CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 17-B in Florida, after being raised to vertical, the first stage of a Delta II rocket will be lifted into the mobile service tower on for processing. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the STSS Demonstrators Program. STSS Demonstrators Program is a midcourse tracking technology demonstrator and is part of an evolving ballistic missile defense system. STSS is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors. It will be launched by NASA for the Missile Defense Agency on July 29. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC, is moved from its workstand toward the payload canister. The canister will deliver the ORUC and other carriers to Launch Pad 39A for installation in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis' 11-day flight to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is targeted for launch May 12. The mission will include five spacewalks in which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs