Aerial View of Proposed RPSF Area, November 9, 1964

Aerial View of RPSF Complex, view to the south, March 9, 1984

Aerial View of RPSF Complex under construction showing steel frame, April 21, 1983

Aerial View of VAB Complex, with Proposed RPSF Area, March 21, 1979

View of VAB southwest wall in Assembly Area, July 6, 1966

Aerial View of RPSF Complex under construction view to the north, October 3, 1983

Aerial View of Proposed RPSF Area, January 7, 1966

Aerial View of RPSF Complex under construction, February 8, 1983

View of the VAB platforms in Assembly Area, July 7, 1966

View of VAB north wall in Assembly Area, July 6, 1966

Aerial View of RPSF Complex under construction view to the west, July 5, 1983

During a media tour of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket into the vertical position. The pathfinder booster segment will be moved to the other end of the RPSF and secured on a test stand. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

Members of the news media view the high bay inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the RPSF, engineers and technicians with Jacobs Engineering on the Test and Operations Support Contract, explain the various test stands. In the far corner is one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, departs from the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with two containers on railcars for transport to the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the RPSF. Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, departs from the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with two containers on railcars for transport to the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the RPSF. Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, departs from the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with two containers on railcars for transport to the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the RPSF. Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

Members of the news media watch as a crane is used to move one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket to a test stand in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

At the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media watch as cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

At the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media photograph the process as cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, approaches the raised span of the NASA railroad bridge to continue over the Indian River north of Kennedy Space Center with two containers on railcars for storage at the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, travels along the NASA railroad bridge over the Indian River north of Kennedy Space Center, carrying one of two containers on a railcar for transport to the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, continues along the NASA railroad bridge over the Indian River north of Kennedy Space Center, carrying one of two containers on a railcar for transport to the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, arrives at the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the second of two containers on a railcar. The first container is at left. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, arrives at the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with two containers on railcars for storage. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, conracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, travels along the NASA railroad bridge over the Indian River north of Kennedy Space Center, with two containers on railcars for transport to the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, travels along the NASA railroad bridge over the Indian River north of Kennedy Space Center, carrying one of two containers on a railcar for transport to the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard near the center. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, departs from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with two containers on railcars for transport to the Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

An Iowa Northern locomotive, contracted by Goodloe Transportation of Chicago, travels along the NASA railroad bridge over the Indian River north of Kennedy Space Center, carrying one of two containers on a railcar for transport to the NASA Jay Jay railroad yard. The containers held two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that were delivered to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will conduct a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations using the booster segments, which are inert, to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. The pathfinder booster segments are from Orbital ATK in Utah.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes were used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

During a media tour of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. At far right, the first pathfinder booster has been lifted into the vertical position and secured on a test stand. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Members of the news media watch as two cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into the vertical position inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The pathfinder booster segment will be moved to the other end of the RPSF and secured on a test stand. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Members of the news media view the high bay inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kerry Chreist, with Jacobs Engineering on the Test and Operations Support Contract, explains the various test stands and how they will be used to prepare booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. In the far corner, in the vertical position, is one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for the SLS rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Members of the news media view the high bay inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kerry Chreist, with Jacobs Engineering on the Test and Operations Support Contract, talks with a reporter about the booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. In the far corner, in the vertical position, is one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for the SLS rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA railroad locomotive No. 1 pulls locomotives 2 and 3 away from Launch Complex 39 area's Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF, where wheel and axle assemblies were swapped between locomotives 2 and 3. The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environmentally friendly. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/rpsf_locomotives.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA locomotive No. 1 pulls locomotive No. 3 out of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside, an overhead crane was used to lift NASA locomotive No. 2 off of its trucks and moved aside, so locomotive No. 3 could be raised off its trucks and moved into position atop the trucks previously used by locomotive No. 2. The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environmentally friendly. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/rpsf_locomotives.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA locomotive No. 1 pulls locomotives No. 2 and 3 out after wheel and axle assemblies to be swapped between locomotives 2 and 3. The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environmentally friendly. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/rpsf_locomotives.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA locomotive No. 1 pulls locomotive No. 3 out of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside, an overhead crane was used to lift NASA locomotive No. 2 off of its trucks and moved aside, so locomotive No. 3 could be raised off its trucks and moved into position atop the trucks previously used by locomotive No. 2. The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environmentally friendly. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/rpsf_locomotives.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA locomotive No. 1 pulls locomotive No. 3 out of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside, an overhead crane was used to lift NASA locomotive No. 2 off of its trucks and moved aside, so locomotive No. 3 could be raised off its trucks and moved into position atop the trucks previously used by locomotive No. 2. The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environmentally friendly. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/rpsf_locomotives.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA locomotive No. 1 pulls locomotive No. 3 out of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside, an overhead crane was used to lift NASA locomotive No. 2 off of its trucks and moved aside, so locomotive No. 3 could be raised off its trucks and moved into position atop the trucks previously used by locomotive No. 2. The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environmentally friendly. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/rpsf_locomotives.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA locomotive No. 1 pulls locomotive No. 3 out of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RPSF, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside, an overhead crane was used to lift NASA locomotive No. 2 off of its trucks and moved aside, so locomotive No. 3 could be raised off its trucks and moved into position atop the trucks previously used by locomotive No. 2. The RPSF was built to support work on the solid rocket used motors during the space shuttle era. The facility had never previously been used for another purpose, but is now free to serve other customers. With rails running into the building's high bay and a pair of heavy-lift cranes positioned overhead, the facility's capabilities were a perfect fit for the NASA Railroad's needs. Railroad managers wanted to trade the wheel and axle assemblies, or trucks, of locomotives No. 2 and No. 3. Locomotive No. 3 was painstakingly restored in recent years by the NASA Railroad team, and handles much of the rail work required at the center in the post-shuttle era. But the trucks on locomotive No. 2 are in better shape and are more environmentally friendly. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/rpsf_locomotives.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

A Jacobs technician, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, checks bolt fittings during practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes will be used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, check bolt fittings as they practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, check bolt fittings as they practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Secured on a flatbed transporter in its shipping container, the ground test motor for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) arrives at the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) on July 20, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the RPSF the motor will be inspected and prepared for transport to Space Launch Complex 46 (SLC-46) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mechanical fit testing. This inert motor will not be used for flight, but will be used to certify flight hardware assembly in preparation for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, the booster will launch from SLC 46, 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. NASA's Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs and their contractors from Jacob's and Northrup Grumman in conjunction with the Air Force Space and Missile Center's Launch Operations branch SMC/LEXO, are performing the pathfinding exercises and flight operations for AA-2.