ERECTION OF TWO SLS INTERTANK, (IT), SPECIAL TEST EQUIPMENT, (STE), TOWER PANELS IN BLDG 4619

EAST TOWER PANEL ERECTION

WEST TOWER PANEL ERECTION

EAST TOWER PANEL ERECTION

WEST TOWER PANEL ERECTION

EAST TOWER PANEL ERECTION

On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, pilings are being pounded into the ground to help construct lightning towers for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Pad B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X which is scheduled for April 2009.

Constructing lightning towers for the Constellation Program and

On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the crane crawler puts a piling into place to be pounded into the ground to help construct lightning towers for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Pad B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X which is scheduled for April 2009.

Constructing lightning towers for the Constellation Program and

On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers measure the piling being pounded into the ground to help construct lightning towers for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Pad B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X which is scheduled for April 2009.

Constructing lightning towers for the Constellation Program and

On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the crane crawler lifts a piling into place to be pounded into the ground to help construct lightning towers for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Pad B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X which is scheduled for April 2009.

Constructing lightning towers for the Constellation Program and

On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the crane crawler lifts a piling off a truck. The piling will be pounded into the ground to help construct lightning towers for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Pad B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X which is scheduled for April 2009.

Constructing lightning towers for the Constellation Program and

Launch Complex 39B Lightning Tower Painting

An aerial view shows workers preparing the surface of one of the three lightning protection system towers for painting at Exploration Ground Systems’ Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2019. The old paint was removed by the most recent hurricane. Pad 39B is the site of future launches of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft on Artemis missions. The 600-foot-tall lightning towers will help prevent lightning strikes at the pad during prelaunch and launch activities.

Launch Complex 39B Lightning Tower Painting

Workers prepare the surface of one of the three lightning protection system towers for painting at Exploration Ground Systems’ Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2019. The old paint was removed by the most recent hurricane. Pad 39B is the site of future launches of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft on Artemis missions. The 600-foot-tall lightning towers will help prevent lightning strikes at the pad during prelaunch and launch activities.

Launch Complex 39B Lightning Tower Painting

An aerial view shows workers preparing the surface of one of the three lightning protection system towers for painting at Exploration Ground Systems’ Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2019. The old paint was removed by the most recent hurricane. Pad 39B is the site of future launches of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft on Artemis missions. The 600-foot-tall lightning towers will help prevent lightning strikes at the pad during prelaunch and launch activities.

Launch Complex 39B Lightning Tower Painting

Workers prepare the surface of one of the three lightning protection system towers for painting at Exploration Ground Systems’ Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2019. The old paint was removed by the most recent hurricane. Pad 39B is the site of future launches of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft on Artemis missions. The 600-foot-tall lightning towers will help prevent lightning strikes at the pad during prelaunch and launch activities.

Eiffel Tower Plume

A single plume of plasma, many times taller than the diameter of Earth, rose up from the Sun, twisted and spun around, all the while spewing streams of particles for over two days (Aug. 17-19, 2015) before breaking apart. At times, its shape resembled the Eiffel Tower. Other lesser plumes and streams of particles can be seen dancing above the solar surface as well. The action was observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Eiffel Tower Plume

A single plume of plasma, many times taller than the diameter of Earth, rose up from the Sun, twisted and spun around, all the while spewing streams of particles for over two days (Aug. 17-19, 2015) before breaking apart. At times, its shape resembled the Eiffel Tower. Other lesser plumes and streams of particles can be seen dancing above the solar surface as well. The action was observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Eiffel Tower Plume

A single plume of plasma, many times taller than the diameter of Earth, rose up from the Sun, twisted and spun around, all the while spewing streams of particles for over two days (Aug. 17-19, 2015) before breaking apart. At times, its shape resembled the Eiffel Tower. Other lesser plumes and streams of particles can be seen dancing above the solar surface as well. The action was observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

February 17, 2021, The Terminal Tower is illuminated in red to commemorate the Landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on the surface of Mars, February 18, 2021. Terminal Tower is a 52-story, (771 ft), landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland is also the home of the NASA Glenn Research Center.

Terminal Tower illuminated in red to commemorate the Mars Landing of Perseverance Rover

This image shows the tower from which the test vehicle for NASA Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator LDSD will hang before a balloon lifts it to high altitudes.

Launch Tower for LDSD

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This view shows the NASA control tower at the NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The site includes viewing stands at media resources inside the building in front of the tower. Photo credit: Cory Huston

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This still image from an animation from NASA GSFC Solar Dynamics Observatory shows arches of magnetic field lines towered over the edge of the Sun as a pair of active regions began to rotate into view Apr. 5-6, 2016.

Towering Arches

Bow Launch Drop Tower at JPL

This drop tower at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California includes a bow launch system, which can hurl test articles 110 mph into the ground, re-creating the forces they would experience during a Mars landing. The drop tower was used for testing the collapsible-base of a prototype Mars lander design called SHIELD (Simplified High Impact Energy Landing Device) on Aug. 12, 2022. The SHIELD concept could one day allow lower-cost missions to reach the Martian surface. In this image, the SHIELD base prototype can be seen being lifted up to the top of the tower. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25581

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to sandblast and paint the 290-foot-high water tower at Launch Pad 39B. Scaffolding surrounds the tower and a special covering has been placed around the tank. The water towers at Launch Complex 39, which includes pad A and B, were part of the sound suppression system used during space shuttle launches. Water stored in the 300,000-gallon tank would be released just prior to main engine ignition and flow by gravity to special mobile launcher platform (MLP) outlets. Nine seconds after shuttle liftoff, the peak flow rate was 900,000 gallons per minute and helped to protect the orbiter and payloads from being damaged by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during liftoff. Photo Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to sandblast and paint the 290-foot-high water tower at Launch Pad 39B. Scaffolding surrounds the tower and a special covering has been placed around the tank. The water towers at Launch Complex 39, which includes pad A and B, were part of the sound suppression system used during space shuttle launches. Water stored in the 300,000-gallon tank would be released just prior to main engine ignition and flow by gravity to special mobile launcher platform (MLP) outlets. Nine seconds after shuttle liftoff, the peak flow rate was 900,000 gallons per minute and helped to protect the orbiter and payloads from being damaged by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during liftoff. Photo Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to sandblast and paint the 290-foot-high water tower at Launch Pad 39B. Scaffolding surrounds the tower and a special covering has been placed around the tank. The water towers at Launch Complex 39, which includes pad A and B, were part of the sound suppression system used during space shuttle launches. Water stored in the 300,000-gallon tank would be released just prior to main engine ignition and flow by gravity to special mobile launcher platform (MLP) outlets. Nine seconds after shuttle liftoff, the peak flow rate was 900,000 gallons per minute and helped to protect the orbiter and payloads from being damaged by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during liftoff. Photo Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to sandblast and paint the 290-foot-high water tower at Launch Pad 39B. Scaffolding surrounds the tower and a special covering has been placed around the tank. The water towers at Launch Complex 39, which includes pad A and B, were part of the sound suppression system used during space shuttle launches. Water stored in the 300,000-gallon tank would be released just prior to main engine ignition and flow by gravity to special mobile launcher platform (MLP) outlets. Nine seconds after shuttle liftoff, the peak flow rate was 900,000 gallons per minute and helped to protect the orbiter and payloads from being damaged by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during liftoff. Photo Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Towering Magnetic Arches Seen by NASA’s SDO

Arches of magnetic field lines towered over the sun’s edge as a pair of active regions began to rotate into view in this video captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 5-6, 2016. Active regions are areas of very concentrated magnetic field. Charged particles spiraling along these magnetic fields emit extreme ultraviolet light, which is typically not visible to our eyes, but colorized here in gold. The light given off from the particles helps trace out the magnetic field lines, which are otherwise invisible. Scientists use images such as this to observe how magnetic fields move around the sun and learn more about what causes active regions. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Progress is being made on construction of the new lightning towers on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New sections are being added with the help of a giant crane. Three new lightning towers on the pad will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Brilliant beams of sunlight bounce off the new lightning tower under construction on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New sections are being added with the help of a giant crane (at right). Three new lightning towers on the pad will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A giant crane is used to add additional segments to the new lightning towers on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Three new lightning towers on the pad will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

A Mars Dust Tower Stands Out

The yellow-white cloud in the bottom-center of this image is a Mars "dust tower" — a concentrated cloud of dust that can be lofted dozens of miles above the surface. The blue-white plumes are water vapor clouds. Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system, is visible in the upper left corner, while Valles Marineris can be seen in the lower right. Heat-sensitive instruments like the Mars Climate Sounder, carried aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), can map the formation of these dust towers, which form almost continuously during global dust storms. Taken on Nov. 30, 2010, the image was produced by MRO's Mars Color Imager (MARCI), which was built and is operated by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23513

Robert Goddards's Tower and Shelter at Camp Devens

Dr. Robert H. Goddard's tower and shelter at the Army artillery range at Camp Devens, in Ayer, Massachusetts in the winter of 1929-1930. Goddard originally began testing rockets on his aunt's farm in Auburn, Massachusetts until the local police, fire department and townspeople became concerned about the noise and menace to the public the rockets created. Although Goddard maintained that the rockets were not a danger, he soon moved to Camp Devens, Massachusetts. There he was able to launch the rockets without attracting attention. <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane places the 100-foot fiberglass mast atop the new lightning tower constructed on the pad. The towers are part of the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. At left of the service structures is another tower under construction. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with the additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane (at left) completes construction of one of the towers in the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. At right, another tower is being constructed. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator test vehicle attached to launch tower just prior to take off. LDSD completed its second flight test when the saucer-shaped craft splashed down safely Monday, June 8, 2015, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19683

LDSD Test Vehicle Attached to Launch Tower

InSight Atlas V Tower Roll

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A lightning mast remains to be lifted atop the third and final lightning tower erected on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Three towers surround the pad. The new lightning protection system is being built for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Each of the towers is 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane places the 100-foot fiberglass mast atop the new lightning tower constructed on the pad. The towers are part of the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with the additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, equipment surrounds the service structures for the construction of towers in the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. In the foreground is part of the giant crane used to place segments on the towers. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast (seen on the ground) atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane places the 100-foot fiberglass mast atop the new lightning tower constructed on the pad. The towers are part of the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with the additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane completes construction of one of the towers in the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Other towers are being constructed at left and behind the service structures on the pad. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The faint sunrise sky over NASA's Kennedy Space Center casts the newly erected lightning towers on Launch Pad 39B in silhouette. The two towers at left contain the lightning mast on top; the one at right does not. At center are the fixed and rotating service structures that have served the Space Shuttle Program. The new lightning protection system is being built for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Each of the towers is 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

S65-52015 (1965) --- The Gemini-6 spacecraft (right) and the Agena Target Vehicle (left) on the Boresite Range Tower for the Plan-X docking exercise. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

GEMINI-TITAN (GT)-6 - AGENA TESTS - DOCKING EXERCISE - BORESIGHT RANGE - CAPE

The full United Delta IV Heavy with Orion on top is revealed on Dec. 3, 2014 as the mobile service tower is rolled back in preparation for the 7:05 am Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) launch. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Mobile Service Tower Rollback

TThe full United Delta IV Heavy with Orion on top is revealed on Dec. 3, 2014 as the mobile service tower is rolled back in preparation for the 7:05 am Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) launch. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Mobile Service Tower Rollback

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, another lightning tower is being constructed as part of the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane has removed the 80-foot lightning mast from the top of the fixed service structure. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane completes construction of one of the towers in the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

Volcanic Plumes Tower over Mount Etna

Twin volcanic plumes—one of ash, one of gas—rose from Sicily’ Mount Etna on the morning of October 26, 2013. L’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) Osservatorio Etneo (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Etna Observatory) reported that Etna was experiencing its first paroxysm in six months. Multiple eruption columns are common at Etna, a result of complex plumbing within the volcano. The Northeast Crater, one of several on Etna’s summit, was emitting the ash column, while the New Southeast Crater was simultaneously venting mostly gas. This natural-color image collected by Landsat 8 shows the view from space at 11:38 a.m. local time. The towering, gas-rich plume cast a dark shadow over the lower, ash-rich plume and Etna’s northwestern flank. Relatively fresh lava flows (less than a century or so old) are dark gray; vegetation is green; and the tile-roofed buildings of Bronte and Biancavilla lend the towns an ochre hue. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using Landsat data from the USGS Earth Explorer. Photograph ©2013, Boris Behncke. Caption by Robert Simmon with contributions from Boris Behncke. Instrument: Landsat 8 - OLI More info: <a href="http://1.usa.gov/1cEcOFi" rel="nofollow">1.usa.gov/1cEcOFi</a> Credit: <a href="http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow"> NASA Earth Observatory</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Volcanic Plumes Tower over Mount Etna [annotated]

Twin volcanic plumes—one of ash, one of gas—rose from Sicily’ Mount Etna on the morning of October 26, 2013. L’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) Osservatorio Etneo (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Etna Observatory) reported that Etna was experiencing its first paroxysm in six months. Multiple eruption columns are common at Etna, a result of complex plumbing within the volcano. The Northeast Crater, one of several on Etna’s summit, was emitting the ash column, while the New Southeast Crater was simultaneously venting mostly gas. This natural-color image collected by Landsat 8 shows the view from space at 11:38 a.m. local time. The towering, gas-rich plume cast a dark shadow over the lower, ash-rich plume and Etna’s northwestern flank. Relatively fresh lava flows (less than a century or so old) are dark gray; vegetation is green; and the tile-roofed buildings of Bronte and Biancavilla lend the towns an ochre hue. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using Landsat data from the USGS Earth Explorer. Photograph ©2013, Boris Behncke. Caption by Robert Simmon with contributions from Boris Behncke. Instrument: Landsat 8 - OLI More info: <a href="http://1.usa.gov/1cEcOFi" rel="nofollow">1.usa.gov/1cEcOFi</a> Credit: <a href="http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow"> NASA Earth Observatory</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Towering Infernos

This majestic false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the "mountains" where stars are born. Dubbed "Mountains of Creation" by Spitzer scientists, these towering pillars of cool gas and dust are illuminated at their tips with light from warm embryonic stars. The new infrared picture is reminiscent of Hubble's iconic visible-light image of the Eagle Nebula, which also features a star-forming region, or nebula, that is being sculpted into pillars by radiation and winds from hot, massive stars. The pillars in the Spitzer image are part of a region called W5, in the Cassiopeia constellation 7,000 light-years away and 50 light-years across. They are more than 10 times in the size of those in the Eagle Nebula (shown to scale here). The Spitzer's view differs from Hubble's because infrared light penetrates dust, whereas visible light is blocked by it. In the Spitzer image, hundreds of forming stars (white/yellow) can seen for the first time inside the central pillar, and dozens inside the tall pillar to the left. Scientists believe these star clusters were triggered into existence by radiation and winds from an "initiator" star more than 10 times the mass of our Sun. This star is not pictured, but the finger-like pillars "point" toward its location above the image frame. The Spitzer picture also reveals stars (blue) a bit older than the ones in the pillar tips in the evacuated areas between the clouds. Scientists believe these stars were born around the same time as the massive initiator star not pictured. A third group of young stars occupies the bright area below the central pillar. It is not known whether these stars formed in a related or separate event. Some of the blue dots are foreground stars that are not members of this nebula. The red color in the Spitzer image represents organic molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These building blocks of life are often found in star-forming clouds of gas and dust. Like small dust grains, they are heated by the light from the young stars, then emit energy in infrared wavelengths. This image was taken by the infrared array camera on Spitzer. It is a 4-color composite of infrared light, showing emissions from wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange), and 8.0 microns (red). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03096

The Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) test tower being modified for testing the Saturn booster.

Saturn Apollo Program

The Secrets of NASA's Webb Telescope’s "Deployable Tower Assembly"

Building a space telescope to see the light from the earliest stars of our universe is a pretty complex task. Although much of the attention goes to instruments and the giant mirrors on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, there are other components that have big jobs to do and that required imagination, engineering, and innovation to become a reality. For example, engineers working on the Webb telescope have to think of everything from keeping instruments from overheating or freezing, to packing up the Webb, which is as big as a tennis court, to fit inside the rocket that will take it to space. Those are two areas where the "DTA" or Deployable Tower Assembly (DTA) plays a major role. The DTA looks like a big black pipe and is made out of graphite-epoxy composite material to ensure stability and strength with extreme changes in temperature like those encountered in space. When fully deployed, the DTA reaches ten feet in length. The DTA interfaces and supports the spacecraft and the telescope structures. It features two large nested telescoping tubes, connected by a mechanized lead screw. It is a deployable structure that is both very light and extremely strong and stable. The Webb telescope’s secondary mirror support structure and DTA contribute to how the telescope and instruments fit into the rocket fairing in preparation for launch. The DTA allows the Webb to be short enough when stowed to fit in the rocket fairing with an acceptably low center of gravity for launch. Several days after the Webb telescope is launched, the DTA will deploy, or separate, the telescope mirrors and instruments from the spacecraft bus and sunshield. This separation allows the sunshield to unfurl and shade the telescope and instruments from radiant heat and stray light from the sun and Earth. The DTA was designed, built and tested by Astro Aerospace - a Northrop Grumman Company, in Carpinteria, California. The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. The Webb telescope is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. For more information about the Webb telescope, visit: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/webb" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/webb</a> or jwst.nasa.gov <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Microgravity

Composite of Marshall Space Flight Center's Low-Gravity Free Fall Facilities.These facilities include a 100-meter drop tower and a 100-meter drop tube. The drop tower simulates in-flight microgravity conditions for up to 4.2 seconds for containerless processing experiments, immiscible fluids and materials research, pre-flight hardware design test and flight experiment simulation. The drop tube simulates in-flight microgravity conditions for up to 4.6 seconds and is used extensively for ground-based microgravity convection research in which extremely small samples are studied. The facility can provide deep undercooling for containerless processing experiments that require materials to remain in a liquid phase when cooled below the normal solidification temperature.

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

The cables that make up the Emergency Egress System at Space Launch Complex 41 are in place as United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

Two engineers evaluate the Emergency Egress System as they ride in folding seats attached to slide wires at Space Launch Complex 41. United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

Three engineers prepare to evaluate the Emergency Egress System as they ride in folding seats attached to slide wires at Space Launch Complex 41. United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

Two engineers evaluate the Emergency Egress System as they ride in folding seats attached to slide wires at Space Launch Complex 41. United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

KSC-2009-1940

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is being used to remove the 80-foot lightning mast from the top of the fixed service structure. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KSC-2009-1941

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is being used to remove the 80-foot lightning mast from the top of the fixed service structure. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

The folding seats that make up the Emergency Egress System are seen attached to slide wires at Space Launch Complex 41 where United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The faint sunrise sky over NASA's Kennedy Space Center casts the newly erected lightning towers on Launch Pad 39B in silhouette. They surround the fixed and rotating service structures at center that have served the Space Shuttle Program. The new lightning protection system is being built for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Each of the towers is 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

Two engineers evaluate the Emergency Egress System as they ride in folding seats attached to slide wires at Space Launch Complex 41. United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

KSC-2009-1946

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure (center) rests on the pad surface. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KSC-2009-1947

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure (left) rests on the pad surface. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

The cables that make up the Emergency Egress System at Space Launch Complex 41 are in place as United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

KSC-2009-1944

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach more cables to the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure. The mast will be lowered to horizontal for transport from the pad. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KSC-2009-1945

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure (behind it) is lowered onto the pad surface. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

The cables that make up the Emergency Egress System at Space Launch Complex 41 are in place as United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

KSC-2009-1943

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the 80-foot lightning mast removed from the top of the fixed service structure (left) onto the pad surface. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. The three new lightning towers are 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

ULA Emergency Egress System (EES) Demonstration

Two engineers prepare to evaluate the Emergency Egress System as they ride in folding seats attached to slide wires at Space Launch Complex 41. United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Small Liquid Hydrogen Tank for Drop Tower Tests

A researcher fills a small container used to represent a liquid hydrogen tank in preparation for a microgravity test in the 2.2-Second Drop Tower at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. For over a decade, NASA Lewis endeavored to make liquid hydrogen a viable propellant. Hydrogen’s light weight and high energy made it very appealing for rocket propulsion. One of the unknowns at the time was the behavior of fluids in the microgravity of space. Rocket designers needed to know where the propellant would be inside the fuel tank in order to pump it to the engine. NASA Lewis utilized sounding rockets, research aircraft, and the 2.2 Second Drop Tower to study liquids in microgravity. The drop tower, originally built as a fuel distillation tower in 1948, descended into a steep ravine. By early 1961 the facility was converted into an eight-floor, 100-foot tower connected to a shop and laboratory space. Small glass tanks, like this one, were installed in experiment carts with cameras to film the liquid’s behavior during freefall. Thousands of drop tower tests in the early 1960s provided an increased understanding of low-gravity processes and phenomena. The tower only afforded a relatively short experiment time but was sufficient enough that the research could be expanded upon using longer duration freefalls on sounding rockets or aircraft. The results of the early experimental fluid studies verified predictions made by Lewis researchers that the total surface energy would be minimized in microgravity.

Eiffel Tower Plume

This still image from an animation from NASA GSFC Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a single plume of plasma, many times taller than the diameter of Earth, spewing streams of particles for over two days Aug. 17-19, 2015 before breaking apart. At times, its shape resembled the Eiffel Tower. Other lesser plumes and streams of particles can be seen dancing above the solar surface as well. The action was observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19875

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Trestles and girders for a new mobile launcher arrive by barge at the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 Area of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new launcher will be the base for the Constellation Program's Ares rockets to launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle and the cargo vehicle. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the added load of the 345-foot tower and taller rocket. When the structural portion of the new mobile launcher is complete, umbilicals, access arms, communications equipment and command/control equipment will be installed. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The Landsat 9 payload is hoisted out of the transfer tower at the Integration Processing Facility in preparation for transport to SLC-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Landsat 9 Hoist out of Transfer Tower at IPF

Project Mercury Escape Tower Rockets Tests

A Mercury capsule is mounted inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel for a test of its escape tower rockets at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. In October 1959 NASA’s Space Task Group allocated several Project Mercury assignments to Lewis. The Altitude Wind Tunnel was quickly modified so that its 51-foot diameter western leg could be used as a test chamber. The final round of tests in the Altitude Wind Tunnel sought to determine if the smoke plume from the capsule’s escape tower rockets would shroud or compromise the spacecraft. The escape tower, a 10-foot steel rig with three small rockets, was attached to the nose of the Mercury capsule. It could be used to jettison the astronaut and capsule to safety in the event of a launch vehicle malfunction on the pad or at any point prior to separation from the booster. Once actuated, the escape rockets would fire, and the capsule would be ejected away from the booster. After the capsule reached its apex of about 2,500 feet, the tower, heatshield, retropackage, and antenna would be ejected and a drogue parachute would be released. Flight tests of the escape system were performed at Wallops Island as part of the series of Little Joe launches. Although the escape rockets fired prematurely on Little Joe’s first attempt in August 1959, the January 1960 follow-up was successful.

Microgravity

A NASA test conductor at the top of the 2.2-second Drop Tower monitors a student lecture at a lower level. This was part of the Microgravity Environment (DIME) competition held April 23-25, 2002, at NASA's Glenn Research Center. Competitors included two teams from Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, OH, and one each from Bay High School, Bay Village, OH, and COSI Academy, Columbus, OH. DIME is part of NASA's education and outreach activities. Details are on line at http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/DIME_2002.html.

Microgravity

Jimmy Grisham of the Microgravity Program Plarning Integration Office at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, demonstrates the classroom-size Microgravity Drop Tower Demonstrator. The apparatus provides 1/6 second of microgravity for small experiments. A video camera helps teachers observe what happens inside the package. This demonstration was at the April 2000 conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in Chicago. Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

Microgravity

Don Gillies, a materials scientist at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), demonstrates the classroom-size Microgravity Drop Tower Demonstrator. The apparatus provides 1/6 second of microgravity for small experiments. A video camera helps teachers observe what happens inside the package. This demonstration was at the April 2000 conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in Chicago. Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

Microgravity

Students pause while waiting their turn at the 2.2-second Drop Tower during the second Dropping in a Microgravity Environment (DIME) competition held April 23-25, 2002, at NASA's Glenn Research Center. Competitors included two teams from Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, OH, and one each from Bay High School, Bay Village, OH, and COSI Academy, Columbus, OH. DIME is part of NASA's education and outreach activities. Details are on line at http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/DIME_2002.html.

Supermoon

Terminal Tower illuminated in red to commemorate the Mars Landing of Perseverance Rover

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An aerial view of the Launch Complex 39 Area NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida shows the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building looming over the landscape. In the foreground is the turn basin, where a barge holds trestles and girders for the new mobile launcher. The new launcher will be the base for the Constellation Program's Ares rockets to launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle and the cargo vehicle. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the added load of the 345-foot tower and taller rocket. When the structural portion of the new mobile launcher is complete, umbilicals, access arms, communications equipment and command/control equipment will be installed. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The Quesst mission recently completed testing of operations and equipment to be used in recording the sonic thumps of the X-59. Researchers used three weather towers and a sonic anemometer to collect weather and atmospheric data while recording sonic booms generated by an F-15 and an F-18 from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

Learning to Listen to the X-59

NASA, Northrop Grumman Test Fire SLS BOLE Booster

Teams from NASA and Northrop Grumman fire a ground-based version of a booster for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket June 26. Secured horizontally in a test stand at Northrop Grumman’s test facility in Promontory, Utah, the single five-segment booster motor fired for more than two minutes and produced 3.9 million pounds of thrust. The booster for this test, known as Demonstration Motor-1 (DM-1), is the result of the Booster Obsolescence Life Extension (BOLE) project. This test was the first full-scale ground test of a new five-segment solid rocket motor. During the test, there was an abnormal event approximately 15 seconds before the end of the motor firing. Despite this event, NASA achieved several of the test’s primary objectives and received valuable data on technical risks identified ahead of the test. Testing this evolved booster for the SLS will help evaluate improvements and new materials in the boosters. The BOLE effort was launched to transition to a more efficient, lower cost commercial solution for the boosters for the SLS rocket. 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. For more information, contact NASA Marshall’s Office of Communications at 256-544-0034.