Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, cargo has arrived for late loading in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Carefully packaged cargo waits on pallets inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the background, technicians prepare to begin loading the cargo into the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized module during late stowage operations. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Technicians prepare load cargo into the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized module during late stowage operations inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway for late cargo installation in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have opened the hatch on the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module to prepare for late stowage of supplies and hardware. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are opening the hatch on the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module to prepare for late stowage of supplies and hardware. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are opening the hatch on the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module to prepare for late stowage of supplies and hardware. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians use a special mechanism to assist with late cargo installation in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician open the hatch on the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module to prepare for late stowage of supplies and hardware. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin late cargo installation in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians use a special mechanism to assist with late cargo installation in the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Late Cargo Loading
Technicians are positioned at the hatch of the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module as a forklift moves a cargo package into position for installation into the spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Technicians move cargo into the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module during late stowage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Technicians move cargo into the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module during late stowage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Technicians move cargo into the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module during late stowage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Technicians move cargo into the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module during late stowage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Technicians move cargo into the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module during late stowage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Technicians prepare to move cargo into the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module during late stowage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
Technicians prepare to move a cargo package from a forklift into the Orbital ATK CRS-6 pressurized cargo module during late stowage inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Late Cargo Load
The remaining time-sensitive payloads bound for the International Space Station on SpaceX’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) mission are loaded into the Cargo Dragon spacecraft on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Cargo Dragon, lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:17 a.m. EST on Dec. 6, 2020. The spacecraft is delivering more than 6,400 pounds of science investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory.
SpaceX CRS-21 Cargo
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top moves from the airlock into the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Cygnus will be moved to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Move from Airlock to Highbay inside PHSF
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top slowly moves from the airlock into the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Cygnus will be moved to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Move from Airlock to Highbay inside PHSF
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top is moved inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be lifted off of the transporter and lowered onto a processing stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
Technicians assist as a crane lowers Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module onto a work stand inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be secured on the work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Lift to Stand inside PHSF
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - External tank No. 118 waits in the Vehicle Assembly Building for a crane to be attached that will raise it to vertical and lifted into high bay 3 for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top exits the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top arrives at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be moved inside the facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
A crane is attached to Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module to lift it up from the KAMAG transporter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be lowered onto a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Lift to Stand inside PHSF
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 118 is lifted off its transporter before being raised to vertical and into high bay 3 for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top departs the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top begins to move out of the high bay in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 118 is lifted off its transporter before being raised to vertical and into high bay 3 for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
KSC-06pd1510
A crane lifts Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module up from the KAMAG transporter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be lowered onto a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Lift to Stand inside PHSF
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top exits the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top arrives at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be moved inside the facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assist as a crane is used to remove the protective covering from Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module on a KAMAG transporter. In the PHSF, Cygnus will be moved to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Unbagging inside PHSF
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - External tank No. 118 is suspended over the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building before being raised to vertical and into high bay 3 for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top exits the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 118 is suspended vertically above the transfer aisle. The tank will be lifted into high bay 3 for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, a United Space Alliance worker attaches external tank No. 118 to one of the solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. The stack is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. ET-118 will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
KSC-06pd1518
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top begins to move out of the high bay in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin to remove the protective covering from Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module on a KAMAG transporter. In the PHSF, Cygnus will be move to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Unbagging inside PHSF
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians in protective suits loaded the Symphonie-B spacecraft with propellants in the Spin Test Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today. The French-West German experimental communications satellite is to be launched by KSC's Unmanned Launch Operations Directorate aboard a Delta rocket from Complex 17 in late August or early September. The satellite will be placed in a synchronous orbit 22,300 miles above the equator south of the West African 'Bulge,' joining Symphonie-1 in handling communications between ground stations in Europe, South America, portions of North America and the Mideast. Photo credit: NASA Photo credit: NASA
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, a crane begins raising the head of external tank No. 118 so that the tank is suspended vertically. The tank will be lifted into high bay 3 for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top moves into the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Cygnus will be moved to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Move from Airlock to Highbay inside PHSF
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assist as a crane is used to remove the protective covering from Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module on a KAMAG transporter. In the PHSF, Cygnus will be moved to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Unbagging inside PHSF
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 118 is suspended vertically above the transfer aisle. The tank will be lifted into high bay 3for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
KSC-06pd1515
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top moves slowly along the road after exiting the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians in protective suits loaded the Symphonie-B spacecraft with propellants in the Spin Test Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today. The French-West German experimental communications satellite is to be launched by KSC's Unmanned Launch Operations Directorate aboard a Delta rocket from Complex 17 in late August or early September. The satellite will be placed in a synchronous orbit 22,300 miles above the equator south of the West African 'Bulge,' joining Symphonie-1 in handling communications between ground stations in Europe, South America, portions of North America and the Mideast. Photo credit: NASA Photo credit: NASA
KSC-75PC-0371
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top arrives at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be moved inside the facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
A crane lifts Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module up and away from the KAMAG transporter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be lowered onto a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Lift to Stand inside PHSF
A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top moves slowly along the road after exiting the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNUS will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Transport from SSPF to PHSF
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building attach a crane to external tank No. 118 in order to raise it vertical and lift it into high bay 3 for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 118 has been lowered between the twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. The stack is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. ET-118 will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 118 is lowered between the twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. The stack is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. ET-118 will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the protective covering was removed from Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module on a KAMAG transporter. In the PHSF, Cygnus will be moved to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Unbagging inside PHSF
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker in the Vehicle Assembly Building attaches a crane to external tank No. 118 in order to raise it vertical and lift it into high bay 3 for mating with solid rocket boosters stacked there. The tank is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. It will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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A KAMAG transporter with Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module secured on top slowly moves from the airlock into the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Cygnus will be moved to a work stand for final propellant loading and late cargo stowage. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.
OA-7 Move from Airlock to Highbay inside PHSF
A caravan of large steel castings arrived at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in January 1951. These pieces would serve as the two 14-foot diameter test chambers in the new Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL). NACA Lewis specialized in aircraft engines and offered many engine test facilities. In the late 1940s, however, the NACA realized a larger facility was required to test the newest jet engines. When completed in October 1952, PSL became the nation’s most powerful facility for testing full-scale engines at simulated flight altitudes. NACA engineers began designing the PSL in 1947, and excavations commenced in September 1949. In the spring of 1950, the facility’s supports were erected, and the two large exhaust gas coolers were installed. Work on the Access Building began in early 1951 with the arrival of the large test section pieces, seen in this photograph. The massive pieces were delivered to the area from the Henry Pratt Company by rail and then loaded on a series of flatbed trucks that transported them to Lewis. The nearest vehicle has one of the clamshell access hatches. PSL was initially used to study the jet engines of the early 1950s and ramjets for missile programs such as Navaho and Bomarc. With the advent of the space program in the late 1950s, the facility was used to investigate complex rocket engines, including the Pratt and Whitney RL-10.
Arrival of Equipment for the New Propulsion Systems Laboratory
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur arrives on Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Atlas V/Centaur is undergoing a wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test. The Atlas V is being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. Surrounding the vehicle are four lightning towers. Following the rehearsal, the launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the Vertical Integration Facility on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an International Space Station experiment cryogenic freezer called a Glacier unit, is being prepared for transport to Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The unit is for an experiment late-load demonstration test with the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. SpaceX is one of two companies under contract with NASA to take cargo to the International Space Station. NASA is working with SpaceX to combine its last two demonstration flights, and if approved, the Falcon 9 would launch the Dragon capsule to the orbiting laboratory for a docking within the next several months. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur nears Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Behind it at right is one of the four lightning towers that surround the pad for protection against possible lightning strikes. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur arrives on Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Lightning towers surround the pad for protection against possible lightning strikes. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur arrives on Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Lightning towers surround the pad for protection against possible lightning strikes. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Atlas V/Centaur is undergoing a wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test. The Atlas V is being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. Surrounding the vehicle are four lightning towers. Following the rehearsal, the launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the Vertical Integration Facility on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, cold storage team members pack an International Space Station experiment cryogenic freezer called a Glacier unit, for transport to Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The unit is for an experiment late-load demonstration test with the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. SpaceX is one of two companies under contract with NASA to take cargo to the International Space Station. NASA is working with SpaceX to combine its last two demonstration flights, and if approved, the Falcon 9 would launch the Dragon capsule to the orbiting laboratory for a docking within the next several months. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a cold storage team member prepares an International Space Station experiment cryogenic freezer called a Glacier unit, for transport to Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The unit is for an experiment late-load demonstration test with the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. SpaceX is one of two companies under contract with NASA to take cargo to the International Space Station. NASA is working with SpaceX to combine its last two demonstration flights, and if approved, the Falcon 9 would launch the Dragon capsule to the orbiting laboratory for a docking within the next several months. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a cold storage team member prepares an International Space Station experiment cryogenic freezer called a Glacier unit, for transport to Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The unit is for an experiment late-load demonstration test with the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. SpaceX is one of two companies under contract with NASA to take cargo to the International Space Station. NASA is working with SpaceX to combine its last two demonstration flights, and if approved, the Falcon 9 would launch the Dragon capsule to the orbiting laboratory for a docking within the next several months. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller
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The Space Test Program-Houston 6 (STP-H6) payload is being loaded into a transport truck at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 19, 2019. The payload will be moved to the SpaceX facility where it will be stowed in the trunk of the Dragon spacecraft for delivery to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s 17th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-17) for NASA. STP-H6 is an x-ray communication investigation that will be used to perform a space-based demonstration of a new technology for generating beams of modulated x-rays. This technology may be useful for providing efficient communication to deep space probes, or communicating with hypersonic vehicles where plasma sheaths prevent traditional radio communications. CRS-17 is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in late April.
CRS-17 Payload STP-H6 move to SpaceX
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur nears Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At right in the background are two of the four lightning towers that surround the pad for protection against possible lightning strikes. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur arrives on Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Near Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a scrub jay keeps watch of activity. On the pad, the Atlas V/Centaur is undergoing a wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test. The Atlas V is being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. Following the rehearsal, the launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the Vertical Integration Facility on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, cold storage team members cart an International Space Station experiment cryogenic freezer called a Glacier unit, for transport to Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The unit is for an experiment late-load demonstration test with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. SpaceX is one of two companies under contract with NASA to take cargo to the International Space Station. NASA is working with SpaceX to combine its last two demonstration flights, and if approved, the Falcon 9 would launch the Dragon capsule to the orbiting laboratory for a docking within the next several months. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur is moving from the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to Launch Complex-41. At left are two of the four lightning towers that surround the pad for protection against possible lightning strikes. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur is moving from the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to Launch Complex-41. At right are two of the four lightning towers that surround the pad for protection against possible lightning strikes. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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A section of the Centaur Standard Shroud transported to Nuclear Rocket Dynamics and Control Facility, or B-3 Test Stand, at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plum Brook Station. B-3 was built in the early 1960s to test full-scale liquid hydrogen fuel systems in simulated altitude conditions. The facility was used in 1972, however, for testing of the Centaur Standard Shroud’s ejection system. In the late 1960s NASA engineers were planning the ambitious new Viking mission to send two rover vehicles to the surface of Mars. The Viking rovers were the heaviest payloads ever attempted and were over three times the weight of Atlas-Centaur’s previous heaviest payload. Consequently, NASA engineers selected the more powerful the Titan III rocket booster to mate with the Centaur. Concurrently, General Dynamics was in the process of introducing a new Centaur model for Titan—the D-1T. The biggest change for the D-1T was a completely new shroud designed by Lockheed, called the Centaur Standard Shroud. The shroud, its insulation, the Centaur ground-hold purge system, and the hydrogen tank venting system were all studied in B-3. After more than two years of preparations, the tests were run between April and July 1973. The tests determined the ultimate flight loads on two axes, established the Centaur’s load sharing, the level of propellant boiloff during launch holds, and the vent system capacity. The Centaur Standard Shroud performed flawlessly during the August 20 and September 9, 1975 launches of Viking 1 and 2.
Erection of a Centaur Standard Shroud at Plum Brook Station’s B-3 Test Stand
ISS036-E-035635 (24 Aug. 2013) --- Plankton bloom and Lake Ontario are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 36 crew member on the International Space Station. This photograph highlights a late summer plankton bloom visible throughout much of Lake Ontario (one of the Great Lakes, together with Michigan, Superior, Erie, and Huron). Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, can reach such large concentrations that they color the water to such an extent that the change is visible from orbit. Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, have been observed in all of the Great Lakes – particularly Lake Erie - and are associated with a variety of causative factors including changes in precipitation; drought; invasive species (quagga, zebra mussels, Asian carp); nutrient loading from runoff and sewage (nitrogen and phosphorus); and warmer average temperatures. In addition to reduced water quality and human health concerns, algal blooms can also lead to hypoxia (reduction of oxygen in the bottom waters) that kills large numbers of fish and other aquatic life. Lake Ontario, like the other Great Lakes Erie, Huron, and Superior is roughly divided between the USA and Canada. The USA side of Lake Ontario has its shoreline along the state of New York, while its Canadian shoreline lies within the province of Ontario. The city of Kingston, Ontario, is visible near the Saint Lawrence River outflow from the lake. Several other landscape features of New York State are visible in the image, including the Finger Lakes region to the west of Syracuse, NY (upper left). To the northeast of Syracuse, the dark wooded slopes of the Adirondack Mountains are visible at lower right. Patchy white cloud cover obscures much of the land surface to the west of Lake Ontario.
Earth Observation taken during the Expedition 36 mission
ISS014-E-07258 (4 Nov. 2006) --- Galveston, Texas is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). Mexico established a port of entry (known as Galveston) in 1825, and following the Texas Revolution it was the capital of the Republic of Texas during 1836. The modern-day city of Galveston was incorporated in 1839, and became the major trading seaport of Texas during the latter half of the 19th century. The city was largely destroyed in early September of 1900 by a powerful hurricane; this, coupled with construction of the Houston Ship Channel and discovery of oil in eastern Texas shifted the center of trade northwest to Houston. Many human footprints are easily observed from the vantage point of low Earth orbit. The eastern half of Galveston Island is dominated by the city of Galveston (gray-white region at center). A large seawall along the Gulf of Mexico (southern coastline of Galveston Island) protects most of the city. To the west of Galveston, coastal wetlands are largely submerged by regional subsidence--a result of ground water withdrawal by the petrochemical industry of Houston and Texas City. The entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel is located between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula (upper right). Numerous ship wakes are visible along the Houston Ship Channel. Other visible features of the entrance to Galveston Bay include the five-mile long Texas City Dike, a structure that protects the Texas City channel and includes a fishing pier that extends 600 feet beyond the end of the Dike. Extensive petroleum processing facilities are located to the west of the Dike in Texas City. The Intracoastal Waterway runs through western Galveston Bay; new subdivisions built on dredge spoils are visible along the northern boundary of the Waterway. Geologists studying the ISS collection of down linked still imagery observe that complex estuarine sediment patterns are visible in this image. Dark brown to tan waters adjacent to the Bolivar Peninsula and Texas City Dike reflect increased sediment loads following heavy rains in mid-to-late October, coupled with northerly winds moving Bay water southwards. Turbidity currents to both the northwest and southeast of Galveston Island produce a more chaotic pattern of sediment-laden (light green to tan) and relatively sediment-free (dark green) water leading into the dark green Gulf of Mexico (lower right).
Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 14 crew