Some of the 1,367 pounds of cargo the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth from the space station are seen in a clean room at the SpaceX rocket development facility, Wednesday, June 13, 2012 in McGregor, Texas. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk were at the facility to view the historic Dragon capsule and to thank the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, and Doug Hurley, at left, are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, at right, will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, at right, and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, behind Behnken, and Mike Hopkins, at left, will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, pictured, and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, pictured at right, are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, pictured at left, and Mike Hopkins will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, pictured, and Mike Hopkins will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, at left, and Doug Hurley, at right, are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, second from left, and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, far right, and Mike Hopkins, at left, will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, center, and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, far right, and Mike Hopkins, at left, will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, far right, and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, behind Behnken, and Mike Hopkins, at left, will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, at left, and Mike Hopkins, at right, will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, pictured, and Mike Hopkins will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, and Doug Hurley, at left, are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, at right, will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

NASA astronauts who will be the first humans to fly aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft recently toured the company's Rocket Development Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, on Oct. 16, 2018. Astronauts Bob Behnken, at right, and Doug Hurley are set to crew SpaceX's Demo-2 flight test in June 2019, which will be the first flight of Crew Dragon with people onboard. Astronauts Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, at left, will crew SpaceX's first regular mission to the International Space Station, following Demo-2 and NASA's certification of SpaceX commercial crew systems.

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. During World War II, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory had a contract with the U.S. Army to develop rocket torpedoes. This picture from August 1944 shows the test facility, known as the "Tow Channel." It was used for storage for many years before being torn out to make space for the Earth and Space Science Laboratory (Building 300) and the Microdevices Laboratory (Building 302). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21124

An engineer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center examines a drawing showing the assembly and details of a 20,000-pound thrust regeneratively cooled rocket engine. The engine was being designed for testing in Lewis’ new Rocket Engine Test Facility, which began operating in the fall of 1957. The facility was the largest high-energy test facility in the country that was capable of handling liquid hydrogen and other liquid chemical fuels. The facility’s use of subscale engines up to 20,000 pounds of thrust permitted a cost-effective method of testing engines under various conditions. The Rocket Engine Test Facility was critical to the development of the technology that led to the use of hydrogen as a rocket fuel and the development of lightweight, regeneratively-cooled, hydrogen-fueled rocket engines. Regeneratively-cooled engines use the cryogenic liquid hydrogen as both the propellant and the coolant to prevent the engine from burning up. The fuel was fed through rows of narrow tubes that surrounded the combustion chamber and nozzle before being ignited inside the combustion chamber. The tubes are visible in the liner sitting on the desk. At the time, Pratt and Whitney was designing a 20,000-pound thrust liquid-hydrogen rocket engine, the RL-10. Two RL-10s would be used to power the Centaur second-stage rocket in the 1960s. The successful development of the Centaur rocket and the upper stages of the Saturn V were largely credited to the work carried out Lewis.

The team at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas completed a static fire test of the Falcon 9 booster that will launch SpaceX's first demonstration mission for NASA's Commerical Crew Program.

The Lunar Landing Research Facility at Langley Research Center has been put into operation. The facility, 250 feet high and 400 feet long, provides a controlled laboratory in which NASA scientists will work with research pilots to explore and develop techniques for landing a rocket-powered vehicle on the Moon, where the gravity is only one sixth as strong as on Earth. The Lunar Landing Research Facility, a controlled laboratory for exploring and developing techniques for landing a rocket-powered vehicle on the Moon, has been put into operation at the Langley Research Center. The $3.5 million facility includes a rocket-powered piloted flight test vehicle which is operated· while partially supported from a 250-foot high, 400-foot long gantry structure to simulate the one-sixth earth gravity of the Moon in research to obtain data on the problems of lunar landing. Excerpt from Langley Researcher July 2, 1965

The Lunar Landing Research Facility at Langley Research Center has been put into operation. The facility, 250 feet high and 400 feet long, provides a controlled laboratory in which NASA scientists will work with research pilots to explore and develop techniques for landing a rocket-powered vehicle on the Moon, where the gravity is only one sixth as strong as on Earth. The Lunar Landing Research Facility, a controlled laboratory for exploring and developing techniques for landing a rocket-powered vehicle on the Moon, has been put into operation at the Langley Research Center. The $3.5 million facility includes a rocket-powered piloted flight test vehicle which is operated· while partially supported from a 250-foot high, 400-foot long gantry structure to simulate the one-sixth earth gravity of the Moon in research to obtain data on the problems of lunar landing. Excerpt from Langley Researcher July 2, 1965

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk, view the historic Dragon capsule, right, that returned to Earth on May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. Some of the 1,367 pounds of cargo the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth from the space station are seen in a clean room to the left. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk, view the historic Dragon capsule that returned to Earth on May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk, view the historic Dragon capsule that returned to Earth on May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk, view the historic Dragon capsule that returned to Earth on May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk, view the historic Dragon capsule that returned to Earth on May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, congratulates SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk in front of the historic Dragon capsule that returned to Earth on May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

A V-2 rocket is hoisted into a static test facility at White Sands, New Mexico. The German engineers and scientists who developed the V-2 came to the United States at the end of World War II and continued rocket testing under the direction of the U. S. Army, launching more than sixty V-2s.

The inter-stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket inside the company's manufacturing facility. SpaceX is developing its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

POWAY, Calif. – During NASA's Commercial Crew Development Round 1 CCDev1 activities, the rocket motor under development by Sierra Nevada Corp. for its Dream Chaser spacecraft successfully fires at the company's rocket test facility located near San Diego. NASA team members reviewed the motor's system and then watched it fire three times in one day, including one firing under vacuum ignition conditions. The tests, which simulated a complete nominal mission profile, demonstrated the multiple restart capability of Sierra Nevada's hybrid rocket. Two of the company's designed and developed hybrid rocket motors will be used as the main propulsion system on the Dream Chaser after launching aboard an Atlas V rocket. Dream Chaser is one of five systems NASA invested in during CCDev1 in order to aid in the innovation and development of American-led commercial capabilities for crew transportation and rescue services to and from the International Space Station and other low Earth orbit destinations. In 2011, NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP entered into another funded Space Act Agreement with Sierra Nevada for the second round of commercial crew development CCDev2) so the company could further develop its Dream Chaser spacecraft for NASA transportation services. For information about CCP, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: Sierra Nevada Corp.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a crucial role in the development of the huge Saturn rockets that delivered humans to the moon in the 1960s. Many unique facilities existed at MSFC for the development and testing of the Saturn rockets. Affectionately nicknamed “The Arm Farm”, the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator was one of those unique facilities. This facility was developed to test the swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off. The Arm Farm provided the capability of testing the detachment and reconnection of various arms under brutally realistic conditions. The 18-acre facility consisted of more than a half dozen arm test positions and one position for testing access arms used by the Apollo astronauts. Each test position had two elements: a vehicle simulator for duplicating motions during countdown and launch; and a section duplicating the launch tower. The vehicle simulator duplicated the portion of the vehicle skin that contained the umbilical connections and personnel access hatches. Driven by a hydraulic servo system, the vehicle simulator produced relative motion between the vehicle and tower. On the Arm Farm, extreme environmental conditions (such as a launch scrub during an approaching Florida thunderstorm) could be simulated. The dramatic scenes that the Marshall engineers and technicians created at the Arm Farm permitted the gathering of crucial technical and engineering data to ensure a successful real time launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

This in an aerial view (looking east) of a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), often referred to as “Moonbuggy”, simulator area built at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) where testing was performed. The LRV was developed under the direction of MSFC to provide astronauts with greater mobility on the lunar surface. Visible in the background is the 18-acre facility known as the Random Motion/ Lift-Off Simulator or ‘Arm Farm’ which was developed to test the Saturn swingarm mechanisms that were used to hold the rocket in position until lift-off.

Mike Bolger, Ground Systems Development and Operations Program manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, speaks to guests during a ceremony in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility. The event marked the milestone of the Space Launch System rocket's Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) being turned over from NASA's Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution organization to the spaceport's Ground Systems Development and Operations directorate. The ICPS is the first integrated piece of flight hardware to arrive in preparation for the uncrewed Exploration Mission-1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A storm moves in over Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At center is the mobile launcher that will support NASA's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, under development. At left is the Launch Control Center and the Vehicle Assembly Building. Kennedy's Ground Support Development and Operations Program is hard at work transforming the center's facilities into a multi-user spaceport, when the weather permits. For more on Kennedy Space Center, visit http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

The interior structure of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft at the company's facility in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX is developing its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Astronaut Eric Boe examines hardware during a tour of the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX is developing its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Astronauts Bob Behnken, left, and Eric Boe are outside the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX is developing its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Astronaut Bob Behnken examines a SuperDraco engine during a tour of the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX is developing its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

A SpaceX SuperDraco engine is hot-fired at the company's test facility in McGregor, Texas. SpaceX is developing its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

A SpaceX Merlin engine is on a test stand at the company's facility in McGregor, Texas. SpaceX is developing its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Todd Lindner, senior manager of Aviation Planning and Spaceport Development for the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, addresses guests at a presentation during which XCOR Aerospace announced plans to open a manufacturing operation in Brevard. The company's suborbital Lynx Mark II spacecraft possibly will take off and land at Kennedy's shuttle landing facility. XCOR Aerospace is a small, privately held California corporation with focus on the research, development, project management and production of reusable launch vehicles, rocket engines and rocket propulsion systems. XCOR will focus on space tourism, experimental flights and launching satellites. Photo credit: NASA/ Frankie Martin

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Bob Cabana talks to workers at the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF), which recently underwent a $35 million comprehensive upgrade that lasted four years. The LETF was established in the 1970s to support the qualification of the Space Shuttle Program’s umbilical and T-0 mechanisms. Throughout the years, it has supported the development of systems for shuttle and the International Space Station, Delta and Atlas rockets, and various research and development programs. The LETF has unique capabilities to evolve into a versatile test and development area that supports a wide spectrum of programs. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the control room of the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF). The LETF recently underwent a $35 million comprehensive upgrade that lasted four years. The LETF was established in the 1970s to support the qualification of the Space Shuttle Program’s umbilical and T-0 mechanisms. Throughout the years, it has supported the development of systems for shuttle and the International Space Station, Delta and Atlas rockets, and various research and development programs. The LETF has unique capabilities to evolve into a versatile test and development area that supports a wide spectrum of programs. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An artist's concept shows a possible layout of a commercial spacecraft and rocket using facilities inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the center undergoes a transformation into a multi-user spaceport. At left is the Space Launch System, or SLS, currently under development by NASA. At right is a generic rocket and spacecraft design indicative of the likely arrangement of such a vehicle. Several companies are designing rockets and spacecraft that could be used to launch astronauts and payloads into space in the future. Credit: NASA

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

These photos and videos show how crews guided a test version of the universal stage adapter for NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to Building 4619 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 22. Built by Leidos, the lead contractor for the universal stage adapter, crews transported the hardware from a Leidos facility in Decatur, Alabama, the same day. The universal stage adapter will connect the SLS rocket’s upgraded in-space propulsion stage, called the exploration upper stage, to NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of the evolved Block 1B configuration of the SLS rocket. It will also serve as a compartment capable of accommodating large payloads, such as modules or other exploration spacecraft. In Building 4619’s Load Test Annex High Bay at Marshall, the development test article will first undergo modal testing that will shake the hardware to validate dynamic models. Later, during ultimate load testing, force will be applied vertically and to the sides of the hardware. Unlike the flight hardware, the development test article has flaws intentionally included in its design, which will help engineers verity that the flight adapter can withstand the extreme forces it will face during launch and flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Horizontal Integration Facility at Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the core stage of a Delta IV rocket begins to roll slowly out of the facility for transfer to the pad. The rocket's core stage is the first stage mated to the second stage. This United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket is slated to launch GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Launch is targeted for no earlier than March 1. For information on GOES-P, visit http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/spacecraft/n_p_spacecraft.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Horizontal Integration Facility at Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers act as spotters for the driver of a transporter moving the core stage of a Delta IV rocket out of the facility to the pad. The rocket's core stage is the first stage mated to the second stage. This United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket is slated to launch GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Launch is targeted for no earlier than March 1. For information on GOES-P, visit http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/spacecraft/n_p_spacecraft.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

The thrust stand in the Rocket Engine Test Facility at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rocket Engine Test Facility was constructed in the mid-1950s to expand upon the smaller test cells built a decade before at the Rocket Laboratory. The $2.5-million Rocket Engine Test Facility could test larger hydrogen-fluorine and hydrogen-oxygen rocket thrust chambers with thrust levels up to 20,000 pounds. Test Stand A, seen in this photograph, was designed to fire vertically mounted rocket engines downward. The exhaust passed through an exhaust gas scrubber and muffler before being vented into the atmosphere. Lewis researchers in the early 1970s used the Rocket Engine Test Facility to perform basic research that could be utilized by designers of the Space Shuttle Main Engines. A new electronic ignition system and timer were installed at the facility for these tests. Lewis researchers demonstrated the benefits of ceramic thermal coatings for the engine’s thrust chamber and determined the optimal composite material for the coatings. They compared the thermal-coated thrust chamber to traditional unlined high-temperature thrust chambers. There were more than 17,000 different configurations tested on this stand between 1973 and 1976. The Rocket Engine Test Facility was later designated a National Historic Landmark for its role in the development of liquid hydrogen as a propellant.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The first and second stages of the Boeing Delta IV rocket negotiates a turn from the Horizontal Integration Facility, where the two stages were mated, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket is being transferred to the launch pad for further build-up and mating with the GOES-N satellite. Launch of the GOES-N is scheduled for May 4. The satellite is the first of three for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will provide continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. GOES-N will provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric “triggers” of severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. When these conditions develop, GOES-N will be able to monitor storm development and track their movements. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is responsible for development of the satellite and testing of the spacecraft and its instruments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The first and second stages of the Boeing Delta IV rocket moves out of the Horizontal Integration Facility, where they were mated, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket is being transferred to the launch pad for further build-up and mating with the GOES-N satellite. Launch of the GOES-N is scheduled for May 4. The satellite is the first of three for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will provide continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. GOES-N will provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric “triggers” of severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. When these conditions develop, GOES-N will be able to monitor storm development and track their movements. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is responsible for development of the satellite and testing of the spacecraft and its instruments.

Just before a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Bob Cabana, at right, shakes hands with Kent Rominger, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and capture lead for the OmegA launch system. In the center is Tom Engler, director of the Center Planning and Development Office at Kennedy. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2. The company also will modify the space shuttle-era mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

The National Anthem is sung during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Tom Engler, director of Kennedy’s Center Planning and Development Office; Kent Rominger, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and capture lead for the OmegA launch system; and Kennedy’s Center Director Bob Cabana. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

Legislators, invited guests and members of the media attend a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana autographs a portion of the ribbon for a guest. In view, at far left, is Tom Engler, director of Kennedy’s Center Planning and Development Office. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

During a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Tom Engler, director of Kennedy’s Center Planning and Development Office, welcomes legislators and guests. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2. The company also will modify MLP-3 to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

Lead Test Engineer John Kobak (right) and a technician use an oscilloscope to test the installation of a Pratt and Whitney RL-10 engine in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. In 1955 the military asked Pratt and Whitney to develop hydrogen engines specifically for aircraft. The program was canceled in 1958, but Pratt and Whitney decided to use the experience to develop a liquid-hydrogen rocket engine, the RL-10. Two of the 15,000-pound-thrust RL-10 engines were used to power the new Centaur second-stage rocket. Centaur was designed to carry the Surveyor spacecraft on its mission to soft-land on the Moon. Pratt and Whitney ran into problems while testing the RL-10 at their facilities. NASA Headquarters assigned Lewis the responsibility for investigating the RL-10 problems because of the center’s long history of liquid-hydrogen development. Lewis’ Chemical Rocket Division began a series of tests to study the RL-10 at its Propulsion Systems Laboratory in March 1960. The facility contained two test chambers that could study powerful engines in simulated altitude conditions. The first series of RL-10 tests in early 1961 involved gimballing the engine as it fired. Lewis researchers were able to yaw and pitch the engine to simulate its behavior during a real flight.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload has been encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload has been encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

Members of the news media watch as a crane is used to move one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket to a test stand in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing is prepared for the encapsulation of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

At the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media watch as cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload has been encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload has been encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne employees Carlos Alfaro (l) and Oliver Swanier work on the main combustion element of the J-2X rocket engine at their John C. Stennis Space Center facility. Assembly of the J-2X rocket engine to be tested at the site is under way, with completion and delivery to the A-2 Test Stand set for June. The J-2X is being developed as a next-generation engine that can carry humans into deep space. Stennis Space Center is preparing a trio of stands to test the new engine.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

At the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media photograph the process as cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne employees Carlos Alfaro (l) and Oliver Swanier work on the main combustion element of the J-2X rocket engine at their John C. Stennis Space Center facility. Assembly of the J-2X rocket engine to be tested at the site is under way, with completion and delivery to the A-2 Test Stand set for June. The J-2X is being developed as a next-generation engine that can carry humans into deep space. Stennis Space Center is preparing a trio of stands to test the new engine.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.

Elected officials and guests visit after a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

Legislators and invited guests clap during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2. The company also will modify mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

Legislators, invited guests and members of the media attend a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2. The company also will modify MLP-3 to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

Legislators, invited guests and members of the media attend a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 16, 2019, in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The VAB is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities. The company will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2. The company also will modify MLP-3 to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman is developing the OmegA rocket, an intermediate/heavy-class launch vehicle, as part of a launch services agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the hangar of the Delta Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers lower the second stage of a Delta IV rocket onto a transporter following the completion of nozzle extension deployment system testing in the hangar's test cell. The United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket is slated to launch GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Next, the second stage will be transported to the Horizontal Integration Facility where it will be inspected and prepared for mating with the Delta IV rocket's first stage. GOES-P, a meteorological satellite, is designed to watch for storm development and observed current weather conditions on Earth. Launch of GOES-P is scheduled for no earlier than Feb. 25, 2010, from Launch Complex 37. For information on GOES-P, visit http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/spacecraft/n_p_spacecraft.html. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson