Date: 01-18-13 Location: Bldg 16, SES Dome Subject: Expedition 39 (Soyuz 37) crew members Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata during FF T&C/R MINI SIM 2 training in the building 16 dome with instructor Jeffery "Tux" Tuxhorn. Photogapher: James Blair

Expedition 39 (Soyuz 37) crew members in the building 16 dome

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Smoke from a successful controlled burn near KSC’s Launch Complex 39 surrounds the Vehicle Assembly Building and spreads across the horizon. The water in the foreground is the Banana River.

Expedition 39 Preflight

Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA, left, Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, center, and, Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos, right, are seen as they report to the General Director of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, Oleg Ostapenko, far right, outside of Building 254 following their suit up for launch, Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Swanson, Skvortsov, and Artemyev onboard launched at 3:17 a.m. later that morning Kazakhstan time. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

STS-47 crew leaves KSC's O&C Building on their way to Launch Complex 39

STS047-S-038 (12 Sept 1992) --- The seven crewmembers who will be aboard for Endeavour's second trip into space leave the Operations and Checkout Building to board a van headed for Launch Complex 39. This mission will be devoted to support of the Spacelab-J mission, a joint effort between Japan and the United States. Launch occurred at 10:23:00:0680 a.m. (EDT), September 12, 1992. Onboard were astronauts Robert L. Gibson, mission commander; Curtis L. Brown Jr., pilot; Mark C. Lee, payload commander; and Jerome (Jay) Apt, Mae C. Jemison and N. Jan Davis, mission specialists; along with payload specialist Mamoru Mohri, representing the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan.

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An aerial view of Launch Complex 39 Area shows the Vehicle Assembly Building (center), surrounded by (right) the Launch Control Center, (lower area, left to right) the Orbiter Processing Facility, Process Control Center and Operations Support Building. Looking toward the Atlantic Ocean (top) can be seen Launch Pads 39-A (right) and 39-B. The crawlerway stretches between the VAB and the launch pads. To the right of the crawlerway is the turn basin where new external tanks are brought from Louisiana via ship. The road bordering the buildings is Kennedy Parkway North.

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An aerial view of Launch Complex 39 area shows the Vehicle Assembly Building (center), with the Launch Control Center on its right. On the west side (lower end) are (left to right) the Orbiter Processing Facility, Process Control Center and Operations Support Building. Looking east (upper end) are Launch Pads 39-A (right) and 39-B (just above the VAB). The crawlerway stretches between the VAB and the launch pads toward the Atlantic Ocean, seen beyond them. At right is the turn basin where new external tanks are brought via ship, shown at its offloading site.

This aerial view is of Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex. The Vehicle Assembly Building, located in the Launch Complex 39 area, can be seen in the background

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Launch America Banner on VAB

Seen here is the “Launch America” banner for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) on the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 28, 2021. NASA and SpaceX are preparing for Crew-3 – the third crew rotation flight to the International Space Station for CCP – and part of that includes conducting a dress rehearsal ahead of launch. On Oct. 28, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts and launch teams rehearsed countdown operations, concluding with the Go/No-Go poll for Falcon-9 fueling. The Crew-3 mission will carry NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer to the space station for a six-month stay. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A no earlier than Nov. 6 at 11:36 p.m. EDT.

Launch America Banner on VAB

Kennedy Space Center’s iconic Vehicle Assembly Building is photographed just before NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts and launch teams participate in a countdown dress rehearsal on Oct. 28, 2021, in preparation for the upcoming Crew-3 launch. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer to the International Space Station for a six-month stay. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida no earlier than Nov. 6 at 11:36 p.m. EDT. Crew-3 is the third crew rotation flight to the space station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and the first flight of a new Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Launch America Banner on VAB

Seen here is the “Launch America” banner for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) on the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 28, 2021. NASA and SpaceX are preparing for Crew-3 – the third crew rotation flight to the International Space Station for CCP – and part of that includes conducting a dress rehearsal ahead of launch. On Oct. 28, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts and launch teams rehearsed countdown operations, concluding with the Go/No-Go poll for Falcon-9 fueling. The Crew-3 mission will carry NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer to the space station for a six-month stay. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A no earlier than Nov. 6 at 11:36 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The 525-foot-high Vehicle Assembly Building dominates the Launch Complex 39 Area. The major buildings surrounding it, counterclockwise, are the Orbiter Processing Facility, Operations Support Building, construction site of OSB-2, the NASA KSC News Center and Launch Control Center. Photo credit: NASA

Boeing Plant, Everett WA

When Boeing decided to build the 747, they had to build a factory large enough to construct several at the same time. They started building the factory in 1967, in Everett, Washington, 35 km north of Seattle. The main building covers 39 hectares (98 acres), and encloses 13.3 million cubic meters (472 million cubic feet). This is the largest building in the world. The image was acquired September 15, 2017, covers an area of 10.8 by 11.3 kilometers, and is located at 47.9 degrees north, 122.3 degrees west. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23000

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An up close aerial view of the Vehicle Assembly Building and other facilities in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In front of the VAB is the Launch Control Center. To the left are the Operations Support Buildings I and II. Upgrades are underway at Pad B and other facilities in the Launch Complex 39 area. The Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program office at Kennedy is leading the center’s transformation from a historically government-only launch complex to a spaceport that can safely handle a variety of rockets and spacecraft, including NASA’s Space Launch System. For more information about GSDO, visit: http:__go.nasa.gov_groundsystems. Photo credit: NASA_Kim Shiflett

Expedition 39 Preflight

Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA, left, and Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, right, speak with family members while Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos, has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for his launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Artemyev, Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA is scheduled to launch at 3:17 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Wednesday, March 26.

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Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA, center, speaks with his family during Russian Sokol suit pressure checks in preparation for launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Swanson, Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos is scheduled to launch at 3:17 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Wednesday, March 26. (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 39 Preflight

Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for his launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Swanson, Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos is scheduled to launch at 3:17 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Wednesday, March 26. (NASA/GCTC/Irina Peshkova)

Expedition 39 Preflight

Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for his launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Skvortsov, Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos is scheduled to launch at 3:17 a.m. Kazakhstan Time on Wednesday, March 26. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Peshkova)

Expedition 39 Preflight

Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, is helped into his Russian Sokol suit as he and fellow cremates, Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos prepare for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station, on Tuesday, March, 25, 2014, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket will send Skvortsov, Swanson, and Artemyev on a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Peshkova)

Expedition 39 Preflight

Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for his launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Artemyev, Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA is scheduled to launch at 3:17 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Wednesday, March 26. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 39 Preflight

Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, is helped into his Russian Sokol suit as he and fellow cremates, Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA prepare for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station, on Tuesday, March, 25, 2014, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket will send Skvortsov, Swanson, and Artemyev on a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Peshkova)

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-1 stands framed in vegetation lining the superhighay-wide crawlerway linking the Vehicle Assembly Building with the twin pads of Launch Complex 39. The first Space Shuttle assembly emerged from the VAB shortly after 8 a.m. today for the 3.5-mile journey to Complex 39's Pad A. The Shuttle was on the hardstand at Pad A approximately seven and a half hours after rollout began. Launch is scheduled for no eariler than March 1981.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Launch Complex 39 facilities are now visible through the openings left by missing panels from the exterior walls of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)following Hurricane Frances. The storm's path over Florida took it through Cape Canaveral and KSC property during Labor Day weekend. Located in the heart of Launch Complex 39, the VAB is used for the integration and stacking of Space Shuttle elements and for the checkout and storage of Space Shuttle External Tanks.

This aerial view is of a tour stop on the KSC bus tour, the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry. This stop allows visitors to view and photograph Pads A and B in Launch Complex 39 from an elevated vantage point. The roadway leading to the tour stop runs next to the crawlerway (right) which is used to transport Space Shuttles from the Vehicle Assembly Building (background) to the pads

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This aerial view is of a tour stop on the KSC bus tour, the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry. This stop allows visitors to view and photograph Pads A and B in Launch Complex 39 from an elevated vantage point. The roadway leading to the tour stop runs next to the crawlerway (left) which is used to transport Space Shuttles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pads. Pad A can be seen in the background.

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This aerial view is of a tour stop on the KSC bus tour, the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry. This stop allows visitors to view and photograph Pads A and B in Launch Complex 39 from an elevated vantage point. The roadway leading to the tour stop runs next to the crawlerway (left) which is used to transport Space Shuttles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pads. Pad A can be seen in the background.

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This aerial view is of the buildings that comprise the NASA Press Site in the Launch Complex 39 area. The first large building on the left is the grandstand from which media representatives view the Space Shuttle launches. The building next to it houses the auditorium from which NASA press briefings are broadcast. To its immediate right is the NASA News Center which includes the offices of the NASA spokesmen at Kennedy Space Center. The buildings and trailers to the right of the News Center are assigned to various television stations and news services

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This aerial view is of the buildings that comprise the NASA Press Site in the Launch Complex 39 area. The first large building on the right (closest to the water) is the grandstand from which media representatives view the Space Shuttle launches. The building next to it houses the auditorium from which NASA press briefings are broadcast. To its immediate left is the NASA News Center which includes the offices of the NASA spokesmen at Kennedy Space Center. The buildings and trailers to the left of the News Center are assigned to various television stations and news services

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This aerial view is of the buildings that comprise the NASA Press Site in the Launch Complex 39 area. The first large building on the right (closest to the water) is the grandstand from which media representatives view the Space Shuttle launches. The building next to it houses the auditorium from which NASA press briefings are broadcast. To its immediate left is the NASA News Center which includes the offices of the NASA spokesmen at Kennedy Space Center. The buildings and trailers to the left of the News Center are assigned to various television stations and news services

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This view shows much of the Launch Complex 39 Area stretching beyond the Turn Basin in the foreground. The largest building is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. In front of it is the Launch Control Center. Behind and to the left of the VAB are the Orbiter Processing Facility bays. At left are the Multi-Function Facility and Operations Support Building. At left of the Turn Basin is the Press Site, which comprises the NASA News Center, grandstand, TV studio and media buildings. Photo credit: NASA

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. – This view shows much of the Launch Complex 39 Area stretching beyond the Turn Basin in the foreground. The largest building is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. In front of it is the Launch Control Center. Behind and to the left of the VAB are the Orbiter Processing Facility bays. At left are the Multi-Function Facility and Operations Support Building. At left of the Turn Basin is the Press Site, which comprises the NASA News Center, grandstand, TV studio and media buildings.

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This aerial view is of the buildings that comprise the NASA Press Site in the Launch Complex 39 area. The first large building on the left is the grandstand from which media representatives view the Space Shuttle launches. The building next to it houses the auditorium from which NASA press briefings are broadcast. To its immediate right is the NASA News Center which includes the offices of the NASA spokesmen at Kennedy Space Center. The buildings and trailers to the right of the News Center are assigned to various television stations and news services

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- From the Press Site parking lot at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the sun sets over the Launch Complex 39 area shadowing the Operations Support Building II, left, Operations Support Building I, Processing Control Center, Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. – This view shows much of the Launch Complex 39 Area looking north. At center is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. Other buildings surrounding it are (counter clockwise from left) the Orbiter Processing Facility, Multi-Function Facility, Operations Support Building and Launch Control Center (next to VAB). The crawlerway leads from the VAB toward the launch pads. In the background are the waters of the Banana Creek.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Operations Support Building II at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is seen here, newly built and landscaped. The building replaced modular housing and trailers in the Launch Complex 39 area. The five-story, 189,000-square-foot building consists of approximately 860 office spaces, training rooms, computer rooms, multimedia conference rooms, technical libraries, and a 352-person mission conference center with observation deck. Photo credit: Cory Huston

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This view shows much of the Launch Complex 39 Area stretching beyond the Turn Basin in the foreground. At center is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, with the starting and endpoint of the crawlerway that leads to both launch pads. The low building attached to the VAB is the Launch Control Center. At center left is the Operations and Support Building. At upper right can be seen the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Surrounding waters are part of Banana Creek. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- From the Turn Basin at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the sun sets over the Launch Complex 39 area. The Operations Support Building II is at left, the Operations Support Building I is at center, and the mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center are to the right. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. – This view shows much of the Launch Complex 39 Area stretching beyond the Turn Basin in the foreground. At center is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, with the starting and endpoint of the crawlerway that leads to both launch pads. The low building attached to the VAB is the Launch Control Center. At center left is the Operations and Support Building. At upper right can be seen the Runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Surrounding waters are part of Banana Creek.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The 525-foot high Vehicle Assembly Building dominates the Launch Complex 39 Area. On the right is the Launch Control Center. To the left are the Orbiter Processing Facility Bays 1, 2 and 3. At lower left is the Operation Support Building at lower right is the construction area for Operations Support Building 2. Behind the VAB meanders the Banana Creek. Photo credit: NASA

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This view shows much of the Launch Complex 39 Area looking north. At center is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. Other buildings surrounding it are counter clockwise from left the Orbiter Processing Facility, Multi-Function Facility, Operations Support Building and Launch Control Center, next to the VAB. The crawlerway leads from the VAB toward the launch pads. In the background are the waters of the Banana Creek. Photo credit: NASA

The Apollo 17 prime crew leaves the Manned Spaceflight Operations Building to enter the transfer van which will carry them to Complex 39's Pad A to participate in the CDDT. From right are Eugene A. Cernan, Commander Ronald E. Evans, Command Module Pilot, and Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 18 Crew

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pegasus barge is towed into the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 Area. The barge's cargo is the external tank prepared for mission STS-118 by the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans. After docking, the tank will eventually be offloaded and moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Photo credit: Jack Pfaller

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S67-43595 (26 Aug. 1967) --- The Apollo 4 (Spacecraft 017/Saturn 501) stack and its mobile launch tower atop a crawler-transporter moving from the Vehicle Assembly Building toward Pad A, Launch Complex 39.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an aerial view of the Vehicle Assembly Building, center, Launch Control Center, right, and NASA's new mobile launcher, back, in the Launch Complex 39 area of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

Prelaunch - Apollo 8 (Rollout) - Cape

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S69-51299 (8 Sept. 1969) --- Ground-level view at Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), showing the Apollo 12 (Spacecraft 108/ Lunar Module 6/ Saturn 507) space vehicle on the way from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Pad A. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter. The Launch Complex 39 service structure is on the right. Apollo 12 is scheduled as the second lunar landing mission. The crew will be astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., commander; Richard F. Gordon Jr., command module pilot; and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This aerial of view from 1963 shows the site of the Industrial Area for the Merritt Island Launch Annex, now the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Located five miles south of Launch Complex 39, this is the site where facilities were built such as the Headquarters Building, Operations and Checkout Building as well as the Central Instrumentation Facility. Photo Credit: NASA.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Towers and girders are the current construction components on the Operations Support Building (OSB) II in the Launch Complex 39 Area. The new building, which replaces modular housing constructed more than 20 years ago, will house NASA and contractor support staff for shuttle operations. The new structure is projected to be ready in April 2005.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The external fuel tank for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is towed to the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 Area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where it will be offloaded and moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Once inside the building, the tank will be raised to vertical, lifted and moved into a checkout cell. Stacking of the tank and solid rocket boosters is planned to start Aug. 7. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Another phase of construction is shown on the Operations Support Building (OSB) II in the Launch Complex 39 Area. The new building, which replaces modular housing constructed more than 20 years ago, will house NASA and contractor support staff for shuttle operations. The new structure is projected to be ready in April 2005.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Launch Complex 39 Area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a transporter offloads the external tank for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope off the Pegasus barge. The tank, which arrived earlier in the day, will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Inside the building, the tank will be raised to vertical, lifted and moved into a checkout cell. Stacking of the tank and solid rocket boosters is scheduled for Aug. 7. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- An aerial view of Launch Complex 39 shows the south and west sides of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The curved roadway heading to the VAB leads to the high bay 2, the Safe Haven facility constructed in 2000. The white building in the foreground is the Processing Control Center. Beyond it is the Orbiter Processing Facility, bays 1 and 2. The OPF bay 3 is farther still, closer to the VAB. Farther in the background are the waters of Banana Creek in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The 525-foot high Vehicle Assembly Building dominates the Launch Complex 39 Area. On the right is the Launch Control Center. Behind the VAB meanders the Banana Creek. The two-lane crawlerway stretches from the VAB toward the coast, site of Launch Pad 39A and 39B, seen here. The Turn Basin is at right, ending at the parking area for the NASA KSC News Center. At center foreground is the construction area for Operations Support Building 2. Photo credit: NASA

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The external fuel tank for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is towed to the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 Area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where it will be offloaded and moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Once inside the building, the tank will be raised to vertical, lifted and moved into a checkout cell. Stacking of the tank and solid rocket boosters is planned to start Aug. 7. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller