Oil smoke billows from the right inboard engine of the C-17 while a probe collects emissions data during 2011 VIPR engine health monitoring tests.

The orbiter Atlantis makes the turn to the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 after being towed from the Shuttle Landing Facility. The unusual silhouette of the aft section on the orbiter is due to the tail cone covering the aft engines. Atlantis landed Feb. 19 at Edwards Air Force Base concluding mission STS-98. The orbiter returned to Florida on the back of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, known as a ferry flight, that began March 1. Unfavorable weather conditions kept it on the ground at Altus AFB, Okla., for several days until it could return to Florida. Atlantis will be prepared in the OPF for mission STS-104, the 10th construction flight to the International Space Station, scheduled to launch June 8

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – ((ED09-0253-83) The tail cone that improves the aerodynamics of the space shuttle for its cross-country ferry flight is positioned aft of shuttle Discovery’s rocket nozzles prior to installation at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center. Discovery returned to Earth Sept. 11 on the STS-128 mission, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The shuttle delivered more than 7 tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional environmental hardware to sustain six crew members on the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Landis

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- (ED09-0253-03) Its nose still high in the air, Space Shuttle Discovery rolls down Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base shortly before sunset on Sept. 11, 2009 and the end of mission STS-128. (NASA photo / David Huskey/WSTF)

Kicking up dust, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, with its unique cargo on top, touches down on runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The ferry flight started in California after the orbiter’s landing more than a week ago at Edwards Air Force Base at the end of mission STS-92. Discovery will be demated from the SCA via the mate/demate device at the SLF and transported to the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1. There it will undergo preparations for its next launch, STS-102, scheduled for February 2001

Viewed from the rear, the orbiter Atlantis heads toward the open doors of the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 after being towed from the Shuttle Landing Facility. The blue lines represent the orbiter’s turning lines into and away from bay 3. The unusual silhouette of the aft section on the orbiter is due to the tail cone covering the aft engines. Atlantis landed Feb. 19 at Edwards Air Force Base concluding mission STS-98. The orbiter returned to Florida on the back of a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, known as a ferry flight, that began March 1. Unfavorable weather conditions kept it on the ground at Altus AFB, Okla., for several days until it could return to Florida. Atlantis will be prepared in the OPF for mission STS-104, the 10th construction flight to the International Space Station, scheduled to launch June 8

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – (ED09-0253-84) The tail cone that improves the aerodynamics of the space shuttle for its cross-country ferry flight is positioned aft of shuttle Discovery’s rocket nozzles prior to installation at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center. Discovery returned to Earth Sept. 11 on the STS-128 mission, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The shuttle delivered more than 7 tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional environmental hardware to sustain six crew members on the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Landis

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- (ED09-0253-25) Technicians clad in protective suits check for any hazardous gases emanating from space shuttle Discovery moments after it rolled to a stop on the main runway at Edwards Air Force Base Sept. 11. The checks are required before the crews move in for recovery operations. (NASA photo / Brian Soukup)

Kicking up dust, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, with its unique cargo on top, touches down on runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The ferry flight started in California after the orbiter’s landing more than a week ago at Edwards Air Force Base at the end of mission STS-92. Discovery will be demated from the SCA via the mate/demate device at the SLF and transported to the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1. There it will undergo preparations for its next launch, STS-102, scheduled for February 2001

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- (ED09-0253-02) Space Shuttle Discovery rolls out on Runway 22L after landing at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California’s high desert to conclude mission STS-128 to the International Space Station. (NASA photo /Tom Tschida)

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- (ED09-0253-01) Streams of smoke trail from the main landing gear tires as Space Shuttle Discovery touches down on Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base to conclude the almost 14-day STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. (NASA photo / Jim Ross)

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – While on the space station, Buzz Lightyear supported NASA’s education outreach program – STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) -- by creating a series of fun, educational online outreach programs. Following his return, Disney is partnering with NASA to create a new online educational game and an online mission patch competition for school kids across America. NASA will fly the winning patch in space. In addition, NASA plans to announce on Oct. 2 the details of a new exciting educational competition that will give students the opportunity to design an experiment for the astronauts on the space station.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Disney’s space ranger Buzz Lightyear returned from space on Sept. 11 aboard space shuttle Discovery’s STS-128 mission after 15 months aboard the International Space Station. His time on the orbiting laboratory will be celebrated in a ticker-tape parade together with his space station crewmates and former Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin on Oct. 2 at Walt Disney World in Florida.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- (ED09-0253-04) Trailing its drag chute, Space Shuttle Discovery slows to a stop after landing at Edwards Air Force Base to conclude its almost 14-day, 5.7-million-mile journey to the International Space Station on mission STS-128 (NASA photo / Tony Landis)

EDWARDS AFB, Calif. - ED13-0300-002 – An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter lifts Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser flight vehicle during a captive-carry flight test. The test was a rehearsal for free flights at Edwards later this year. The spacecraft is under development in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Although the spacecraft is designed for crew members, the vehicle will not have anyone onboard during the free flights. Photo credit: NASA/Carla Thomas

EDWARDS AFB, Calif. - ED13-0300-003 – An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter lifts Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser flight vehicle during a captive-carry flight test. The test was a rehearsal for free flights at Edwards later this year. The spacecraft is under development in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Although the spacecraft is designed for crew members, the vehicle will not have anyone onboard during the free flights. Photo credit: NASA/Carla Thomas

EDWARDS AFB, Calif. - ED13-0300-001 – An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter lifts Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser flight vehicle during a captive-carry flight test. The test was a rehearsal for free flights at Edwards later this year. The spacecraft is under development in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Although the spacecraft is designed for crew members, the vehicle will not have anyone onboard during the free flights. Photo credit: NASA/Carla Thomas