A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the first half of the B-level work platforms, B South, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be offloaded in the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

A ceremonial ribbon is cut for the opening of new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. From the left are Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of the visitor complex, center director Bob Cabana, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Kudo Tsunoda of Microsoft, and Jeff Norris of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by JPL, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Aldrin as they are guided to Mars using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, left and Erisa Hines of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, speak to members of the news media during a preview of the new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by JPL, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Aldrin and Curiosity rover driver Hines as they are guided to Mars using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) is lifted to the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

Team members monitor the progress as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) is lifted to the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

The first of three aeroshells for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) arrives by truck in High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on June 19, 2018. The aeroshell was shipped from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island. The aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

Comprised of students from Cocoa Beach, Rockledge, Viera and Space Coast high schools, the robotics group known as the "Pink Team," chose the phoenix as its mascot for the 2016 season. The group, its mentors and support personnel celebrated a successful season near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 5.

The first of three aeroshells for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) is lowered onto wooden blocks in High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on June 19, 2018. The aeroshell was shipped from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island. The aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin tries out Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset during a preview of the new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Aldrin as they are guided to Mars using the headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

The first of three aeroshells for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) is lowered onto wooden blocks in High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on June 19, 2018. The aeroshell was shipped from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island. The aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, left and Erisa Hines of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, try out Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset during a preview of the new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Aldrin and Curiosity rover driver Hines as they are guided to Mars using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir

Team members check the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) after it was lifted to the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

Comprised of students from Cocoa Beach, Rockledge, Viera and Space Coast high schools, the robotics group known as the "Pink Team," its mentors and support personnel celebrated a successful season near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 5. The Pink Team fared well in the two regionals it competed in this year in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

The first of three aeroshells for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) arrives by truck and is offloaded in High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on June 19, 2018. The aeroshell was shipped from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island. The aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) is raised to the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin speaks to members of the news media during a preview of the new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Aldrin as they are guided to Mars using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir

Team members assist as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) is raised and prepared for lifting to the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November

Team members assist as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) is prepared for lifting to the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

Team members assist as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) is raised and prepared for lifting to the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

Team members are securing the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) in the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Anthony Sabatino, with Jacobs on the Test and Operations Support Contract, awaits arrival of the first of three aeroshells for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) on June 19, 2018. The aeroshell is arriving by truck from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island and will be offloaded and secured in High Bay 4. The aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

Comprised of students from Cocoa Beach, Rockledge, Viera and Space Coast high schools, the robotics group known as the "Pink Team," its mentors and support personnel celebrated a successful season near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 5. The Pink Team fared well in the two regionals it competed in this year in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, left, and Kudo Tsunoda of Microsoft, speak to members of the news media during a preview of the new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Aldrin as they are guided to Mars using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir

A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the first half of the B-level work platforms, B South, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be offloaded in the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, right and Erisa Hines of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, speak to members of the news media during a preview of the new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by JPL, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Aldrin and Curiosity rover driver Hines as they are guided to Mars using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) has been secured in the vertical position on an “up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

The first of three aeroshells for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) is offloaded from its transport truck by crane in High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on June 19, 2018. The aeroshell was shipped from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island. The aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, travels toward the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the first half of the B-level work platforms, B South, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, left, and Kudo Tsunoda of Microsoft, speak to members of the news media during a preview of the new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Aldrin as they are guided to Mars using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir

Comprised of students from Cocoa Beach, Rockledge, Viera and Space Coast high schools, the robotics group known as the "Pink Team," its mentors and support personnel celebrated a successful season near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 5. The Pink Team fared well in the two regionals it competed in this year in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the first half of the B-level work platforms, B south, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

Kudo Tsunoda of Microsoft, speaks to members of the news media during a preview of the new Destination: Mars experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Destination: Mars gives guests an opportunity to “visit” several sites on Mars using real imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. Based on OnSight, a tool created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the experience brings guests together with a holographic version of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin as they are guided to Mars using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset. Photo credit: NASA/Charles Babir