The NASA developed Ares rockets, named for the Greek god associated with Mars, will return humans to the moon and later take them to Mars and other destinations. This is an illustration of the Ares V with call outs. The Ares V is a heavy lift launch vehicle that will use five RS-68 liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engines mounted below a larger version of the space shuttle external tank, and two five-segment solid propellant rocket boosters for the first stage. The upper stage will use the same J-2X engine as the Ares I and past Apollo vehicles. The Ares V can lift more than 286,000 pounds to low Earth orbit and stands approximately 360 feet tall. This versatile system will be used to carry cargo and the components into orbit needed to go to the moon and later to Mars. Ares V is subject to configuration changes before it is actually launched. This illustration reflects the latest configuration as of January 2007.
Named for the Greek god associated with Mars, the NASA developed Ares launch vehicles will return humans to the moon and later take them to Mars and other destinations. This is an illustration of the Ares I with call outs. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Orion crew vehicle and its launch abort system. In addition to the primary mission of carrying crews of four to six astronauts to Earth orbit, Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations. Ares I employs a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle solid rocket booster, for the first stage. A liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen J-2X engine derived from the J-2 engine used on the Apollo second stage will power the Ares I second stage. The Ares I can lift more than 55,000 pounds to low Earth orbit. Ares I is subject to configuration changes before it is actually launched. This illustration reflects the latest configuration as of January 2007.
In this image from NASA Curiosity rover, a rock outcrop called Link pops out from a Martian surface that is elsewhere blanketed by reddish-brown dust.
A stereo view shows fractures called joints. They have a ridge-like shape, standing out in positive relief as the surrounding bedrock is eroded away faster than they are
This image of the Beehive star cluster points out the location of its first known planets, Pr0201b and Pr0211b, or, as astronomers call them, the first b in the Beehive.
The pits visible in this image from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arent impact craters. The material they are embedded into is ejecta stuff thrown out of an impact crater when it forms from a large crater called Hale not seen in this image. Substances called "volatiles" -- which can explode as gases when they're quickly warmed by the immense heat of an impact-exploded out of the ejecta and caused these pits. Unrelated sand dunes near the top of the image have since blown over portions of the pits. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19289
This colorful composite image from NASA Dawn mission shows the flow of material inside and outside a crater called Aelia on the giant asteroid Vesta. To the naked eye, these structures would not be seen. But here, they stand out in blue and red.
On Earth, these wind-derived features are called blowouts, where the force of the wind has carved out a crescent-shaped depression in soft, uncemented material like glacial loess. This image is from NASA Mars Odyssey.
This new false-colored image from NASA Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer space telescopes shows a giant jet of particles that has been shot out from the vicinity of a type of supermassive black hole called a quasar.
This artist concept shows the NASA WISE spacecraft, in its orbit around Earth. In September of 2013, engineers will attempt to bring the mission out of hibernation to hunt for more asteroids and comets in a project called NEOWISE.
The elements and molecules that flew out of the Cassiopeia A star when it exploded about 300 years ago can be seen clearly for the first time in this plot of data, called a spectrum, taken by NASA Spitzer Space Telescope.
This image illustrates one of several ways scientists have begun extracting comet particles from NASAa Stardust spacecraft collector. First, a particle and its track are cut out of the collector material, called aerogel.
14_foot wind tunnel with call outs
A dragon-shaped cloud of dust seems to fly out from a bright explosion in this infrared light image from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. These views have revealed that this dark cloud, called M17 SWex, is forming stars at a furious rate.
A leggy cosmic creature comes out of hiding in this new infrared view from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The spiral beauty, called IC 342 and sometimes the hidden galaxy, is shrouded behind our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
How did scientists know that NASA Voyager spacecraft entered interstellar space? Increase in the density of charged particles was the key piece of evidence. Our sun sits in a bubble, called the heliosphere, carved out by wind emitted from the hot sun.
This artist concept shows NASA Dawn spacecraft arriving at the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn travels through space using a technology called ion propulsion, with ions glowing with blue light are accelerated out of an engine, giving the spacecraft thrust.
This frame from an animation shows how the magnetic field lines emanating from our sun spiral out into the solar system as the sun rotates. NASA Voyager 1 is in an area scientists are calling the stagnation region, at the outer layer of the heliosphere.
S68-46591 (1968) --- Artist's concept of the Apollo Command and Service Modules with call-outs. Photo credit: NASA
The large sunspot (called AR2665) that rotated out of view about two weeks ago has returned (Aug. 1-2, 2017). Though much reduced in size, it did blast a good-sized coronal mass ejection about a week ago on the far side of the sun. Sunspots can last from days to months, so for it to return again is not an unusual event. Movies are available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21873
This image shows NASA Opportunity climb out of Victoria crater. It is the first frame of a movie that spans three days when the rover exited the crater at the alcove called Duck
S84-27040 (7 Feb 1984) --- Some have called it NASA's first "cherry picker" in space. Others simply call it the mobile foot restraint (MFR) connected to the remote manipulator system (RMS). Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, pictured leaning out into space as his feet are anchored in the MFR, and moved around by the RMS, calls it a look of things to come. The aft portion of the Challenger, to which the RMS is connected, is seen in lower left corner. This photograph is one of a sequence showing McCandless in the device. On this same EVA, McCandless also initiated use of the manned maneuvering unit (MMU), not pictured here, a nitrogen-propelled back pack apparatus allowing for free movement in space.
STS088-719-059 (6 Dec. 1998) --- Backdropped against the darkness of space, the Russian-built FGB, also called Zarya, approaches the out-of-frame Space Shuttle Endeavour and the U.S.-built Node 1, also called Unity. Inside Endeavour's cabin, the STS-88 crew readied the remote manipulator system (RMS) for Zarya capture as they awaited the rendezvous.
ISS035-E-017762 (10 April 2013) --- In the Quest Airlock of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy "hangs out" with two creatures that look like characters in a Saturday morning cartoon. Actually the "creatures" are two NASA space suits called extravehicular mobility units or EMU.
On June 28, 2019, NASA's InSight lander used its robotic arm to move the support structure for its digging instrument, informally called the "mole." This view was captured by the fisheye Instrument Context Camera under the lander's deck. Lifting the support structure had been done in three steps, a little bit at a time, to ensure the mole wasn't pulled out of the soil. Moving the structure out of the way will give the InSight team a better look at the mole and allow them to try to help it dig. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23308
On June 28, 2019, NASA's InSight lander used its robotic arm to move the support structure for its digging instrument, informally called the "mole." This view was captured by the Instrument Deployment Camera on the spacecraft's robotic arm. Lifting the support structure had been done in three steps, a little bit at a time, to ensure the mole wasn't pulled out of the soil. Moving the structure out of the way will give the InSight team a better look at the mole and allow them to try to help it dig. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23309
An age-defying star called IRAS 19312+1950 exhibits features characteristic of a very young star and a very old star. The object stands out as extremely bright inside a large, chemically rich cloud of material, as shown in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. IRAS 19312+1950 is the bright red star in the center of this image. A NASA-led team of scientists thinks the star -- which is about 10 times as massive as our sun and emits about 20,000 times as much energy -- is a newly forming protostar. That was a big surprise, because the region had not been known as a stellar nursery before. But the presence of a nearby interstellar bubble, which indicates the presence of a recently formed massive star, also supports this idea. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20914
This frame from an animation shows a kind of stellar explosion called a Fast-Evolving Luminous Transient. In this case, a giant star "burps" out a shell of gas and dust about a year before exploding. Most of the energy from the supernova turns into light when it hits this previously ejected material, resulting in a short, but brilliant burst of radiation. Stellar explosions forge and distribute materials that make up the world in which we live, and also hold clues to how fast the universe is expanding. By understanding supernovae, scientists can unlock mysteries that are key to what we are made of and the fate of our universe. But to get the full picture, scientists must observe supernovae from a variety of perspectives, especially in the first moments of the explosion. That's really difficult -- there's no telling when or where a supernova might happen next. An animation is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22351
S73-27666 (May-June 1973) --- A close-up view of the Soyuz spacecraft which was part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project exhibit at the 30th International Aeronautics and Space Exhibition held May 24 ? June 3, 1973 at the Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France. The ASTP exhibit was co-sponsored by the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. An agreement between the U.S. and the USSR provides for the docking in Earth orbit of the Soyuz and Apollo in the summer of 1975. The Apollo spacecraft is out of view to the left. At the far left, a mock-up of a Docking Module connects the Apollo with the Soyuz. The spherical-shaped portion of the Soyuz is called the orbital section. The middle section with the lettering ?CCCP? (USSR) on it is called the cosmonauts? cabin. Two solar panels extend out from the machines and panel section.
This photograph shows a modified General Dynamics AFTI/F-111A Aardvark in flight with supercritical mission adaptive wings (MAW) installed. With the phasing out of the TACT program came a renewed effort by the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory to extend supercritical wing technology to a higher level of performance. In the early 1980s the supercritical wing on the F-111A aircraft was replaced with a wing built by Boeing Aircraft Company System called a “mission adaptive wing” (MAW), and a joint NASA and Air Force program called Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) was born.
This photograph shows a modified General Dynamics AFTI/F-111A Aardvark with supercritical mission adaptive wings (MAW) installed. The AFTI/F111A is seen banking towards Rodgers Dry Lake and Edwards Air Force Base. With the phasing out of the TACT program came a renewed effort by the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory to extend supercritical wing technology to a higher level of performance. In the early 1980s the supercritical wing on the F-111A aircraft was replaced with a wing built by Boeing Aircraft Company System called a “mission adaptive wing” (MAW), and a joint NASA and Air Force program called Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) was born.
This graphic, released on Dec. 10, 2020, shows the basic radar measurements, called waveforms, collected by the instrument that monitors sea level on the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, which launched Nov. 21, 2020. The instrument, called an altimeter, works by bouncing a radar signal off the ocean surface and measuring how long it takes to go out and return. The higher-resolution waveforms focus on a smaller area of the ocean than the lower-resolution waveforms, allowing researchers to resolve smaller ocean features such as currents closer to the coast. The waveform provides information not only on sea level, but also on wave height and wind speed. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24136
Dr. Alexandra Loubeau, one of the technical co-leads for sonic boom community testing for the Quesst mission, sets out a microphone in the California desert. . The Quesst mission recently completed testing of operations and equipment to be used in recording the sonic thumps of the X-59. The testing was the third phase of Carpet Determination in Entirety Measurements flights, called CarpetDIEM for short. An F-15 and an F-18 from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center created sonic booms, both loud and soft, to verify the operations of ground recording systems spread out across 30 miles of open desert.
This image shows two types of sand dunes on Mars. The small dots are called barchan dunes, and from their shape we can tell that they are upwind. The downwind dunes are long and linear. These two types of dune each show the wind direction in different ways: the barchans have a steep slope and crescent-shaped "horns" that point downwind, while the linear dunes are stretched out along the primary wind direction. Linear dunes, however, typically indicate a wind regime with at least two different prevailing winds, which stretch out the sand along their average direction. In several places in this image, you can find barchan dunes turning into linear dunes as they are stretched out, but they both seem into indicate the same wind direction. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23669
This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the northeastern rim of Urvara Crater on Ceres at lower left. To the right of the crater, the long, narrow feature that appears to jut out toward the north is called Pongal Catena, which is about 60 miles (96 km) long. Catenae are large grooves or troughs that can have various origins. They refer to chains of closely connected craters formed by a series of impacts, as found on Jupiter's moon Ganymede. They can also represent large faults created by internal forces, for example in this example found on Mars. The mechanism that formed Pongal Catena is not understood yet, but it likely formed as a consequence of the stresses generated by the large impacts that resulted in the formation of the Urvara and Yalode craters. Pongal catena is one of several types of fractures found in this region that reflect a complex history. A feature called Nar Sulcus is another example. Studying the geometry of these features and their relationships can help shed light on the nature of Ceres' subsurface. This image was obtained on September 28, 2015, from an altitude of about 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). Pongal Catena is centered at 37.4 degrees south latitude, 267.7 degrees east longitude. This feature gets its name from the Tamil (Sri Lanka and southern India) harvest festival observed in mid-January. It is a time for giving thanks to nature, and we thank Ceres for all the wonders it has offered us so far. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21408
A baby American bald eagle calls out from a nest located near Kennedy Parkway North at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 10, 2023. The eaglet is the lone offspring of a mated pair of eagles that recently built the new home after storms badly damaged their original nest located about 50 yards away. That nest was built in 1973 and had been used by eagles almost every year since 1975.
This VIS image shows where an impact created a crater on top of a group of ridges called Tanaica Montes. The slightly out-of-round shape and the distribution of the ejecta was likely all due to the pre-existing landforms. Orbit Number: 60555 Latitude: 39.6442 Longitude: 268.824 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2015-08-08 20:37 http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19780
Boeing Astronaut Liaison & Space Flight Awareness Program Manager Megan Donaldson points out NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft docked at the International Space Station during a call with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams before it’s uncrewed landing, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It is scheduled to land at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor later today, Mountain Time (Sept. 7 Eastern Time). Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
ISS043E284928 (06/04/215) --- NASA astronaut Scott Kelly on the International Space Station captured this interesting image in the stations Cupola, the 360 degree observation area and remote control location for grappling and docking and undocking spacecraft. Scott tweeted this comment with the image on June, 4, 2015: "Often when I look out the window I think we should call it Planet Water instead of Earth. Sadly mostly saltwater".
S74-14949 (October 1974) --- Artist?s drawings and call-outs depict phases of the joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, an Earth-orbital mission which will feature rendezvous and docking of the respective spacecraft of the two nations. ASTP crewmen for the USSR include Aleksey A. Leonov and Valeriy N. Kubasov. The astronaut team includes astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, Vance D. Brand and Donald K. Slayton. The mission is scheduled to take place in summer 1975.
iss053e105441 (Oct. 17, 2017) --- Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei swaps out a payload card from the TangoLab-1 facility and places into the TangoLab-2 facility. TangoLab provides a standardized platform and open architecture for experimental modules called CubeLabs. CubeLab modules may be developed for use in 3-dimensional tissue and cell cultures.
Athela Frandsen, an aerospace technologist with Kennedy Space Center’s analytical laboratories, presents her proposal concerning proactive approaches to cleanroom contamination to representatives from programs across Kennedy during the “Innovation Without Boundaries” event held inside the Space Station Processing Facility in Florida on June 14, 2019. A number of Kennedy employees presented their proposals as part of the Chief Technologist Innovation Call. The event sought out ideas based on relevance, benefit, innovativeness, likelihood of success and sustainability.
On the Space Shuttle Atlantis' mid-deck, astronaut Joseph R. Tanner, mission specialist, works at area amidst several lockers onboard the Shuttle which support the Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) experiment. This particular section is called the Crystal Observation System, housed in the Thermal Enclosure System (COS/TES). Together with the Vapor Diffusion Apparatus (VDA), housed in a Single Locker Thermal Enclosure (SLTES) which is out of frame, the Cos/TES represents the continuing research into the structures of proteins and other macromolecules such as viruses.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-126 crew members check out the interior of the multi-purpose logistics module that will fly on the mission. Shuttle crews frequently visit Kennedy to get hands-on experience, called a crew equipment interface test, with hardware and equipment for their missions. On STS-126, Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
This animation illustrates Jupiter's magnetic field at a single moment in time. The Great Blue Spot, an-invisible-to-the-eye concentration of magnetic field near the equator, stands out as a particularly strong feature. The gray lines (called field lines) show the field's direction in space, and the deepness of the color corresponds to the strength of the magnetic field (with dark red and dark blue for regions with strongly positive and strongly negative fields, respectively). The animation first appeared in a Sept. 5, 2018, paper in the Journal Nature. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23229.
NASA Photographer Carla Thomas holds the Airborne Schlieren Photography System (ASPS), aiming it out the window in flight. The ASPS uses a photographic method called schlieren imaging, capable of visualizing changes in air density and revealing shock waves and air flow patterns around moving objects. The system is one of several tools validated during recent dual F-15 flights at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in support of NASA’s Quesst mission, ahead of the X-59’s first flight.
Wide angle view of flight controllers at work in the JSC mission control center during STS-4. Eugene F. Kranz, Deputy Director of Flight Operations at JSC, punches a key on his console in the MOCR during ascent phase of STS-4. Watching other monitors are JSC Director Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. and Neil B. Hutchinson. Beyond the FOD console in the foreground is the public affairs office (PAO) area, where John E. McLeaish, chief of public information, calls out ascent information on Columbia.
JSC2000-E-23502 (11 September 2000) --- Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, STS-106 mission specialist, completes donning his thermal underwear prior to putting on the outer garment called the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU). Malenchenko, representing the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, was about to spend a period in excess of six hours outside Atlantis along with astronaut Edward T. Lu (out of frame at right).
Color has been added to highlight minerals in this image of Jezero Crater on Mars, the landing site for NASA's Mars 2020 mission. The green color represents minerals called carbonates, which are especially good at preserving fossilized life on Earth. Red represents olivine sand eroding out of carbonate-containing rocks. The image was created using data taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and its Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) and Context Camera (CTX). https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23380
STS081-E-05477 (16 Jan. 1997) --- In the Spacehab Double Module (DM), cosmonaut Valeri G. Korzun, Mir-22 commander, checks out the rails for a Russian Mir Space Station experiment called ALICE. The experiment is a cooperative project between France's Space Agency (CNES) and the Russian Space Agency (RSA). The photograph was recorded with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC) and later was downlinked to flight controllers in Houston, Texas.
How do you measure a cloud? Tim Bencic does it with lasers. The NASA Glenn engineer invented a tomography system for our Propulsion Systems Lab to help understand the dangers of ice crystal icing on airplanes. Bencic’s system, affectionally called “Tim-ography” is like a CAT Scan. The laser light within its circular geometry bounces off the surface of ice particles in the cloud and fiber optic detectors map out its properties. This tool is helping NASA’s researchers make aircraft safer in challenging weather conditions.
This photograph from northwestern New Mexico shows a ridge roughly 30 feet about 10 meters tall that formed from lava filling an underground fracture then resisting erosion better than the material around it did. The dike extends from a volcanic peak (out of view here) called Shiprock in English and Tsé Bit'a'í, meaning "rock with wings," in the Navajo language. It offers an Earth analog for some larger hardened-lava walls on Mars http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21266
S100-E-5323 (23 April 2001) --- Astronaut Jeffrey S. Ashby, STS-100 pilot, prepares to document activity of his shuttle crew mates as well as members of the Expedition Two crew (out of frame) as he makes his first trip to the International Space Station (ISS). Hatch opening occurred around 4 a.m. (CDT) following a wakeup call from Houston's Mission Control earlier in the morning. The image was recorded with a digital still camera.
41G-101-014 (13 October 1984) --- Astronaut David C. Leestma, in a 35mm frame exposed by fellow mission specialist, Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan, participates in extravehicular activity of Oct. 11 in the Challenger's aft cargo bay. Leestma's right hand (out of frame) was inside a special work station called the orbital refueling system (ORS).
iss053e105442 (Oct. 17, 2017) --- Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei swaps out a payload card from the TangoLab-1 facility and places into the TangoLab-2 facility. TangoLab provides a standardized platform and open architecture for experimental modules called CubeLabs. CubeLab modules may be developed for use in 3-dimensional tissue and cell cultures.
This photograph shows a modified General Dynamics AFTI/F-111A Aardvark with supercritical mission adaptive wings (MAW) installed. The four dark bands on the right wing are the locations of pressure orifices used to measure surface pressures and shock locations on the MAW. The El Paso Mountains and Red Rock Canyon State Park Califonia, about 30 miles northwest of Edwards Air Force Base, are seen directly in the background. With the phasing out of the TACT program came a renewed effort by the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory to extend supercritical wing technology to a higher level of performance. In the early 1980s the supercritical wing on the F-111A aircraft was replaced with a wing built by Boeing Aircraft Company System called a “mission adaptive wing” (MAW), and a joint NASA and Air Force program called Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) was born.
S74-24675 (June 1974) --- Two mock-ups of the USSR Soyuz spacecraft which are on display at the Cosmonaut Training Center (Star City) near Moscow. The Soyuz spacecraft mounted vertically on the left is a training mock-up. The Soyuz mounted horizontally on the right was exhibited at the Paris air show in May-June 1973 in a docked configuration with an Apollo spacecraft. The spherical-shaped section of the Soyuz is called the orbital module. The middle section with the lettering ?CCCP? (USSR) on it called the descent vehicle. Two solar panels extend out from the instrument-assembly module. The joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz docking mission in Earth orbit is scheduled for the summer of 1975. A docking module mock-up is atop the Soyuz training mock-up on the left.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins to wrap up in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians modified 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. They also were re-applying foam to the modified areas of the tank. Attached to its fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A atop a giant crawler-transporter on Jan. 31. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins to wrap up in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians modified 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. They also were re-applying foam to the modified areas of the tank. Attached to its fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A atop a giant crawler-transporter on Jan. 31. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins to wrap up in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians modified 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. They also were re-applying foam to the modified areas of the tank. Attached to its fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A atop a giant crawler-transporter on Jan. 31. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
This frame from an animation shows the evolution of a planet-forming disk around a star. Initially, the young disk is bright and thick with dust, providing raw materials for building planets. In the first 10 million years or so, gaps appear within the disk as newborn planets coalesce out of the dust, clearing out a path. In time, this planetary "debris disk" thins out as gravitational interactions with numerous planets slowly sweep away the dust. Steady pressure from the starlight and solar winds also blows out the dust. After a few billion years, only a thin ring remains in the outermost reaches of the system, a faint echo of the once-brilliant disk. Our own solar system has a similar debris disk -- a ring of comets called the Kuiper Belt. Leftover dust in the inner portion of the solar system is known as "zodiacal dust." Bright, young disks can be imaged directly by visible-light telescopes, such as NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Older, fainter debris disks can be detected only by infrared telescopes like NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which sense the disks' dim heat. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07099
A massive cluster of galaxies, called SpARCS1049+56, can be seen in this multi-wavelength view from NASA Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. At the middle of the picture is the largest, central member of the family of galaxies (upper right red dot of central pair). Unlike other central galaxies in clusters, this one is bursting with the birth of new stars. Scientists say this star birth was triggered by a collision between a smaller galaxy and the giant, central galaxy. The smaller galaxy's wispy, shredded parts, called a tidal tail, can be seen coming out below the larger galaxy. Throughout this region are features called "beads on a string," which are areas where gas has clumped to form new stars. This type of "feeding" mechanism for galaxy clusters -- where gas from the merging of galaxies is converted to new stars -- is rare. The Hubble data in this image show infrared light with a wavelength of 1 micron in blue, and 1.6 microns in green. The Spitzer data show infrared light of 3.6 microns in red. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19837
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Louisiana State University mechanical engineering students Kevin Schenker, from left, and Jacob Koch join Luz Marina Calle, a scientist at NASA's Kennedy Space in Florida, as they examine a portion of the wall of the flame trench at Launch Pad 39B. Designers are looking for new, flame and vibration-resistant materials to line the trench. To help in the search, a team of mechanical engineering students at Louisiana State University are to build a scaled-down version of the flame trench that Kennedy's scientists can use to try out sample materials for the trench. If the samples work in the lab, they can be tried out in the real flame trenches at Launch Pad 39A and 39B. The launch pad has been refurbished extensively and work is continuing to modify the pad to support a variety of launch vehicles in the future. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
The Orion crew and service module stack for Artemis I was lifted out of the Final Assembly and Test (FAST) cell on November 11, 2019. The spacecraft has been stationed in the FAST cell since July for mating and closeout processing. The service module and crew module were moved separately into the cell, stacked and connected together for the mission. After lifting out of the cell, Orion will be attached to a tool called a verticator that rotates the stack from its vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration for transport to NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where it will undergo full environmental testing to certify the complete vehicle for flight. Once the vehicle returns to Kennedy in several months, it will return to the FAST cell for installation of final panels left off for environmental testing purposes and the service module’s four solar arrays.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery begins to back out of Orbiter Processing Facility-3 during a move called "rollover" to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
ISS015-E-10886 (6 June 2007) --- Cosmonaut Fyodor N. Yurchikhin, Expedition 15 commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA). Among other tasks, Yurchikhin and cosmonaut Oleg V. Kotov (out of frame), flight engineer representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, completed the installation of 12 more Zvezda Service Module debris panels and installed sample containers on the Pirs Docking Compartment for a Russian experiment, called Biorisk, which looks at the effect of space on microorganisms.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope onboard, is rolled out to the launch pad, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, at Europe’s Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is a large infrared telescope with a 21.3 foot (6.5 meter) primary mirror. The observatory will study every phase of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians begin to lift a frustum from a stand in the transfer aisle. The solid rocket booster segment is being moved into a high bay where it will be added to the stack being prepared for space shuttle mission STS-122, targeted for launch in December. On this mission, Atlantis will carry the Columbus Laboratory, the European Space Agency's largest contribution to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, also called Harmony, to carry out experiments in materials science, fluid physics and biosciences, as well as to support a number of technological applications. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery begins to back out of Orbiter Processing Facility-3 during a move called "rollover" to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez practices getting out of a slidewire basket that can be used for emergency exit from Launch Pad 39A. Still in the basket, at left, is Mission Specialist Nicole Stott. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Discovery will deliver 33,000 pounds of equipment to the station, including science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Members of the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test team perform a drop test of data recording devices about 10 miles off the coast of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. These devices, called Ejectable Data Recorders (EDRs), were tossed out of a helicopter hovering 5,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean and retrieved by recovery boats. The AA-2 Flight Test team is evaluating how the systems in the devices react to elements encountered from the sky to the ocean. In April 2019, the EDRs will eject from the Orion test article during a scheduled test of the spacecraft’s Launch Abort System (LAS).
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery backs out of Orbiter Processing Facility-3 during a move called "rollover" to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
ISS015-E-11009 (6 June 2007) --- Cosmonaut Fyodor N. Yurchikhin, Expedition 15 commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA). Among other tasks, Yurchikhin and cosmonaut Oleg V. Kotov (out of frame), flight engineer representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, completed the installation of 12 more Zvezda Service Module debris panels and installed sample containers on the Pirs Docking Compartment for a Russian experiment, called Biorisk, which looks at the effect of space on microorganisms.
ISS015-E-10927 (6 June 2007) --- Cosmonaut Fyodor N. Yurchikhin, Expedition 15 commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA). Among other tasks, Yurchikhin and cosmonaut Oleg V. Kotov (out of frame), flight engineer representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, completed the installation of 12 more Zvezda Service Module debris panels and installed sample containers on the Pirs Docking Compartment for a Russian experiment, called Biorisk, which looks at the effect of space on microorganisms.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope onboard, is seen in this 30 second exposure, as it is rolled out to the launch pad, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, at Europe’s Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is a large infrared telescope with a 21.3 foot (6.5 meter) primary mirror. The observatory will study every phase of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery begins to back out of Orbiter Processing Facility-3 during a move called "rollover" to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery backs out of Orbiter Processing Facility-3 during a move called "rollover" to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
(10/23/2007) --- KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Out of the clouds of smoke and steam rolling across Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery hurtles toward space on the 23rd assembly mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was on time at 11:38:19 a.m. EDT. Discovery carries the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day STS-120 mission, the crew will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6
STS064-310-005 (16 Sept. 1994) --- Astronaut Richard N. Richards, STS-64 commander, looks through one of the space shuttle Discovery's overhead flight deck windows to view the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) activities of astronauts Carl J. Meade, who took this picture, and Mark C. Lee. Wearing spacesuits in and around the space shuttle Discovery's cargo bay, astronauts Meade and Lee took turns trying out the new EVA test hardware called Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER). Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration