3/4 front, top view of Noriar Lift Engine Pod installation in Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel

A-38524. Lift engine VSTOL fighter model, 3/4 top front view with jet engines. Edward Varerre, in picture.

Technicians lift the engine section for NASA’s Artemis IV SLS (Space Launch System) rocket ahead of further processing inside the high bay of the Space Systems Processing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. The engine section is one of five major elements that makes up the SLS rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage, which house the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and vital systems for mounting, controlling, and delivering fuel from the stage’s two massive liquid propellant tanks to the engines.

Technicians lift the engine section for NASA’s Artemis IV SLS (Space Launch System) rocket ahead of further processing inside the high bay of the Space Systems Processing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. The engine section is one of five major elements that makes up the SLS rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage, which house the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and vital systems for mounting, controlling, and delivering fuel from the stage’s two massive liquid propellant tanks to the engines.

Often called the "Father of the Lifting Bodies," NASA aerospace engineer Dale Reed enjoys a moment in the cockpit of the restored wingless M2-F1 in 1997.

HEAT Project (High-Lift Engine Aeroacustics Technology) model assembly

HEAT Project (High-Lift Engine Aeroacustics Technology) model assembly

HEAT Project (High-Lift Engine Aeroacustics Technology) model assembly

HEAT Project (High-Lift Engine Aeroacustics Technology) model assembly

HEAT Project (High-Lift Engine Aeroacustics Technology) model assembly

HEAT Project (High-Lift Engine Aeroacustics Technology) model assembly

HEAT Project (High-Lift Engine Aeroacustics Technology) model assembly

HEAT Project (High-Lift Engine Aeroacustics Technology) model assembly

Lift engine VSTOL fighter model, 3/4 lower front view showing jet engines exit vanes. Yarn tufts attached to horizontal tail.

Technicians lift and transfer the #2 RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engine (back) to the work stand. Visible in the foreground is the #3 engine already integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Technicians lift and transfer the #2 RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engine (back) to the work stand. Visible in the foreground is the #3 engine already integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Technicians lift the #2 RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engine to prepare to transfer the engine to the work stand to be integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III four engines will propel the Orion spacecraft, carrying four astronauts, into low Earth orbit providing over two million pounds of thrust at liftoff. “During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Employees discuss the lift and install operations for the RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The engines will be installed in the SLS rocket core stage for integration atop the mobile launcher. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

NASA research pilot Bill Dana stands in front of the HL-10 Lifting Body following his first glide flight on April 25, 1969. Dana later retired as Chief Engineer at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, (called the NASA Flight Research Center in 1969). Prior to his lifting body assignment, Dana flew the X-15 research airplane. He flew the rocket-powered aircraft 16 times, reaching a top speed of 3,897 miles per hour and a peak altitude of 310,000 feet (almost 59 miles high).

An engineering version of the robotic arm on NASA's InSight mission lifts the engineering version of the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Probe (HP3) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This test was conducted by InSight team members in a Mars-like environment, including reddish lighting, to simulate conditions InSight will encounter on the Red Planet. The orange tape-like tail behind HP3 is a tether that connects the HP3 support structure to the instrument's back-end electronics box on the lander. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22807

Hours after its successful engineering flight, the first test vehicle for NASA Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator project is lifted aboard the recovery vessel Kahana.

In the middle of this image, three wheels are shown raised by a lift, with engineers on both sides of the wheels in the cleanroom, where NASA Curiosity rover is being assembled.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers look down from spaces allotted for the main engines as the rear body flap is lifted for installation on the orbiter Discovery. The body flap, which is temporarily under protective covering, attaches below the main engines.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility get ready to lift and install the rear body flap on orbiter Discovery. The body flap, which is temporarily under protective covering, attaches below the main engines.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility get ready to lift and install the rear body flap on orbiter Discovery. The body flap, which is temporarily under protective covering, attaches below the main engines.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the rear body flap is lifted into place on the orbiter Discovery. The body flap, which is temporarily under protective covering, attaches below the main engines.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility get ready to lift and install the rear body flap on orbiter Discovery. The body flap, which is temporarily under protective covering, attaches below the main engines.

NASA research pilot John A. Manke is seen here in front of the M2-F3 Lifting Body. Manke was hired by NASA on May 25, 1962, as a flight research engineer. He was later assigned to the pilot's office and flew various support aircraft including the F-104, F5D, F-111 and C-47. After leaving the Marine Corps in 1960, Manke worked for Honeywell Corporation as a test engineer for two years before coming to NASA. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the HL-10, M2-F3, and X-24A lifting bodies. John made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body and the first landing of a lifting body on a hard surface runway. Manke served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at the Dryden Flight Research Center prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981. After this date John was named to head the joint Ames-Dryden Directorate of Flight Operations. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on April 27, 1984.

Technicians prepare the #2 RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engine for transfer onto a work stand ahead of integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Technicians prepare the #2 RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engine for transfer onto a work stand ahead of integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Technicians prepare the #2 RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engine for transfer onto a work stand ahead of integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory lift the Mars 2020 rover's bit carousel out of its storage container. The bit carousel is a mechanism that is at the heart of the rover's Sample Caching System. The image was taken on Aug. 5, 2019, in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 at JPL. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23320

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility stand by while another guides the lifting of one of two rudder speed brake actuators onto a table to measure the alignment of its bearings. The actuators move an orbiter’s rudder, speed brake, elevons and main engines during flight.

Here is a close-up of the GE F414 engine, from the aft deck or rear, before the tail section of the X-59 is lifted into place and attached to the aircraft. The aft deck helps control the shockwaves at the end of the aircraft and reduce the noise of a sonic boom to more of a sonic thump.

In this picture from Sept. 28, 2019, engineers and technicians working on the Mars 2020 spacecraft at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, look on as a crane lifts the rocket-powered descent stage away from the rover after a test. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23466

STS-132 ATLANTIS - ENGINE #2 LIFT TO TRANSPORTERAT ENGINE SHOP - XFER TO OPF-1 & INSTALL

STS-132 ATLANTIS - ENGINE #2 LIFT TO TRANSPORTERAT ENGINE SHOP - XFER TO OPF-1 & INSTALL

STS-132 ATLANTIS - ENGINE #2 LIFT TO TRANSPORTERAT ENGINE SHOP - XFER TO OPF-1 & INSTALL

STS-132 ATLANTIS - ENGINE #2 LIFT TO TRANSPORTERAT ENGINE SHOP - XFER TO OPF-1 & INSTALL

STS-132 ATLANTIS - ENGINE #2 LIFT TO TRANSPORTERAT ENGINE SHOP - XFER TO OPF-1 & INSTALL

STS-132 ATLANTIS - ENGINE #2 LIFT TO TRANSPORTERAT ENGINE SHOP - XFER TO OPF-1 & INSTALL

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, an orbiter main engine is lifted by a new engine hyster, built by Rocketdyne, that is used to remove it from the orbiter. .

Inside High Bay 2 at NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy’s Space Center in Florida, the SLS (Space Launch System) core stage rocket is secured in a vertical position as technicians prepare to install the last RS-25 engine to the SLS. During Artemis III, the four RS-25 engines will launch SLS, the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff. 

Technicians complete installation of all four RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines on the work stand for integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS-25 engines will launch SLS, the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff. 

The first of four RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines, is installed on the work stand and integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Technicians complete installation of all four RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines on the work stand for integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS-25 engines will launch SLS, the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff. 

The first of four RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines, is installed on the work stand and integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Technicians complete installation of all four RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines on the work stand for integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS-25 engines will launch SLS, the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff. 

Technicians prepare to transfer the #2 RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engine (front) to the work stand with the #3 engine (back) for integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

The first of four RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines, is installed on the work stand and integrated with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Technicians complete installation of all four RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines on the work stand for integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS-25 engines will launch SLS, the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff. 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 engine shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a transportation canister containing the last Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine, or SSME, is lifted onto a flatbed truck for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The first two groups of engines were shipped from Kennedy to Stennis in November 2011 and January 2012 the remaining engines departed today. Altogether, 15 shuttle-era engines will be stored at Stennis for reuse on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, under development. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

HEAT (High-Lift Engine Aeroacoustics Technology) Model test-596 in 40x80ft w.t.

Space Launch System Corestage-2 Engine Section is lifted into a thrust structure tool at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

HEAT (High-Lift Engine Aeroacoustics Technology) Model test-596 in 40x80ft w.t. with Brian Smith

HEAT (High-Lift Engine Aeroacoustics Technology) Model test-596 in 40x80ft w.t.

Space Launch System Corestage-2 Engine Section is lifted into a thrust structure tool at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

The Artemis IV core stage’s boat tail section is lifted and moved from its production area at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Aug. 24, 2026. The boat tail refers to the aerodynamic portion positioned directly above the exposed RS-25 engine nozzles, which comprise the lower portions of the core stage’s engine section. The boat tail critically shields the rocket’s lowermost hardware, including the engines’ upper components, plumbing, and critical control systems, protecting them from the extreme heat, vibrations, and pressures during launch. The completed hardware is lifted via the factory’s overhead crane system and secured onto two self-propelled modular transporters—NASA’s mobile heavy transport platforms,—for a short, low-speed drive across the facility, from the factory to the Pegasus barge. From New Orleans, the hardware travels to Kennedy Space Center for future engine section integration, and eventual stacking following the Artemis III mission. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars—for the benefit of all.

The Artemis IV core stage’s boat tail section is lifted and moved from its production area at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Aug. 24, 2026. The boat tail refers to the aerodynamic portion positioned directly above the exposed RS-25 engine nozzles, which comprise the lower portions of the core stage’s engine section. The boat tail critically shields the rocket’s lowermost hardware, including the engines’ upper components, plumbing, and critical control systems, protecting them from the extreme heat, vibrations, and pressures during launch. The completed hardware is lifted via the factory’s overhead crane system and secured onto two self-propelled modular transporters—NASA’s mobile heavy transport platforms,—for a short, low-speed drive across the facility, from the factory to the Pegasus barge. From New Orleans, the hardware travels to Kennedy Space Center for future engine section integration, and eventual stacking following the Artemis III mission. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars—for the benefit of all.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a transportation canister containing a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine (SSME) is lifted into position onto a flatbed trailer. This is the second of the 15 engines used during the Space Shuttle Program to be transported to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engines will be stored at Stennis for future use on NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will carry NASA's new Orion spacecraft, cargo, equipment and science experiments to space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way to lift a transportation canister containing a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine (SSME) onto a flatbed trailer. This is the second of the 15 engines used during the Space Shuttle Program to be transported to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engines will be stored at Stennis for future use on NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will carry NASA's new Orion spacecraft, cargo, equipment and science experiments to space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

A J-2X next-generation rocket engine is lifted onto the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center. Testing of the engine began the following month. The engine is being developed for NASA by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and could help carry humans beyond low-Earth orbit into deep space once more.

3/4 Low front view of fuselage and fan. Showing jet engine hanging below. Lift fan powered by jet exhaust. General Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Research Model with High Disk Loading Direct Lifting Fan Mounted in Fuselage

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

3/4 Low front view of fuselage and fan. Showing jet engine hanging below. Lift fan powered by jet exhaust.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

HEAT (High-Lift Engine Aeroacoustics Technology) Model test-596 in 40x80ft w.t. with Brian Smith, Janet Beegle, Chris Allen & Jim McKenna

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

HEAT (High-Lift Engine Aeroacoustics Technology) Model test-596 in 40x80ft w.t. with Brian Smith, Janet Beegle, Chris Allen, Jim McKenna

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Technicians monitor a Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine, or SSME, as a crane lifts it off its base inside the SSME Processing Facility, the engine shop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations are under way to rotate the engine into a horizontal position on a portable workstand. The engine is one of the last SSMEs remaining at Kennedy and is being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The first two groups of engines were shipped from Kennedy to Stennis in November 2011 and January 2012 the remaining engines are scheduled to depart on April 9. Altogether, 15 shuttle-era engines will be stored at Stennis for reuse on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, under development. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers lift the liquid oxygen feedline for the 17-inch disconnect toward orbiter Discovery for installation. The 17-inch liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen disconnects provide the propellant feed interface from the external tank to the orbiter main propulsion system and the three Shuttle main engines.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the large engine bells of several Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) are lined up inside the Engine Shop. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

The HL-10 Lifting Body is seen here in flight over Rogers Dry lakebed. Like the other lifting bodies, the HL-10 made a steep descent toward the lakebed, followed by a high-speed landing. This was due to the vehicle's low lift-over-drag ratio. The first 11 flights of the HL-10 were unpowered, flown to check the vehicle's handling and stability before rocket-powered flights began using the XLR-11 rocket engine.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Several Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) sit on stands inside the Engine Shop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine (SSME) sits on a stand inside the Engine Shop. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lined up in a row, several Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) sit on stands inside the Engine Shop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lined up in a row, six Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) sit on stands inside the Engine Shop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lined up in a row, six Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) sit on stands inside the Engine Shop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the first time, all 15 main engines are in the Engine Shop at the same time. They are being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for storage following the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. The engines are being repurposed for use on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis

The engine vertical installer for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is inside the Vehicle Assembly at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 25, 2019. Preparations are underway to lift the engine installer up and into High Bay 3. The engine installer arrived from the manufacturer, Precision Fabrication and Cleaning in Canaveral Groves, Florida. The new ground support equipment will be ready for preflight processing in the event one of the four RS-25 engines on the core stage of the SLS rocket needs to be replaced. During launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, the four core stage engines will provide the thrust needed to lift the rocket and Orion spacecraft off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy for Exploration Mission-1. The uncrewed Orion will travel on a three-week test mission thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The engine vertical installer for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is inside the Vehicle Assembly at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 25, 2019. The engine installer is being lifted up by crane for transfer to High Bay 3. The engine installer arrived from the manufacturer, Precision Fabrication and Cleaning in Canaveral Groves, Florida. The new ground support equipment will be ready for preflight processing in the event one of the four RS-25 engines on the core stage of the SLS rocket needs to be replaced. During launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, the four core stage engines will provide the thrust needed to lift the rocket and Orion spacecraft off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy for Exploration Mission-1. The uncrewed Orion will travel on a three-week test mission thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The engine vertical installer for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is inside the Vehicle Assembly at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 25, 2019. The engine installer is being lifted up by crane for transfer to High Bay 3. The engine installer arrived from the manufacturer, Precision Fabrication and Cleaning in Canaveral Groves, Florida. The new ground support equipment will be ready for preflight processing in the event one of the four RS-25 engines on the core stage of the SLS rocket needs to be replaced. During launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, the four core stage engines will provide the thrust needed to lift the rocket and Orion spacecraft off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy for Exploration Mission-1. The uncrewed Orion will travel on a three-week test mission thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The engine vertical installer for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is inside the Vehicle Assembly at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 25, 2019. The engine installer will be lifted up by crane for transfer to High Bay 3. The engine installer arrived from the manufacturer, Precision Fabrication and Cleaning in Canaveral Groves, Florida. The new ground support equipment will be ready for preflight processing in the event one of the four RS-25 engines on the core stage of the SLS rocket needs to be replaced. During launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, the four core stage engines will provide the thrust needed to lift the rocket and Orion spacecraft off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy for Exploration Mission-1. The uncrewed Orion will travel on a three-week test mission thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

S93-31601 (March 1993) --- The second Space Shuttle launch attempt of 1993 comes to an abrupt halt when one of the three main engines on the orbiter Columbia shuts down at T -3 seconds, resulting in an on-the-pad abort of Mission STS-55. This was the first time in the post-Challenger era that a main engine shutdown has halted a Shuttle launch countdown, and only the third time in the history of the program. In 1984, STS-41D was scrubbed at T -4 seconds when the orbiter General Purpose Computer detected an anomaly in a main engine, and in 1985, STS-51F was halted at T -3 seconds due to a main engine malfunction that caused shutdown of all three engines. Columbia had been scheduled to lift off from Launch Pad 39B is the Space Shuttle Discovery, undergoing preparations for lift off on Mission STS-56.

Dale Reed with a model of the M2-F1 in front of the actual lifting body. Reed used the model to show the potential of the lifting bodies. He first flew it into tall grass to test stability and trim, then hand-launched it from buildings for longer flights. Finally, he towed the lifting-body model aloft using a powered model airplane known as the "Mothership." A timer released the model and it glided to a landing. Dale's wife Donna used a 9 mm. camera to film the flights of the model. Its stability as it glided--despite its lack of wings--convinced Milt Thompson and some Flight Research Center engineers including the center director, Paul Bikle, that a piloted lifting body was possible.

Kennedy Space Center, Florida. - Deep Space 1 is lifted from its work platform, giving a closeup view of the experimental solar-powered ion propulsion engine. The ion propulsion engine is the first non-chemical propulsion to be used as the primary means of propelling a spacecraft. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Another onboard experiment includes software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999. Deep Space 1 will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in October. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04232

Engineers and technicians use a crane to lift a 10-foot (3-meter) high-gain antenna as they prepare to install it on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft on Aug. 14, 2023. The orbiter is being assembled in the clean room of High Bay 1 at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in preparation for its launch to Jupiter's moon Europa in October 2024. The precision-engineered dish was attached to the spacecraft in carefully choreographed stages over the course of several hours. Europa Clipper will need the huge antenna to transmit data hundreds of millions of miles back to Earth. Scientists believe the icy moon Europa harbors a vast internal ocean that may have conditions suitable for supporting life. The spacecraft will fly by the moon about 50 times while its science instruments gather data on the moon's atmosphere, surface, and interior – information that will help scientists learn more about the ocean, the ice crust, and potential plumes that may be venting subsurface water into space. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25956

Engineers lift the Orion Crew Module Adapter Structural Test Article into the test stand at NASA Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Facility on Sept. 23, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Engineers lift the Orion Crew Module Adapter Structural Test Article into the test stand at NASA Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Facility on Sept. 23, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

A team of engineers lifts the mast into place atop of NASA’s VIPER robotic Moon rover in a clean room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

Crews exceed the 111% power level needed to lift the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket when firing the RS-25 certification engine at 113% on Jan. 23 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.