KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Orbiter Endeavour is lifted off the transporter to raise it to a vertical position inside the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be mated with the solid rocket boosters and external tank. Endeavour is scheduled to fly on mission STS-88, the first flight for the International Space Station, on Dec. 3, 1998. The primary payload on the mission is the Unity connecting module, which will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module expected to already be in orbit at that time

STS089-370-034 (22-31 Jan. 1998) --- Astronaut David A. Wolf, freshly removed from a long stay aboard Russia’s Mir Space Station, creates a sandwich onboard the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Endeavour. Wolf had earlier been replaced on Mir by Andrew S. W. Thomas, cosmonaut guest researcher, who will be last NASA astronaut assigned to Mir duty as part of the Phase I program. Photo credit: NASA

NASA astronaut and Mir 24 crew member David Wolf, M.D., who was on the Russian Space Station Mir since late September 1997, greets his friend, Tammy Kruse, shortly after his return to Earth on Jan. 31. Dr. Wolf returned aboard the orbiter Endeavour with the rest of the STS-89 crew, including Commander Terrence Wilcutt; Pilot Joe Edwards Jr.; and Mission Specialists James Reilly, Ph.D.; Michael Anderson; Bonnie Dunbar, Ph.D.; and Salizhan Sharipov with the Russian Space Agency. STS-89 Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., succeeded Dr. Wolf on Mir and is scheduled to remain on the Russian space station until the STS-91 Shuttle mission returns in June 1998. In addition to the docking and crew exchange, STS-89 included the transfer of science, logistical equipment and supplies between the two orbiting spacecrafts

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski, M.D., (left) and Payload Specialist John Glenn (right), who is a senator from Ohio, look over experiments in the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility (SPPF) for the mission scheduled to launch Oct. 29. STS-95 crew members have been participating in SPACEHAB familiarization in the SPPF. Scheduled to launch Oct. 29, the mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

S88-E-5044 (12-06-98) --- With Endeavour's astronauts waiting to mate the Russian-built Zarya control module with the U.S.-built Unity connecting module, an electronic still camera (ESC) was used to record this image of the approaching Zarya. Using the shuttle's 50-ft.-long Canadian-built robot arm, astronaut Nancy J. Currie, working from Endeavour's aft flight deck, plucked Zarya out of orbit at 5:47 p.m. (CST), Dec. 6. The craft had been orbiting Earth for a little over 16 days prior to the grapple and subsequent docking to Unity. This image was recorded at 22:53:55 GMT, Dec. 6.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The STS-91 flight crew visits Launch Pad 39A from which they are scheduled to be launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on June 2 around 6:10 p.m. EDT. From left to right, they are Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ph.D.; Janet Kavandi, Ph.D.; Valery Ryumin, with the Russian Space Agency; Mission Commander Charles Precourt; Pilot Dominic Gorie; and Mission Specialist Wendy B. Lawrence. STS-91 will feature the ninth Shuttle docking with the Russian Space Station Mir, the first Mir docking for Discovery, the conclusion of Phase I of the joint U.S.-Russian International Space Station Program, and the first flight of the new Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank. Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., will be returning to Earth with the crew after living more than four months aboard Mir

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-91 crew participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) for their upcoming Space Shuttle mission at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility in Cape Canaveral. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the payloads with which they will be working on-orbit. STS-91 will be the ninth and final scheduled Mir docking and will include a single module of SPACEHAB, used mainly as a large pressurized cargo container for science, logistical equipment and supplies to be exchanged between the orbiter Discovery and the Russian Space Station Mir. The nearly 10-day flight of STS-91 also is scheduled to include the return of the last astronaut to live and work aboard the Russian orbiting outpost, Mission Specialist Andy Thomas, Ph.D. Liftoff of Discovery and its six-member crew is targeted for May 28, 1998, at 8:05 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. From left to right are STS-91 Pilot Dominic Gorie, Russian Interpreter Olga Belozerova, STS-91 Commander Charles Precourt, and STS-91 Mission Specialist Valery Ryumin with the Russian Space Agency

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sea World, Dynamac Life Sciences, and EG&G Protective Services staff tend to a beached whale on the Brevard County shoreline near Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. Two pilot whales beached themselves mid-morning on Jan. 20 and were rescued and taken to Marineland near St. Augustine. The two whales, an eight-foot and an 11-foot, bring to six the number of whales being treated at Sea World in Orlando and at Marineland. Nine whales have beached in Brevard County since the beginning of the year.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Defense Satellite Communications Systems Processing Facility (DPF) at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) finish installing the ion propulsion engine on Deep Space 1. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century, including the engine. Propelled by the gas xenon, the engine is being flight-tested for future deep space and Earth-orbiting missions. Deceptively powerful, the ion drive emits only an eerie blue glow as ionized atoms of xenon are pushed out of the engine. While slow to pick up speed, over the long haul it can deliver 10 times as much thrust per pound of fuel as liquid or solid fuel rockets. Other onboard experiments include software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but will also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999. Deep Space 1 will be launched Oct. 25 aboard a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket from Launch Pad 17A, CCAS

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Endeavour lights up the night sky as it embarks on the first U.S. mission dedicated to the assembly of the International Space Station. Liftoff on Dec. 4 from Launch Pad 39A was at 3:35:34 a.m. EST. During the nearly 12-day mission, the six-member crew will mate in space the first two elements of the International Space Station the already-orbiting Zarya control module with the Unity connecting module carried by Endeavour. Crew members are Commander Robert D. Cabana, Pilot Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Nancy J. Currie, Jerry L. Ross, James H. Newman and Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut. This was the second launch attempt for STS-88. The first one on Dec. 3 was scrubbed when launch controllers, following an assessment of a suspect hydraulic system, were unable to resume the countdown clock in time to launch within the remaining launch window.The Space Shuttle Endeavour lights up the night sky as it embarks on the first U.S. mission dedicated to the assembly of the International Space Station. Liftoff on Dec. 4 from Launch Pad 39A was at 3:35:34 a.m. EST. During the nearly 12-day mission, the six-member crew will mate in space the first two elements of the International Space Station the already-orbiting Zarya control module with the Unity connecting module carried by Endeavour. Crew members are Commander Robert D. Cabana, Pilot Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Nancy J. Currie, Jerry L. Ross, James H. Newman and Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut. This was the second launch attempt for STS-88. The first one on Dec. 3 was scrubbed when launch controllers, following an assessment of a suspect hydraulic system, were unable to resume the countdown clock in time to launch within the remaining launch window

Workers at this clean room facility, Cape Canaveral Air Station, maneuver the protective can that covered Deep Space 1 during transportation from KSC away from the spacecraft. Deep Space 1 will undergo spin testing at the site. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include a solar-powered ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. The ion propulsion engine is the first non-chemical propulsion to be used as the primary means of propelling a spacecraft. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999. The spacecraft will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in October. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches

STS-90 Mission Specialist Kathryn (Kay) Hire enjoys the crawl between Columbia and the white room that allows access to the orbiter. The crew of STS-90 recently participated in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) in Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the payloads with which they will be working on-orbit. Investigations during the STS-90 Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. STS-90, which will be Hire's first Shuttle flight, is scheduled for launch on April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT

STS-95 Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain, representing the European Space Agency (ESA) is checked by Danny Wyatt (left), with KSC, and Dave Martin (right), with United Space Alliance, in the white room before entry into Space Shuttle Discovery for a pre-launch countdown exercise. Duque and other crew members are at KSC to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) which includes mission familiarization activities, emergency egress training, and a simulated main engine cutoff. The other crew members are Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai (M.D., Ph.D.), representing the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, and Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown. The STS-95 mission, targeted for liftoff on Oct. 29, includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process. Following the TCDT, the crew will be returning to Houston for final flight preparations

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility install blanket insulation on Deep Space 1. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999. Deep Space 1 will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in October. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches

Sitting at the entrance to the orbiter is STS-89 Mission Specialist Bonnie Dunbar, Ph.D., as she prepares to enter the Space Shuttle Endeavour at Launch Pad 39A with help from white room closeout crew members as part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight to provide crews with an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The STS-89 mission will be the eighth docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. After docking, Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., will transfer to the space station, succeeding David Wolf, M.D., who will return to Earth aboard Endeavour. Dr. Thomas will live and work on Mir until June. STS-89 is scheduled for a Jan. 22 liftoff at 9:48 p.m

Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-3 quadrangle, Arcadia region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00163

S98-05013 (14 April 1998) --- President Bill Clinton tries on a glove from the Space Shuttle extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) space suit during an April 14 visit to the Johnson Space Center (JSC). In the suit is Amy Ross, a JSC engineer. Others pictured are William E. (Bill) Spenny (left) of the EVA and Spacesuit Systems Branch in the Crew and Thermal Systems Division, Engineering Directorate; and Stephen N. Anderson (second right) of ILC. Photo Credit: NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 crew members look over the Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit (OSTEO) during a SPACEHAB familiarization tour and briefing in the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility in Cape Canaveral. Seated from left are Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai of the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), and Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., who also is a senator from Ohio. Standing, from left, are STS-95 Commander Curtis L. Brown and Canadian Space Agency representative Duncan Burnside. STS-95 will feature a variety of research payloads, including the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, and experiments on space flight and the aging process. STS-95 is targeted for an Oct. 29 launch aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery

This anaglyph view of Ender, due south of the lander, was produced by NASA Mars Pathfinder Imager camera. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail.

These images, taken on February 19, 1997 by NASA Galileo orbiter, show two of the three long-lived White Ovals that formed to the south of the Jupiter Great Red Spot.

The Plasma Experiment for Planetary Exploration (PEPE), one of two advanced science experiments flying on the Deep Space l mission, is being installed on the spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. PEPE combines several instruments that study space plasma in one compact 13-pound (6-kilogram) package. Space plasma is composed of charged particles, most of which flow outward from the Sun. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch during a period opening Oct. 15 and closing Nov. 10, 1998. Most of its mission objectives will be completed within the first two months. A near-earth asteroid, 1992 KD, has also been selected for a possible flyby

STS-95 Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), smiles at well-wishers while at Launch Pad 39B. The crew were making final preparations for launch, targeted for liftoff at 2 p.m. on Oct. 29. Other crew members not shown are Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain, with the European Space Agency (ESA), Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, and Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio. The STS-95 mission is expected to last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, returning to KSC at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7

S98-09501 (6-14-98) --- Astronaut Eileen M. Collins participates in a simulation of an emergency egress from a shuttle during preparations for her role as mission commander for next year's STS-93 flight. Collins was joined by four other crewmembers for the training session, held in and around the deep Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL)pool at the Johnson Space Center's Sonny Carter Training Center.

Retired Astronaut John Blaha celebrates the official opening of the new International Space Station (ISS) Center at Kennedy Space Center as he steps out of a full-scale mockup of one of the station modules. Modules through which visitors can walk that are included in the new tour attraction are the Habitation Unit, where station crew members will live, sleep, and work; a Laboratory Module; and the Pressurized Logistics Module, where racks and supplies will be transported back and forth from KSC to space. Guests also can take an elevated walkway to a gallery overlooking the work area where actual ISS hardware is prepared for flight into space. This new tour site, in addition to a new Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry, are part of a comprehensive effort by NASA and Delaware North to expand and improve the KSC public tour and visitor facilities

Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-1 quadrangle, Mare Boreum region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00161

S88-E-5156 (12-13-98) --- The mated Russian-built Zarya (left) and U.S.-built Unity modules are backdropped against the blackness of space over Earth's horizon shortly after leaving Endeavour's cargo bay. The photo was taken with an electronic still camera at 21:19:17 GMT, Dec. 13.

The STS-90 Neurolab payload is lowered into position into the cargo bay of Space Shuttle Columbia today in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch in April, will include Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

Media representatives from all over the world fill the Kennedy Space Center Press Site Auditorium for a press conference held by the STS-95 crew before their return to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The STS-95 crew members are Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr.; Pilot Steven W. Lindsey; Mission Specialist and Payload Commander Stephen K. Robinson; Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski; Mission Specialist Pedro Duque, with the European Space Agency (ESA); Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA); and Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., a senator from Ohio and one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts. The STS-95 mission ended with landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at 12:04 p.m. EST on Nov. 7. The mission included research payloads such as the Spartan-201 solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as a SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander is lifted to a vertical position on Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998

STS095-E-5115 (2 Nov. 1998) --- Payload specialist Chiaki Mukai, representing Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA), sets up an experiment on Spacehab during flight day four activity. In the background are astronauts Steven W. Lindsey, STS-95 pilot, and Scott E. Parazynski, mission specialist. The photo was taken with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 05:14:24 GMT, Nov. 2.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Hubble Space Telescope Orbiting Systems Test Platform (HOST) is lifted off its work stand in the Space Station Processing Facility before moving it to its payload canister. One of the payloads on the STS-95 mission, the HOST platform is carrying four experiments to validate components planned for installation during the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and to evaluate new technologies in an Earth-orbiting environment. The STS-95 mission is scheduled to launch Oct. 29. It will carry other payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3), and the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

This image shows a crescent Uranus, a view that Earthlings never witnessed until Voyager 2 flew near and then beyond Uranus on Jan 24, 1986. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00346

STS-90 Mission Specialist Kathryn (Kay) Hire is assisted by NASA and USA closeout crew members immediately preceding launch for the nearly 17-day Neurolab mission. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Hire and six fellow crew members will shortly enter the orbiter at KSC's Launch Pad 39B, where the Space Shuttle Columbia will lift off during a launch window that opens at 2:19 p.m. EDT, April 17

STS-95 Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr. examines the heads up display in the 1999 C-5 Corvette convertible in which he will be riding during a parade down State Road A1A in nearby Cocoa Beach as Dan Adovasio, a parade coordinator, looks on. Organizers of the parade include the Cocoa Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the Brevard County Tourist Development Council, and the cities of Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. The parade is reminiscent of those held after missions during the Mercury Program

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) place a rolled-up document inside Deep Space 1. The paper was signed by the workers in the PHSF. Deep Space 1 is scheduled to fly on the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket to be launched in October. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but will also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building, STS-95 Pilot Steven W. Lindsey (right) reaches playfully for the name tag on the flight suit of Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, seated in the chair. The STS-95 crew were conducting flight crew equipment fit checks prior to launch on Oct. 29. STS-95 is expected to launch at 2 p.m. EST on Oct. 29, last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and land at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7

Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-21 quadrangle, Iapygia region of Mars. This image is from NASA Viking Orbiter 1.

STS088-318-023 (4-15 December 1998) --- This photograph taken out the window of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour shows the two astronaut spacewalkers, during one of three extravehicular activity (EVA) sessions, readying the recently-connected Russian-built FGB Module (Zarya) and the United States-built Unity Module (Node 1). The two EVA astronauts are mission specialists James H. Newman (right)and Jerry L. Ross (lower left with red stripe on suit).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Wrapped in a protective covering, the Mars Climate Orbiter with its upper stage booster is lifted up at Launch Complex 17, Pad A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in preparation for mating to the second stage of a Boeing Delta II (7425) rocket. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 10, 1998, the orbiter will be the first spacecraft to be launched in the pair of Mars ’98 missions. After its arrival at the red planet, the Mars Climate Orbiter will be used primarily to support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet’s surface on a daily basis for one Martian year, the equivalent of about two Earth years. The spacecraft will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, and characterize seasonal changes on the planet’s surface

98-E-01303 (20 Feb. 1998) --- U.S. Sen. John H. Glenn Jr. (D., Ohio) fields a question during a press conference held to announce the crew members for STS-95 mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Glenn will fly as a payload specialist on the mission. The press conference was held on Feb. 20, 1998, 36 years after Glenn's historic Earth-orbital, MA-6 spaceflight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Endeavour lights up the night sky as it embarks on the first U.S. mission dedicated to the assembly of the International Space Station. Liftoff on Dec. 4 from Launch Pad 39A was at 3:35:34 a.m. EST. During the nearly 12-day mission, the six-member crew will mate in space the first two elements of the International Space Station the already-orbiting Zarya control module with the Unity connecting module carried by Endeavour. Crew members are Commander Robert D. Cabana, Pilot Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Nancy J. Currie, Jerry L. Ross, James H. Newman and Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut. This was the second launch attempt for STS-88. The first one on Dec. 3 was scrubbed when launch controllers, following an assessment of a suspect hydraulic system, were unable to resume the countdown clock in time to launch within the remaining launch window

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Deep Space 1 awaits launch after installation on a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket. Targeted for launch on Oct. 25, Deep Space 1 is the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, and is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century, including the engine. Propelled by the gas xenon, the engine is being flight-tested for future deep space and Earth-orbiting missions. Deceptively powerful, the ion drive emits only an eerie blue glow as ionized atoms of xenon are pushed out of the engine. While slow to pick up speed, over the long haul it can deliver 10 times as much thrust per pound of fuel as liquid or solid fuel rockets. Other onboard experiments include software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but will also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999

The Space Shuttle's first super lightweight external tank is on its way to Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building for processing. The tank, which is scheduled for flight on STS-91 in late May, arrived Feb. 3 in Port Canaveral, where it remained until Feb. 6 due to high winds. The improved tank is 7,500 pounds lighter than its predecessors and was developed to increase the Shuttle payload capacity on International Space Station assembly flights. Major changes to the lighter tank include the use of new materials and a revised internal design. The new liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks are constructed of aluminum lithium a lighter, stronger material than the metal alloy currently used. The redesigned walls of the liquid hydrogen tank were machined to provide additional strength and stability as well

The F-15 ACTIVE touches down on the Edwards runway following its April 14, 1998 flight. The nose is high while the canards have their rear edge raised. the aircraft's speed brake, located on the top of the aircraft behind the canopy, is also raised.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility prepare to close the access hatch to the Unity connecting module, part of the International Space Station, in preparation for its launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 in December. Unity will now undergo a series of leak checks before a final purge of clean, dry air inside the module to ready it for initial operations in space. Other testing includes the common berthing mechanism to which other space station elements will dock and the Pad Demonstration Test to verify the compatibility of the module with the Space Shuttle as well as the ability of the astronauts to send and receive commands to Unity from the flight deck of the orbiter. The next time the hatch will be opened it will be by astronauts on orbit. Unity is expected to be ready for installation into the payload canister on Oct. 25, and transported to Launch Pad 39-A on Oct. 27. The Unity will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module which should already be in orbit at that time

Pilot Mark Stucky in Eclipse Simulator

STS-90 crew crew portrait.. The various crew portraits were taken in the Spacelab module and include: back row (l.-r.) Payload specialists Jay Buckey and James Pawelczyk, Payload commander Richard Linnehan and Mission specialist Dafydd Rhys Williams. Bottom row (l.-r.) Pilot Scott Altman, Mission commander Richard Searfoss and Mission specialist Kathryn Hire. View 023 was selected by the crew for use in their postflight presentation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)-2, seen here in its yellow workstand, is moved on an air pallet toward Node 1, the International Space Station’s (ISS's) structural building block, in KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility. This PMA is a cone-shaped connector to Node 1, which will have two PMAs attached once PMA-2 is mated with the node. Node 1 can be seen directly behind PMA-2. The node and PMAs, which together will make up the first element of the ISS, are scheduled to be launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88.

Photopolarimeter/Radiometer PPR Temperature Map of Great Red Spot

The Plasma Experiment for Planetary Exploration (PEPE), one of two advanced science experiments flying on the Deep Space l mission, is prepared for installation on the spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. PEPE combines several instruments that study space plasma in one compact 13-pound (6-kilogram) package. Space plasma is composed of charged particles, most of which flow outward from the Sun. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch during a period opening Oct. 15 and closing Nov. 10, 1998. Most of its mission objectives will be completed within the first two months. A near-earth asteroid, 1992 KD, has also been selected for a possible flyby

This image of the area surrounding the city of New Orleans, Louisiana in the southeastern United States demonstrates the ability of multi-frequency imaging radar to distinguish different types of land cover. The dark area in the center is Lake Pontchartrain. The thin line running across the lake is a causeway connecting New Orleans to the city of Mandeville. Lake Borgne is the dark area in the lower right of the image. The Mississippi River appears as a dark, wavy line in the lower left. The white dots on the Mississippi are ships. The French Quarter is the brownish square near the left center of the image. Lakefront Airport, a field used mostly for general aviation, is the bright spot near the center, jutting out into Lake Pontchartrain. The image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) during orbit 39 of space shuttle Endeavour on October 2, 1994. The area is located at 30.10 degrees north latitude and 89.1 degrees west longitude. The area shown is approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) by 50 kilometers (30 miles). The colors in this image were obtained using the following radar channels: red represents the L-band (horizontally transmitted and received); green represents the C-band (horizontally transmitted and received); blue represents the L-band (vertically transmitted and received). The green areas are primarily vegetation consisting of swamp land and swamp forest (bayou) growing on sandy soil, while the pink areas are associated with reflections from buildings in urban and suburban areas. Different tones and colors in the vegetation areas will be studied by scientists to see how effective imaging radar data is in discriminating between different types of wetlands. Accurate maps of coastal wetland areas are important to ecologists studying wild fowl and the coastal environment. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01300

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-88 crew members and technicians watch as Pilot Rick W. Sturckow inspects equipment on the Unity connecting module, part of the International Space Station, in the Space Station Processing Facility at KSC. During the mission, the Unity connecting module will be mated to the Zarya control module, which will already be in orbit. The STS-88 crew is participating in a Crew Equipment Interface Test, which gives astronauts an opportunity for a hands-on look at the payloads on which they will be working while on orbit. STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for December 1998

Following the successful launch of the STS-88 crew aboard Endeavour from Launch Pad 39A at 3:35:34 a.m. EST, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (second from left) talks with astronauts (left to right) Jim Voss, Mark Polansky and Carl Walz. STS-88 is the first U.S. mission dedicated to the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). Voss is a member of the STS-100 crew which will be the eighth ISS assembly mission. Polansky is slated to fly on STS-98 which will be the sixth ISS assembly mission. Walz is currently assigned to fly on the ISS on the fourth long duration crew

The orbiter Columbia approaches touchdown on Runway 33 of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the nearly 16-day STS-90 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 12:08:59 p.m. EDT on May 3, 1998, landing on orbit 256 of the mission. The wheels stopped at 12:09:58 EDT, completing a total mission time of 15 days, 21 hours, 50 minutes and 58 seconds. The 90th Shuttle mission was Columbia's 13th landing at the space center and the 43rd KSC landing in the history of the Space Shuttle program. During the mission, the crew conducted research to contribute to a better understanding of the human nervous system. The crew of the STS-90 Neurolab mission include Commander Richard Searfoss; Pilot Scott Altman; Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, D.V.M., Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., with the Canadian Space Agency, and Kathryn (Kay) Hire; and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, STS-88 Commander Robert D. Cabana makes a visual inspection of the windows on Space Shuttle orbiter Endeavour. The STS-88 crew members are participating in a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), familiarizing themselves with the orbiter's midbody and crew compartments. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 3, 1998, STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). The primary payload is the Unity connecting module which will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module, expected to be already on orbit after a November launch from Russia. The first major U.S.-built component of ISS, Unity will serve as a connecting passageway to living and working areas of the space station. Unity has two attached pressurized mating adapters (PMAs) and one stowage rack installed inside. PMA-1 provides the permanent connection point between Unity and Zarya; PMA-2 will serve as a Space Shuttle docking port. Zarya is a self-supporting active vehicle, providing propulsive control capability and power during the early assembly stages. It also has fuel storage capability

XV-15 Rotor Installation in 80X120 ft. Wind Tunnel Test-0048. Noise Reduction

Time Series of Jupiter Aurora

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility -2 (SAEF-2), the two Mars microprobes are shown mounted on opposite sides of the Mars Polar Lander. The two microprobes and the lander are scheduled to be launched Jan. 3, 1999, aboard a Delta II rocket. The solar-powered spacecraft is designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. The Mars microprobes, called Deep Space 2, are part of NASA's New Millennium Program. They will complement the climate-related scientific focus of the lander by demonstrating an advanced, rugged microlaser system for detecting subsurface water. Such data on polar subsurface water, in the form of ice, should help put limits on scientific projections for the global abundance of water on Mars

Heavily cratered highlands dominate this view from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. Toward the lower right, a conspicuous light-colored circular depression marks the ancient large Hellas impact basin. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00191

STS-88 Mission Commander Robert D. Cabana suits up in the Operations and Checkout Building prior, as part of flight crew equipment fit check, to his trip to Launch Pad 39A. He is helped by suit tech (right) Lloyd Armintor and an unidentified KSC worker. The crew are at KSC to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) which includes mission familiarization activities, emergency egress training, and the simulated main engine cut-off exercise. This is Cabana's fourth space flight. Mission STS-88 is targeted for launch on Dec. 3, 1998. It is the first U.S. flight for the assembly of the International Space Station and will carry the Unity connecting module

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from Launch Pad 39B at 2:19 p.m. EDT Apr. 17 to begin the nearly 17-day STS-90 Neurolab mission. A torrent of water is seen flowing onto the mobile launcher platform as several large quench nozzles, or "rainbirds," mounted on platform's surface operate as a sound suppression system. The crew members are Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, D.V.M., Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., with the Canadian Space Agency, and Kathryn (Kay) Hire; and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system

NASA’s Lunar Prospector is readied for launch as its gantry-like service tower is rolled back again at Cape Canaveral Air Station’s Launch Complex 46. The launch, previously scheduled for Jan. 5, was postponed one day due to a problem with a range safety radar located at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. Lunar Prospector, built for the NASA Ames Research Center by Lockheed Martin, is a spin-stabilized spacecraft designed to provide NASA with the first global maps of the Moon’s surface and its gravitational magnetic fields, as well as look for the possible presence of ice near the lunar poles. It will orbit the Moon at an altitude of approximately 63 miles during a one-year mission. The launch of Lunar Prospector is now scheduled for Jan. 6, 1998 at 9:28 p.m. EST

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility -2 (SAEF-2), the Mars Climate Orbiter is in place for its spin test. Targeted for launch aboard a Delta II rocket on Dec. 10, 1998, the orbiter is heading for Mars where it will primarily support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, which is planned for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter's instruments will monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for 687 Earth days. It will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, as well as characterize seasonal changes on the surface. The detailed images of the surface features will provide important clues to the planet's early climate history and give scientists more information about possible liquid water reserves beneath the surface

Dr. Harry Mahtani analyzes the gas content of nutrient media from Bioreactor used in research on human breast cancer. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is sponsoring research with Bioreactors, rotating wall vessels designed to grow tissue samples in space, to understand how breast cancer works. This ground-based work studies the growth and assembly of human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) from breast cancer susceptible tissue. Radiation can make the cells cancerous, thus allowing better comparisons of healthy vs. tunourous tissues.

Standard Raw View of Mini-Matterhorn

Astronaut Stephen Oswald, at right, explains Shuttle operations to Ohio Senator John Glenn on the orbiter Columbia's middeck at the Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at Kennedy Space Center. Senator Glenn arrived at KSC on Jan. 20 to tour KSC operational areas and to view the launch of STS-89 later this week. Glenn, who made history in 1962 as the first American to orbit the Earth, completing three orbits in a five-hour flight aboard Friendship 7, will fly his second space mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery this October. Glenn is retiring from the Senate at the end of this year and will be a payload specialist aboard STS-95

STS-89 Commander Terrence Wilcutt arrives at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility in one of the T-38 aircraft traditionally flown by the astronaut corps. The eight STS-89 crew members flew into KSC from Johnson Space Center as final preparations are under way toward the scheduled liftoff on Jan. 22 of the Space Shuttle Endeavour on the eighth mission to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. After docking, STS-89 Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., will transfer to the space station, succeeding David Wolf, M.D., who will return to Earth aboard Endeavour. Dr. Thomas will live and work on Mir until June. STS-89 is scheduled for a Jan. 22 liftoff at 9:48 p.m. EST

STS-91 Mission Specialist Wendy B. Lawrence is learning how to operate an M-113 armored personnel carrier during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) training activities. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight to provide crews with an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. STS-91 is scheduled to be launched on June 2 with a launch window opening around 6:10 p.m. EDT. The mission will feature the ninth Shuttle docking with the Russian Space Station Mir, the first Mir docking for Discovery, the conclusion of Phase I of the joint U.S.-Russian International Space Station Program, and the first flight of the new Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank. The STS-91 flight crew also includes Commander Charles Precourt; Pilot Dominic Gorie; and Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ph.D.; Janet Kavandi, Ph.D.; and Valery Ryumin, with the Russian Space Agency. Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., will be returning to Earth with the crew after living more than four months aboard Mir

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Clad in their blue flight suits, STS-88 Mission Specialists (from left) Sergei Krikalev, a cosmonaut from Russia; Jerry L. Ross; and James H. Newman examine equipment from a toolbox that will be on the Space Shuttle Endeavour during their flight. Talking to Ross is Wayne Wedlake of United Space Alliance at Johnson Space Center, while Henry Thacker (facing camera), of Flight Crew Systems at KSC, looks on. Launch of mission STS-88 is targeted for Dec. 3, 1998. The STS-88 crew members are participating in a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) in the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 to familiarize themselves with the orbiter's midbody and crew compartments. STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). The primary payload is the Unity connecting module which will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module, expected to be already on orbit after a November launch from Russia. The first major U.S.-built component of ISS, Unity will serve as a connecting passageway to living and working areas of the space station. Unity has two attached pressurized mating adapters (PMAs) and one stowage rack installed inside. PMA-1 provides the permanent connection point between Unity and Zarya; PMA-2 will serve as a Space Shuttle docking port. Zarya is a self-supporting active vehicle, providing propulsive control capability and power during the early assembly stages. It also has fuel storage capability

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A fish-eye view of the flight deck of STS-95 Space Shuttle Discover

Hebes Chasma #1

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After a flawless mission, Endeavour prepares to land on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility to complete an 11-day, 19-hour and 18-minute-long STS-88 mission. At the controls is Commander Robert D. Cabana.. Other crew members on board are Pilot Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow and Mission Specialists Jerry L. Ross, Nancy J. Currie, James H. Newman and Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut. This is the tenth nighttime landing for a Space Shuttle, the fifth at Kennedy Space Center, and the ninth landing of Endeavour at KSC. On the 4.6-million-mile mission, Endeavour carried the U.S.-built Unity connecting module to begin construction of the International Space Station. The crew successfully mated Unity with the Russian-built Zarya control module during three space walks. With this mission, Ross completed seven space walks totaling 44 hours and 9 minutes, more than any other American space walker. Newman moved into third place for U.S. space walks with a total of 28 hours and 27 minutes on four excursions

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 Payload Specialist John Glenn, who is a senator from Ohio, looks over documentation under the watchful eyes of KSC workers during SPACEHAB familiarization at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility, Cape Canaveral. The mission, scheduled to launch Oct. 29, includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

These stands are filled with spectators watching and photographing the launch of STS-95. The viewing sites and roadways at Kennedy Space Center bulge with people and vehicles wanting to see Space Shuttle Discovery lift off. Extra attention has been drawn to the mission due to the addition to the crew of John H. Glenn Jr., a senator from Ohio. STS-95 is Glenn's second flight into space after 36 years; he was one of the original Project Mercury astronauts and flew his first mission in February 1962. The STS-95 mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as a SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

STS-88 Mission Specialist Jerry L. Ross arrives after dark at the Shuttle Landing Facility to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. The TCDT provides the crew with simulated countdown exercises, emergency egress training, and opportunities to inspect their mission payloads in the orbiter's payload bay. Mission STS-88 is targeted for launch on Dec. 3, 1998. It is the first U.S. flight for the assembly of the International Space Station and will carry the Unity connecting module. Others in the STS-88 crew are Commander Robert D. Cabana, Pilot Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow, Mission Specialists Nancy J. Currie and James H. Newman and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev. Ross and Newman will make three spacewalks to connect power, data and utility lines and install exterior equipment

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the growing dark of night, cranes maneuver the canister containing the U.S. laboratory module onto the bed of a trailer, waiting with its lights on for the move to the Space Station Processing Facility. Intended for the International Space Station, the lab is scheduled to undergo pre-launch preparations before its launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98. The laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in the areas of life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000

S89-E-5354 (28 Jan 1998) --- This Electronic Still Camera (ESC) image shows the Mir-24 crew having fun with the STS-89 crew just prior to the closing of the Docking Module (DM) hatch. The closing of the hatch will bring an end to the eighth Shuttle /Mir joint docking activities. The Mir-24 crew members are from the left - astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas, cosmonaut guest researcher (looking through camera); cosmonaut Pavel V. Vinogradov, flight engineer (wearing communications headset); and cosmonaut Anatoliy Y. Solovyev, commander (with the stand off cross or docking target in his hand). Thomas, replacing astronaut David A. Wolf as cosmonaut guest researcher, will be the last American astronaut to serve a tour aboard Russia's Mir Space Station. This ESC view was taken on January 28, 1998, at 22:28:29 GMT.

Jupiter G Impact Evolution

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-91 crew participate in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) for their upcoming Space Shuttle mission at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility in Cape Canaveral. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the payloads with which they will be working on-orbit. STS-91 will be the ninth and final scheduled Mir docking and will include a single module of SPACEHAB, used mainly as a large pressurized cargo container for science, logistical equipment and supplies to be exchanged between the orbiter Discovery and the Russian Space Station Mir. The nearly 10-day flight of STS-91 also is scheduled to include the return of the last astronaut to live and work aboard the Russian orbiting outpost, Mission Specialist Andy Thomas, Ph.D. Liftoff of Discovery and its six-member crew is targeted for May 28, 1998, at 8:05 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. Sitting in front of SPACEHAB is STS-91 Commander Charles Precourt listening to instruction by Chris Jaskolka, Boeing SPACEHAB Program senior engineer, as Lynn Ashby, Boeing SPACEHAB Program principal engineer, looks on

Ohio Senator John Glenn, at right, sits in the flight deck of the orbiter Columbia as astronaut Stephen Oswald listens to his questions regarding some of the flight equipment at the Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at Kennedy Space Center. Senator Glenn arrived at KSC on Jan. 20 to tour KSC operational areas and to view the launch of STS-89 later this week. Glenn, who made history in 1962 as the first American to orbit the Earth, completing three orbits in a five-hour flight aboard Friendship 7, will fly his second space mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery this October. Glenn is retiring from the Senate at the end of this year and will be a payload specialist aboard STS-95

True and false color views of Jupiter from NASA's Galileo spacecraft show an equatorial "hotspot" on Jupiter. These images cover an area 34,000 kilometers by 11,000 kilometers (about 21,100 by 6,800 miles). The top mosaic combines the violet and near infrared continuum filter images to create an image similar to how Jupiter would appear to human eyes. Differences in coloration are due to the composition and abundances of trace chemicals in Jupiter's atmosphere. The bottom mosaic uses Galileo's three near-infrared wavelengths displayed in red, green, and blue) to show variations in cloud height and thickness. Bluish clouds are high and thin, reddish clouds are low, and white clouds are high and thick. The dark blue hotspot in the center is a hole in the deep cloud with an overlying thin haze. The light blue region to the left is covered by a very high haze layer. The multicolored region to the right has overlapping cloud layers of different heights. Galileo is the first spacecraft to distinguish cloud layers on Jupiter. North is at the top. The mosaic covers latitudes 1 to 10 degrees and is centered at longitude 336 degrees west. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. These images were taken on December 17, 1996, at a range of 1.5 million kilometers (about 930,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging camera system aboard Galileo. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00602

In the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility (SPPF), STS-95 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Payload Specialist John Glenn (center), who is a senator from Ohio, talks with a KSC worker (left) about a piece of equipment that will fly on the mission while Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski, M.D., (right) examines another item . Standing behind Glenn, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain, who represents the European Space Agency (ESA), talks with another worker. STS-95 crew members have been participating in SPACEHAB familiarization in the SPPF. Scheduled to launch Oct. 29, the mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) in the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) at Launch Pad 39-B, technicians in clean suits and tethers prepare to move the payloads for mission STS-95 through the open doors of the payload bay (right) of Space Shuttle Discovery. At the top of the RSS is the Spacehab module; below it are the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbiting Systems Test Platform (HOST), and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3). The PCR is an environmentally controlled facility with seals around the mating surface that fit against the orbiter or payload canister and permit the payload bay or canister doors to be opened and cargo removed without exposing it to outside air and contaminants. Payloads are installed vertically in the orbiter using the extendable payload ground handling mechanism. Fixed and extendable work platforms provide work access in the PCR. The SPACEHAB single module involves experiments on space flight and the aging process. Spartan is a solar physics spacecraft designed to perform remote sensing of the hot outer layers of the sun's atmosphere or corona. HOST carries four experiments to validate components planned for installation during the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and to evaluate new technologies in an Earth-orbiting environment. IEH-3 comprises several experiments that will study the Jovian planetary system, hot stars, planetary and reflection nebulae, other stellar objects and their environments through remote observation of EUV/FUV emissions; study spacecraft interactions, Shuttle glow, thruster firings, and contamination; and measure the solar constant and identify variations in the value during a solar cycle. Mission STS-95 is scheduled to launch Oct. 29, 1998

S98-08730 (9 April 1998) --- Four members of the STS-95 crew participate in a food tasting session at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). From the left are Stephen K. Robinson, mission specialist; payload specialist Chiaki Mukai of Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA); U.S. Sen. John H. Glenn Jr., payload specialist; and Curtis L. Brown Jr., mission commander. They will be joined by three other astronauts when Discovery lifts off in late October of this year for a scheduled nine-day mission. The photo was taken by Joe McNally, National Geographic, for NASA.

This image of Jupiter icy satellite Europa shows surface features such as domes and ridges, as well as a region of disrupted terrain including crustal plates which are thought to have broken apart and rafted into new positions.

A KSC worker paints the NASA logo on the port wing of the orbiter Endeavour, which is scheduled to launch in December for STS-88. The paint is a special pigment that takes 18 hours to dry; the whole process takes approximately two weeks to complete. The NASA logo, termed "meatball," was originally designed in the late 1950s. It symbolized NASA’s role in aeronautics and space in the early years of the agency. The original design included a white border surrounding it. The border was dropped for the Apollo 7 mission in October 1968, replaced with royal blue to match the background of the emblem. In 1972 the logo was replaced by a simple and contemporary design the "worm" which was retired from use last year. NASA reverted to its original logo in celebration of the agency’s 40th anniversary in October, and the "golden age" of America’s space program. All the orbiters will bear the new logo

STS-95 crew members gather around the Vestibular Function Experiment Unit (VFEU) which includes marine fish called toadfish. In foreground, from left, are Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of the European Space Agency (ESA), a technician from the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai of NASDA, Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, and Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., who also is a senator from Ohio. At center, facing the camera, are Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski and Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., in back. STS-95 will feature a variety of research payloads, including the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, and experiments on space flight and the aging process. STS-95 is targeted for an Oct. 29 launch aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery

Tharsis-centered volcanic and tectonic activity resulted in the formation of radial grabens of Memnonia Fossae, which cut materials of the ancient cratered highlands and the relatively young, highland-embaying lava flows as seen by NASA's Viking Orbiter 2. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00151

During Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) in the Payload Bay of Discovery, STS-95 Mission Specialist Pedro Duque (center),of the European Space Agency, and Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson (right), look over the Spartan payload that is part of the mission. At left is Keith Johnson, United Space Alliance-Houston. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity for a hands-on look at the payloads and equipment with which they will be working on orbit. The launch of the STS-95 mission is scheduled for Oct. 29, 1998. The mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Two USA employees, Tim Seymour (at left) and Danny Brown (at right), look at the network signal processor (NSP) that was responsible for postponement of the launch of STS-90 on Apr. 16. The Space Shuttle Columbia's liftoff from Launch Pad 39B was postponed 24 hours due to difficulty with NSP No. 2 on the orbiter. This device formats data and voice communications between the ground and the Space Shuttle. The unit, which is located in the orbiter's mid-deck, was removed and replaced on Apr. 16. Mission managers first noticed the problem at about 3 a.m. during normal communications systems activation prior to tanking operations. As a result, work to load the external tank with the cryogenic propellants did not begin and launch postponement was made official at about 8:15 a.m. STS-90 is slated to be the launch of Neurolab, a nearly 17-day mission to examine the effects of spaceflight on the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and sensory organs in the human body.

During the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) in the payload bay of Discovery, STS-95 Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson (right) checks a cable that can be used to close a hatch on the orbiter. Looking over his shoulder are Mission Specialist Pedro Duque (center), of the European Space Agency, and Keith Johnson (left), United Space Alliance-Houston. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity for a hands-on look at the payloads and equipment they will be using on orbit. The launch of the STS-95 mission, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, is scheduled for Oct. 29, 1998. The mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-90 Mission Specialist Richard Linnehan, D.V.M., is assisted by NASA and United Space Alliance closeout crew members immediately preceding launch for the nearly 17-day Neurolab mission. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Linnehan and six fellow crew members will shortly enter the orbiter at KSC's Launch Pad 39B, where the Space Shuttle Columbia will lift off during a launch window that opens at 2:19 p.m. EDT, April 17

Under the watchful eye of Capt. George Hoggard, trainer with the KSC Fire Department, STS-95 crew members participate in training on the M-113, a small armored personnel carrier, that is part of emergency egress training. Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown (front right) takes his turn in the driver's seat. Behind him are other crew members Payload Specialist John H. Glenn, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain (behind Glenn), then (left to right) Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialists Stephen K. Robinson and Scott E. Parazynski. Duque represents the European Space Agency (ESA). The tracked vehicle could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. The STS-95 crew is at KSC to participate in a Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) which also includes mission familiarization activities and a simulated main engine cut-off exercise. The other member on the mission is Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, representing the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). STS-95, which is targeted for launch on Oct. 29, 1998, includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

STS095-E-5237 (4 Nov. 1998) --- Astronaut Duque has his hands full of reference papers in the Spacehab facility during Flight Day 7 activity onboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The photo was taken with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 17:53:38 GMT, Nov. 4.

S88-E-5172 (12-15-98) --- MightySat, a 705-pound U.S. Air Force/Phillips Laboratory satellite, moves away from the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The tiny satellite was ejected from a canister in the shuttle's cargo bay. The photo was taken with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 02:13:54 GMT, Dec. 15.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, a solid rocket booster hangs in place between two other rocket boosters waiting to be mated with the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998

Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility prepare to unload the STS-95 payloads from the payload bay of the orbiter Discovery. The experiments will be returned to their respective hosts. The mission included the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia begins its rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the STS-90 mission. The Neurolab experiments are the primary payload on this nearly 17-day space flight. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT, includes Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95: Discovery

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Attached to the second stage of a Boeing Delta II at Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, is the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Satellite-1 (SEDSat-1). An international project, SEDSat-1 is a secondary payload on the Deep Space 1 mission and will be deployed 88 minutes after launch over Hawaii. The satellite includes cameras for imaging Earth, a unique attitude determination system, and amateur radio communication capabilities. Deep Space 1, targeted for launch on Oct. 24, is the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program and is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century