KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the orbiter Atlantis rests atop a transporter in the transfer aisle while an overhead crane is placed around the space vehicle. The crane will lift Atlantis to a vertical position so it can be mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters before being transported to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-101 to the International Space Station, where its crew of seven will prepare the Station for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda. Atlantis is expected to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Endeavour touches down on orbit 171on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the successful 10-day, 19-hour and 58-minute-long STS-97 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 6:03:25 p.m. EST; nose gear touchdown at 6:03:34 p.m. EST; and wheel stop at 6:04:20 p.m. EST. At the controls is Commander Brent Jett. Other crew members on board are Pilot Michael Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joseph Tanner, Carlos Noriega and Marc Garneau of Canada. On the 4.4-million-mile mission, Endeavour carried the P6 Integrated Truss Structure with solar arrays to power the International Space Station. The arrays and other equipment were installed during three EVAs that totaled 19 hours, 20 minutes. Endeavour was docked with the Space Station for 6 days, 23 hours, 13 minutes. This is the 16th nighttime landing for a Space Shuttle and the 53rd at Kennedy Space Center

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-92 Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy (left) and Commander Brian Duffy pose for a photo during payload inspection in Space Shuttle Discovery’s payload bay. Behind them is the Pressurized Mating Adapter. The STS-92 crew has been inspecting the payload in preparation for launch Oct. 5, 2000. The mission is the fifth flight for the construction of the International Space Station. The payload also includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1. During the 11-day mission, four extravehicular activities (EVAs), or space walks, are planned

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Mobile Remote Servicer Base System (MBS), part of the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), is moved inside the Space Station Processing Facility. The SSRMS is part of the payload on mission STS-100, the ninth flight to the International Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At 6:30 a.m. EDT an aerial view captures a first in Space Shuttle history: a fully stacked Shuttle - Atlantis - is rolling into the Vehicle Assembly Building's (VAB) high bay 2 on the building's west side (center of photo). The VAB and nearby rock-paved crawlerway (circling to the left) have recently undergone major modifications to provide Shuttle fliglht hardware more storage space and protection - "Safe Haven" - from hurricanes or tropical storms. Atlantis, the twin solid rocket boosters and external tank begain moving out of VAB high bay 1 on the east side at 2:59 a.m. EDT. The 6-million pound crawler transporter carried the Mobile Launcher Platform and Space Shuttle around the north side of the VAB and into high bay 2. To the right of the VAB is the turn basin. In the background can be seen both Launch Pads with the Atlantic Ocean behind them. After the successful "Safe Haven" fit check, Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the STS-106 launch on Sept. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour approaches the incline to Launch Pad 39B, where the Rotating and Fixed Service Structures can be seen in the background to the left. Moments after this photo was taken, workers noticed one of the crawler-transporter cleats was cracked and rollout was delayed until the cleat could be replaced. The Space Shuttle was hard down on the pad several hours later. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections

STS-92 Commander Brian Duffy is helped with final suit check in the White Room before entering Discovery. The White Room is an environmentally controlled area at the end of the Orbiter Access Arm that provides entry to the orbiter as well as emergency egress if needed. The arm remains in the extended position until 7 minutes 24 seconds before launch. Duffy and the rest of the crew are undertaking the fifth flight to the International Space Station for construction. Discovery carries a payload that includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1, first of 10 trusses that will form the backbone of the Space Station, and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter that will provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth Station flight and Lab installation on the seventh Station flight. The mission includes four spacewalks for the construction activities. Discovery’s landing is expected Oct. 22 at 2:10 p.m. EDT

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- During a break in their Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), the STS-101 crew poses in front of Space Shuttle Atlantis at Launch Pad 39A. Standing, left to right, are Mission Specialists Susan J. Helms and Yury Usachev of Russia; Pilot Scott J. "Doc" Horowitz; Commander James D. Halsell Jr.; and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, James Voss and Jeffrey N. Williams. The TCDT includes emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. During their mission to the International Space Station, the STS-101 crew will be delivering logistics and supplies, plus preparing the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. Also, the crew will conduct one space walk to perform maintenance on the Space Station. This will be the third assembly flight for the Space Station. STS-101 is scheduled to launch April 24 at 4:15 p.m. from Launch Pad 39A

Waving to onlookers, the STS-101 crew eagerly walk to the waiting Astrovan that will take them to Launch Pad 39A and the second attempt at liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis. In their orange launch and entry suits, they are (left to right) Mission Specialists Susan J. Helms, Yury Usachev, James S. Voss, Mary Ellen Weber and Jeffrey N. Williams; Pilot Scott J. Horowitz; and Commander James D. Halsell Jr. The first launch attempt on April 24 was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather conditions. The mission will take the crew to the International Space Station to deliver logistics and supplies and to prepare the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. Also, the crew will conduct one space walk. This will be the third assembly flight to the Space Station. Liftoff is targeted for 3:52 p.m. EDT. The mission is expected to last about 10 days, with Atlantis landing at KSC Saturday, May 6, about 11:53 a.m. EDT

STS097-703-001 (7 December 2000) --- Astronaut Joseph R. Tanner participates in the December 7 extravehicular activity (EVA), one of three space walks involving him and astronaut Carlos I. Noriega. The photograph was taken by one of the non-EVA STS-97 crew members, using a 70mm camera.

S99-E-5555 (17 February 2000) --- As photographed from the Space Shuttle Endeavour, this oblique electronic still image of Earth's horizon reveals a great deal of cloud cover. In the case of the electronic still camera (ESC), as well as film-bearing instruments, clouds naturally obscure views of recognizable land masses. Much of Earth is heavily cloud covered during the current mission and meteorlogists and oceanographers are interested in studying that aspect. However, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission's other sensing equipment, X-SAR and C-band antennae, are able to penetrate cloud cover and record important topographic data for mapmakers and scientists of other disciplines. In addition to the sensing equipment mentioned above, this mission is supporting the EarthKAM project which utilizes the services of another electronic still camera mounted in Endeavour's windows. Unlike this oblique view, EarthKAM records strictly vertical or nadir imagery of points all over the world. Students across the United States and in France, Germany and Japan are taking photos throughout the STS-99 mission. And they are using these new photos, plus all the images already available in the EarthKAM system, to enhance their classroom learning in Earth and space science, social studies, geography, mathematics and more.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1, members of the STS-92 crew examine equipment that will be part of their mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The fourth U.S. flight to the ISS, the mission payload includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z1, an early exterior framework to allow the first U.S. solar arrays on a future flight to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power; Ku-band communication to support early science capability and U.S. television; and PMA-3 to provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. The crew comprises Mission Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pamela Melroy, and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, Leroy Chiao, Peter "Jeff" Wisoff, Michael Lopez-Alegria, and William McArthur. Launch of STS-92 is scheduled for Sept. 21, 2000. Wakata is with the National Space Development Agency of Japan

One World Challenge: boat hull configuration optimization test 12-0095 in Ames 12ft pressure wind tunnel. (Three phase Dec 2000 thru May 2002 - America Cup Sailing)

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-97 Mission Specialist Joseph Tanner (left) is greeted by Center Director Roy Bridges on his arrival at KSC from Johnson Space Center. Tanner and the rest of the crew have returned to KSC for the launch, scheduled for Nov. 30 at about 10:06 p.m. EST. Mission STS-97is the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at about 10:06 p.m. EST

An international gathering of police officers march in a parade at the KSC Visitor Complex during opening ceremonies of the 2000 International Law Enforcement Games. More than 1,850 participants and their families took part in the opening, held in the Rocket Garden. The ceremony includes parades, torch lighting and a tug of war. The games feature officers from 15 countries and 37 United States in competitions around Brevard County, Fla

First NEAR image of Mathilde

JSC2000-07445 (6 December 2000) --- Cosmonaut Yury V. Usachev, Expedition Two mission commander, talks to nearby astronauts (out of frame) during a joint Expedition Two/STS-102 training session in the Systems Integration Facility at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). The Russian Aviation and Space Agency representative, along with two astronauts on his crew and the four STS-102 crew members, later simulated procedures for a nominal countdown in the crew compartment trainer (CCT-2) in the high bay area of this facility.

Before entering Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-106 Mission Specialist Edward T. Lu gets help with his launch and entry suit in the White Room. The perfect on-time liftoff of Atlantis on mission STS-106 occurred at 8:45:47 a.m. EDT. On the 11-day mission to the International Space Station, the seven-member crew will perform support tasks on orbit, transfer supplies and prepare the living quarters in the newly arrived Zvezda Service Module. The first long-duration crew, dubbed “Expedition One,” is due to arrive at the Station in late fall. Landing of Atlantis is targeted for 4:45 a.m. EDT on Sept. 19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With umbilical lines still attached, the payload canister is hoisted up alongside the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) on Launch Pad 39B. The canister with its cargo of the SPACEHAB module and Integrated Cargo Carrier will be moved into the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) near the top of the RSS for transfer to the payload bay of Shuttle Atlantis for mission STS-106. The PCR provides an environmentally controlled facility for the transfer. The 11-day mission to the International Space Station will include service module support tasks on orbit, transfer supplies and outfit the Space Station for the first long-duration crew. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 at 8:31 a.m. EDT

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, two Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, Italian-built Raffaello and Leonardo, undergo testing. Italy's major contributions to the International Space Station program, Raffaello and Leonardo are reusable logistics carriers to resupply and return Space Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. They are slated as payloads on missions STS-102 and STS-100, respectively. Dates have not yet been determined for the two missions

The early-morning Sun provides a golden backdrop to the Space Shuttle Discovery encased in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used to prepare the shuttle for its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA’s modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, a worker looks at the placement of a laboratory rack. The MPLM is the first of three such pressurized modules that will serve as the International Space Station’s “moving vans,” carrying laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies to and from the Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle. Leonardo will be launched March 1, 2001, on Shuttle mission STS-102 On that flight, Leonardo will be filled with equipment and supplies to outfit the U.S. laboratory module, being carried to the ISS on the Jan. 19, 2001, launch of STS-98

Layers of the South Polar Layered Deposits

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An overhead crane in the Operations and Checkout Building hovers over the Joint Airlock Module (right) that it will lift and place in the payload canister in the foreground. The canister will transfer the module to the Space Station Processing Facility where it will continue to undergo preflight processing for the STS-104 mission scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis May 17, 2001. The Joint Airlock Module is the gateway from which crew members aboard the International Space Station will enter and exit the 470-ton orbiting research facility

On the parking apron of the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the Integrated Truss Structure S3 moves out from inside the Super Guppy aircraft that brought it to KSC from Tulsa, Okla. After offloading, the S3 will be transported to the Operations and Checkout Building. The second starboard truss segment of the International Space Station, the S3 truss is scheduled to be added to the Station in April 2003

The Canadian Space Agency’s Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) is lowered onto a test stand in the Space Station Processing Facility. At the test stand the SSRMS will be mated to its payload carrier. This pallet will later be installed into the payload bay of Space Shuttle Endeavour for launch to the International Space Station on STS-100 in April 2001. The 56-foot-long arm will be the primary means of transferring payloads between the orbiter payload bay and the Station. Its three segments comprise seven joints for highly flexible land precise movement, making it capable of moving around the Station’s exterior like an inchworm

STS-92 Mission Specialist Michael E. Lopez-Alegria gets a final check of his launch and entry suit in the White Room before entering Discovery. The White Room is an environmentally controlled area at the end of the Orbiter Access Arm that provides entry to the orbiter as well as emergency egress if needed. The arm remains in the extended position until 7 minutes 24 seconds before launch. Lopez-Alegria and the rest of the crew are undertaking the fifth flight to the International Space Station for construction. Discovery carries a payload that includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1, first of 10 trusses that will form the backbone of the Space Station, and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter that will provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth Station flight and Lab installation on the seventh Station flight. The mission includes four spacewalks for the construction activities. Discovery’s landing is expected Oct. 22 at 2:10 p.m. EDT

At KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility, a specially equipped Cessna Citation aircraft approaches the runway to calibrate the Cessna’s field mills with field mills on the ground (on the tripod at left) and on the car parked nearby (at right). Field mills measure electric fields. The aircraft is also equipped with cloud physics probes that measure the size, shape and number of ice and water particles in clouds. The plane is being flown into anvil clouds in the KSC area as part of a study to review and possibly modify lightning launch commit criteria. The weather study could lead to improved lightning avoidance rules and fewer launch scrubs for the Space Shuttle and other launch vehicles on the Eastern and Western ranges.; More information on this study can be found in <a href="http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/release/2000/56-00.htm">Release No. 56-00</a>

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seen here in a closeup is a GetAway Special (GAS) known as SEM, part of the payload on mission STS-101, in the payload bay on Space Shuttle Atlantis prior to door closure. The SEM program is student-developed, focusing on the science of zero-gravity and microgravity. Selected student experiments on this sixth venture are testing the effects of space on Idaho tubers, seeds, paint, yeast, film, liquids, electronics and magnetic chips. SEM-06 is one of two GAS experiments. The other is MARS, part of the KSC Space Life Sciences Outreach Program. It includes 20 participating schools (ranging from elementary to high school) from all over the nation and one in Canada who have been involved in KSC Space Life Sciences projects over the past seven years. The MARS payload has 20 tubes filled with materials for various classroom investigations designed by the MARS schools. The primary mission of STS-101 is to deliver logistics and supplies to the International Space Station, plus prepare the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. The crew will conduct one space walk to perform maintenance on the Space Station. This will be the third assembly flight for the Space Station. STS-101 is scheduled to launch April 24 at 4:15 p.m. from Launch Pad 39A

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A clear blue sky is the perfect setting behind Space Shuttle Endeavour as it hurtles into space. Launch of mission STS-99 occurred at 12:43:40 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39A with a crew of five aboard: Commander Kevin Kregel, Pilot Dominic Gorie, and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Janice Voss, Mamoru Mohri of Japan and Gerhard Thiele of Germany. Mohri is with the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan, and Thiele is with the European Space Agency. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), STS-99 will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the SRTM could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. The mission is expected to last 11days, with Endeavour landing at KSC Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 4:36 p.m. EST. This is the 97th Shuttle flight and 14th for Shuttle Endeavour

51I-11-027 (1 Sept 1985) --- The extravehicular activity (EVA) of astronauts William F. Fisher (left) and James D. van Hoften succeeded in the capture, repair and re-release of the troubled Syncom IV-3 satellite. Here, the two take a break from the serious side of their EVA to look into the Discovery's cabin. The 51-I crewmembers showed this scene at their Sept. 11 post-flight press conference.

Saturn Satellite 1980S1

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility stand outside the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello (left). At right is the MPLM Leonardo. They are reusable logistics carriers to resupply the International Space Station, and return cargo, that requires a pressurized environment. The MPLMs are slated as payloads on missions STS-102 and STS-100, respectively. Dates have not yet been determined for the two missions

Hong Kong police officers gather in the KSC Visitor Complex Rocket Garden during opening ceremonies of the 2000 International Law Enforcement Games. More than 1,850 participants and their families took part in the opening, held in the Rocket Garden. The ceremony included parades, torch lighting and a tug of war. The games feature officers from 15 countries and 37 United States in competitions around Brevard County, Fla

A faint double ring crater is seen at upper right in this picture of Mercury taken one hour and 40 minutes before NASA Mariner 10 second rendezvous with the planet Sept. 21, 1975

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery hurtles into the night sky, trailing a tail of fire from the solid rocket boosters, after a perfect on-time launch at 7:17 p.m. EDT. The launch of mission STS-92 carries a crew of seven on a construction flight to the International Space Station. Discovery also carries a payload that includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1, first of 10 trusses that will form the backbone of the Space Station, and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter that will provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth Station flight and Lab installation on the seventh Station flight. Discovery’s landing is expected Oct. 22 at 2:10 p.m. EDT.; <i>[Photo taken with Nikon D1 camera.]</i

CO2 study site manager and plant physiologist Graham Hymus (left) examines scrub oak foliage while project engineer David Johnson (right) looks on. The life sciences study is showing that rising levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, could spur plant growth globally. The site of KSC's study is a natural scrub oak area near the Vehicle Assembly Building. Twelve-foot areas of scrub oak have been enclosed in 16 open-top test chambers into which CO2 has been blown. Five scientists from NASA and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., work at the site to monitor experiments and keep the site running. Scientists hope to continue the study another five to 10 years. More information on this study can be found in Release No. 57-00. Additional photos can be found at: www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/captions/subjects/co2study.htm

S106-E-5122 (12 September) --- Astronaut Terrence W. Wilcutt (left), mission commander, and cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, mission specialist, look over what is basically an agenda for several busy days ahead for readying the International Space Station (ISS) for its first inhabitants. Malenchenko is one of two Russian cosmonauts on the flight. He had joined astronaut Edward T. Lu earlier in the mission for six-plus hours of extravehicular work on the station.

Europa Jupiter-Facing Hemisphere

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, Space Shuttle Atlantis' Main Engine No. 1 is lowered after its removal. An inventory review concerning defective main engine fuel pump tip seals indicated that defective seals may be present on the fuel pump for the engine. The decision was made to replace the suspect engine with one originally slated for Discovery. The main engine nozzle, visible in the photo, is 7.8 feet across and 9.4 feet high. Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000, on mission STS-101 to resupply the International Space Station for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda

The Canadian Space Agency’s Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) now occupies one of the work stands in the Space Station Processing Facility. There it will be mated to its payload carrier and later be installed into the payload bay of Space Shuttle Endeavour for launch to the International Space Station on STS-100 in April 2001. The 56-foot-long arm will be the primary means of transferring payloads between the orbiter payload bay and the Station. Its three segments comprise seven joints for highly flexible land precise movement, making it capable of moving around the Station’s exterior like an inchworm

In the Space Station Processing Facility, members of the STS-98 crew check out components inside the U.S. Lab, Destiny, under the watchful eye of trainers. The crew comprises Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Robert Curbeam, Thomas Jones and Marsha Ivins. They are taking part in Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, becoming familiar with equipment they will be handling during the mission. The mission will be transporting the Lab to the International Space Station with five system racks already installed inside of the module. With delivery of electronics in the lab, electrically powered attitude control for Control Moment Gyroscopes will be activated. The STS-98 launch is scheduled for Jan. 18, 2001

Part of the P-1 truss is seen as it rests in a workstand in the Operations and Checkout Building. Scheduled to fly in spring of 2002, the P-1 is part of a total 10-truss, girder-like structure that will ultimately extend the length of a football field. Astronauts will attach the 14by 15-foot structure to the port side of the center truss, S0, during the spring assembly flight. The 33,000-pound P-1 will house the thermal radiator rotating joint (TRRJ) that will rotate the International Space Station’s radiators away from the sun to increase their maximum cooling efficiency

Viewed from Merritt Island, Fla., at 11:25 p.m. EST, the full moon, traveling west to east, is nearly completely in the Earth's shadow, producing a lunar eclipse. Eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up. They are rare because the Moon usually passes above or below the imaginary line connecting Earth and the Sun. The Earth casts a shadow that the Moon can pass through -when it does, it is called a lunar eclipse. They can only occur when the moon is &quot;full.&quot; During a total lunar eclipse the Moon takes on a dark red color because it is being lighted slightly by sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere and this light has the blue component preferentially scattered out (this is also why the sky appears blue from the surface of the Earth), leaving faint reddish light to illuminate the Moon during the eclipse

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After liftoff at 12:43:40 p.m. EST, the Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-99 soars into a clear blue sky, trailed by flames and rolling billows of steam. The brilliant flames are reflected in the nearby waters. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), STS-99 will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the SRTM could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. The mission is expected to last 11days, with Endeavour landing at KSC Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 4:36 p.m. EST. This is the 97th Shuttle flight and 14th for Shuttle Endeavour

STS-92 Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy is happy to arrive at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after a flight from Houston. She and the rest of the crew are at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency egress training from the orbiter and pad, and a simulated countdown. The fifth mission to the International Space Station, STS-92 will carry the Integrated Truss Structure Z1, the first of the planned 10 trusses on the Space Station, and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. The Z1 will allow the first U.S. solar arrays on a future flight to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power. PMA-3 will provide a Shuttle docking port for the solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. STS-92 is scheduled to launch Oct. 5 from launch Pad 39A. It will be the 100th flight in the Shuttle program

The Gravity Probe B (GP-B) is the relativity experiment developed at Stanford University to test two extraordinary predictions of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The experiment will measure, very precisely, the expected tiny changes in the direction of the spin axes of four gyroscopes contained in an Earth-orbiting satellite at a 400-mile altitude. So free are the gyroscopes from disturbance that they will provide an almost perfect space-time reference system. They will measure how space and time are very slightly warped by the presence of the Earth, and, more profoundly, how the Earth’s rotation very slightly drags space-time around with it. These effects, though small for the Earth, have far-reaching implications for the nature of matter and the structure of the Universe. In this photograph, the completed space vehicle is undergoing thermal vacuum environment testing. GP-B is among the most thoroughly researched programs ever undertaken by NASA. This is the story of a scientific quest in which physicists and engineers have collaborated closely over many years. Inspired by their quest, they have invented a whole range of technologies that are already enlivening other branches of science and engineering. Launched April 20, 2004 , the GP-B program was managed for NASA by the Marshall Space Flight Center. Development of the GP-B is the responsibility of Stanford University along with major subcontractor Lockheed Martin Corporation. (Image credit to Russ Underwood, Lockheed Martin Corporation.)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-101 Mission Specialist Yury Usachev crosses the tarmac at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility after arriving aboard a T-38 jet aircraft piloted by astronaut Gus Loria (behind). Usachev and the the rest of the crew are at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities that include emergency egress training and a dress rehearsal for launch. The other crew members are Commander James Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz, and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, James Voss, and Jeffrey Williams. During their mission to the International Space Station, the STS-101 crew will be delivering logistics and supplies, plus preparing the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. Also, the crew will conduct one space walk to perform maintenance on the Space Station. This will be the third assembly flight for the Space Station. STS-101 is scheduled to launch April 24 at 4:15 p.m. from Launch Pad 39A

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In a perfect, on-time launch, Space Shuttle Endeavour breaks away from the billows of smoke and steam around Launch Pad 39B. Liftoff of Endeavour occurred at 10:06:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97. Endeavour and its five-member crew will deliver U.S. solar arrays to the International Space Station and be the first Shuttle crew to visit the Station’s first resident crew. The 11-day mission includes three spacewalks. This marks the 101st mission in Space Shuttle history and the 25th night launch. Endeavour is expected to land Dec. 11 at 6:19 p.m. EST

Winter Frosts of the Retreating South Polar Cap

In hope of catching a large monitor lizard seen in the area, state-licensed animal trappers Dewey Kessler and James Dean (at left), with Gary Povitch (kneeling) of the U.S. Wildlife and Dan Turner (standing) set up a trap on KSC. The lizard has been spotted recently near S.R. 3, a route into the Center, by several area residents. Turner is a monitor expert. The lizard is not a native of the area, and possibly a released pet. Dean is working with the cooperation of KSC and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-92 Pilot Pamela A. Melroy gets a close look at the Integrated Truss Structure Z1 that will fly on the mission, the fifth U.S. flight in the construction of the International Space Station. Other crew members are Commander Brian Duffy, and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, Leroy Chaio, Peter J.K. Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, and William S. McArthur Jr. Wakata is with the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The Z1 is an early exterior framework to allow the first U.S. solar arrays on a future flight to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power. Another part of the payload is a pressurized mating adapter, PMA-3, to provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. Launch of STS-92 is scheduled for Sept. 21, 2000

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour seems to be fired from below the water in this view, framed by winter-bared branches. Clouds of steam and smoke roll away from Launch Pad 39A as the Shuttle lifts off at 12:43:40 p.m. EST into a clear blue Florida sky on mission STS-99. The launch pad lies close to the waters of the Banana River on the south, as well as the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), STS-99 will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the SRTM could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. The mission is expected to last 11days, with Endeavour landing at KSC Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 4:36 p.m. EST. This is the 97th Shuttle flight and 14th for Shuttle Endeavour

A Typical Martian Scene: Boulders and Slopes in a Crater in Aeolis

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At SPACEHAB members of the STS-106 crew check out equipment they will be using during their mission to the International Space Station. Starting second from left, they are Mission Specialists Daniel C. Burbank, Edward T. Lu, and Yuri I. Malenchenkov; Pilot Scott D. Altman, and Mission Specialists Richard A. Mastracchio and Boris V. Morukov. Not seen is Commander Terrence W. Wilcutt. Malenchenko and Morukov represent the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. The crew is taking part in Crew Equipment Interface Test activities at KSC. On the 11-day mission, the seven-member crew will perform support tasks on orbit, transfer supplies and prepare the living quarters in the newly arrived Zvezda Service Module for the first long-duration crew, dubbed “Expedition One,” which is due to arrive at the Station in late fall. STS-106 is scheduled to launch Sept. 8, 2000, at 8:31 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B

The Gravity Probe B (GP-B) is the relativity experiment developed at Stanford University to test two extraordinary predictions of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The experiment will measure, very precisely, the expected tiny changes in the direction of the spin axes of four gyroscopes contained in an Earth-orbiting satellite at a 400-mile altitude. So free are the gyroscopes from disturbance that they will provide an almost perfect space-time reference system. They will measure how space and time are very slightly warped by the presence of the Earth, and, more profoundly, how the Earth’s rotation very slightly drags space-time around with it. These effects, though small for the Earth, have far-reaching implications for the nature of matter and the structure of the Universe. In this photograph, Stanford engineer, Chris Gray, is inspecting the number 4 gyro under monochromatic light. GP-B is among the most thoroughly researched programs ever undertaken by NASA. This is the story of a scientific quest in which physicists and engineers have collaborated closely over many years. Inspired by their quest, they have invented a whole range of technologies that are already enlivening other branches of science and engineering. Launched April 20, 2004 , the GP-B program was managed for NASA by the Marshall Space Flight Center. Development of the GP-B is the responsibility of Stanford University along with major subcontractor Lockheed Martin Corporation. (Image credit to Russ Leese, Stanford University.)

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, an overhead crane lifts the forward section of a solid rocket booster (SRB) to mate it with the components seen at lower left in the photo. The forward section of each booster, from nose cap to forward skirt contains avionics, a sequencer, forward separation motors, a nose cone separation system, drogue and main parachutes, a recovery beacon, a recovery light, a parachute camera on selected flights and a range safety system. Each SRB weighs approximately 1.3 million pounds at launch. The SRB is part of the stack for Space Shuttle Discovery and the STS-92 mission, scheduled for launch Oct. 5, from Launch Pad 39A, on the fifth flight to the International Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-92 Commander Brian Duffy is happy to return to KSC for the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Oct. 5. . He and other crew members Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata of Japan, Leroy Chiao, Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria and William S. McArthur Jr. expressed their eagerness to launch to a waiting group of media at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The mission is the fifth flight for the construction of the International Space Station. The payload includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. During the 11-day mission, four extravehicular activities (EVAs), or space walks, are planned.

This image (captured from animation video) illustrates the X-43A research vehicle alone after separation from the Pegasus booster. (LaRC Photo # EL-2000-00531)

Two manatees swim leisurely in waters on Kennedy Space Center. They gather in Florida's warm water rivers and inland springs during the winter. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects

STS-92 Mission Specialist William S. McArthur Jr. signals thumbs up for launch, scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EDT. The mission is the fifth flight for the construction of the ISS. The payload includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. During the 11-day mission, four extravehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks, are planned. The Z-1 truss is the first of 10 that will become the backbone of the International Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. PMA-3 will provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. This launch is the third for McArthur. Landing is expected Oct. 21 at 3:55 p.m. EDT

This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, shows elatively young volcanoes in northern Patagonia, at Los Menucos, Argentina. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Endeavour hangs suspended from a crane inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. It will be lifted into high bay 1 and stacked with its external tank and solid rocket boosters. Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility sits Raffaello, one of two Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs) built by Italy for the International Space Station. Raffaello is scheduled on mission STS-100, the 9th flight to the Space Station in 2001. The other MPLM is Leonardo, scheduled on an earlier mission, STS-102, the 8th flight early in 2001

Eroded Layered Material in Southwest Utopia Planitia

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On a tour of Kennedy Space Center, Steve Thomas, host of the television series "This Old House," talks with a member of the film crew while in the Space Station Processing Facility. He and the series’ master carpenter Norm Abram are at KSC to film an episode of the series

This diagram shows the flow of water recovery and management in the International Space Station (ISS). The Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Group of the Flight Projects Directorate at the Marshall Space Flight Center is responsible for the regenerative ECLSS hardware, as well as providing technical support for the rest of the system. The regenerative ECLSS, whose main components are the Water Recovery System (WRS), and the Oxygen Generation System (OGS), reclaims and recycles water oxygen. The ECLSS maintains a pressurized habitation environment, provides water recovery and storage, maintains and provides fire detection/ suppression, and provides breathable air and a comfortable atmosphere in which to live and work within the ISS. The ECLSS hardware will be located in the Node 3 module of the ISS.

The Atlas IIA rocket is close to its vertical position in the launch tower at Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). It will be mated with a Centaur upper stage to launch the latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) June 29 from CCAFS. The Atlas/Centaur launch vehicle is manufactured and operated by Lockheed Martin. Atlas IIA is capable of lifting payload systems weights in the 2,850 kg (6,300 lb) to 3,070 kg (6,760 lb) class to geosynchronous transfer orbit. It is 25 m (82 ft) long and 3.05 m (10 ft) in diameter. The Centaur is 10.0 m (33-ft) long and 3.05 m (10 ft) in diameter

In the Operations and Checkout Building, STS-101 Mission Specialist Jeffrey N. Williams gets final check on his launch and entry suit before heading a second time to Launch Pad 39A and launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The previous day's launch attempt was scrubbed due to high cross winds at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The mission will take the crew to the International Space Station to deliver logistics and supplies and to prepare the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. Also, the crew will conduct one space walk. This will be the third assembly flight to the Space Station. Liftoff is targeted for 3:52 p.m. EDT. The mission is expected to last about 10 days, with Atlantis landing at KSC Saturday, May 6, about 11:53 a.m. EDT

JSC2000-E-27086 (20 October 2000) --- Expedition 1 commander William M. (Bill) Shepherd, wearing a Sokol suit, awaits a seat check for the Soyuz spacecraft at Baikonur. Out of frame are Soyuz pilot Yuri P. Gidzenko and flight engineer Sergei K. Krikalev.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A NASA helicopter lifts a high-impact-resistant flexible plastic bucket filled with water. The container will be used for fire protection on property and buildings at Kennedy Space Center.. Known as the "Bambi" bucket, it will also support the Fish and Wildlife Service for controlled burns plus any wild fires in the area.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-106 payload within the SPACEHAB Module is shown after being loaded onto Atlantis on Launch Pad 39-B using the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism (PGHM). The PGHM (pronounced pigem) is located inside the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) of each shuttle launch pad’s Rotating Service Structure. The PGHM removes payloads from a transportation canister and installs them into the orbiter. It is essentially NASA’s largest fork-lift

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. Lab Destiny is lowered toward the weigh stand below. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the waning light after sunset, Endeavour’s main gear touches down on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 6:03 p.m. EST. At the controls is Commander Brent Jett, completing the successful 10-day, 19-hour and 58-minute-long STS-97 mission. Other crew members on board are Pilot Michael Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joseph Tanner, Carlos Noriega and Marc Garneau of Canada. On the 4.4-million-mile mission, Endeavour carried the P6 Integrated Truss Structure with solar arrays to power the International Space Station. The arrays and other equipment were installed during three EVAs that totaled 19 hours, 20 minutes. Endeavour was docked with the Space Station for 6 days, 23 hours, 13 minutes. This is the 16th nighttime landing for a Space Shuttle and the 53rd at Kennedy Space Center

At the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure on Launch Pad 39A, the STS-92 crew get instructions on using the emergency egress equipment. Standing left to right, in uniform, are Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy, Commander Brian Duffy and Mission Specialists Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, Koichi Wakata of Japan, Leroy Chiao and William S. McArthur Jr. The training is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that also provide opportunities to inspect the mission payload and take part in a simulated countdown. STS-92 is scheduled to launch Oct. 5 at 9:38 p.m. EDT on the fifth flight to the International Space Station. It will carry two elements of the Space Station, the Integrated Truss Structure Z1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. The mission is also the 100th flight in the Shuttle program

STS-99 Commander Kevin Kregel arrives at Kennedy Space Center aboard a T-38 jet aircraft. He and the other five crew members are back at KSC to prepare for the second launch attempt of Endeavour Feb. 11 at 12:30 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39A. The earlier launch scheduled for Jan. 31 was scrubbed due to poor weather and a faulty Enhanced Master Events Controller in the orbiter's aft compartment. The crew had returned to Houston after the scrubbed launch. Over the next few days, the crew will review mission procedures, conduct test flights in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and undergo routine preflight medical exams. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which will produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Landing is expected at KSC on Feb. 22 at 4:36 p.m. EST

At launch pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, lifting of the second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket in the launch gantry is completed. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the GOES-L satellite, part of the NOAA National Weather Service system in weather imagery and atmospheric sounding information. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing

At the commissioning of a new high-pressure helium pipeline at Kennedy Space Center, participants watch as helium-filled balloons take to the sky after their lines were cut. From left, they are Center Director Roy Bridges; Michael Butchko, president, SGS; Pierre Dufour, president and CEO, Air Liquide America Corporation; David Herst, director, Delta IV Launch Sites; Pamela Gillespie, executive administrator, office of Congressman Dave Weldon; and Col. Samuel Dick, representative of the 45th Space Wing. The nine-mile-long buried pipeline will service launch needs at the new Delta IV Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will also serve as a backup helium resource for Shuttle launches. Nearly one launch’s worth of helium will be available in the pipeline to support a Shuttle pad in an emergency. The line originates at the Helium Facility on KSC and terminates in a meter station at the perimeter of the Delta IV launch pad. Others at the ceremony were Jerry Jorgensen, pipeline project manager, Space Gateway Support (SGS), and Ramon Lugo, acting executive director, JPMO

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at right sits while one-half of the fairing (left) is moved closer to it. After encapsulation in the fairing, TDRS will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit

STS097-702-061 (2 December 2000) --- The International Space Station (ISS) moves in position for docking with the Space Shuttle Endeavour, in this 70mm frame photographed by one of the STS-97 astronauts on the flight deck of the shuttle. Most of the station's components are clearly visible in the frame, with the Soyuz spacecraft docked at left to the Zvezda Service Module, which is linked to the Zarya or Functional Cargo Block (FGB). The Unity node is at right, sporting the additions from the recent STS-92 mission of the Z1 truss structure (largely obscured) and a Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA-3).

STS-97 Mission Specialist Marc Garneau, who is with the Canadian Space Agency, points to the Canadian robotic arm he will be working with during spacewalks to install solar arrays. At right is Commander Brent Jett. The arrays are part of the P6 Integrated Truss Segment that will be temporarily installed on the recently delivered Z1 truss, connecting them to the Unity module. Each more than 100 feet long, the arrays will capture energy from the sun and convert it to power for the Station. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at about 10:06 p.m. EST

S106-E-5024 (9 September 2000) --- Astronaut Richard A. Mastracchio, mission specialist, moves some of the bulkier supply packages onboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for the upcoming docking with the International Space Station (ISS).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A newly repainted NASA helicopter is transported to S.R. 3 for return to Patrick AFB. Workers painted the blades of four NASA UH-1H helicopters, changing the black to a pattern of white and yellow stripes. The pattern provides better visibility in smoke and fire conditions. When the rotors are turning, the stripes create a yellow and white circle that is more easily seen by a second helicopter from above. The helicopters, primarily used for security and medical evacuation for NASA, will be used to deliver water via buckets during brush fires. The change was made to comply with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Department of Forestry regulations for helicopter-assisted fire control

Research scientist Oscar Monje records data associated with ground testing for the first International Space Station plant experiment, scheduled to fly in October 2001. The payload process testing is one of many studies being performed at the Biological Sciences Branch in the Spaceport Engineering and Technology Directorate at Kennedy Space Center. The branch's operations and research areas include life sciences Space Shuttle payloads, bioregenerative life-support for long-duration spaceflight and environmental/ecological stewardship

A NASA helicopter takes off to bring water to fight a small fire on Kennedy Space Center grounds. The site is between Kennedy Parkway North and the Indian River. The fire is one of many throughout Central Florida, which is suffering from drought

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At the 195-foot level on the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39A, the STS-99 crew receive instructions about emergency egress. From left (in uniform) are Mission Specialists Janice Voss (Ph.D.), Janet Lynn Kavandi (Ph.D.), Gerhard Thiele and Mamoru Mohri, Pilot Dominic Gorie and Commander Kevin Kregel. In the background can be seen the Vehicle Assembly Building at left and the waters of Banana Creek in between. The crew are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which provide them with simulated countdown exercises, emergency egress training, and opportunities to inspect the mission payloads in the orbiter's payload bay. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which will chart a new course, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from the payload bay to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could lead to improved water drainage modeling, more realistic flight simulators, better locations for cell phone towers, and enhanced navigation safety. Launch of Endeavour on the 11-day mission is scheduled for Jan. 31 at 12:47 p.m. EST

STS-99 Mission Specialist Mamoru Mohri of Japan holds a memento from friends before entering orbiter Endeavour. With him are members of the White Room closeout crew, Chris Meinert (left), closeout chief, and Jack Burritt (background), Quality Assurance specialist. The White Room is an environmental chamber at the end of the orbiter access arm, on the fixed service structure, that provides entry to the orbiter crew compartment. STS-99, known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Scheduled for liftoff at 12:30 p.m. EST, the mission is expected to last 11days, with Endeavour landing at KSC Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 4:36 p.m. EST. This is the 97th Shuttle flight and 14th for Shuttle Endeavour

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Rotating Service Structure (left) begins rolling back from Space Shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis is targeted for liftoff at 4:15 p.m. EDT April 24 on mission STS-101. The mission will take the crew of seven to the International Space Station to deliver logistics and supplies and prepare the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. Also, the crew will conduct one space walk. This will be the third assembly flight to the Space Station

STS-99 Mission Specialist Gerhard Thiele (foreground) and Commander Kevin Kregel make their way to the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility for a return flight to Houston. During the Jan. 31 launch countdown, Endeavour's enhanced master events controller (E-MEC) No. 2 failed a standard preflight test. Launch was postponed and Shuttle managers decided to replace the E-MEC located in the orbiter's aft compartment. Launch controllers will be in a position to begin the STS-99 countdown the morning of Feb. 6 and ready to support a launch midto late next week pending availability of the Eastern Range. The postponed launch gives the crew an opportunity for more training and time with their families. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, it will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from the payload bay. The result could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could lead to improved water drainage modeling, more realistic flight simulators, better locations for cell phone towers, and enhanced navigation safety

The Culann Patera volcano on Jupiter moon Io was observed by the near-infrared mapping spectrometer instrument onboard NASA Galileo spacecraft during its Io flyby on Nov. 25, 1999.

Workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building check the connections on the forward section of a solid rocket booster (SRB) being mated to the rest of the stack below it. The forward section of each booster, from nose cap to forward skirt contains avionics, a sequencer, forward separation motors, a nose cone separation system, drogue and main parachutes, a recovery beacon, a recovery light, a parachute camera on selected flights and a range safety system. Each SRB weighs approximately 1.3 million pounds at launch. The SRB is part of the stack for Space Shuttle Discovery and the STS-92 mission, scheduled for launch Oct. 5, from Launch Pad 39A, on the fifth flight to the International Space Station. Payloads on the mission include the Z-1 truss and Pressurized Mating Adapter-3, components of the Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, STS-98 Pilot Mark Polansky inspects the window in the cockpit of Atlantis. He and the rest of the crew are at KSC for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. Launch on mission STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 18, 2001. It will be transporting the U.S. Lab, Destiny, to the International Space Station with five system racks already installed inside of the module. After delivery of electronics in the lab, electrically powered attitude control for Control Moment Gyroscopes will be activated

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the orbiter Atlantis rests atop a transporter in the transfer aisle while an overhead crane is placed around the space vehicle. The crane will lift Atlantis to a vertical position so it can be mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters before being transported to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-101 to the International Space Station, where its crew of seven will prepare the Station for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda. Atlantis is expected to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000

JSC2000-02040 (2000) --- Cosmonaut Yuri V. Usachev, mission specialist representing the Russian Space Agency.

During Super Safety and Health Day at KSC, keynote speaker Dr. Beck Weathers is given a memento of his visit by Center Director Roy Bridges. Weathers spoke about his ordeal of surviving the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster and the lessons learned from the experience. Safety Day is a full day of NASA-sponsored, KSC and 45th Space Wing events involving a number of health and safety related activities: Displays, vendors, technical paper sessions, panel discussions, a keynote speaker, etc. The entire Center and Wing stand down to participate in the planned events. Safety Day is held annually to proactively increase awareness in safety and health among the government and contractor workforce population. The first guiding principle at KSC is “Safety and Health First.” KSC’s number one goal is to “Assure sound, safe and efficient practices and processes are in place for privatized/commercialized launch site processing.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane begins lifting the U.S. Lab Destiny from its test and integration stand. It will be carried to the Launch Package Integration Stand (LPIS) for a weight and center of gravity determination. Destiny is the payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-98 to the International Space Station. The lab is fitted with five system racks and will already have experiments installed inside for the flight. The launch is scheduled for January 2001

Members of the STS-101 crew gather with families and friends at Patrick Air Force Base before departure for Houston. Pilot Scott “Doc” Horowitz is joined by his wife, Lisa, and daughter; Mission Specialist Susan J. Helms is at right. After landing at 2:20 a.m. EDT May 29, the crew and their families enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday in Florida. The crew returned from the third flight to the International Space Station where they made repairs, transferred cargo and completed a space walk to install and connect several pieces of equipment on the outside of the Space Station

The first images taken by NASA Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer MISR on February 24, 2000, show the winter landscape of James Bay, Ontario, Canada from three of the instrument nine cameras.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- While the morning sun paints the sky pale gold, the structures on Launch Pad 39A are silhouetted in brown. Space Shuttle Discovery can be seen on the other side of the Fixed Service Structure; the Rotating Service Structure at right is still open. At left is the 300,000-gallon water tank that is part of the sound suppression system during launches. Discovery will launch on mission STS-92 Oct. 5, 2000

This aerial photo captures many of the facilities involved in Space Shuttle launches. At center is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), with the Launch Control Center at its right. The curved road on the left in the photo is the newly restored crawlerway leading into the VAB high bay 2, where a mobile launcher platform/crawler-transporter sits. The road restoration and high bay 2 are part of KSC's Safe Haven project, enabling the storage of orbiters during severe weather. The crawlerway also extends from the east side out to the two launch pads, one visible close to the road on the left and one to the left of the VAB. In the distance is the Atlantic Ocean. To the right of the crawlerway is the turn basin, into which ships tow the barge for offloading new external tanks from Louisiana.