
S69-34332 (13 May 1969) --- Overall view of Firing Room 3 of the Launch Control Center, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, during an Apollo 10 Countdown Demonstration Test. The crew of the scheduled Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission will be astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, commander; John W. Young, command module pilot; and Eugene A. Cernan, lunar module pilot. The Launch Control Center is at the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Apollo 10 space vehicle will be launched from Pad 39B.

A tour bus drives by a launch countdown sign inside the NASA Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Space shuttle Atlantis is set to liftoff Friday, July 8 on the final flight of the shuttle program, STS-135, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

S69-25880 (23 Feb. 1969) --- Overall view of Firing Room 2 in the Launch Control Center, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, during an Apollo 9 Countdown Demonstration Test. Astronauts James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart were participating in a training exercise in preparation for their scheduled 10-day Earth-orbital space mission.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida participate in the first joint integrated launch countdown simulation for Artemis I inside the Launch Control Center on July 8, 2021. The training exercise involved engineers from Kennedy, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston coming together to rehearse all aspects of the launch countdown, from cryogenic loading – filling tanks in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen – to liftoff. These simulations will help certify that the launch team is ready for Artemis I – the first test flight of SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida participate in the first joint integrated launch countdown simulation for Artemis I inside the Launch Control Center on July 8, 2021. The training exercise involved engineers from Kennedy, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston coming together to rehearse all aspects of the launch countdown, from cryogenic loading – filling tanks in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen – to liftoff. These simulations will help certify that the launch team is ready for Artemis I – the first test flight of SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

A Kennedy Space Center employee participates in the first joint integrated launch countdown simulation for Artemis I inside the Florida spaceport’s Launch Control Center on July 8, 2021. The training exercise involved engineers from Kennedy, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston coming together to rehearse all aspects of the launch countdown, from cryogenic loading – filling tanks in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen – to liftoff. These simulations will help certify that the launch team is ready for Artemis I – the first test flight of SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

Team members at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida participate in the first joint integrated launch countdown simulation for Artemis I inside the Launch Control Center on July 8, 2021. The training exercise involved engineers from Kennedy, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston coming together to rehearse all aspects of the launch countdown, from cryogenic loading – filling tanks in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen – to liftoff. These simulations will help certify that the launch team is ready for Artemis I – the first test flight of SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

Seen here is an exterior view of the Launch Control Center (LCC) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, located next to the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, on July 8, 2021. The LCC will house the team of engineers responsible for launching the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission. On July 8, teams from Kennedy, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston came together to perform the first joint integrated launch countdown simulation for Artemis I. The training exercise involved rehearsing all aspects of the launch countdown, from cryogenic loading – filling tanks in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen – to liftoff. These simulations will help certify that the launch team is ready for Artemis I – the first test flight of SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

Artemis I Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson participates in the first joint integrated launch countdown simulation for Artemis I inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 8, 2021. The training exercise involved engineers from Kennedy, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston coming together to rehearse all aspects of the launch countdown, from cryogenic loading – filling tanks in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen – to liftoff. These simulations will help certify that the launch team is ready for Artemis I – the first test flight of SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida participate in the first joint integrated launch countdown simulation for Artemis I inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center on July 8, 2021. Seen at the top of the room is Charlie Blackwell-Thompson (right), the launch director for Artemis I. The training exercise involved engineers from Kennedy, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston coming together to rehearse all aspects of the launch countdown, from cryogenic loading – filling tanks in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen – to liftoff. These simulations will help certify that the launch team is ready for Artemis I – the first test flight of SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

Workers stand on the surface of Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. They are monitoring launch countdown timeline demonstration activities occurring on the mobile launcher for Artemis I. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The base of the mobile launcher for Artemis I is in view on Launch Pad 3B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. Workers on scaffolding are preparing for a launch countdown demonstration. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to position one of two side flame deflectors underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to move the side flame deflectors into place during a countdown demonstration test using the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to move the side flame deflectors into place during a countdown demonstration test using the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A view of the mobile launcher for Artemis I with the two side flame deflectors positioned underneath during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. Also in view is the main flame deflector in the flame trench. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to position the two side flame deflectors underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to position the two side flame deflectors underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A close-up view of the mobile launcher for Artemis I with the two side flame deflectors positioned underneath during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. Also in view is the main flame deflector in the flame trench. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A close-up view of the base of one of the side flame deflectors positioned underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Technicians help move the side flame deflectors into place during a countdown demonstration test using the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to move the side flame deflectors into place during a countdown demonstration test using the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to move one of two side flame deflectors underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A close-up view of the base of the mobile launcher for Artemis I with the two side flame deflectors positioned underneath during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to move the side flame deflectors into place during a countdown demonstration test using the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to move one of two side flame deflectors underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to move the side flame deflectors into place during a countdown demonstration test using the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to position one of two side flame deflectors underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Special ground support equipment is used to move one of two side flame deflectors underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I during a countdown demonstration test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

An engineer with Exploration Ground Systems monitors countdown demonstration activities occurring on the mobile launcher for Artemis I on Oct. 23, 2020, at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Michael Guzman, an umbilical engineer, monitors his console in Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, during a terminal countdown demonstration for Exploration Mission 1, or EM-1, on Dec. 14, 2018. The launch will be the first integrated test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars. The countdown demonstration was intended to validate the launch team's capability to perform an EM-1 countdown and respond to challenges put into the system for practice.

On Oct. 23, 2020, an engineer with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) is at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as a brilliant sunrise illuminates the sky. The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission is at the pad to allow engineers with EGS and Jacobs to complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission is in view on the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad to allow engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs to complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission is in view on the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad to allow engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs to complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A view of the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A view of Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The mobile launcher for Artemis I is at the pad. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A view of the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission is in view on the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad to allow engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs to complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Space Launch System and Orion launch team engineers and managers monitor operations from their console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Space Launch System Test Conductors Roberta Wyrick, left, and Tracy Parks, both with Jacobs, NASA's Test and Operations Support Contractor, monitor operations from their consoles in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson at her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson follows operations at her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson follows operations at her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson follows operations at her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stands next to her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson follows operations at her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stands next to her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson follows operations at her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson follows operations in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, above, confers with Senior NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding, left, and Chief NASA Test Director Jeremy Graeber in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stands next to her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Operation Project Engineer Rommel Rubio monitors operations from his position in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Master Console Operator Jennifer Tschanz, left, and Master Console Operator Diego Diaz, both of Jacobs, monitor operations from their consoles in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Roberta Wyrick, spacecraft test conductor with Jacobs, NASA's Test and Operations Support Contractor, monitors operations from her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA Test Director Christine St. Germain monitors operations in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Jacobs Test Project Engineer Don Vinton, left and NASA Operations Project Engineer Doug Robertson, monitor operations from his position in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Master console operator David Walsh monitors operations from his position in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Liquid Oxygen Systems Engineer Quinten Jones, left and Liquid Oxygen Systems Engineer Andrew "Kody" Smitherman, both of Jacobs, monitor operation from his position in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Master Console Operators Andrea Oneill, left and David Walsh, monitor operations from their positions in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Main Propulsion System Engineers Krista Riggs, left, and Joe Pavicic, both with Jacobs, monitor operations from their consoles in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Test Project Engineer Rick Brown, left, and Master Console Operator Jason Robinson, both with Jacobs, monitor operations from their consoles in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Senior NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding monitors operations from his position in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Alex Higgins, a liquid hydrogen operations engineer with Jacobs, monitors operations from his position in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

The engine service platform is moved into position beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 23, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The service platform allows access to the RS-25 engines on the Space Launch System core stage for routine work or inspections. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs will complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform is moved into position beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 23, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The service platform allows access to the RS-25 engines on the Space Launch System core stage for routine work or inspections. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform is moved into position beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 23, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The service platform allows access to the RS-25 engines on the Space Launch System core stage for routine work or inspections. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs will complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform is moved into position beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 23, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The service platform allows access to the RS-25 engines on the Space Launch System core stage for routine work or inspections. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Ian Clark walks past mission countdown clocks in the Perseverance offices at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The Lab instituted a suite of safe@work procedures — based on the guidance of occupational safety medical personnel — to ensure those working at JPL are social distancing, wearing protective equipment and have ready access to hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. Clark is one of a small subset of project personnel whose mission-essential job required physical access to the facility. He was on-Lab to supervise the assembly and cleaning of the sample tubes that will hold Martian sediment and rock for return to Earth on a future mission. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23830

The engine service platform has been lowered and removed from underneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform has been lowered and removed from the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. It is staged on the top of the pad. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A view of the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The flame trench and flame deflector are in view below the mobile launcher. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform has been lowered and removed from the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. It is staged on the top of the pad. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs assist with lowering the engine service platform beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform has been lowered and removed from the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. It is being moved from the pad. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A view of the mobile launcher for Artemis I on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The engine service platform has been lowered and removed from the mobile launcher and is in view on a flatbed carrier. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The cab of a flatbed carrier is in view on the surface of Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. It will carry the engine service platform that was lowered and removed from the mobile launcher for Artemis I. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform is being raised beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A flatbed carrier is in view on the surface of Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. It is carrying the engine service platform that was lowered and removed from the mobile launcher for Artemis I. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform has been lowered and removed from the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The platform is in view on a flatbed truck. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs assist with raising the engine service platform beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

A view of the base of the mobile launcher for Artemis I and the flame trench below as the engine service platform is being raised into position below the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

The engine service platform has been lowered and removed from the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The platform is in view on a flatbed truck. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Workers assists with raising the engine service platform beneath the mobile launcher for Artemis I at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch team’s countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, center, stands next to her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center. With her, from the left, are NASA intern Justin Connolly, NASA Engineering Project Manager Dan Tran, Blackwell-Thompson, Shawn Reverter, Project Manager for Red Canyon Software, Inc., and NASA Structures and Mechanisms Design Branch Chief Adam Dokos, during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), monitor activities during the first formal terminal countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2019. This was the first in a series of simulations to help the team prepare for the launch of Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), monitor activities during the first formal terminal countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2019. This was the first in a series of simulations to help the team prepare for the launch of Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), monitor activities during the first formal terminal countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2019. This was the first in a series of simulations to help the team prepare for the launch of Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), monitor activities during the first formal terminal countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2019. This was the first in a series of simulations to help the team prepare for the launch of Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), monitor activities during the first formal terminal countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2019. This was the first in a series of simulations to help the team prepare for the launch of Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), monitor activities during the first formal terminal countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2019. This was the first in a series of simulations to help the team prepare for the launch of Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Exploration Ground Systems team members practice the Emergency Egress operations that will take place in an event of an emergency during launch countdown for the Artemis missions.

Mark Tripp, center, monitors his console in Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, during a terminal countdown demonstration for Exploration Mission 1, or EM-1, on Dec. 14, 2018. The launch will be the first integrated test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars. The countdown demonstration was intended to validate the launch team's capability to perform an EM-1 countdown and respond to challenges put into the system for practice.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. In the foreground is the newly upgraded countdown clock at the spaceport's Press Site. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. In the foreground is the newly upgraded countdown clock at the spaceport's Press Site. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, left, launch director for Artemis 1, and Jeremy Graeber, right, chief NASA test director, monitor activities during the first formal terminal countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 12, 2019. This was the first in a series of simulations to help the members of the launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), prepare for the launch of Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Megan Cruz, NASA Communications, participates in a prelaunch media briefing on the status of the Artemis countdown is held on Aug. 28, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Artemis I is scheduled to launch Aug. 29, at 8:33 a.m. EDT from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, at right, Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) launch director, leads a countdown demonstration event of cryogenic propellant loading April 12, 2019, inside Firing Room 2 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Seated next to her is Jessica Parsons, technical assitant to the launch director. The practice simulation involved loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System rocket’s core and upper stages to prepare for EM-1. During the tanking exercise, the team worked through surprise issues in real-time. The practice countdown events are training opportunities coordinated by Blackwell-Thompson with Exploration Ground Systems.

Engineers with NASA and contractor Jacobs monitor their consoles during a countdown demonstration event of cryogenic propellant loading April 12, 2019, inside Firing Room 2 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The practice simulation involved loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System rocket’s core and upper stages to prepare for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During the tanking exercise, the team worked through surprise issues in real-time. The practice countdown events are training opportunities coordinated by EM-1 Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson with Exploration Ground Systems.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, right, Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) launch director, reviews procedures during a countdown demonstration event of cryogenic propellant loading April 12, 2019, inside Firing Room 2 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The practice simulation involved loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System rocket’s core and upper stages to prepare for EM-1. During the tanking exercise, the team worked through surprise issues in real-time. The practice countdown events are training opportunities coordinated by Blackwell-Thompson with Exploration Ground Systems.

Engineers with NASA and contractor Jacobs monitor their consoles during a countdown demonstration event of cryogenic propellant loading April 12, 2019, inside Firing Room 2 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The practice simulation involved loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System rocket’s core and upper stages to prepare for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During the tanking exercise, the team worked through surprise issues in real-time. The practice countdown events are training opportunities coordinated by EM-1 Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson with Exploration Ground Systems.