Seen from inside the dome, a new five-meter telescope is lowered into place. The tracking telescope is part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS) in Cocoa Beach, Fla., that provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

The NASA DC-8 airplane sits on the tarmac, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010, at Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. , as preparations continue for its part in the GRIP experiment. The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment is a NASA Earth science field experiment in 2010 that is being conducted to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers To read more about the GRIP Mission go <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/missions/grip/news/grip-quest.html" rel="nofollow"> here</a></b> or <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/GRIP/" rel="nofollow"> here</a></b> for an interactive feature <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> 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. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a><b></b></b>

Errol Korn, lower left, explains the dropsonde experiment to Janel Thomas, a University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) graduate student, seated, as Bob Pasken, standing left, and Jeff Halverson, a GRIP project scientist from UMBC, look on inside NASA's DC-8 airplane, at Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010. The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment is a NASA Earth science field experiment in 2010 that is being conducted to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers To read more about the GRIP Mission go <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/missions/grip/news/grip-quest.html" rel="nofollow"> here</a></b> or <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/GRIP/" rel="nofollow"> here</a></b> for an interactive feature <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> 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. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a><b></b></b>

NASA Deep Impact awaits launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. on Jan. 12, 2005.

NASA Juno spacecraft undergoes weight and balance testing at Astrotech payload processing facility, Titusville, Fla. June 16, 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers calibrate a tracking telescope, part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS), located in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The telescope provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers calibrate a tracking telescope, part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS), located in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The telescope provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker calibrates a tracking telescope, part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS), located in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The telescope provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker calibrates a tracking telescope, part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS), located in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The telescope provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers calibrate a tracking telescope, part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS), located in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The telescope provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

Technicians stow for launch solar array #2 for NASA Juno spacecraft. The photo was taken on May 20, 2011 at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla.

This photograph from Sept. 5, 1977, shows the launch of NASA Voyager 1 spacecraft from NASA Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Official portrait of Bruce Buckingham, Kennedy Space Center News Chief.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A dolphin surfs the wake of a research boat on the Banana River.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Official portrait of Bruce Buckingham, Kennedy Space Center News Chief.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Official portrait of Roy D. Bridges Jr., director of Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Cocoa Beach, Fla., a new five-meter telescope is lifted up to the dome for installation. The tracking telescope is part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS) that provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A tracking telescope, part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS), is being calibrated. The telescope, which is located in Cocoa Beach, Fla., provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Cocoa Beach, Fla., a new five-meter telescope is lifted up to the dome for installation. The tracking telescope is part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS) that provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Cocoa Beach, Fla., a new five-meter telescope is lowered toward the dome for installation. The tracking telescope is part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS) that provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Cocoa Beach, Fla., a new five-meter telescope is lowered into the dome for installation. The tracking telescope is part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS) that provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker looks at a five-meter (focal length) telescope being removed for repair. Part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS) in Cocoa Beach, Fla., the tracking telescope provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral. .

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Cocoa Beach, Fla., a new five-meter telescope sits on a pallet waiting to be lifted up to the dome above and installed. The tracking telescope is part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS) that provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The master assembler, crane crew, removes a five-meter telescope in Cocoa Beach, Fla., for repair. The tracking telescope is part of the Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS) that provides optical support for launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, an Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod is removed from the orbiter Atlantis during routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, an Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod removed from the orbiter Atlantis during routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - One of the featured displays at the KSC Visitor Complex is this full-size replica of a Space Shuttle Orbiter, in the Shuttle Plaza.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, an Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod is removed from the orbiter Atlantis during routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician with United Space Alliance checks wiring in the mid-body and flight deck of orbiter Atlantis as part of routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - William (Bill) W. Parsons, named Space Shuttle Program Manager, Johnson Space Center, Houston, in May 2003.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician with United Space Alliance checks wiring in the mid-body and flight deck of orbiter Atlantis as part of routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician with United Space Alliance checks wiring in the mid-body of orbiter Atlantis as part of routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - One of the featured displays at the KSC Visitor Complex is this full-size replica of a Space Shuttle Orbiter, in the Shuttle Plaza.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician with United Space Alliance checks wiring in the mid-body and flight deck of orbiter Atlantis as part of routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Official portrait of James W. Kennedy, the director of the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida from August 2003 to January 2007.

The powered descent vehicle of NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is being prepared for final integration into the spacecraft back shell in this photograph from inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

During final stacking of NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, the heat shield is positioned for integration with the rest of the spacecraft in this photograph from inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

The descent stage of NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is being lifted during assembly of the spacecraft in this photograph taken inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft has been fully stacked for flight in this photograph from inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in October 2011.

Workers guide an overhead crane as it lifts the Centaur upper stage at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., June 24, 2011. The Centaur is slated to launch NASA Juno spacecraft on August 5.

The cruise stage of NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is being prepared for final stacking of the spacecraft in this photograph from inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

The Mars Science Laboratory mission rover, Curiosity, is prepared for final integration into the complete NASA spacecraft in this photograph taken inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, carry a floral tribute to the crew of Columbia to place at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, carry a floral tribute to the crew of Columbia to place at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, pose for a group photo on their visit to the Spacehab facility in Cape Canaveral, Fla. They were awarded the trip when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The girls planned a floral tribute at the STS-107 memorial stone at the facility. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, carry a floral tribute to the crew of Columbia to place at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, place a floral tribute to the crew of Columbia at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight William F. Readdy addresses the family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Family members of the STS-107 astronauts and other dignitaries gather for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Visitors stop at the Orbital Sciences booth during Space Congress Week, held April 29-May 2, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Space Congress is an international conference that gathers attendees from the scientific community, the space industry workforce, educators and local supporting industries. This year's event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight. The theme for the Space Congress was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space."

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dennis Tito, the first private citizen to visit the International Space Station, shares his experiences with visitors at the 40th Space Congress. Held April 29-May 2, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., the Space Congress is an international conference that gathers attendees from the scientific community, the space industry workforce, educators and local supporting industries. This year's event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight. The theme for the Space Congress was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space."

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Gunther Wendt (left), NASA retiree, holds the attention of NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (center) and Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. (right) at the annual Congressional Dinner hosted by the Florida Space Business Roundtable. The dinner kicked off the annual Space Congress, held April 28-May 1, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The theme for the event was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space" and commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dennis Tito, the first private citizen to visit the International Space Station, shares his experiences during the Space Congress Gala. Held April 29-May 2, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., the Space Congress is an international conference that gathers attendees from the scientific community, the space industry workforce, educators and local supporting industries. This year's event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight. The theme for the Space Congress was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space."

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the InDyne Inc. booth during the 40th Space Congress, Frank Kiep is ready to meet visitors. Held April 29-May 2, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., the Space Congress is an international conference that gathers attendees from the scientific community, the space industry workforce, educators and local supporting industries. This year's event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight. The theme for the Space Congress was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space."

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A plaque dedicating the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., is unveiled at a ceremony attended by family members of the STS-107 astronauts and other dignitaries. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gather for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Kay Hire talks to students in Garland V. Stewart Magnet Middle School, a NASA Explorer School (NES) in Tampa, Fla. She joined Center Director Jim Kennedy in sharing 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. - The start of a lunar eclipse is viewed from Merritt Island, Fla. Eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up. They are rare because the Moon usually passes above or below the imaginary line connecting Earth and the Sun. The Earth casts a shadow that the Moon can pass through - when it does, it is called a lunar eclipse.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Kay Hire talks to students in Garland V. Stewart Magnet Middle School, a NASA Explorer School (NES) in Tampa, Fla. She joined Center Director Jim Kennedy in sharing 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. - Mike McCulley (left), chief operating officer with United Space Alliance, talks with Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. (center) and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (right) during the annual Congressional Dinner hosted by the Florida Space Business Roundtable. The dinner kicked off the annual Space Congress, held April 28-May 1, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The theme for the event was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space" and commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Family members of the STS-107 astronauts and other dignitaries attending the Columbia Village dedication ceremony at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., enjoy a rendition of "God Bless America" by the university's Players in Harmony. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Garland V. Stewart Magnet Middle School, a NASA Explorer School (NES) in Tampa, Fla., is the site where Center Director Jim Kennedy and astronaut Kay Hire shared the agency’s new vision for space exploration with the next generation of explorers. Kennedy talked 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. -- Family members of the STS-107 astronauts and other dignitaries gather for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A model of the Hubble Space Telescope is one of the exhibits during Space Congress Week, held April 29-May 2, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Space Congress is an international conference that gathers attendees from the scientific community, the space industry workforce, educators and local supporting industries. This year’s event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight. The theme for the Space Congress was “Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space.”

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Family members of the STS-107 astronauts and other dignitaries attending the Columbia Village dedication ceremony at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., stand for the posting of the colors by members of the university's ROTC. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Gunther Wendt (left), NASA retiree, shakes hands with NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe during the annual Congressional Dinner hosted by the Florida Space Business Roundtable. The dinner kicked off the annual Space Congress, held April 28-May 1, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The theme for the event was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space" and commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The red NASA engine hauls its cargo toward Titusville, Fla. The containers enclose segments of a solid rocket booster being returned to Utah for testing. 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. - The red NASA engine hauls its cargo toward Titusville, Fla. The containers enclose segments of a solid rocket booster being returned to Utah for testing. 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. - United Space Alliance, a KSC contractor, is one of the exhibitors during Space Congress Week, held April 29-May 2, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Space Congress is an international conference that gathers attendees from the scientific community, the space industry workforce, educators and local supporting industries. This year’s event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight. The theme for the Space Congress was “Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space.”

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker sandblasts the surface behind the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A . Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility measure the alignment of bearings on a rudder speed brake actuator. Actuators move an orbiter’s rudder, speed brake, elevons and main engines during flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-114 Mission Commander Eileen Collins signs autorgraphs for workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in crew equipment and orbiter familiarization.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overview of the Columbia debris hangar shows the orbiter outline on the floor with some of the 78,760 pieces identified to date. More than 82,500 pieces of shuttle debris have been rcovered.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Official portrait of William W. "Bill" Parsons, director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sen. Bill Nelson talks to the media at the NASA KSC News Center about the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report released today.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Children enjoy displays of security equipment during Take Our Children to Work Day. Employees were invited to share their work experience with their children on this annual event.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Launch Pad 39A undergoes sandblasting of its metal structures and surfaces. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Jeff Thon, an SRB mechanic with United Space Alliance, tests a technique for vertical solid rocket booster propellant grain inspection. The inspection of segments is required as part of safety analysis.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians with United Space Alliance work in close quarters as they check the wiring on the mid-body of orbiter Atlantis. The inspection is part of routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Children enjoy displays of fire equipment during Take Our Children to Work Day. Employees were invited to share their work experience with their children on this annual event.

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

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Children enjoy a hands-on display of security equipment during Take Our Children to Work Day. Employees were invited to share their work experience with their children on this annual event.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Children enjoy displays of security equipment during Take Our Children to Work Day. Employees were invited to share their work experience with their children on this annual event.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, technicians prepare to remove an Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod from the orbiter Atlantis during routine maintenance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Greg Harlow, with United Space Alliance (USA), threads a camera under the tiles of the orbiter Endeavour to inspect for corrosion.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, technicians work on insulation tiles near the landing gear door of orbiter Discovery. The orbiter is now being prepared for eventual launch on a future mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker sandblasts the surface behind the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A . Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker sandblasts the surface behind the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A . Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sen. Bill Nelson talks to the media at the NASA KSC News Center about the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report released today.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The external tank in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is destacked from the solid rocket boosters. The tank and SRBs were configured for Atlantis and mission STS-114. The tank will remain in the VAB.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workstands at various levels surround the orbiter Endeavour in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). The OPF provides postflight servicing and checkout, as well as vehicle modifications.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Barry E. Wilmore (left) congratulates Center Director Jim Kennedy after presenting him with a special award for Spaceport Super Safety and Health Day.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sandblasting begins on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox speaks to KSC employees about his mission and residence on the International Space Station from November 25, 2002, to May 3, 2003.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Featured displays at the KSC Visitor Complex are this full-size replica of a Space Shuttle Orbiter and the genuine solid rocket boosters and external tank, in the Shuttle Plaza.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Smoke from a successful controlled burn near KSC’s Launch Complex 39 surrounds the Vehicle Assembly Building and spreads across the horizon. The water in the foreground is the Banana River.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Children enjoy a hands-on display of fire equipment behind KSC NASA Headquarters. Employees were invited to share their work experience with their children for Take Our Children to Work Day.