Two seamstresses stitch together a sun-shade for Skylab Orbital Workshop (OWS), the first U.S. experimental space station in orbit, which lost its thermal protection shield during the launch on May 14, 1973. Without the heat shield, the temperature inside the Orbital Workshop became dangerously high, rendering the workshop uninhabitable and threatened deterioration of the interior insulation and adhesive. Engineers and scientists at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) worked tirelessly around the clock on the emergency repair procedure. The Skylab crew and the repair kits were launched just 11 days after the incident. The crew successfully deployed the twin-pole sail parasol sun-shade during their EVA (Extravehicular Activity) the next day.

S73-26127 (1973) --- An artist's concept of the Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit illustrating the deployment of the twin pole thermal shield to shade the Orbital Workshop (OWS) from the sun. This is one of the sunshade possibilities considered to solve the problem of the overheated OWS. Here the two Skylab 2 astronauts have completely deployed the sunshade. Note the evidence of another Skylab problem - the solar panels on the OWS are not deployed as required. Photo credit: NASA

S73-26047 (18 May 1973) --- A sail-like sunshade for possible use as a sunscreen for the Skylab orbital workshop (OWS) is shown being fabricated in the GE Building across the street from the Johnson Space Center. Three persons assist the seamstress feed the material through the sewing machine. The three-layered shade will be composed of a top layer of aluminum Mylar, a middle layer of laminated nylon rip stop, and a bottom layer of thin nylon. Working on the sunshade, from left to right, are Dale Gentry, Elizabeth Gauldin, Alyene Baker and James H. Barnett Jr. Mrs. Baker, a GE employee, operates the double-needle sewing machine. Barnett is head of the Crew Equipment Development Section of JSC's Crew Systems Division. Mrs. Gauldin is also with the Crew Systems Division. Gentry works for GE. The work shown here is part of the crash program underway to prepare a protection device for Skylab to replace the original shield which was lost when the unmanned Skylab 1 launch took place on May 14, 1973. The improvised solar shield selected to be used will be carried to Earth orbit by the Skylab 2 crew, who will deploy it to shade part of the OWS from the hot rays of the sun. Loss of the original shield, as expected, has caused an overheating problem on the OWS. Photo credit: NASA

This image of the polar region illustrates the effect of the sun on polar frost. The highstanding ridges have lost all their frost cover, while the lows shaded by the ridges still have a bright frost cover

S73-26046 (18 May 1973) --- Workmen in the GE Building across the street from the Johnson Space Center fold a sail-like sunshade being fabricated for possible use as a sunscreen for the Skylab Orbital Workshop (OWS). The three-layered sunshade will be composed of a top layer of aluminized mylar, a middle layer of laminated nylon rip-stop, and a bottom layer of thin nylon. The men are, left to right, Gerry E. Wood (wearing glasses), Glenn Hewitt, Pat Morrow, and Fred Le Donne. Wood is manager of crew provisions and engineering at GE. The work shown here is part of the crash program now underway to prepare a sunshield for Skylab to replace the original shield which was lost when Skylab I was launched on May 14, 1973. The improvised solar shield selected to be used will be carried to Earth orbit by the Skylab 2 crewmen who will deploy it to shade part of the OWS from the hot rays of the sun. Loss of the original shield has caused an overheating problem in the OWS. Photo credit: NASA

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) is mated to the upper stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

Technicians and engineers inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida clean and inspect the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The SASS is made up of six solar array panels, with the two center panels fixed while the four outer ones are deployed once in orbit. The Roman team will orient the SASS toward the Sun to provide power to the entire observatory and shade the telescope and instruments beneath. NASA designed this flagship mission to help astronomers explore dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

The sun sets on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

S73-26128 (1973) --- An artist's concept of the Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit illustrating the deployment of the twin pole thermal shield to shade the Orbital Workshop (OWS) from the sun. This is one of the sunshade possibilities considered to solve the problem of the overheated OWS. In this view the Skylab astronauts have partially deployed the sunshade. Photo credit: NASA

The sun sets on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

The sun sets behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

When we acquired this image, it was northern summer and southern winter on Mars, but signs of spring are already starting to appear at latitudes not far from the equator. This image of Penticton Crater, taken at latitude 38 degrees south, shows streamers of seasonal carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) only remaining in places in the terrain that are still partially in the shade. The turquoise-colored frost (enhanced color) is protected from the sun in shadowed dips in the ground while the sunlit surface nearby is already frost-free. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23667

The sun sets on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

The sun sets on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

The sun sets behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

The sun sets behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

The sun sets behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

The sun sets behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians begin placing the sun shade over the high gain antenna on the Dawn spacecraft. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians lift the sun shade to be installed over the high gain antenna on the Dawn spacecraft. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, a technician secures one side of the sun shade over the high gain antenna on the Dawn spacecraft. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, a technician secures one side of the sun shade over the high gain antenna on the Dawn spacecraft. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft is on display with the recently installed sun shade over the high gain antenna. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, a technician looks at the sun shade (foreground) to be installed over the high gain antenna on the Dawn spacecraft. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians secure all sides of the sun shade over the high gain antenna on the Dawn spacecraft. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians lift the sun shade toward the Dawn spacecraft to install it on the high gain antenna. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians are securing the sun shade over the high gain antenna on the Dawn spacecraft. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians begin securing the sun shade over the high gain antenna on the Dawn spacecraft. Made of germanium kapton, the shade, which is RF transparent, is placed over the sensitive antenna to reflect and emit harmful solar radiation to prevent the antenna from being excessively heated. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft is encapsulated with the fairing. With one half already in place (right), the second half (left) moves into position. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Boeing Delta rocket is lifted to vertical as it moves up the gantry. When fully assembled, the rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Scientists and other workers watch as the solar panels on the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft are deployed in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the fairing is moved into position around the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft

On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of a Boeing Delta 7425-10 rocket is lifted into position as preparations to launch NASA's Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) on June 30 continue. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission.; The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Delta II rocket, carrying the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft, arcs through the cloud-washed blue sky while photographers try to capture the spectacle from the ground. The successful launch from Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, occurred at 3:46:46 p.m. EDT. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The fairing closes around the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft at Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Boeing Delta II rocket is poised for flight on Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, after rollback of the Mobile Service Tower. Topping the rocket is the payload, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. Launch is scheduled at 3:46 p.m. EDT June 30. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility -2, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP), suspended by a crane, crosses the facility to the upper stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Wrapped in billows of smoke and steam, the Boeing Delta II rocket lifts off Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. The successful launch occurred at 3:46:46 p.m. EDT. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of a Boeing Delta 7425-10 rocket is lifted into position as preparations to launch NASA's Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) on June 30 continue. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission.; The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers at Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, oversee the fairing installation on the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility -2, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) is lifted for moving to the upper stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The morning sky is nearly clear over Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and the waiting Boeing/Delta II rocket. The Atlantic Ocean can be seen on the horizon. Topping the rocket is the payload, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. Launch is scheduled at 3:46 p.m. EDT June 30. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Boeing Delta rocket arrives at the pad. When fully assembled, the rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of a Boeing Delta 7425-10 rocket is lifted into position as preparations to launch NASA's Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) on June 30 continue. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission.; The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Solar panels on the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft begin deployment in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the fairing for the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft is lifted up the gantry to the White Room. There it will wait for the arrival of the spacecraft. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Engineers in Hangar A&E, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, wait to track the launch of the Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. The screens above the console show the rocket on the launch pad. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Photographers gather in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility -2 for a media showing of the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP). The MAP is mated to the upper stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers at Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, oversee the fairing installation on the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Boeing Delta rocket is suspended in the gantry on the pad. When fully assembled, the rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Boeing Delta II rocket is poised for flight on Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, after rollback of the Mobile Service Tower (right). Topping the rocket is the payload, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. Launch is scheduled at 3:46 p.m. EDT June 30. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the gantry on Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the fairing for the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft arrives in the White Room. There it will wait for the arrival of the spacecraft. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers at Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, watch as fairing moves into position around the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The launch of the Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft is tracked inside Hangar AandE, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The successful launch from Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, occurred at 3:46:46 p.m. EDT. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

At the gantry on Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the fairing for the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft is raised for its lift to the White Room. There it will wait for the arrival of the spacecraft. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) is lowered onto the upper stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Boeing Delta II rocket is poised for flight on Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, after rollback of the Mobile Service Tower (right). Topping the rocket is the payload, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. Launch is scheduled at 3:46 p.m. EDT June 30. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Boeing Delta II rocket is poised for flight on Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, after rollback of the Mobile Service Tower. Topping the rocket is the payload, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft. Launch is scheduled at 3:46 p.m. EDT June 30. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Scientists and other workers watch as the solar panels on the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft are deployed in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2. MAP is scheduled for launch on June 30 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. The launch will place MAP into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The probe will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. The probe is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility -2 prepare the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) for a media showing. The MAP is mated to the upper stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility -2 prepare the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) for a media showing. The MAP is mated to the upper stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the MAP instrument June 30 into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. MAP will measure small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, photographers dressed in clean-room suits are able to shoot the Dawn spacecraft in its entirety before it is prepared for launch. Seen on each side are the folded solar array panels. At the top is the high gain antenna, covered by a sun shade. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft is on display for a media showing. On each side are the folded solar array panels. At the top is the high gain antenna, covered by a sun shade. At the bottom, also under cover, is one of the ion propulsion thrusters. Behind the antenna on the outside edge are the framing cameras. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, photographers dressed in clean-room suits are able to shoot the Dawn spacecraft in its entirety before it is prepared for launch. Seen on each side are the folded solar array panels. At the top is the high gain antenna, covered by a sun shade. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians prepare the Dawn spacecraft for a media showing. On each side are the folded solar array panels. At the top is the high gain antenna, covered by a sun shade. At the bottom is one of the ion propulsion thrusters. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

508 DESCRIPTION: The sun sets behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as they stand fully assembled atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sky glows with warm shades of orange and pink, silhouetting the towering rocket and its solid rocket boosters against the fading light. Photographed on January 31, 2026, the scene captures teams preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, rehearsing launch countdown timelines and procedures as day turns to night.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers prepare NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft for star tracker sun shade installation. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers install another of the star tracker sun shades on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

AS17-141-21608 (13 Dec. 1972) --- Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan stands near an over-hanging rock during the third Apollo 17 lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site. Scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt took this photograph. The tripod-like object just outside the shaded area is the gnomon and photometric chart assembly which is used as a photographic reference to establish local vertical sun angle, scale and lunar color. The gnomon is one of the Apollo Lunar Geology Hand Tools. While astronauts Cernan and Schmitt descended in the Lunar Module "Challenger" to explore the moon, astronaut Ronald E. Evans remained with the Apollo 17 Command and Service Modules in lunar orbit.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., a worker adjusts the star tracker sun shade installed on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft is on display for a media showing. On each side are the folded solar array panels. At the top is the high gain antenna, covered by a sun shade. At the bottom, also under cover, is one of the ion propulsion thrusters. Behind the antenna on the outside edge are the framing cameras, which are the scientific imaging system of the Dawn Mission. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers prepare NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft for star tracker sun shade installation. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers install one of the star tracker sun shades on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers prepare NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft for star tracker sun shade installation. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

S73-34619 (28 July 1973) --- A composite of four frames taken from 16mm movie camera footage showing an overhead view of the Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit. The Maurer motion picture camera scenes were being filmed during the Skylab 3 Command/Service Module's (CSM) first "fly around" inspection of the space station. Close comparison of the four frames reveals movement of the improvised parasol solar shield over the Orbital Workshop (OWS). The "flapping" of the sun shade was caused from the exhaust of the reaction control subsystem (RCS) thrusters of the Skylab 3 CSM. The one remaining solar array system wing on the OWS is in the lower left background. The solar panel in the lower left foreground is on the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM). Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers install one of the star tracker sun shades on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., a worker looks over the star tracker sun shades installed on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., a worker picks up one of the star tracker sun shades to install on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., a worker cleans around the area where star tracker sun shades will be installed on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers install another of the star tracker sun shades on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., the star tracker sun shades are waiting to be installed on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., a worker adjusts the star tracker sun shades installed on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. A launch date is still to be determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

This color image of the sun, Earth and Venus was taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft Feb. 14, 1990, when it was approximately 32 degrees above the plane of the ecliptic and at a slant-range distance of approximately 4 billion miles. It is the first -- and may be the only -- time that we will ever see our solar system from such a vantage point. The image is a portion of a wide-angle image containing the sun and the region of space where the Earth and Venus were at the time with two narrow-angle pictures centered on each planet. The wide-angle was taken with the camera's darkest filter (a methane absorption band), and the shortest possible exposure (5 thousandths of a second) to avoid saturating the camera's vidicon tube with scattered sunlight. The sun is not large in the sky as seen from Voyager's perspective at the edge of the solar system but is still eight million times brighter than the brightest star in Earth's sky, Sirius. The image of the sun you see is far larger than the actual dimension of the solar disk. The result of the brightness is a bright burned out image with multiple reflections from the optics in the camera. The "rays" around the sun are a diffraction pattern of the calibration lamp which is mounted in front of the wide angle lens. The two narrow-angle frames containing the images of the Earth and Venus have been digitally mosaiced into the wide-angle image at the appropriate scale. These images were taken through three color filters and recombined to produce a color image. The violet, green and blue filters were used; exposure times were, for the Earth image, 0.72, 0.48 and 0.72 seconds, and for the Venus frame, 0.36, 0.24 and 0.36, respectively. Although the planetary pictures were taken with the narrow-angle camera (1500 mm focal length) and were not pointed directly at the sun, they show the effects of the glare from the nearby sun, in the form of long linear streaks resulting from the scattering of sunlight off parts of the camera and its sun shade. From Voyager's great distance both Earth and Venus are mere points of light, less than the size of a picture element even in the narrow-angle camera. Earth was a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size. Coincidentally, Earth lies right in the center of one of the scattered light rays resulting from taking the image so close to the sun. Detailed analysis also suggests that Voyager detected the moon as well, but it is too faint to be seen without special processing. Venus was only 0.11 pixel in diameter. The faint colored structure in both planetary frames results from sunlight scattered in the optics. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00450

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The container with the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) satellite inside moves into the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2. MAP will undergo testing in the SAEF-2 before its scheduled launch June 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta II rocket into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission (3 months transit, 24 months observing). The MAP instrument consists of a set of passively cooled microwave radiometers with 1.4x 1.6-meter diameter primary reflectors to provide the desired angular resolution. MAP measures small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The container with the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) satellite inside is backed into the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2. MAP will undergo testing in the SAEF-2 before its scheduled launch June 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta II rocket into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission (3 months transit, 24 months observing). The MAP instrument consists of a set of passively cooled microwave radiometers with 1.4x 1.6-meter diameter primary reflectors to provide the desired angular resolution. MAP measures small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The setting sun casts purple and pink shades in the sky as the launch tower on pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, rolls back to reveal the Boeing Delta II rocket with NASA's Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft attached. The launch is scheduled for 2:47 a.m. EDT July 3. Designed and built by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., the 2,138-pound (970-kilogram) spacecraft will be placed into an elliptical Earth orbit until Aug. 15, when it is scheduled to fire its main engine and enter a comet-chasing orbit around the sun. The mission's flexible four-year plan includes encounters with comets Encke (Nov. 12, 2003) and Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (June 19, 2006), though it can add an encounter with a "new" and scientifically valuable comet from the outer solar system, should one be discovered in time for CONTOUR to fly past it. CONTOUR's four scientific instruments will take detailed pictures and measure the chemical makeup of each comet's nucleus -- a chunk of ice and rock -- while analyzing the surrounding gas and dust.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) satellite arrives at Kennedy Space Center. The Vehicle Assembly Building is in the background. MAP is scheduled to launch on June 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta II rocket into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission (3 months transit, 24 months observing). The MAP instrument consists of a set of passively cooled microwave radiometers with 1.4x 1.6-meter diameter primary reflectors to provide the desired angular resolution. MAP measures small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree. These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 secure the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) on a workstand inside a tent. Several milestones must be completed while MAP is at SAEF-2, including antenna installations, solar array installation, solar array deployment and illumination testing, a spacecraft comprehensive performance test, fueling with hydrazine propellant and a spin balance test. MAP will then be ready for integration with the solid propellant Payload Assist Module upper stage booster. MAP is scheduled for launch June 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta II rocket into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The MAP instrument consists of a set of passively cooled microwave radiometers with 1.4x 1.6-meter diameter primary reflectors to provide the desired angular resolution. MAP measures small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2, the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) undergoes testing and checkout. Several milestones must be completed while MAP is at SAEF-2, including antenna and solar array installation, solar array deployment and illumination testing, a spacecraft comprehensive performance test, fueling with hydrazine propellant and a spin balance test. MAP will then be ready for integration with the solid propellant Payload Assist Module upper stage booster. MAP is scheduled for launch June 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta II rocket into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The MAP instrument consists of a set of passively cooled microwave radiometers with 1.4x 1.6-meter diameter primary reflectors to provide the desired angular resolution. MAP measures small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 stand by while the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) is lifted to place it on a workstand. Several milestones must be completed while MAP is at SAEF-2, including antenna installations, solar array installation, solar array deployment and illumination testing, a spacecraft comprehensive performance test, fueling with hydrazine propellant and a spin balance test. MAP will then be ready for integration with the solid propellant Payload Assist Module upper stage booster. MAP is scheduled for launch June 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta II rocket into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The MAP instrument consists of a set of passively cooled microwave radiometers with 1.4x 1.6-meter diameter primary reflectors to provide the desired angular resolution. MAP measures small fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation to an accuracy of one millionth of a degree These measurements should reveal the size, matter content, age, geometry and fate of the universe. They will also reveal the primordial structure that grew to form galaxies and will test ideas about the origins of these primordial structures. The MAP instrument will be continuously shaded from the Sun, Earth, and Moon by the spacecraft. It is a product of Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University