University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Full moon over lava lake The inspiring views at remote locations, such as Halema’uma’u Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, are an extra reward for making the trip. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Kelsey Young In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

This graphic shows the level of natural radiation detected by the Radiation Assessment Detector shielded inside NASA Mars Science Laboratory on the trip from Earth to Mars from December 2011 to July 2012.

Radiation Measurements During Trip From Earth to Mars

This graphic compares the radiation dose equivalent for several types of experiences, including a calculation for a trip from Earth to Mars based on measurements made by the RAD instrument shielded inside NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft.

Comparison of Some Radiation Exposures to Mars-Trip Level

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Briefing Hiking a lava field demands good preparation. Here, the team leaders brief the crew, scientists and student journalists on the route they’ll take down a scarp to the site of Kilauea’s December 1974 eruption. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Lora Bleacher In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Team kite This kite was part of the scientific tool kit. It carried a camera that can be used to make high-resolution mosaics of the study site. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jacob Bleacher In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Bunny suits Scientists put on “bunny suits” before they collect samples at one of the selected sites. The suits protect the area and collected samples from contamination when investigating biological processes. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Lora Bleacher In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

March across pahoehoe The team hikes across Kilauea’s lava fields to reach designated test sites. Several types of lava make up the fields, primarily smooth pahoehoe, which can harden into a ropy, shelly or slabby (pictured here) texture. Some of the most dangerous lava to walk on is a’a – unstable piles of jagged rock. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jasmine Blennau In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Lava formations The science and journalism teams make their way across the ropey, twisted, broken crust of the 1978 lava flow. These patterns formed as flowing lava exposed at the surface cooled and solidified, while hot lava continued to flow beneath. The dark cloud in the distance is the active volcanic plume. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Andrea Jones In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Prepared Everyone carried a respirator into the field, in case the plume from the volcano blew their way. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Andrea Jones In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Pele’s hair Greenish-gold strands of Pele’s hair form when bubbles in hot lava pop and throw droplets into the wind. The droplets can elongate into perfectly straight, glassy strands that are as thin as human hair. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Andrea Jones In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Ready to roll The five student journalists and two faculty members are ready for a day in the field. NASA/GSFC/Andrea Jones In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

University Students Join NASA on Trip to Hawaiian Volcano

Smooth pahoehoe A member of the journalism team captures the alluring beauty of a pahoehoe flow. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Anthony Denicola In June, five student journalists from Stony Brook University packed their hiking boots and hydration packs and joined a NASA-funded science team for 10 days on the lava fields of Kilauea, an active Hawaiian volcano. Kilauea’s lava fields are an ideal place to test equipment designed for use on Earth’s moon or Mars, because volcanic activity shaped so much of those terrains. The trip was part of an interdisciplinary program called RIS4E – short for Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration – which is designed to prepare for future exploration of the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. To read reports from the RIS4E journalism students about their experiences in Hawaii, visit <a href="http://ReportingRIS4E.com" rel="nofollow">ReportingRIS4E.com</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/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>

The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission train for their upcoming trip

S65-51898 (September 1965) -- View of Donald A. Beattie during geological field trip with two Astronauts from the 3rd Group. Photo taken in Medicine Lake, California.

Geological field trip to Medicine Lake, California.

S65-51857 (September 1965) -- View of Donald A. Beattie during geological field trip with two Astronauts from the 3rd Group. Photo taken in Medicine Lake, California.

Geological field trip to Medicine Lake, California.

The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission train for their upcoming trip

jsc2025e064549 (July 3, 2025) --- The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission pose for a photo during a training session for their upcoming trip to the International Space Station at SpaceX facilities in Florida. From left: Oleg Platonov, Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and Kimiya Yui. Credit: SpaceX

The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission train for their upcoming trip

A James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Takes a Short Trip

This is the James Webb Space Telescope ETU (engineering test unit) primary mirror segment returning to the cleanroom at NASA Goddard after undergoing some tests at our new Calibration, Integration, and Alignment Facility (CIAF). Credit: NASA/Goddard/Chris Gunn <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>

S69-25198 (25 Feb. 1969) --- Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 prime crew, studies rock sample during a geological field trip to the Quitman Mountains area near the Fort Quitman ruins in far west Texas.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong - Rock Sample Study - Geological Field Trip - TX

Boeing OFT Game Day

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT), Eugene “Trip” Healey, NASA Mission Manager for OFT, participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. OFT is Boeing’s uncrewed flight test of Starliner and part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Apollo 17 Crewmembers - Rock Specimen Exam - Geological Field Trip - NV

S72-48854 (6 Sept. 1972) --- Two members of the prime crew of the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission examine rock specimens during lunar surface extravehicular activity simulation training on a geological field trip to the Pancake Range area of south-central Nevada. They are astronaut Eugene A. Cernan (right), commander; and scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot. They are standing on the rim of Lunar Crater, which is about 600 feet deep and five-eighths of a mile in diameter. It is a volcanic crater.

S72-48859 (6 Sept. 1972) --- Two members of the prime crew of the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission examine a rock specimen during lunar surface extravehicular activity simulation training on a geological field trip to the Pancake Range area of south-central Nevada. They are astronauts Eugene A. Cernan (right), commander; and Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot.

Apollo 17 Crewmembers - Rock Specimen Exam - Geological Field trip - NV

Apollo 12 crewmembers during geological field trip

S69-55662 (10 Oct. 1969) --- Astronauts Alan L. Bean (left) and Charles Conrad Jr., the two crewmen of the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission who are scheduled to participate in two lengthy periods of extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface, are pictured during a geological field trip and training at a simulated lunar surface area near Flagstaff, Arizona. Here Conrad, the Apollo 12 commander, gets a close look through hand lens at the stratigraphy (study of strata or layers beneath the surface) of a man-dug hole, while Bean, the Apollo 12 mission's lunar module pilot, looks on. The topography in this area, with several man-made modifications, resembles very closely much of the topography found on the lunar surface. While Conrad and Bean explore the lunar surface (plans call for Apollo 12 spacecraft to land in the Sea of Storms), astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr., command module pilot for the Apollo 12 mission, will remain with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit. The Apollo 12 mission is scheduled to lift off from Cape Kennedy on Nov. 14, 1969.

Apollo 16 prime and backup crewmen during geological field trip in New Mexico

Dr. Lee Silver (pointing foregroung), California Institute of Technology, calls a geological feature near Taos, New Mexico, to the attention of Apollo 16 prime and backup crewmen during a geological field trip. The crewmen, from left to right, are Astronauts Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot; Fred W. Haise Jr., backup commander; Edgar D. Mitchell, backup Lunar Module pilot; and John W. Young, commander.

This image shows NASA Deep Impact impactor probe approaching comet Tempel 1. It is made up of images taken by the probe impactor targeting sensor on July 4, 2005. Animation available at the Photojournal.

One-Way Trip to Tempel

Perseverance's First Road Trip

This annotated image of Mars' Jezero Crater depicts the route NASA's Perseverance rover will take during its first science campaign – as well as its path to the location of its second science campaign. The image was provided by the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance orbiter. Perseverance's first science campaign sends the rover south and west of the Octavia E. Butler Landing Site to investigate and sample several of the deepest, and potentially oldest, accessible geologic units in Jezero Crater – the "Séítah" unit (which in Navajo language means "amidst the sand"), and the "Cratered Floor Fractured Rough." At the completion of the science campaign, Perseverance will return to the "Octavia E. Butler" landing site on its way north, then head west toward the location where its second science campaign will begin. The first science campaign (depicted with yellow hash marks) begins with the rover performing an arching drive southward from its landing site to Séítah-North (Séítah-N). At that point the rover will travel west a short distance to an overlook where it can view much of the Séítah unit. The "Séítah-N Overlook" could also become an area of scientific interest – with Perseverance performing a "toe dip" into the unit to collect remote-sensing measurements of geologic targets. Once its time at the Séítah-N Overlook is complete, Perseverance will head east, then south toward a spot where the science team can study the Crater Floor Fractured Rough in greater detail. The first core sample collected by the mission will also take place at this location. After Cratered Floor Fractured Rough, the Perseverance rover team will evaluate whether additional exploration (depicted with light-yellow hash marks) farther south – and then west – is warranted. Whether Perseverance travels beyond the Cratered Floor Fractured Rough during this first science campaign, the rover will eventually retrace its steps. As Perseverance passes the Octavia B. Butler landing site, the first science campaign will conclude. At that point, several months of travel lay ahead as Perseverance makes its way to "Three Forks," where the second science campaign will begin. From Three Forks, Perseverance can access geologic locations at the base of the ancient delta (the fan-shaped remains of the confluence of an ancient river and a lake), as well as ascend the delta by driving up a valley wall to the northwest. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24596

After passing Mercury the first time and making a trip around the Sun, NASA Mariner 10 again flew by Mercury on Sept. 21, 1974. This encounter brought the spacecraft in front of Mercury in the southern hemisphere.

Similarities to Lunar Highlands

Hero Rupes Scarp

This graphic shows the flux of radiation detected by NASA Mars Science Laboratory on the trip from Earth to Mars; the spikes in radiation levels occurred because of large solar energetic particle events caused by giant flares on the sun.

Radiation Levels on the Way to Mars

This infrared image from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope shows the broken Comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann 3 skimming along a trail of debris left during its multiple trips around the sun.

A Million Comet Pieces

One crucial step in NASA Mars sample return mission would be to launch the collected sample away from the surface of Mars. This artist concept depicts a Mars ascent vehicle for starting a sample of Mars rocks on their trip to Earth.

Illustration of Launching Samples Home from Mars

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director Jim Kennedy talks to radio station WFLA-AM and Florida Radio Network about his trip to Garland V. Stewart Magnet Middle School, a NASA Explorer School (NES) in Tampa, Fla. Kennedy made the trip with NASA astronaut Kay Hire to share the agency’s new vision for space exploration with the next generation of explorers. Kennedy is talking with students about our destiny as explorers, NASA’s stepping stone approach to exploring Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond, how space impacts our lives, and how people and machines rely on each other in space.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director Jim Kennedy talks to WTSP-ABC News about his trip to Garland V. Stewart Magnet Middle School, a NASA Explorer School (NES) in Tampa, Fla. Kennedy made the trip with NASA astronaut Kay Hire to share the agency’s new vision for space exploration with the next generation of explorers. Kennedy is talking with students about our destiny as explorers, NASA’s stepping stone approach to exploring Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond, how space impacts our lives, and how people and machines rely on each other in space.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight

Trip Healey, manager, Program Control & Integration for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, left, and Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program right, prepare to raise the SpaceX Crew-6 flag, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight

Trip Healey, manager, Program Control & Integration for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, left, and Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program right, prepare to raise the SpaceX Crew-6 flag, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight

Trip Healey, manager, Program Control & Integration for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, left, and Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program right, prepare to raise the SpaceX Crew-6 flag, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight

Trip Healey, manager, Program Control & Integration for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, raises the SpaceX Crew-6 flag, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight

Trip Healey, manager, Program Control & Integration for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, prepares to raise the SpaceX Crew-6 flag, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Heather Seagren grew up near NASA’s Stennis Space Center and visited for field trips as a child. Now, as a financial management specialist, Seagren coordinates work trips for NASA employees at the south Mississippi NASA center.

Mission Possible: Coordinating Travel for NASA Employees

Landslides on Venus! The image on the left was taken in late November of 1990 during Magellan first trip around Venus. The image on the right was taken July 23, as the Magellan spacecraft passed over the region for the second time. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00248

Venus - Aphrodite Terra

The Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL), packaged in a protective layer, is loaded onto a Northrop Grumman (formerly Orbital ATK) Cygnus spacecraft for its trip to the International Space Station. The facility launched in May 2018 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22919

CAL Boards Cygnus

After passing Mercury the first time and making a trip around the Sun, NASA Mariner 10 again flew by Mercury on Sept. 21, 1974. The south pole is located on the right hand edge of Chao Meng Fu crater that has only its rim sticking up into the light.

Mercury South Pole

The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission pose for a photo during a training session

Measurements with the MSL RAD on NASA Curiosity Mars rover during the flight to Mars and now on the surface of Mars enable an estimate of the radiation astronauts would be exposed to on an expedition to Mars.

Radiation Exposure Comparisons with Mars Trip Calculation

Preparing the NISAR Science Payload for a Trip to India

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) science instrument payload sits in its specially designed, climate-controlled shipping container in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Feb. 23, 2023. Engineers and technicians used a crane to lift the payload and mount it vertically onto a stage at the far end of the container before tilting it horizontally. The payload was then shipped to Bengaluru, India, on March 3, arriving on March 6. There it will be integrated with the satellite body, or bus, and undergo further testing leading up to launch in 2024. The NISAR mission – a joint effort between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation – will observe nearly all the planet's land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, measuring movements in extremely fine detail. It will also survey forests and agricultural regions to understand carbon exchange between plants and the atmosphere. NISAR's science payload will be the most advanced radar system ever launched as part of a NASA mission, and it will feature the largest-ever radar antenna of its kind: a drum-shaped, wire mesh reflector nearly 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter that will extend from a 30-foot (9-meter) boom. The mission's science instruments consist of L- and S-band radar, so named to indicate the wavelengths of their signals. ISRO built the S-band radar, which it shipped to JPL in March 2021. Engineers spent much of the last two years integrating the instrument with the JPL-built L-band system, then conducting tests to verify they work well together. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, leads the U.S. component of NISAR. In addition to the L-band radar, NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem. In addition to the S-band radar, ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the launch vehicle, and associated launch services and satellite mission operations. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25566

This frame from a movie begins with the launch of NASA Deep Impact on Jan. 12, 2005, from Cape Canaveral, Fla. On July 4, 2005, the mission released a probe into Comet Tempel 1, revealing its pristine, inner material.

EPOXI Trip to Meet Comet Hartley 2

POSSIBLE METEORITE SAMPLES COLLECTED ON RECENT FIELD TRIP TO BANKHEAD NATIONAL FOREST, ALABAMA

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LCROSS - loading onto truck for trip to Northrup Grumman Los Angles, CA for matting with it's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbitor (LR0) spacecraft with Steve Ord

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NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 crew poses for a photo at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California during a trip to train for their International Space Station mission. Imagery provided by SpaceX

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Ground level views of the Columbia rollout for the STS-5 mission

S82-37810 (21 Sept. 1982) --- The space shuttle Columbia makes its slow 3 ? mile trip on a crawler transporter from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The trip began at 5:34 a.m. (EDT) today and ended at the pad seven hours later. The Columbia, its two solid rocket boosters (SRB) and external tank (ET) will be launched, with four astronaut crew members onboard, on Nov. 11, 1982. Photo credit: NASA

STS095-E-5191 (31 Oct. 1998) --- Judging by his countenance, U.S. Sen. John H. Glenn Jr., appears to be enjoying his second trip into space following a 36-year span since his first trip. The photograph was taken with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 04:47:53 GMT, Oct. 31.

Portrait view of Glenn

Boeing OFT Game Day

Along with the joint team that will launch the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner in Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test, NASA astronaut Michael Fincke participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. Fincke will fly on Boeing’s Crew Flight Test (CFT), scheduled to launch no earlier than August 2019. OFT and CFT are Boeing’s uncrewed and crewed flight tests of Starliner and part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Boeing OFT Game Day

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket in Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT), Steve Payne, Launch Integration Manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. OFT is Boeing’s uncrewed flight test of Starliner and part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Boeing OFT Game Day

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT), Boeing Spacecraft Mission Director LeRoy Cain participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. OFT is Boeing’s uncrewed flight test of Starliner and part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Boeing OFT Game Day

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT), Boeing Spacecraft Mission Director LeRoy Cain participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. OFT is Boeing’s uncrewed flight test of Starliner and part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Boeing OFT Game Day

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket in Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT), Boeing Spacecraft Launch Conductor Louis Atchison participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. OFT is Boeing’s uncrewed flight test of Starliner and part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Boeing OFT Game Day

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT), NASA Operations Integration Manager Michael Hess participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. OFT is Boeing’s uncrewed flight test of Starliner and part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Boeing OFT Game Day

Along with the joint team that will launch the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner in Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test, NASA astronaut Michael Fincke participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. Fincke will fly on Boeing’s Crew Flight Test (CFT), scheduled to launch no earlier than August 2019. OFT and CFT are Boeing’s uncrewed and crewed flight tests of Starliner and part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

Mysterious Roving Rocks of Racetrack Playa

This group photo of the LPSA interns and trip leaders was taken at Tea Kettle Junction in Death Valley, Calif. (Standing on left side, left to right): Kristopher Schwebler, Valerie Fox, Emily Kopp, Kyle Yawn, Dan Burger, Ian Schoch, Devon Miller; (left to right, sitting) Justin Wilde, Jessica Marbourg, Maggie McAdam (a trip leader), Leva McIntire, Ann Parsons (a trip leader), Mindy Krzykowski, Emma McKinney, Cynthia Cheung (LPSA principal investigator and a trip leader), George Fercana; (standing on right side): Kynan Rilee, Gregory Romine, Clint Naquin, Gunther Kletetschka (a trip leader), Andrew Ryan, and in the very back, Brian Jackson (a trip leader). Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/ Leva McIntire/LPSA intern To read a feature story on the Racetrack Playa go to: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/roving-rocks.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/roving-rocks.html</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. 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>

Kelly floats in the middeck

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President Joe Biden exits Air Force One at Moffett Federal Airfield before continuing his trip to view consequences of flooding and other storm impacts along California’s central coast.

U.S. President Joe Biden Arrives Aboard Air Force One at Moffett Federal Airfield

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 crew poses for a photo outside of SpaceX in Hawthorne, California during a trip to train for their International Space Station mission. Imagery provided by SpaceX

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U.S. President Joe Biden Arrives Aboard Air Force One at Moffett Federal Airfield

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S62-01698 (31 Jan. 1961) --- Chimpanzee "Ham" in his flight couch, after his trip in the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) on Jan. 31, 1961. Photo credit: NASA

Launch - "Ham" - Mercury-Redstone (MR)-2

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 crew traveled to SpaceX in Hawthorne, California during a trip to train for their International Space Station mission. Konstantin Borisov smiles for a photograph. Imagery provided by SpaceX

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S61-00203 (31 Jan. 1961) --- Chimpanzee "Ham" with bio-sensors attached to his body is readied by handlers for his trip in the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA

Chimpanzee "Ham" - Biosensors - Cape

SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astromony) primary mirror coating completed at the Ames Vacuum Chamber in N-211 is being loaded on to a C-17 for the return trip to Dryden Flgiht Research Center

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NASA Acting Chief Technologist Douglas Terrier presents on strategic leadership to students and faculty at the Warwick Business School at The Shard during his trip to London in September 27, 2017.

NASA Acting Chief Technologist Douglas Terrier Presents at the Warwick Business School at The Shard

ISS023-E-024476 (15 April 2010) --- The Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module hovers over Discovery's payload bay awaiting its placement there for the trip back home.

View of MPLM during Transfer OPS

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Karen Holloway-Adkins, KSC wildlife specialist, holds a sample of the sea grass she collected from the floor of the Banana River. She is studying the life history of sea turtles, especially what they eat, where they lay their eggs and what factors might harm their survival. On the boat trip she is also monitoring the growth of sea grasses and algae and the water quality of estuaries and lagoons used by sea turtles and other aquatic wildlife.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Karen Holloway-Adkins, KSC wildlife specialist, searches the Banana River for a grass specimen. In the background is one of the launch pads. The biologist is studying the life history of sea turtles, especially what they eat, where they lay their eggs and what factors might harm their survival. On the boat trip she is also monitoring the growth of sea grasses and algae and the water quality of estuaries and lagoons used by sea turtles and other aquatic wildlife.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As Karen Holloway-Adkins, KSC wildlife specialist, begins a tour of the Banana River, this alligator sunning itself attracts attention. Holloway-Adkins is studying the life history of sea turtles, especially what they eat, where they lay their eggs and what factors might harm their survival. On the boat trip she is also monitoring the growth of sea grasses and algae and the water quality of estuaries and lagoons used by sea turtles and other aquatic wildlife.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An engine pulls the container enclosing a segment of a solid rocket booster from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility. The container will join others on the main track for a trip to Utah where the segments will undergo firing. The segments were part of the STS-114 stack. It is the first time actual flight segments that had been stacked for flight in the VAB are being returned for testing. They will undergo firing, which will enable inspectors to check the viability of the solid and verify the life expectancy for stacked segments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Karen Holloway-Adkins, KSC wildlife specialist, at the helm of a boat on the Banana River, heads for a research area. She is studying the life history of sea turtles, especially what they eat, where they lay their eggs and what factors might harm their survival. On the boat trip she is also monitoring the growth of sea grasses and algae and the water quality of estuaries and lagoons used by sea turtles and other aquatic wildlife.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Karen Holloway-Adkins, KSC wildlife specialist, shows a sample of the sea grass she collected from the floor of the Banana River. She is studying the life history of sea turtles, especially what they eat, where they lay their eggs and what factors might harm their survival. On the boat trip she is also monitoring the growth of sea grasses and algae and the water quality of estuaries and lagoons used by sea turtles and other aquatic wildlife.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Karen Holloway-Adkins, KSC wildlife specialist, takes the helm on the boat as she begins a tour of the Banana River. She is studying the life history of sea turtles, especially what they eat, where they lay their eggs and what factors might harm their survival. On the boat trip she is also monitoring the growth of sea grasses and algae and the water quality of estuaries and lagoons used by sea turtles and other aquatic wildlife.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - From a boat on the Banana River the Vehicle Assembly Building looms over the water. The boat holds Karen Holloway-Adkins, KSC wildlife specialist, who is studying the life history of sea turtles, especially what they eat, where they lay their eggs and what factors might harm their survival. On the boat trip she is also monitoring the growth of sea grasses and algae and the water quality of estuaries and lagoons used by sea turtles and other aquatic wildlife.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A solid rocket booster, or SRB, segment from the STS-126 launch is lowered onto a rail car at the NASA Railroad yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The segment will be taken to Utah. After a mission, the spent boosters are recovered, cleaned, disassembled, refurbished and reused for another launch. After the segments are hydrolased inside, they are placed on flatbed trucks and transferred to the NASA Railroad yard. The NASA Railroad locomotive backs up the rail cars and the segments are lowered onto the car. After being covered for the trip, the segments will be moved to Titusville for interchange with Florida East Coast Railway to begin the trip back to Utah. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- From the NASA Railroad yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the locomotive moves the train carrying the solid rocket booster, or SRB, segments from the STS-126 launch. The segments will be taken to Utah. After a mission, the spent boosters are recovered, cleaned, disassembled, refurbished and reused for another launch. After the segments are hydrolased inside, they are placed on flatbed trucks and transferred to the NASA Railroad yard. The NASA Railroad locomotive backs up the rail cars and the segments are lowered onto the cars. After being covered for the trip, the segments are moved to Titusville for interchange with Florida East Coast Railway to begin the trip back to Utah. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ORION Media Event at LASF

Lockheed Martin Manager Jules Schneider speaks to members of the media during a viewing of NASA's Orion spacecraft at the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft's cross-country return, a 2,700 mile road trip from Naval Base San Diego to Kennedy, sets the stage for in-depth analysis of data obtained during Orion's trip to space. It will provide engineers with detailed information on how the spacecraft fared during its two-orbit, 4.5-hour flight test, completed on Dec. 5. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the NASA Railroad yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a protective cover is being placed over the solid rocket booster, or SRB, segment from the STS-126 launch. The segments will be taken to Utah. After a mission, the spent boosters are recovered, cleaned, disassembled, refurbished and reused for another launch. After the segments are hydrolased inside, they are placed on flatbed trucks and transferred to the NASA Railroad yard. The NASA Railroad locomotive backs up the rail cars and the segments are lowered onto the car. After being covered for the trip, the segments will be moved to Titusville for interchange with Florida East Coast Railway to begin the trip back to Utah. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ORION Media Event at LASF

Lockheed Martin Manager Jules Schneider speaks to members of the media during a viewing of NASA's Orion spacecraft at the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft's cross-country return, a 2,700 mile road trip from Naval Base San Diego to Kennedy, sets the stage for in-depth analysis of data obtained during Orion's trip to space. It will provide engineers with detailed information on how the spacecraft fared during its two-orbit, 4.5-hour flight test, completed on Dec. 5. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A solid rocket booster, or SRB, segment from the STS-126 launch is being lifted from a transporter to transfer it to a rail car at the NASA Railroad yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The segment will be taken to Utah. After a mission, the spent boosters are recovered, cleaned, disassembled, refurbished and reused for another launch. After the segments are hydrolased inside, they are placed on flatbed trucks and transferred to the NASA Railroad yard. The NASA Railroad locomotive backs up the rail cars and the segments are lowered onto the car. After being covered for the trip, the segments will be moved to Titusville for interchange with Florida East Coast Railway to begin the trip back to Utah. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Solid rocket booster, or SRB, segments from the STS-126 launch are being taken to the NASA Railroad yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. There they will be transferred to a rail car and taken to Utah. After a mission, the spent boosters are recovered, cleaned, disassembled, refurbished and reused for another launch. After the segments are hydrolased inside, they are placed on flatbed trucks and transferred to the NASA Railroad yard. The NASA Railroad locomotive backs up the rail cars and the segments are lowered onto the car. After being covered for the trip, the segments will be moved to Titusville for interchange with Florida East Coast Railway to begin the trip back to Utah. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett