S98-08732 (9 April 1998) --- Holding a 35mm camera, U.S. Sen. John H. Glenn Jr. (D.-Ohio) gets a refresher course in photography from a JSC crew trainer (out of frame, right). The STS-95 payload specialist carried a 35mm camera on his historic MA-6 flight over 36 years ago. The photo was taken by Joe McNally, National Geographic, for NASA.

Viewed looking forward, this Spacelab module is empty now, being prepared in the Operations & Checkout Building for shipment to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Visible on the floor are the foot restraints used by astronauts to keep them stationary while conducting experiments. Spacelab was designed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Space Shuttle program. It first flew on STS-9 in November 1983 and its final flight was the STS-90 Neurolab mission in April 1998. The Spacelab concept of modular experiment racks in a pressurized shirt-sleeve environment made it highly user-friendly and accessible. Numerous experiments conceived by hundreds of scientists on the ground were conducted by flight crews in orbit. Spacelab modules served as on-orbit homes for everything from squirrel monkeys to plant seeds. They supported astronomical as well as Earth observations, for servicing the Hubble Space Telescope and for research preparatory to the International Space Station. One of the greatest benefits afforded by the Spacelab missions was the opportunity to fly a mission more than once, with the second or third flight building on the experiences and data gathered from its predecessors

STS090-350-002 (17 April - 3 May 1998) --- Astronaut Dafydd R. (Dave) Williams, mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), is pictured during a Neurolab pulmonary function test. Williams joined four NASA astronauts and two payload specialists for 16-days aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in support of the Neurolab mission.

This color image, acquired during NASA Galileo ninth orbit around Jupiter, shows two volcanic plumes on Io. One plume was captured on the bright limb or edge of the moon, erupting over a caldera volcanic depression named Pillan Patera.

Jupiter Equatorial Region in Violet Light Time Set 3

Crowds of thousands line the grassy shoulders of the parkways at Kennedy Space Center to view the launch of STS-95. 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

Thera and Thrace Macula on Europa

S88-E-5010 (12-05-98) --- Operating at a control panel on Endeavour's aft flight deck, astronaut Nancy J. Currie works with the robot arm prior to mating the 12.8-ton Unity connecting module to Endeavour's docking system. The mating took place on late afternoon of Dec. 5. A nearby monitor provides a view of the remote manipulator system's (RMS) movements in the cargo bay. The feat marked an important step in assembling the new International Space Station. Manipulating the shuttle's 50-foot-long robot arm, Currie placed Unity just inches above the extended outer ring on Endeavour's docking mechanism, enabling Robert D. Cabana, mission commander to fire downward maneuvering jets, locking the shuttle's docking system to one of two Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA) attached to Unity. The mating occurred at 5:45 p.m. Central time, as Endeavour sailed over eastern China.

In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Unity connecting module, part of the International Space Station, is shown with Pressurized Mating Adapters 1 (left) and 2 (right) attached. Unity is scheduled to undergo testing of the common berthing mechanism to which other space station elements will dock. Unity is the primary payload on mission STS-88, targeted to launch Dec. 3, 1998. Other testing includes 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. 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

Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-12 quadrangle, Arabia region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00172

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-91 Mission Specialist Valery Ryumin, with the Russian Space Agency, reaches for a lever which releases a slidewire basket as Mission Commander Charles Precourt looks on during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) training activities at the 195-foot level of Launch Complex 39A. The crew is practicing emergency egress procedures during the TCDT, a dress rehearsal for launch. 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 Pilot Dominic Gorie and Mission Specialists Wendy B. Lawrence; Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ph.D.; and Janet Kavandi, Ph.D. Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., will be returning to Earth with the crew after living more than four months aboard Mir

Five astronauts and two payload specialists take a break in training for the Neurolab mission to pause for a crew portrait. The Spacelab mission was conducted aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-90 which launched on April 17, 1998. Astronauts Richard A. Searfoss, commander (right front); and Scott D. Altman, pilot (left front). Other crew members (back row, left to right) are James A. (Jim) Pawelczyk, Ph.D., payload specialist; and astronauts Richard M. Linnehan, Kathryn P. Hire, and Dafydd R. (Dave) Williams, all mission specialists; along with payload specialist Jay C. Buckey, Jr., MD. Linnehan and Williams, alumnus of the 1995 class of astronaut candidates (ASCAN), represents the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On a workstand in the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. laboratory module, an element of the International Space Station, is ready for 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

STS-91 Pilot Dominic Gorie 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 and Mission Specialists Wendy B. Lawrence; 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

In their flight seats aboard Space Shuttle Discovery are (front to back) STS-95 Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai (M.D., Ph.D.), representing the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), and John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, and Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson. Mukai, Glenn and Robinson, along with 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. Not shown are Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain, representing the European Space Agency (ESA), 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

The orbiter Columbia touches down 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

A Tumultuous Past for Ganymede Dark Terrain

Aerial view of Press Site, August 6, 1998.(Note the replacement of the geodesic dome with a permanent facility [just right of center].)

S89-E-5310 (26 Jan 1998) --- This Electronic Still Camera (ESC) image shows astronauts David A. Wolf, former cosmonaut guest researcher (on left), and Andrew S. W. Thomas, future cosmonaut guest researcher. Wolf, during hand-over operations, explains the use of this scientific piece of equipment to Thomas, who will use this equipment during his tour aboard the Russian Mir Space Station. This ESC view was taken on January 26, 1998, at 15:50:31 MET.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Taken during the STS-95 mission from a point over Cuba, this photo shows an oblique, foreshortened view of the Florida Peninsula, with the light blue, shallow seafloor of both the Florida Keys (curving across the bottom of the view) and the Bahama banks (right). "Popcorn" cumulus cloud covers Miami and the Southern Everglades, although the built-up area from Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach can be discerned. Lake Okeechobee is the prominent waterbody in Florida. Cape Canaveral is shown well, half way up the peninsula. Orlando appears as the lighter patch West (left) of Cape Canaveral, near the middle of the peninsula. Cape Hatteras appears top right, with the North part of Chesapeake Bay also visible. This is a visibility of 16 degrees of latitude (23 degrees N over Cuba to 39 degrees at Baltimore), showing unusual atmospheric clarity.

Super Resolution View of Mini-Matterhorn

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-90 Payload Specialist James Pawelczyk, Ph.D., tosses mission hats to his two children shortly after arrival at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The crew of STS-90 arrived at KSC in preparation for their mission, scheduled for launch from KSC's Launch Pad 39B on April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT. The flight of Neurolab is scheduled to last nearly 17 days.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Swordtail fish (Xiphophorus helleri), like those that are part of the Neurolab payload on Space Shuttle Mission STS-90, are shown in their holding tank in the Operations and Checkout Building. The fish will fly in the Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System (CEBAS) Minimodule, a middeck locker-sized fresh water habitat, designed to allow the controlled incubation of aquatic species in a self-stabilizing, artifical ecosystem for up to three weeks under space conditions. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT, include Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, D.V.M., Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

STS088-352-034 (4-15 Dec. 1998) --- This scene photographed from the top of Node 1 shows the nose of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, during one of three space walks. Astronaut James H. Newman, mission specialist (frame center), was joined by astronaut Jerry L. Ross, mission specialist (out of frame), for the extravehicular activity (EVA) to ready for release the recently-joined Russian-built Zarya Module (FGB) and the United States-built Unity (Node 1) Module. Fellow crew members Robert D. Cabana, commander (left window), and Frederick W. ?Rick? Sturckow, pilot, observe the EVA through aft flight deck overhead windows at left center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)-2 for the International Space Station (ISS) awaits being mated with Node 1, the space station’s structural building block, in KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility. This PMA, identifiable by its bright red ring, is a cone-shaped connector to Node 1, which will have two PMAs attached once this mate is completed. 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

Jupiter atmospheric circulation is dominated by alternating eastward and westward jets from equatorial to polar latitudes. This image was taken on April 3, 1997, by NASA Galileo spacecraft.

NASA SIR-C/X-SAR is shown here in the payload bay of the orbiting space shuttle Endeavour STS-59, with an area of the Pacific Ocean northeast of Hawaii in the background.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 crew members get a briefing on equipment inside the SPACEHAB module from Chris Jaskolka of Boeing, second from left. Listening intently are crew members, from left, Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, representing the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA); Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson; and Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., who also is a senator from Ohio. 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 Shuttle/Gantry mockup and Post Show Dome anchor the northeast corner of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The Astronaut Memorial is located just above. Sprawling across 70 acres on Florida's Space Coast, the complex is located off State Road 405, NASA Parkway, six miles inside the Space Center entrance. The building at the upper left is the Theater Complex. Other exhibits and buildings on the site are the Center for Space Education, Cafeteria, Space Flight Exhibit Building, Souvenir Sales Building, Spaceport Central, Ticket Pavilion and Center for Space Education

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Defense Satellite Communications Systems Processing Facility (DPF), Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), the lower part of Deep Space 1 is enclosed with the conical section leaves of the payload transportation container prior to its move to Launch Pad 17A. The spacecraft is targeted for launch Oct. 25 aboard a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket. 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

Sojourner Rover Tracks in Compressible Soil

The Space Shuttle Endeavour cuts a bright swath through the dark sky as it blazes a trail toward the Russian Space Station Mir. Endeavour lifted off successfully at its scheduled time of 9:48:15 p.m. EST on Jan. 22 from Pad 39A. STS-89 is the eighth docking with the Russian Space Station Mir, the first Mir docking for Endeavour (all previous dockings were made by Atlantis), and the first launch of 1998. After docking with Mir, 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

This perspective view of Venus, generated by computer from NASA Magellan data and color-coded with emissivity, shows the boundary between the lowland plains and characteristic Venusian highland terrain in Ovda Region. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00311

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers watch as the fairing for Deep Space 1 is lifted on the Mobile Service Tower to its place on the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch on Oct. 15, 1998. 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

X-33 (Leeward) Aeroshell flight test instrumentation bond verification procedure (shop)

The orbiter Columbia touches down 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. -- STS-88 Mission Specialists Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev (left) and James H. Newman (right) are ready to leave Launch Pad 39A in the slidewire basket during an emergency egress exercise. 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. 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. Unity will be mated with the already orbiting Russian-built Zarya control module. The 12-day mission includes three planned spacewalks to connect power, data and utility lines and install exterior equipment

STS-88 Mission Specialist James H. Newman gets assistance from suit technician Terri McKinney while donning his orange launch and entry suit in the Operations and Checkout Building. STS-88 will be Newman’s third spaceflight. He also is scheduled to perform three spacewalks on the mission. He and the five other STS-88 crew members will depart shortly for Launch Pad 39A where the Space Shuttle Endeavour is poised for liftoff on the first U.S. mission dedicated to the assembly of the International Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle orbiter Endeavour touches down on Runway 15 of the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) to complete the nearly nine-day STS-89 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 5:35:09 p.m. EST on Jan. 31, 1998. The wheels stopped at 5:36:19 EST, completing a total mission time of eight days, 19 hours, 48 minutes and four seconds. The 89th Space Shuttle mission was the 42nd (and 13th consecutive) landing of the orbiter at KSC, and STS-89 was the eighth of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. STS-89 Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., succeeded NASA astronaut and Mir 24 crew member David Wolf, M.D., who was on the Russian space station since late September 1997. Dr. Wolf returned to Earth on Endeavour with the remainder 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. Dr. Thomas is scheduled to remain on Mir 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-88 crew members pose for a photograph in the white room, an environmental chamber, on launch pad 39A. In the front row are (left) Mission Commander Robert D. Cabana, Mission Specialists Jerry L. Ross (kneeling) and Nancy J. Currie; in the back row are Pilot Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow and Mission Specialists James H. Newman and Sergei Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut. The crew are at KSC to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), a dress rehearsal for launch. 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

STS088-703-019 (4-15 Dec. 1998) --- The U.S.-built Unity connecting module (bottom) and the Russian-built Zarya module are backdropped against the blackness of space in this 70mm photograph taken from the Space Shuttle Endeavour. After devoting the major portion of its mission time to various tasks to ready the two docked modules for their International Space Station (ISS) roles, the six-member STS-88 crew released the tandem and performed a fly-around survey of the hardware.

STS088-322-035 (4 - 15 DECEMBER 1998) --- Three STS-88 crew members are pictured in one of two Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA) connected to the Unity and Zarya modules. Taking pictures in the foreground is astronaut Jerry L. Ross, mission specialist. Others are astronaut Robert D. Cabana (left), mission commander, and cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, mission specialist representing the Russian Space Agency (RSA).

STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., a senator from Ohio and one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts, suits up in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building prior to his trip to Launch Pad 39-B. Glenn and the rest of the STS-95 crew 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, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain, representing the European Space Agency (ESA), 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

Jupiter atmospheric circulation is dominated by alternating eastward and westward jets from equatorial to polar latitudes. This image was taken on April 3, 1997, by NASA Galileo spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, Program Manager of the International Space Station (ISS) Randy Brinkley addresses the media before unveiling the name of "Destiny" given the U.S. Lab module, the centerpiece of scientific research on the ISS. With Brinkley on the stand are Center Director Roy Bridges (behind him), and (left to right) STS-98 Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky, and Mission Specialist Marsha Ivins. The lab, which is behind them on a workstand, is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early 2000. It will become the centerpiece of scientific research on the International Space Station. Polansky, Cockrell and Ivins are part of the five-member crew expected to be aboard. The Shuttle will spend six days docked to the station while the laboratory is attached and three space walks are conducted to complete its assembly. The laboratory will be launched with five equipment racks aboard, which will provide essential functions for station systems, including high data-rate communications, and maintain the station's orientation using control gyroscopes launched earlier. Additional equipment and research racks will be installed in the laboratory on subsequent Shuttle flights

S88-E-5113 (12-10-98) --- Sergei Krikalev, mission specialist representing the Russian Space Agency (RSA), totes a notebook onboard the Unity connecting module while he and two crewmates perform various tasks to ready it for its ISS role. The photo was taken with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 20:27:03 GMT, Dec. 10.

STS088-S-006 (4 Dec. 1998) --- The Space Shuttle Endeavour lights up the night sky as it embarks on the first mission dedicated to the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff occurred at 3:35:34 a.m. (EST), December 4, 1998, from Launch Pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. Onboard were astronauts Robert D. Cabana, mission commander; Frederick W. Sturckow, pilot; Nancy J. Currie, Jerry L. Ross and James H. Newman, along with Russian Space Agency (RSA) cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, all mission specialists.

Lava Flows On Ascraeus Mons Volcano

Richard G. (Dick) Ewers became a pilot in the Flight Crew Branch of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, in May 1998. His flying duties focus on operation of the Airborne Science DC-8 and Systems Research F/A-18 aircraft, but he also maintains qualifications in the King Air and T-34C. He has more than 32 years and nearly 9,000 hours of military and civilian flight experience in all types of aircraft from jet fighters to blimps. Ewers came to NASA Dryden from a position as an engineering test pilot with Northrop Grumman's Electronic Sensors and Systems Division (formerly Westinghouse's Electronic Systems Group). He spent eight and a half years with Westinghouse flight testing radar and forward looking infrared systems under development for military and civilian use. Before going to work for Westinghouse, Ewers served for more than 21 years as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter and test pilot, flying F-4, A-4, and F/A-18 aircraft. He underwent flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., in 1969-70. He was subsequently assigned to both fighter/attack and reconnaissance squadrons before ultimately commanding an F-4S squadron for two years. Additionally, his flying included combat service in Vietnam and operational exchange tours with both U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force squadrons flying F-4s around the world, including off aircraft carriers. Ewers graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1981 and subsequently served two tours as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Md. Most of his flight test experience was with the F/A-18 Hornet. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1989 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Ewers graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1968 with a bachelor of science degree in engineering mechanics. He earned a master of science degree in aeronautical systems from the University of West Florida in 1970.

This is the first image of Saturn's ultraviolet aurora taken by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in October 1998, when Saturn was a distance of 810 million miles (1.3 billion kilometers) from Earth. The new instrument, used as a camera, provides more than 10 times the sensitivity of the previous HST instruments in the ultraviolet. STIS images reveal exquisite detail never before seen in the spectacular auroral curtains of light that encircle Saturn's north and south poles which rise more than a thousand miles above the cloud tops. Saturn's auroral displays are caused by an energetic wind from the Sun that sweeps over the planet, much like the Earth's aurora that is occasionally seen in the nighttime sky. Unlike the Earth, Saturn's aurora is only seen in ultraviolet light that is invisible from the Earth's surface, hence can only be observed from space.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) gets a facelift with the repainting of the American flag and replacing of the bicentennial emblem with the NASA logo. The painting honors NASA’s 40th anniversary on Oct. 1 and is expected to be complete in mid-September. The flag spans an area 209 feet by 110 feet, or about 23, 437 square feet. Each stripe is 9 feet wide and each star is 6 feet in diameter. The logo, also known as the "meatball," will measure 110 feet by 132 feet, or about 12,300 square feet. Workers, suspended on platforms from the top of the 525-foot-high VAB, are using rollers and brushes to do the painting. The entire fleet of orbiters is also receiving the addition of the NASA logo on their wings and sidewalls

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With its drag chute deployed, the orbiter Discovery touches down on Runway 15 of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the STS-91 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 2:00:18 p.m. EDT on June 12, 1998, landing on orbit 155 of the mission. The wheels stopped at 2:01:22 p.m. EDT, for a total mission-elapsed time of 9 days, 19 hours, 55 minutes and 1 second. The 91st Shuttle mission was the 44th KSC landing in the history of the Space Shuttle program and the 15th consecutive landing at KSC. During the mission, the orbiter docked with the Russian space station Mir for the ninth time, concluding Phase I of the joint U.S.-Russian International Space Station Program. STS-91 also featured first flights for both the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and the Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank. The STS-91 flight crew included Mission Commander Charles J. Precourt; Pilot Dominic L. Gorie; and Mission Specialists Wendy B. Lawrence, Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Janet Lynn Kavandi and Valery Victorovitch Ryumin of the Russian Space Agency. Astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas also returned to Earth from Mir as an STS-91 crew member after 141 days in space

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Stairs are rolled to the forward opening of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with its piggyback cargo, the orbiter Atlantis after it rolls to a stop at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Atlantis returns home after a 10-month stay in the Palmdale, CA, orbiter processing facility undergoing extensive inspections and modifications. They included several upgrades enabling it to support International Space Station missions, such as adding an external airlock for ISS docking missions and installing thinner, lighter thermal protection blankets for weight reduction which will allow it to haul heavier cargo. The flight from Palmdale included a fueling stop in Ft. Hood, TX, and overnight stay at Ft. Campbell, KY. Atlantis will undergo preparations in the Orbiter Processing Facility at KSC for its planned flight in June 1999

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-90 Commander Richard Searfoss 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. Searfoss and his 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

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by NASA U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In a view from Press Site 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, a Boeing Delta II (7326) rocket lights up the ground as it propels Deep Space 1 into the sky after liftoff from Launch Complex 17A. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, the spacecraft is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century, including the ion propulsion engine. Propelled by the gas xenon, the engine is being flight-tested for future deep space and Earth-orbiting missions. 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

Cydonia Region - Pass #2

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)-2 for the International Space Station (ISS) is moved on an air pallet toward Node 1, the space station’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. 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Wearing special protective suits, workers ready NASA’s Deep Space 1 spacecraft for prelaunch processing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC. Targeted for launch on a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket on Oct. 15, 1998, the first flight in NASA’s New Millennium Program 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

Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-11 quadrangle, Oxia Palus region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00171

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. Seen here are STS-91 Mission Specialist Valery Ryumin with the Russian Space Agency and his Russian Interpreter Olga Belozerova

Technicians check the connections on the workstand holding the Mars Climate Orbiter in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2). The Mars Climate Orbiter is heading for Mars where it will primarily support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, planned for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. After that, the Mars Climate Orbiter's instruments will monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for one Martian year (two Earth years). 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. The scheduled launch date for the Mars Climate Orbiter is Dec. 10, 1998, on a Boeing Delta II 7425 rocket

On its 256th orbit of Mars, the camera on-board NASA Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft successfully observed the vicinity of the Mars Pathfinder landing site. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail.

Pathfinder Rover Atop Mermaid

This picture from NASA's Viking Orbiter 2 shows areas of central Valles Marineris, Mars, including Candor Chasm lower left, Ophir Chasm lower right, and Hebes Chasm upper right. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00155

S89-E-5237 (26 Jan 1998) --- This Electronic Still Camera (ESC) image shows the new Mir-24 crew members posing onboard the Russian Mir Space Station. They are from left to right, cosmonaut Pavel V. Vinogradov, flight engineer; cosmonaut Anatoliy Y. Solovyev, commander; and astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas, cosmonaut guest researcher. Thomas, replacing astronaut David A. Wolf as cosmonaut guest researcher, will be the last American to serve a tour onboard the Mir. This ESC view was taken on January 26th, 1998, at 12:55:31 MET.

The first stage of Boeing's Delta 7326 rocket, which will be used to launch the Deep Space 1 spacecraft, arrives at Pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Targeted for launch on Oct. 15, 1998, this first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program 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. -- STS-90 Mission Specialist Kathryn (Kay) Hire waves to friends and family members near Launch Pad 39B, from which she and the rest of the seven-member crew are scheduled to launch aboard Columbia on May 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT. The astronauts are under strict health stabilization guidelines to protect them from close contact with persons who do not have health stabilization clearance. This is the 25th flight of Columbia and the 90th mission flown since the start of the Space Shuttle program. STS-90 is a nearly 17-day life sciences research flight that will focus on the most complex and least understood part of the human body the nervous system. Neurolab will examine the effects of spaceflight on the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and sensory organs in the human body

The STS-91 flight crew poses for a group portrait in the white room on the Orbiter Access Arm at Launch Complex 39A during 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. From left to right, they are (back row) Pilot Dominic Gorie; Mission Specialist Wendy B. Lawrence and Mission Commander Charles Precourt; and (front row) Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ph.D.; Valery Ryumin, with the Russian Space Agency; and Janet Kavandi, Ph.D. 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. Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., will be returning to Earth with the crew after living more than four months aboard Mir

STS095-E-5124 (31 Oct. 1998) --- Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-95 mission specialist, with scissors and food packet on Discovery's middeck. The photo was taken with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 9:52:20 GMT, Oct. 31.

In a firing room of the Launch Control Center, KSC Director of Shuttle Operations Robert B. Sieck (center) gives a thumbs up after the successful launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STs-88 at 3:35:34 a.m. EST. With him are NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin (left) and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (right). Sieck is wearing around his neck the Distinguished Service Medal presented to him by Goldin following the launch. The medal, the highest honor NASA confers on a government employee, recognizes someone who has personally made a contribution representing substantial and extraordinary progress to the mission of NASA

STS-95 Pilot Steven W. Lindsey tests his flight suit in the Operations and Checkout Building. The final fitting takes place prior to the crew walkout and transport to Launch Pad 39B. Targeted for launch at 2 p.m. EST on Oct. 29, the mission is expected to last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and return to KSC at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7. 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 the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

The STS-95 crew members Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai and John H. Glenn Jr., Mission Specialist Pedro Duque and Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr. look at the inside of the SPACEHAB module at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The crew is on a familiarization tour of the module and equipment that will fly with them on the Space Shuttle Discovery scheduled to launch 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

STS-95 Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr. (left) presents a composite photograph of images taken during the STS-95 mission to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Director Roy Bridges in the Training Auditorium. The auditorium is filled with KSC employees who were invited to hear the crew describe their experiences during their successful mission dedicated to microgravity research and to view a videotape of the highlights of the mission. The other crew members are Pilot Steven W. Lindsey; Mission Specialist and Payload Commander Stephen K. Robinson; Mission Specialists Scott E. Parazynski and Pedro Duque, with the European Space Agency (ESA); and Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), and John H. Glenn Jr., a senator from Ohio and one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts. Later in the afternoon, the crew will participate in a parade down State Road A1A in nearby Cocoa Beach, reminiscent of those held after missions during the Mercury Program

STS088-353-008 (4-15 Dec. 1998) --- Astronaut James H. Newman, mission specialist, translates along a hand rail on the Russian-built Zarya Module in this Extravehicular Activity (EVA) photograph taken by astronaut Jerry L. Ross, mission specialist. Ross and Newman shared three space walks altogether to perform cable connection tasks and to put finishing touches on the exteriors of the recently-joined Zarya and the United States-built Unity (Node 1) modules. Unity is partially visible beneath Zarya, as is most of the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm is partially visible, also.

Apex wing section undergoing loading test preparation by Mark Nunnelee and Eliseo Sanchez

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians and workers observe preparations to join the Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)-2, seen here in its yellow workstand at right, to Node 1 (the International Space Station’s [ISS] 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. The node (surrounded here by scaffolding) 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

Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-30 quadrangle, Mare Australe region of Mars. This image is from NASA's Viking Orbiter 1. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00190

STS089-362-010 (22-31 Jan. 1998) --- Astronaut Terrence W. (Terry) Wilcutt, STS-89 mission commander, peruses data on a checklist at the commander's station on the port side of the space shuttle Endeavour's flight deck. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility begin installing 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

At Launch Pad 39-B, a Safety Egress trainer explains the use of the slidewire basket system for emergency egress before launch to STS-95 crew members (left to right) Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, , Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown (behind Robinson), Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Payload Specialists John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, Chiaki Mukai (in front of Glenn), representing the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain, representing the European Space Agency, and Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski . The STS-95 crew are at KSC to participate in a Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) which includes mission familiarization activities, emergency egress training, and a simulated main engine cut-off exercise. 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

Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis takes flight on its STS-27 mission, December 2, 1988, utilizing 375,000 pounds of thrust produced by its three main engines. The engines start in 3.9 seconds of ignition and go to static pump speeds of approximately 35,000 revolutions per minute during that time. The Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibility of Space Shuttle propulsion elements, including the Main Engines. The STS-27 mission, the third mission dedicated to the Department of Defense (DOD), was crewed by five astronauts: Robert L. Gibson, commander; Guy S. Gardner, pilot; and mission specialists Richard M. Mullane, Jerry L. Ross, and William M. Shepherd.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) attach a solar panel to Deep Space 1. The payload 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

STS088-322-021 (4-15 DECEMBER 1998) --- Astronaut Robert D. Cabana (left), mission commander, and cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, mission specialist representing the Russian Space Agency (RSA), plan their approach to tasks in the U.S.-built Unity module. All six STS-88 crew members were involved in tasks to ready Unity and the now-connected Russian-built FGB module, also called Zarya, for their International Space Station (ISS) roles. Krikalev has been named as a member of the first ISS crew.

This anaglyph view of Flute Top was produced by NASA Mars Pathfinder Imager camera. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail.

S89-E-5215 (25 Jan 1998) --- Astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas dons the Sokol spacesuit of David A. Wolf, who has been onboard Russia's Mir Space Station since September 1997. An earlier fit check of Thomas' Sokol suit did not initially meet specifications required in the event he has to spend time in the pressurized Soyuz spacecraft, now docked to Mir. After Thomas was checked out in Wolf's suit, sizing modifications were made to his own suit and it was then verified for use by Thomas in the event of a contingency. The image was taken with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC) at 17:58:58 GMT, January 25, 1998.

This view of Bookshelf Two was produced by combining the Super Panorama frames from the IMP camera from NASA Mars Pathfinder lander. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail.

The HOST (the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test) payload is prepared for moving to the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). HOST is scheduled to fly on the STS-95 mission, planned for launch on Oct. 29, 1998. The mission includes other research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

STS-89 Mission Specialist Salizhan Sharipov of the Russian Space Agency is assisted with his ascent and re-entry flight suit in the white room at Launch Pad 39A before entering Space Shuttle Endeavour for launch. 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

Possible variations in chemical composition from one part of Saturn ring system to another are visible in this archival image from NASA Voyager 2.

Isolation of human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) from breast cancer susceptible tissue. Isolate of long-term growth human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) from outgrowth of duct element; cells shown soon after isolation and early in culture in a dish. 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 cell (HMEC) from breast cancer susceptible tissue. Radiation can make the cells cancerous, thus allowing better comparisons of healthy vs. tunorous tissue. Credit: Dr. Robert Tichmond, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

In Neptune outermost ring, 39,000 miles out, material mysteriously clumps into three arcs. Voyager 2 acquired this image as it encountered Neptune in August of 1989.

At the end of its 6-hour, 4.2-mile circular trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building, the STS-95 Space Shuttle Discovery sits on the Mobile Launch Platform, still atop the crawler transporter, at Launch Pad 39B. To its left is the Fixed Service Structure that provides access to the orbiter and the Rotating Service Structure. Above it is the 80-foot fiberglass lightning mast which provides protection from lightning strikes. This view shows the Atlantic Ocean beyond the shuttle, to the east. At the launch pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the launch, scheduled to lift off 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. -- In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2), the top of the Mars Polar Lander is lowered onto a portable stand. The Lander will undergo testing, including a functional test of the science instruments and the basic spacecraft subsystems, before its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard a Delta II rocket on Jan. 3, 1999. 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

S99-00858 (30 Oct 1998) --- Astronaut Eileen M. Collins, commander.

The STS-90 Neurolab payload is honored with a ceremony after being lowered into its payload canister in KSC's Operations and Checkout Building for the last time. This phase of the Shuttle program is winding down as the second phase of the International Space Station (ISS) program gets under way. Microgravity and life science research that formerly was conducted in Spacelab modules, such as Neurolab, will eventually be conducted inside the completed ISS. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-90 Neurolab payload and two of the four Getaway Specials (GAS) await payload bay door closure in the orbiter Columbia today in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. The GAS container on the left contains the COLLisions Into Dust Experiment, or COLLIDE, which will study low velocity collisions between space-borne particles in an attempt to better understand planetary ring dynamics. The STS-90 mission is a joint venture of six space agencies and seven U.S. research agencies. Agencies participating in this mission include six institutes of the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research, as well as the space agencies of Canada, France, Germany, and Japan, and the European Space Agency (ESA)

STS-88 crew members inspect the orbital docking mechanism in the payload bay of Orbiter Endeavor during the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), held in the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 at KSC. The tunnel and airlock are below it. The CEIT gives astronauts an opportunity for a hands-on look at the payloads on which they will be working on orbit. STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for the International Space Station. Scheduled to lift off from KSC on Dec. 3, 1998, the seven-day mission will be highlighted by the mating of the U.S.-built Unity connecting module to the Zarya control module, which will already be in orbit, and two space walks to connect power and data transmission cables between the two modules

Waiting for the arrival of the STS-95 crewmembers at the Shuttle Landing Facility are 137 media representatives, a small sampling of more than 3,000 expected to attend the launch on Oct. 29. Flying into KSC to make final preparations for their launch were Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque, with the European Space Agency (ESA), and Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). 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 the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process. The mission is expected to last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and return to KSC on Nov. 7

The roman candle effect as seen in this picture represents the testing of a solid rocket booster (SRB) for unexplained corrosion conditions (EUCC) which have occurred on the nozzles of redesigned solid rocket motors (RSRM). The motor being tested in this photo is a 48 M-NASA motor.