La., hangar site. KSC is working with representatives from other NASA Centers and with those from a number of federal, state and local agencies in the recovery effort. KSC provides vehicle technical expertise in the field to identify, collect and return Shuttle hardware to KSC. KSC-03pd1109

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A memorial erected by the Hemphill, Texa...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A memorial erected by the Hemphill, Texas, community commemorates a location where remains of a fallen Columbia astronaut were found. Kennedy Space Center workers are participating... More

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is removed from the Air Force C-17 cargo airplane that brought it from Denver, Colo.., location of the Lockheed Martin plant where the spacecraft was built. Mars Odyssey will be moved on a transport trailer from KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2) located in the KSC Industrial Area. In the SAEF it will undergo final assembly and checkout. This includes installation of two of the three science instruments, integration of the three-panel solar array, and a spacecraft functional test. It will be fueled and then mated to an upper stage booster, the final activities before going to the launch pad. Launch is planned for April 7, 2001 the first day of a 21-day planetary window. Mars Odyssey will be inserted into an interplanetary trajectory by a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle from Pad A at Complex 17 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars on Oct. 20, 2001, for insertion into an initial elliptical capture orbit. Its final operational altitude will be a 250-mile-high, Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Mars Odyssey will spend two years mapping the planet's surface and measuring its environment KSC01pp0033

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is removed from the Air Force C-17 cargo a...

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is removed from the Air Force C-17 cargo airplane that brought it from Denver, Colo.., location of the Lockheed Martin plant where the spacecraft was built. Mars Odyssey will be move... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the sixth tower segment is lifted toward five segments already secured to a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constellation Program.    When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The construction is under way at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I rocket, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket.  For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-6788

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the sixth tower segment is lifted toward five segments already secured to a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constel... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –   In the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, framework is lifted to the 16th floor for modifications related to the Ares I-X. The refurbishment of the facility is for the Constellation Program's Ares vehicles.  The Ares I and Ares V rockets will be 325 feet and 360 feet tall, respectively, considerably taller than the space shuttle atop its mobile launcher platform.    Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-2009-1397

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 3...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, framework is lifted to the 16th floor for modifications related to the Ares I-X. The refurbishme... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --  On Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, equipment is moved that will be used to continue erecting the lightning towers. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I compared to the space shuttle. Pad B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X which is targeted for summer of 2009, as part of NASA’s Constellation Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd3860

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Cen...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, equipment is moved that will be used to continue erecting the lightning towers. Each of the three new lightning towers will ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tower on a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program grows as the fourth section is lowered into position.    The tower will be approximately 345 feet tall when completed and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The ML is being built at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket.  For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-6225

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tower on a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program grows as the fourth section is lowered into position. The tower will... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed vehicle is being checked out. A rock and crater-filled planetary scape, has been built so engineers can test the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT, system on the Project Morpheus lander.      Checkout of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free flight. The SLF site will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-4163

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facilit...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed vehicle is being checked out. A rock and crat... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Fire Station No. 2 near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Fire Rescue Services personnel have deployed the ladder on the aerial fire truck during training in order to be certified in the operation and use of the vehicle.    The center’s Fire Rescue Services recently achieved Pro Board Certification in aerial fire truck operations. Pro Board Certification is a globally recognized certification that puts on multiple courses that all fire departments throughout the world recognize and use to train their personnel. The unique aerial truck contains a 100-foot extendable ladder with a bucket at the end of it that can be used for rescues from taller buildings or aircraft rescue firefighting. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2013-3733

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Fire Station No. 2 near the Shuttle Landing ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Fire Station No. 2 near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Fire Rescue Services personnel have deployed the ladder on the aerial fire truck during ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed to the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after being backed out of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The MDD is located at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. The shuttle will be lifted and connected to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-5066

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed to the Mate-De...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed to the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after being backed out of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The MDD is located a... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves toward NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure. The crawler will transport the ML from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building, to the Mobile Launcher east park site. Once there, the ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches.          It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2010-4877

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a c...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves toward NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure. The crawler will transport the ML from a construction sit... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, testing of the Tilt-Up Umbilical Arm (TUUA) prototype's Environmental Control System Quick Disconnect takes place in the Launch Equipment Test Facility's 6,000-square-foot high bay. The prototype is used to demonstrate the safe disconnect and retraction of ground umbilical plates and associated hardware of a launch vehicle's upper stage and service module. The Environmental Control System consists of regulated air, which would be used to purge an inner tank and crew module.     Since 1977, the facility has supported NASA’s Launch Services, shuttle, International Space Station, and Constellation programs, as well as commercial providers. The facility recently underwent a major upgrade to support even more programs, projects and customers. It houses a cable fabrication and molding shop, pneumatics shop, machine and weld shop and full-scale control room. Outside, the facility features a water flow test loop, vehicle motion simulator, 600-ton test fixture, launch simulation towers and a cryogenic system. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2010-5293

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, tes...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, testing of the Tilt-Up Umbilical Arm (TUUA) prototype's Environmental Control System Quick Disconnect takes place in the Launch Equipment Test ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2, is on its way to the Park Site west of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The transporter has new brakes and mufflers and a recently-painted white roof deck.    The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy is overseeing the upgrades to CT-2 so that it can carry NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, which is under design, and new Orion spacecraft to the launch pad. The crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2013-1510

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crawler-transporter 2, or CT-2, is on its way to the Park Site west of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The transporter has new brakes and muf... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building, to the Mobile Launcher east park site.          The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. Once there, the ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph KSC-2010-4958

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a c...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building,... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers monitor the progress of a crawler-transporter as it moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building, to the Mobile Launcher east park site.         The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. Once there, the ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2010-4969

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wor...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers monitor the progress of a crawler-transporter as it moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, n... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first free-flight test of NASA's Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 10:02 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet. The vehicle, with its autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander then descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the test field. Project Morpheus tests NASA’s ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces.    The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov/.  Photo credit: NASA/Mike Chambers KSC-2014-2707

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first free-flight test of NASA's Morpheus ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first free-flight test of NASA's Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 10:02 ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed into the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD will be used to lift and connect the shuttle to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display. The shuttle was towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-5104

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed into the Mate-...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour is towed into the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD will be used to lift and connect the shuttle to the top of NASA's ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed vehicle, is moved into a building at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Morpheus is designed to demonstrate new green propellant propulsion systems and autonomous landing and an Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT, system.      Checkout of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free flight. The SLF site will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html  Photo credit: NASA/ Charisse Nahser KSC-2012-4029

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed veh...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Morpheus lander, a vertical test bed vehicle, is moved into a building at the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Morpheus is designed to demo... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the heat shield for the agency's Orion spacecraft arrived aboard the Super Guppy aircraft. The largest of its kind ever built, the heat shield is planned for installation on the Orion crew module in March next year. The Orion spacecraft is scheduled to make its first unpiloted flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1 EFT-1, in September 2014.      The Orion spacecraft is designed to meet requirements for traveling beyond low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry crews to space, sustain the astronauts during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2013-4238

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the heat shield for the agency's Orion spacecraft arrived aboard the Super Guppy aircraft. The largest of its ki... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander performed a free-flight test from a launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 97-second test began at 2:30 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet. The vehicle, with its recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, sensors surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASA’s ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces.      The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2665

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander perform...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander performed a free-flight test from a launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 97-s... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is lowered alongside the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already stacked on the mobile launcher platform. Discovery will be mated with the stack. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A for a targeted launch on Feb. 12. Discovery will carry the final starboard truss (S6) in the assembly of the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1055

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Ken...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is lowered alongside the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already stacked ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A representative of the 301st Rescue Squadron and a volunteer (in the stretcher) from the NASA Vehicle Integration Test Team office get ready to demonstrate rescue equipment on the HH-60G helicopter that is used by participants in the Mode VIII exercise being conducted at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.  In support of, and with logistical support from, NASA, USSTRATCOM is hosting a major exercise involving Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, search and rescue (SAR) forces, including the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, which support space shuttle astronaut bailout contingency operations, known as Mode VIII.  This exercise tests SAR capabilities to locate, recover and provide medical treatment for astronauts following a space shuttle launch phase open-ocean bailout. Participants include members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center.  This will be the 15th Mode VIII exercise conducted in the past 20 years.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd1348

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A representative of the 301st Rescue Squadron ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A representative of the 301st Rescue Squadron and a volunteer (in the stretcher) from the NASA Vehicle Integration Test Team office get ready to demonstrate rescue equipment on the HH-60... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis’ arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida is marked by celebration and fireworks. Atlantis made the 10-mile trip from Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building to the visitor complex where it will be put on public display.    As part of transition and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis will be displayed at Kennedy’s Visitor Complex beginning in the summer of 2013. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles during 307 days in space over 33 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-6136

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis’ arrival at the Kennedy ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis’ arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida is marked by celebration and fireworks. Atlantis made the 10-mile trip from Kennedy’s Vehicle Assemb... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded from the C-5 aircraft. The hardware consists of a precisely machined, full-scale simulator crew module and launch abort system to form the tip of NASA's Ares I-X rocket. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.    Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1406

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded from the C-5 aircraft. The ha... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery looms against the pre-dawn, cloud-streaked sky as it makes the slow 3.4-mile journey to Launch Pad 39A.  The shuttle sits atop the mobile launcher platform, which are being moved by the massive crawler-transporter beneath.  First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:17 a.m. EST. Discovery is targeted to launch to the International Space Station Feb. 12. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and its solar arrays to the starboard side of the station, completing the station's backbone, or truss, enabling a six-person crew to live there starting in May.  Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-2009-1119

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery looms against the pre-...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery looms against the pre-dawn, cloud-streaked sky as it makes the slow 3.4-mile journey to Launch Pad 39A. The shuttle sits atop the mobile launcher platform, which... More

NASA officials, (left to right) Charles W. Mathews; Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC); Dr. George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Marned Space Flight; and Air Force Lt. General Samuel C. Phillips, Apollo Program Director celebrate the successful launch of Apollo 11 in the control room at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on July 16, 1969. Boosted by the Saturn V launch vehicle, the Apollo 11 mission with a crew of three: Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, made the first manned lunar landing. The Saturn V vehicle was developed by Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under the direction of Dr. von Braun. n/a

NASA officials, (left to right) Charles W. Mathews; Dr. Wernher von Br...

NASA officials, (left to right) Charles W. Mathews; Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC); Dr. George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Marned Space Flight; and Air Force Lt... More

Launch of Mercury-Atlas, NASA Mercury project

Launch of Mercury-Atlas, NASA Mercury project

(February 21, 1961) In this Project Mercury test, a spacecraft booster by a modified Atlas was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Mercury capsule reached a peak altitude of 107 statute miles and landed ... More

Unloading Atlas Launch Vehicle, NASA Mercury project

Unloading Atlas Launch Vehicle, NASA Mercury project

(April 23, 1961) The Atlas launch vehicle is shown being unloaded at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This vehicle was expected to launch a Mercury spacecraft (without any astronauts aboard), built by McDonnell Aircraf... More

Mercury-Redstone Booster Development vehicle (MR-BD) - Mercury Project

Mercury-Redstone Booster Development vehicle (MR-BD) - Mercury Project

The Mercury-Redstone Booster Development vehicle (MR-BD) lifts off from Cape Canaveral March 24, 1961. This test flight evaluated changes incorporated in the booster designed to reduce vehicle oscillations and ... More

Saturn Apollo Program. NASA public domain image colelction.

Saturn Apollo Program. NASA public domain image colelction.

On October 27, 1961, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the Nation marked a high point in the 3-year-old Saturn development program when the first Saturn vehicle flew a flawless 215-mile ballistic traj... More

Photograph of Astronauts M. Scott Carpenter and John H. Glenn, Jr. Overlooking the Erection of the Launch Vehicle

Photograph of Astronauts M. Scott Carpenter and John H. Glenn, Jr. Ove...

Original caption: Cape Canaveral, FLA. - Two vitally interested spectators at the erection of the launch vehicle were Astronauts M. Scott Carpenter and John H. Glenn, Jr. scheduled to be respectively, back-up p... More

Saturn I - Saturn Apollo Program

Saturn I - Saturn Apollo Program

The second flight of the Saturn I vehicle, the SA-2, was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on April 15, 1962. This vehicle had a secondary mission. After the first stage shutoff, at a 65-mile a... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An Atlas launch vehicle lifts off with the Mercury spacecraft Sigma 7 atop with astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr. aboard. The fifth American into space and the third to orbit the Earth plans to circle the globe six time prior to a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Photo Credit: NASA KSC-62PC-0078

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An Atlas launch vehicle lifts off with the Mer...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An Atlas launch vehicle lifts off with the Mercury spacecraft Sigma 7 atop with astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr. aboard. The fifth American into space and the third to orbit the Earth pla... More

Saturn IB - AS-201, the first Saturn IB launch vehicle

Saturn IB - AS-201, the first Saturn IB launch vehicle

AS-201, the first Saturn IB launch vehicle developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, February 26, 1966. This was the first flight of the S-IB and S-IVB stages... More

AS-204, the fourth Saturn IB launch vehicle - Saturn Apollo Program

AS-204, the fourth Saturn IB launch vehicle - Saturn Apollo Program

AS-204, the fourth Saturn IB launch vehicle, developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), awaits its January 22, 1968 liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida for the unmarned Apollo 5 mission. Primary mis... More

AS-205, the fifth Saturn IB launch vehicle

AS-205, the fifth Saturn IB launch vehicle

AS-205, the fifth Saturn IB launch vehicle developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the first marned Apollo-Saturn mission, Apollo 7. Primary mission objec... More

KSC-68P-0575, NASA Apollo program

KSC-68P-0575, NASA Apollo program

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage of the Apollo 10 Saturn V space vehicle is hoisted above the transfer aisle in preparation for erection on a mobile launcher within High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Buil... More

The Apollo 9 Astronauts, NASA Apollo program

The Apollo 9 Astronauts, NASA Apollo program

Full Description: Pictured from left to right, the Apollo 9 astronauts, James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart, pause in front of the Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle that would launch the A... More

Apollo 11 Launched Via Saturn V Rocket

Apollo 11 Launched Via Saturn V Rocket

Full Description: The Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar mission, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida via the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16,... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Technicians make the final adjustments to Apollo 11 Commander Neil A. Armstrong's spacesuit as he prepares to take part in a space vehicle Countdown Demonstration Test (CDDT).  Astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins are practicing for ther mission, the first manned Lunar landing. KSC-69PC-347

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians make the final adjustments t...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians make the final adjustments to Apollo 11 Commander Neil A. Armstrong's spacesuit as he prepares to take part in a space vehicle Countdown Demonstration Test (CDDT). Ast... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, President Richard M. Nixon speaks in the Launch Control Center after the successful liftoff of the Apollo 12 space vehicle, which sent astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon and Alan Bean on the first leg of their lunar landing mission. With the President are Paul Donnelly, Launch Operations manager, on the left, and First Lady Pat Nixon, on the right. Photo Credit: NASA KSC-69P-0852

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Presid...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, President Richard M. Nixon speaks in the Launch Control Center after the successful liftoff of the Apollo 12 space vehicle, which sent astronauts ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers watch the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, simulate all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The VMS is part of the Launch Equipment Test Facility's (LETF) $35 million comprehensive upgrade that lasted four years.           The LETF was established in the 1970s to support the qualification of the Space Shuttle Program’s umbilical and T-0 mechanisms. Throughout the years, it has supported the development of systems for shuttle and the International Space Station, Delta and Atlas rockets, and various research and development programs. The LETF has unique capabilities to evolve into a versatile test and development area that supports a wide spectrum of programs. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2010-4513

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wor...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers watch the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, simulate all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –    In the Parachute Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, parachutes for the Ares rockets are being prepared for packing.  Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low-Earth orbit. The Ares I first stage will be a five-segment solid rocket booster based on the four-segment design used for the shuttle. As with the shuttle, this booster will fall away when spent, lowered by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean where it can be retrieved for re-use. Unlike the shuttle, the booster will be flying faster, at Mach 6, when its separation from the rest of Ares I occurs.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd1800

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Parachute Refurbishment Facility at N...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Parachute Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, parachutes for the Ares rockets are being prepared for packing. Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that wil... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an upper rail removed from high bay 3 is lowered onto the floor.  The removal is part of the modifications for the Constellation Program's Ares vehicles.  The Ares I and Ares V rockets will be 325 feet and 360 feet tall, respectively, considerably taller than the space shuttle atop its mobile launcher platform.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1462

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an upper rail removed from high bay 3 is lowered onto the floor. The removal is part of the modifications for ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure (behind it) is lowered onto the pad surface. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad.  Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009.  The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system.  This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle.  Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-2009-1945

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Cente...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure (behind it) is lowered onto the pad surface. Th... More

State-of-the-art displays shown here provide enhanced capability to engineers in the upgraded Launch Vehicle Data Center in Hangar AE, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The new facility’s three individual control rooms replace a single LVDC control room in use since the mid-1970s. Developed by NASA-KSC to support multiple test operations in parallel or a single large launch operation, the new LVDC allows up to 100 launch vehicle engineers to monitor the voice, data and video systems that support the checkout and launch of an expendable vehicle KSC-01pp0991

State-of-the-art displays shown here provide enhanced capability to en...

State-of-the-art displays shown here provide enhanced capability to engineers in the upgraded Launch Vehicle Data Center in Hangar AE, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The new facility’s three individual ... More

Center Director Roy Bridges addresses attendees at the dedication of the upgraded Launch Vehicle Data Center in Hangar AE, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The new facility’s three individual control rooms replace a single LVDC control room in use since the mid-1970s. Developed by NASA-KSC to support multiple test operations in parallel or a single large launch operation, the new LVDC allows up to 100 launch vehicle engineers to monitor the voice, data and video systems that support the checkout and launch of an expendable vehicle KSC-01pp0989

Center Director Roy Bridges addresses attendees at the dedication of t...

Center Director Roy Bridges addresses attendees at the dedication of the upgraded Launch Vehicle Data Center in Hangar AE, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The new facility’s three individual control room... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers watch the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, simulate all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The VMS is part of the Launch Equipment Test Facility's (LETF) $35 million comprehensive upgrade that lasted four years.            The LETF was established in the 1970s to support the qualification of the Space Shuttle Program’s umbilical and T-0 mechanisms. Throughout the years, it has supported the development of systems for shuttle and the International Space Station, Delta and Atlas rockets, and various research and development programs. The LETF has unique capabilities to evolve into a versatile test and development area that supports a wide spectrum of programs. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2010-4514

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wor...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers watch the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, simulate all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, which simulates all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The VMS is part of the Launch Equipment Test Facility's (LETF) $35 million comprehensive upgrade that lasted four years.              The LETF was established in the 1970s to support the qualification of the Space Shuttle Program’s umbilical and T-0 mechanisms. Throughout the years, it has supported the development of systems for shuttle and the International Space Station, Delta and Atlas rockets, and various research and development programs. The LETF has unique capabilities to evolve into a versatile test and development area that supports a wide spectrum of programs. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2010-4517

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is t...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, which simulates all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The VMS i... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers watch the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, simulate all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The VMS is part of the Launch Equipment Test Facility's (LETF) $35 million comprehensive upgrade that lasted four years.           The LETF was established in the 1970s to support the qualification of the Space Shuttle Program’s umbilical and T-0 mechanisms. Throughout the years, it has supported the development of systems for shuttle and the International Space Station, Delta and Atlas rockets, and various research and development programs. The LETF has unique capabilities to evolve into a versatile test and development area that supports a wide spectrum of programs. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2010-4512

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wor...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers watch the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, simulate all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As the sun sets behind Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X rocket awaits the approaching liftoff of its flight test.    This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad.   Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I.  The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27.  For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-5832

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As the sun sets behind Launch Complex 39B at NA...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As the sun sets behind Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X rocket awaits the approaching liftoff of its flight test. This is the first time since... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASCAR racer Jason Leffler’s instrument-laden vehicle is being prepared for its three-mile-long drive down the Shuttle Landing Facility runway. The operation is part of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ program to test aerodynamic and real-world capabilities on one of the flattest surfaces in the world.      Racing teams have been using the runway for testing since 2008. KBM signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to use the facility’s runway. Photo Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-1299

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASC...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASCAR racer Jason Leffler’s instrument-laden vehicle is being prepared for its three-mile-long drive down the Shuttle Landing Facility runway. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers monitor the progress of a crawler-transporter as it moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Mobile Launcher east park site.           The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. Once there, the ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2010-4964

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wor...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers monitor the progress of a crawler-transporter as it moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, n... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – ATK and NASA officials accompanied the Florida East Coast Railroad train carrying the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket on its route to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida from Jacksonville, Fla.  Seen here in the passenger car are, from left NASA KSC Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach, a Florida East Coast Railroad representative, ATK Ares I First Stage program Director Fred Brasfield, a Florida East Coast Railroad representative, ATK Vice President Space Launch Systems Charlie Precourt, a Florida East Coast Railroad representative, and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Reusable Solid Rocket Booster Integration Lead Roy Worthy. The four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments will be delivered to the  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.   Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-2206

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – ATK and NASA officials accompanied the Florida ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – ATK and NASA officials accompanied the Florida East Coast Railroad train carrying the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket on its route to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers escort space shuttle Endeavour as it is towed to the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after being backed out of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The MDD is located at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. The shuttle will be lifted and connected to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display. Photo credit: NASA/ Frankie Martin KSC-2012-5083

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers escort space shuttle Endeavour as it is...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers escort space shuttle Endeavour as it is towed to the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after being backed out of the Vehicle Assembly Building.... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the TDRS-J satellite launches aboard an Atlas IIA vehicle on Dec. 4 at the beginning of the launch window at 9:42 p.m. EST. TDRS-J, the third in a series of telemetry satellites, will help replenish the current constellation of geosynchronous TDRS satellites that are the primary source of space-to-ground voice, data and telemetry for the Space Shuttle. The satellites also provide communications with the International Space Station and scientific spacecraft in low-Earth orbit such as the Hubble Space Telescope. This new advanced series of satellites will extend the availability of TDRS communications services until about 2017. KSC-02pd1852

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Ai...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the TDRS-J satellite launches aboard an Atlas IIA vehicle on Dec. 4 at the beginning of the launch window at 9:42 p.m. EST.... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the heat shield for the agency's Orion spacecraft is about to be offloaded from the Super Guppy aircraft. The largest of its kind ever built, the heat shield is planned for installation on the Orion crew module in March of next year. The Orion spacecraft is scheduled to make its first unpiloted flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1 EFT-1, in September 2014.    The Orion spacecraft is designed to meet requirements for traveling beyond low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry crews to space, sustain the astronauts during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nasher KSC-2013-4245

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the heat shield for the agency's Orion spacecraft is about to be offloaded from the Super Guppy aircraft. The la... More

Apollo 15 Onboard Photo: Earth's Crest Over the Lunar Horizon

Apollo 15 Onboard Photo: Earth's Crest Over the Lunar Horizon

Full Description: This view of the Earth's crest over the lunar horizon was taken during the Apollo 15 lunar landing mission. Apollo 15 launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on July 26, 1971 via a Saturn... More

Astronauts Scott and Irwin shown on Lunar Roving Vehicle at KSC

Astronauts Scott and Irwin shown on Lunar Roving Vehicle at KSC

S71-39867 (June 1971) --- Astronauts David R. Scott (right), commander, and James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot, are shown on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, during Apo... More

Preparing Nimbus E on Delta Vehicle

Preparing Nimbus E on Delta Vehicle

(December 12, 1972) Nimbus E, the sixth spacecraft in the Nimbus series, is shown preparing for launch on December 12, 1972 from the Western Test Range (WTR), Space Launch Complex SLC-2, West, by the Thrust- Au... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut and Air Force test pilot, stands near the Astrovan and space shuttle Atlantis inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Stafford flew two Gemini missions, commanded Apollo 10 and commanded the Apollo-Soyuz test mission during his NASA career. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2012-4388

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut a...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut and Air Force test pilot, stands near the Astrovan and space shuttle Atlantis inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Ce... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut and Air Force test pilot, stands near space shuttle Atlantis inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Stafford flew two Gemini missions, commanded Apollo 10 and commanded the Apollo-Soyuz test mission during his NASA career. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2012-4391

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut a...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut and Air Force test pilot, stands near space shuttle Atlantis inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut and Air Force test pilot, stands near space shuttle Atlantis inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Stafford flew two Gemini missions, commanded Apollo 10 and commanded the Apollo-Soyuz test mission during his NASA career. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2012-4390

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut a...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut and Air Force test pilot, stands near space shuttle Atlantis inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut and Air Force test pilot, stands near the Astrovan and space shuttle Atlantis inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Stafford flew two Gemini missions, commanded Apollo 10 and commanded the Apollo-Soyuz test mission during his NASA career. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2012-4389

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut a...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, former astronaut and Air Force test pilot, stands near the Astrovan and space shuttle Atlantis inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Ce... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Model of docked Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft in the foreground and skylight in the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay frame the second stage of the Saturn 1B booster that will launch the United States ASTP mission as a crane raises it prior to its mating with the Saturn 1B first stage.  Mating of the Saturn 1B first and second stages was completed this morning.  The U. S. ASTP launch with mission commander Thomas Stafford, command module pilot Vance Brand and docking module pilot Donald Slayton is scheduled at 3:50 p.m. EDT July 15.      The first international crewed spaceflight was a joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. rendezvous and docking mission.  The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, or ASTP, took its name from the spacecraft employed: the American Apollo and the Soviet Soyuz.  The three-man Apollo crew lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard a Saturn IB rocket on July 15, 1975, to link up with the Soyuz that had launched a few hours earlier.  A cylindrical docking module served as an airlock between the two spacecraft for transfer of the crew members.  Photo credit: NASA KSC-108-75P-0005

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Model of docked Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft in ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Model of docked Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft in the foreground and skylight in the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay frame the second stage of the Saturn 1B booster that will launch the U... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The second stage of the Saturn 1B booster for the United States mission on the Apollo Soyuz Test Project was mated with the Saturn 1B first stage in the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building today.  Mating was completed at 9:50 a.m.  The U. S. ASTP launch with mission commander Thomas Stafford, command module pilot Vance Brand and docking module pilot Donald Slayton is scheduled at 3:50 p.m. EDT July 15.      The first international crewed spaceflight was a joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. rendezvous and docking mission.  The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, or ASTP, took its name from the spacecraft employed: the American Apollo and the Soviet Soyuz.  The three-man Apollo crew lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard a Saturn IB rocket on July 15, 1975, to link up with the Soyuz that had launched a few hours earlier.  A cylindrical docking module served as an airlock between the two spacecraft for transfer of the crew members.  Photo credit: NASA KSC-108-75P-0006

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The second stage of the Saturn 1B booster for t...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The second stage of the Saturn 1B booster for the United States mission on the Apollo Soyuz Test Project was mated with the Saturn 1B first stage in the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Ass... More

KSC-75PC-0330. NASA public domain image. Kennedy space center.

KSC-75PC-0330. NASA public domain image. Kennedy space center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – ASTP prime crewmen Donald Slayton, Thomas Stafford and Vance Brand pose with their Saturn IB launch vehicle following the Countdown Demonstration Test [CDDT], a step-by-step dress rehears... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Apollo Soyuz Test Project Saturn IB launch vehicle thundered away from KSC’s Launch Complex 39B at 3:50 p.m. today.  Aboard the Apollo Command Module were ASTP Astronauts Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand and Donald Slayton.  The astronauts will rendezvous and dock with a Soyuz spacecraft, launched this morning from the Baikonur launch facility in the Soviet Union, carrying Soviet cosmonauts Aleksey Leonov and Valeriy Kubasov.      The first international crewed spaceflight was a joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. rendezvous and docking mission.  The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, or ASTP, took its name from the spacecraft employed: the American Apollo and the Soviet Soyuz.  The three-man Apollo crew lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard a Saturn IB rocket on July 15, 1975, to link up with the Soyuz that had launched a few hours earlier.  A cylindrical docking module served as an airlock between the two spacecraft for transfer of the crew members.  Photo credit: NASA KSC-108-75PC-0388

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Apollo Soyuz Test Project Saturn IB launch ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Apollo Soyuz Test Project Saturn IB launch vehicle thundered away from KSC’s Launch Complex 39B at 3:50 p.m. today. Aboard the Apollo Command Module were ASTP Astronauts Thomas Staff... More

Delta launch vehicle No. 140 lifts off from Complex 17 at 5:01 p.m. EST carrying the BSE spacecraft

Delta launch vehicle No. 140 lifts off from Complex 17 at 5:01 p.m. ES...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: Unknown Release Status: Rele... More

An Atlas Centaur launch vehicle lifts off from Complex 36 at 2:56 p.m. carrying the second in a series of fleet communications satellites

An Atlas Centaur launch vehicle lifts off from Complex 36 at 2:56 p.m....

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: Unknown Release Status: Rele... More

A Titan III-C launch vehicle lifts off from Complex 40 at 9:39 a.m. EDT

A Titan III-C launch vehicle lifts off from Complex 40 at 9:39 a.m. ED...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: Unknown Release Status: Rele... More

A Comsat Defense Satellite Communications System DS-CS II is launched aboard a Titan III-C launch vehicle from Complex 40

A Comsat Defense Satellite Communications System DS-CS II is launched ...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: Unknown Release Status: Rele... More

An RCA Satcom-3 communications satellite is launched aboard a Delta 150 launch vehicle from Complex 17

An RCA Satcom-3 communications satellite is launched aboard a Delta 15...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: Unknown Release Status: Release... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The second of two solid rocket boosters rolls up to the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.  The rocket will be installed on the right side of the Delta IV launch vehicle for the GOES-O spacecraft. GOES–O is one of a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The multi-mission GOES series N-P will be a vital contributor to weather, solar and space operations and science. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, are actively engaged in a cooperative program to expand the existing GOES system with the launch of the GOES N-P satellites. Launch of the GOES-O is targeted for no earlier than April 2009.    Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1913

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The second of two solid rocket boosters rolls u...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The second of two solid rocket boosters rolls up to the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket will be installed on the right si... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES, has been offloaded from a C-17 military cargo aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center  in Florida. The satellite will be moved to the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. Developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, the GOES-O satellite is targeted to launch April 28 onboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-1936

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The latest Geostationary Operational Environmen...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES, has been offloaded from a C-17 military cargo aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Cente... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach more cables to the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure.  The mast will be lowered to horizontal for transport from the pad.  The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad.  Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009.  The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system.  This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle.  Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-2009-1944

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Cente...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach more cables to the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure. The mast will b... More

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