KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - KSC employees enjoy a baseball game at Manatees Stadium, home of the Brevard Manatees, a minor league baseball team in Central Florida. The team hosted KSC employees for the game, which included a moment of silence to honor the STS-107 crew and two recovery workers who died in a helicopter crash.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and Refurbishment Facility (ARF), Vernon Gibbs, with United Space Alliance, prepares the forward skirt of a solid rocket booster for installation of the parachute camera. Refurbishment and subassembly of Shuttle SRB hardware - primarily the forward and aft assemblies - is carried out in the ARF.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Spewing flames and billowing clouds of smoke across Launch Pad 39A, Space Shuttle Columbia roars toward space on mission STS-107. Following a flawless and uneventful countdown, liftoff occurred on-time at 10:39 a.m. EST. The 16-day research mission will include FREESTAR (Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research) and the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM), known as SPACEHAB. Experiments on the module range from material sciences to life sciences.. Landing of Columbia is scheduled at about 8:53 a.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 1. This mission is the first Shuttle mission of 2003. Mission STS-107 is the 28th flight of the orbiter Columbia and the 113th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program. [Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews]

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The floor of the KSC RLV Hangar is filled with pieces of Columbia debris gathered by search teams and shipped from Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. Ground teams have completed 78 percent of their primary search area, and airborne crews finished 80 percent of their assigned area. More than 70,000 items, weighing 78,000 pounds, about 36 percent of the Shuttle by weight, have been delivered to KSC for use in the mishap investigation. Search teams have completed 98 percent of the underwater searches in Lake Nacogdoches and Toledo Bend Reservoir.

The prime and backup crews for the Expedition 8 mission to the International Space Station and the prime and backup European Space Agency astronauts receive final well-wishes from Russian and U.S. space officials at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Saturday, Oct. 18, 2003, before launch. Expedition 8 Commander and NASA Science Officer Michael Foale, Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri and the ESA's Pedro Duque of Spain were launched on a Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle, arriving at the ISS on Oct. 20. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Boeing Delta II second stage is lifted up the tower on Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be mated with the first stage, completing the erection of the launch vehicle for NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched.

Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain watches a water bubble float between a camera and himself. The bubble shows his reflection (reversed). Duque was launched aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on October 18th, along with expedition-8 crew members Michael C. Foale, Mission Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer, and Cosmonaut Alexander Y. Kaleri, Soyuz Commander and flight engineer.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister with the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) inside is lifted up the tower on Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SIRTF will be mated with the Delta II launch vehicle in the tower. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched.

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Astronaut Edward T. Lu, NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer for Expedition Seven, smiles for a photo after donning his flight suit. Lu has an STS-107 patch on his suit in honor of the crew members lost on the Space Shuttle Columbia February 2003. Lu and fellow crew member Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, Commander, were launched onboard a Soyuz rocket at 9:53 a.m. from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Utopia Cracks and Polygons

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Onboard the Liberty Star, the NASA Space Shuttle support ship operated by United Space Alliance, .Dr. Grant Gilmore holds some of the equipment to be used on an undersea expedition. Gilmore is co-principle investigator of the Passive Acoustic Monitoring System (PAMS), part of the equipment. NASA/KSC is participating in the expedition to characterize the condition of the deep-sea coral reefs and reef fish populations in the Oculina Banks, a marine protected area, 20 miles offshore of the east coast of Florida. Scientists on the team will be deploying an underwater robot, a seafloor sampler, and the PAMS, originally developed by NASA to monitor the impact of rocket launches on wildlife refuge lagoons at KSC. The research is sponsored by NOAA Fisheries. The ship departed from Port Canaveral April 29 and will return May 9.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After closing the solar panels for flight stow, workers examine the Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2). Set to launch in Spring 2003, the MER Mission will consist of two identical rovers designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The first rover has a launch window opening May 30, and the second rover a window opening June 25.

ISS007-E-06139 (1 June 2003) --- Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko (right), Expedition 7 mission commander, and astronaut Edward T. Lu, NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, share a meal in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). Malenchenko represents Rosaviakosmos.

ISS007-E-12914 (18 August 2003) --- This view featuring Egypt’s Great pyramids of Giza (right center) was taken by an Expedition 7 crewmember onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Giza is a royal burial place, commissioned and built by pharaohs during the fourth dynasty around 2550 BC. Today, Giza is a rapidly growing region of Cairo. Population growth in Egypt continues to soar, leading to new construction. New roads for large new developments are obvious in the desert hills northwest and southwest of the pyramids.

NASA International Space Station Science Officer and Flight Engineer for Expedition 7 Edward T. Lu, left and Expedition 7 Commander Yuri I. Malenchenko wait to have their Russian Sokol suits tested at the Soyuz Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Thursday, April 10, 2003. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Jim Comer, United Space Alliance project leader for Columbia reconstruction, speaks to members of the Columbia Reconstruction Team during transfer of debris from the Columbia Debris Hangar to its permanent storage site in the Vehicle Assembly Building. More than 83,000 pieces of debris were shipped to KSC during search and recovery efforts in East Texas. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.

Albedo Boundary

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- -- Members of the Columbia Reconstruction Program Team pass a light over debris from Columbia. Workers are attempting to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar as part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven returning from mission STS-107.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe is interviewed by the media at the 40th Space Congress held April 28-May 1, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. On the left is Lisa Malone, associate director of External Relations and Business Development at KSC. The Space Congress is an international conference that gathers attendees from the scientific community, the space industry workforce, educators and local supporting industries. This year's event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight. The theme for the Space Congress was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space."

AerOhio 1 Aerostat Balloon; Media Event at NASA Plumbrook Station

Expedition 8 Commander and NASA Science Officer Michael Foale, left, and European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain participate in the traditional raising of the flags at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2003, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers stand by while an overhead crane again lifts the cruise stage of Mars Exploration Rover 1 (MER-1). The cruise stage will be integrated with the aeroshell, the entry vehicle. NASA’s twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can’t yet go. The MER-1 is scheduled to launch June 25 from Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

JSC2004-E-00591 (10 Dec. 2003) --- Astronaut Charles J. Camarda, mission specialist.

ISS007-E-05829 (22 May 2003) --- Astronaut Edward T. Lu, Expedition Seven NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, floats in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS). Carl E. Walz, a musician and member of a band made up of NASA astronauts, brought the keyboard (lower left) to the station for his Expedition Four stay aboard the orbital outpost.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Mars Exploration Rover 1 (MER-1) is seen in the foreground after the science boom was deployed. Set to launch in Spring 2003, the MER Mission will consist of two identical rovers designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars. The first rover has a launch window opening May 30, and the second rover a window opening June 25.

Gullies Galore!

As if perched on top of a candle, the Mars Exploration Rover known as “Spirit” is hurled into space on a Delta II rocket. Liftoff occurred on time at 1:58 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MER-A is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at the red planet in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for the MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.

Exhibits draw crowds of young women attending the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. The event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees. Since it followed the tragic loss of the Columbia astronauts, a large poster was presented which attendees could sign as tribute.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-114 Mission Specialist Andy Thomas takes a close look at the some of the tiles underneath Atlantis. Thomas is a new addition to the mission crew. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in crew equipment and orbiter familiarization.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach points to some of the tiles recovered from the orbiter as he explains to the media about activities that have taken place since the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. STS-107 debris recovery and reconstruction operations are winding down. To date, nearly 84,000 pieces of debris have been recovered and sent to KSC. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.

NASA's F-15B research testbed jet from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center flew in the supersonic shockwave of a Northrop Grumman Corp. modified F-5E in support of the Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration (SSBD) project, which is part of the DARPA's Quiet Supersonic Platform (QSP) program.

ISS007-E-14837 (12 September 2003) --- Astronaut Edward T. Lu, Expedition 7 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, uses chopsticks to eat in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - KSC Director Roy D. Bridges addresses a group of KSC employees assembled in the KSC Training Auditorium. The occasion is the announcement of James W. Kennedy as the next director of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Kennedy has served as KSC's deputy director since November 2002. He will succeed Bridges, who was appointed on June 13 to lead NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.

JSC2003-00554 (18 Sept. 2003) --- Astronaut Paul S. Lockhart

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Columbia Reconstruction Project Team member examines debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia in the RLV Hangar. The debris is being shipped to KSC from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.

This composite image shows soybean plants growing in the Advanced Astroculture experiment aboard the International Space Station during June 11-July 2, 2002. DuPont is partnering with NASA and the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to grow soybeans aboard the Space Station to find out if they have improved oil, protein, carbohydrates or secondary metabolites that could benefit farmers and consumers. Principal Investigators: Dr. Tom Corbin, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., a Dupont Company, with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, and Dr. Weijia Zhou, Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR), University of Wisconsin-Madison.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The U.S. Node 2 moves toward a workstand in the Space Station Processing Facility. The second of three connecting modules on the International Space Station, the Italian-built Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet.

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan -- The Soyuz rocket is rolled out of the assembly building and travels via rail to the launch pad. Expedition Seven is scheduled to launch onboard the Soyuz April 26, 2003. Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, commander, and astronaut Ed Lu, NASA science officer and flight engineer, were named as the primary crew, Expedition 7, for the launch to the International Space Station. Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri and NASA astronaut Michael Foale are the backup crewmembers to Malenchenko and Lu. Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit will return to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-1 craft in May 2003. The three Expedition 6 crewmembers were launched on Nov. 23, 2002. They have been aboard the Station since November 25. They were originally scheduled to return in March aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-114 mission. Malenchenko and Lu will continue to operate the science payloads already on board, as well as maintaining the Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

ISS006-E-26802 (14 February 2003) --- Astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox, Expedition Six mission commander, uses a still camera to photograph the topography of a point on Earth from the nadir window in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the nose cap of the orbiter Atlantis rests on a stand after its removal from the orbiter for routine inspection. The nose cap is made of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), which has an operating range of minus 250° F to about 3,000° F.

Marte Vallis Platy Flows

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Framed by the NASA insignia, on the outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building, this osprey stares out from the nest it has built on top of speakers in a nearby parking lot. Known as a fish hawk, the osprey selects sites of opportunity, from trees and telephone poles to rocks or even flat ground. In the United States it is found from Alaska and Newfoundland to Florida and the Gulf Coast. Osprey nests are found throughout the Kennedy Space Center and nearby Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2), inside the transport canister, has arrived at Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where it will be mated to the Delta II rocket for launch. MER-2 is one of NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can't yet go. MER-2 is scheduled to launch no earlier than June 8 as MER-A.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - International Space Station elements being processed for launch on upcoming Space Shuttle flights, including the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) pressurized module (Kibo or Hope) and the U.S. Node 2, line the walls of the high bay in the Space Station Processing Facility. NASA's Node 2, built by the European Space Agency (ESA) in Italy, arrived at KSC on June 1. It will be the next pressurized module installed on the Station. The JEM pressurized module arrived at KSC on June 4. It is Japan's primary contribution to the Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - John Cassanto (center), with Instrumentation Technology Associates, Inc., explains the use of the apparatus used for experiments on mission STS-107. At left is Barry Perlman, with Pembroke Pines Middle School in Florida; at right is Lou Friedman, executive director of the Planetary Society. The box was part of the Commercial ITA Biomedical Experiments payload on mission STS-107 that included the Growth of Bacterial Biofilm on Surfaces during Spaceflight (GOBBSS) experiment and crystals grown for cancer research. The GOBBSS experiment was sponsored by the Planetary Society, with joint participation of an Israeli and a Palestinian student, and developed by the Israeli Aerospace Medical Institute and JSC Astrobiology Center.

Chaotic Terrain

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-114 Pilot James Kelly (center) and Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence, who was recently added to the mission crew, look at the nose cap recently removed from Atlantis. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in equipment familiarization.

Eroded Mesas

ISS007-E-15149 (21 September 2003) --- This image, photographed by an Expedition 7 crewmember onboard the International Space Station (ISS), was merged with images ISS007-E-15148 and ISS007-E-15150 to create a mosaic of Johannesburg, South Africa. The mosaic can be viewed on http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility prepare to install the port fairing on the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). The spacecraft is already mated to the Pegasus launch vehicle. After encapsulation, the GALEX/Pegasus will be transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the L-1011 about four days before launch. A new launch date has not been determined.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance worker Mike Hyatt (above) completes installation of a Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) panel onto the leading edge of the wing of the orbiter Atlantis. The gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers prepare to mate the Mars Exploration Rover-2 (MER-2) to the third stage of a Delta II rocket for launch on June 5. NASA’s twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can’t yet go. MER-1 (MER-B) will launch June 25.

In this International Space Station (ISS) onboard photo, Expedition Six Science Officer Donald R. Pettit works to set up the Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF) experiment hardware in the Destiny Laboratory. Expedition Six is the fourth and final crew to perform the PuFF experiment. The PuFF experiment was developed to better understand what effects long term exposure to microgravity may have on the lungs. The focus is on measuring changes in the everness of gas exchange in the lungs, and on detecting changes in respiratory muscle strength. It allows astronauts to measure blood flow through the lungs, the ability of the lung to take up oxygen, and lung volumes. Each PuFF session includes five lung function tests, which involve breathing only cabin air. For each planned extravehicular (EVA) activity, a crew member performs a PuFF test within one week prior to the EVA. Following the EVA, those crew members perform another test to document the effect of exposure of the lungs to the low-pressure environment of the space suits. This experiment utilizes the Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology, or GASMAP, located in the Human Research Facility (HRF), along with a variety of other Puff equipment including a manual breathing valve, flow meter, pressure-flow module, pressure and volume calibration syringes, and disposable mouth pieces.

Erosion and what it Reveals

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Boeing Delta II rocket and its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload are free of the tower (right) and ready for launch. This will be the third launch attempt in as many days after weather concerns postponed the launches June 8 and June 9. MER-A is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at Mars in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Columbia Reconstruction Project Team members catalog pieces of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia in the RLV Hangar. The debris arrived at KSC today from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the KSC Launch Control Complex, former astronauts Jim Lovell (center) and Wally Schirra (right) talk with Mike Wetmore, director of Shuttle Processing (left). Lovell and Schirra visited KSC to talk about the space program and their experiences, as well as offer encouragement to workers to help get the space program "back on its feet." They visited several sites around the Center, including the RLV Hangar where Columbia debris is being collected and examined as part of the investigation into the tragedy that claimed the orbiter and lives of seven astronauts returning from mission STS-107.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers lower the Mars Exploration Rover-2 (MER-2) onto the base petal of its lander assembly. Set to launch in Spring 2003, the MER Mission will consist of two identical rovers designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars. The first rover has a launch window opening May 30, and the second rover, a window opening June 25.

NRTC/RITA Precision Pathway Terminal Guidance: UH-60 RASCAL (#012) (National Rotocraft Technology Center/Rotorcraft Industry Technology Association) runway independent aircraft

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the SPACEHAB facility in Cape Canaveral, STS-114 Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, Ph.D., (right) and Commander Eileen Collins (Colonel, USAF) participate in familiarization activities on the equipment that will fly on the STS-114 mission. STS-114 is a utilization and logistics flight that will carry Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the External Stowage Platform (ESP-2), as well as the Expedition 7 crew, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for March 1, 2003.

Amid billows of smoke and steam, the Delta II rocket with its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload lifts off the pad on time at 1:58 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MER-A, known as "Spirit," is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at the red planet in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for the MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.

Two generations of Rovers.

NRTC/RITA Precision Pathway Terminal Guidance: UH-60 RASCAL (#012) (National Rotocraft Technology Center/Rotorcraft Industry Technology Association) runway independent aircraft - Sikorsky Helicopter pilot Kevin Bredenbeck preparing for flight in RASCAL with Dave Arterburn

STS107-E-05021 (17 January 2003) --- Astronaut Laurel B. Clark, STS-107 mission specialist, uses a camera to photograph the topography of a point on Earth from an overhead window on the aft flight deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA officials brief the media at KSC about the agency’s human space flight program. On the panel (left to right) are NASA Deputy Administrator Fred Gregory, Associate Administrator for Space Flight Bill Readdy and Associate Administrator for Safety and Mission Assurance Bryan O’Connor.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Dr. James Hallock looks over a portion of a solid rocket booster in the Hangar AF (the SRB Disassembly Facility). He is a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board that is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry.

JSC2003-00678 (January 2003) --- Astronaut Joan E. Higginbotham, STS-116 mission specialist, takes a break from training to pose for a portrait with a NASA T-38 trainer jet at Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - International Space Station elements being processed for launch on upcoming Space Shuttle flights, including the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) pressurized module, line the walls of the high bay in the Space Station Processing Facility. The JEM pressurized module, named "Kibo" (Hope), arrived at KSC on June 4. It is Japan's primary contribution to the Station.

Expedition 8 Commander and NASA Science Officer Michael Foale is seen at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Foale, Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri and European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain were launched on a Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle to the International Space Station, arriving on Oct. 20. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

May 6, 2003. Star City, Russia. Expedition Six NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit speaks during a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A member of the Columbia Restoration Project Team places a piece of debris on the floor of the RLV Hangar at KSC. A fourth shipment of Columbia debris has arrived at KSC. The team is examining pieces and attempting to reconstruct the orbiter as part of the investigation into the accident that caused the destruction of Columbia as it returned to Earth on mission STS-107. To date, four shipments have arrived from Barksdale AFB, Shreveport, La., the collection point for debris.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach (left) explains recovery and reconstruction efforts of Columbia to the Executive Director of NASDA Koji Yamamoto (second from left) and others visiting the Columbia Debris Hangar. Mr. Yamamoto is at KSC for a welcome ceremony involving the arrival of the newest Space Station module, the Japanese Experiment Module/pressurized module.

This false-color infrared image was taken by the camera system on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft over part of Ganges Chasma in Valles Marineris (approximately 13 degrees S, 318 degrees E). The infrared image has been draped over topography data obtained by Mars Global Surveyor. The color differences in this image show compositional variations in the rocks exposed in the wall and floor of Ganges (blue and purple) and in the dust and sand on the rim of the canyon (red and orange). The floor of Ganges is covered by rocks and sand composed of basaltic lava that are shown in blue. A layer that is rich in the mineral olivine can be seen as a band of purple in the walls on both sides of the canyon, and is exposed as an eroded layer surrounding a knob on the floor. Olivine is easily destroyed by liquid water, so its presence in these ancient rocks suggests that this region of Mars has been very dry for a very long time. The mosaic was constructed using infrared bands 5, 7, and 8, and covers an area approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) on each side. This simulated view is toward the north. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04262

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV Hangar, members of the Columbia Investigation Accident Board look at pieces of tile from Columbia. In the center is the chairman, Adm. Harold Gehman, accompanied by U.S. Representatives Tom Feeney (second from left) and Dave Weldon (next to him). Gehman and other board members are visiting KSC as part of the ongoing investigation. Recovery efforts as of May 5 included 82,500 pieces of debris weighing 84,800 pounds, almost 40 percent of the total dry weight of the shuttle. About 25,000 personnel took part, utilizing almost 1.5 million total man-hours in the recovery effort and involving more than 130 federal, state and local agencies. The operation was also supported by more than 270 organizations that included businesses and volunteer groups.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A United Space Alliance (USA) technician (center) discusses aspects of Shuttle processing performed in the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Assembly and Refurbishment Facility (ARF) with NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik (right). NASA and USA Space Shuttle program management are participating in a leadership workday. The day is intended to provide management with an in-depth, hands-on look at Shuttle processing activities at KSC.

ISS008-E-05856 (12 November 2003) --- Cosmonaut Alexander Y. Kaleri, Expedition 8 flight engineer, moves a Zero-G Storage Rack (ZSR) in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS). Kaleri, who represents Rosaviakosmos, commanded the Soyuz flight that took the crew to the station last month.

ISS006-E-13970 (2 January 2003) --- Cosmonaut Nikolai M. Budarin, Expedition Six flight engineer, takes inventory of equipment in the functional cargo block (FGB), or Zarya, on the International Space Station (ISS). Budarin represents Rosaviakosmos.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-114 crew members check out the hardware in Atlantis that will fly on the STS-114 mission. STS-114 is a utilization and logistics flight (ULF-1) that will carry Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the External Stowage Platform (ESP-2), as well as the Expedition 7 crew, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for March 1, 2003.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Columbia Reconstruction Project Team members catalog debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia positioned in the RLV Hangar. The debris is being shipped to KSC from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing for the Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2) is installed around the Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2). MER-2 is one of NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can't yet go. MER-2 is scheduled to launch no earlier than June 8 as MER-A, with two launch opportunities each day during the launch period that closes on June 19.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Newly appointed KSC Director James W. Kennedy (second from left) and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (right) talk to the media following the launch of the Mars Exploration Rover "Opportunity" at the Trident Basin berm press site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The impact crater observed in this NASA Mars Odyssey image taken in Terra Cimmeria suggests sediments have filled the crater due to the flat and smooth nature of the floor compared to rougher surfaces at higher elevations.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The SciSat-1 spacecraft is revealed after being uncrated at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. SciSat-1 weighs approximately 330 pounds and will be placed in a 400-mile-high polar orbit to investigate processes that control the distribution of ozone in the upper atmosphere. The scientific mission of SciSat-1 is to measure and understand the chemical processes that control the distribution of ozone in the Earth’s atmosphere, particularly at high altitudes. The data from the satellite will provide Canadian and international scientists with improved measurements relating to global ozone processes and help policymakers assess existing environmental policy and develop protective measures for improving the health of our atmosphere, preventing further ozone depletion. The mission is designed to last two years.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers, covered in protective clothing and breathing apparatus, continue sandblasting on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

ISS006-E-44985 (10 March 2003) --- A close up view of a water droplet on a leaf on the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 (Plants-2) plant growth experiment, which is located in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker at Hangar A&E, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, place the lower panels of the canister around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). The spacecraft will be transported to Launch Complex 17-B for mating with its launch vehicle, the Delta II rocket. SIRTF consists of three cryogenically cooled science instruments and an 0.85-meter telescope, and is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A crawler-transporter carrying Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3, with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, crawls to the intersection in the crawlerway in support of the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. From this perspective, the Launch Control Center (left) and the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (right) in the background appear dwarfed by the 184-foot-tall boosters. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Mike Hyatt (above) and Saul Ngy (below), with United Space Alliance, install a spar on the wing of the orbiter Atlantis. Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) panels are mechanically attached to the wing with a series of floating joints - spars - to reduce loading on the panels caused by wing deflections. The aluminum and the metallic attachments are protected from exceeding temperature limits by internal insulation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility prepare the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) for encapsulation. The spacecraft is already mated to the Pegasus launch vehicle. After encapsulation, the GALEX/Pegasus will be transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the L-1011 about four days before launch. A new launch date has not been determined.

ISS006-E-50607 (28 April 2003) --- The Expedition Seven crewmembers pose with two of the Expedition Six crewmembers (blue suits) in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS), photographed by astronaut Donald R. Pettit (out of view), Expedition Six NASA ISS science officer. From the left are cosmonaut Nikolai M. Budarin, Expedition Six flight engineer; astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox, Expedition Six mission commander; astronaut Edward T. Lu, Expedition Seven NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer; and cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, Expedition Seven mission commander. Budarin and Malenchenko represent Rosaviakosmos.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Columbia Crew Memorial Service is held at the Shuttle Landing Facility for KSC employees and invited guests. NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe is at the podium. Seated to his right are NASA Associate Deputy Administrator for Institutions and Asset Management James L. Jennings, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Columbia's first pilot and former KSC Director Robert Crippen. The Columbia and her crew of seven were lost on Feb. 1, 2003, over East Texas as they returned to Earth after a 16-day research mission. Taking part in the service were NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, former KSC Director Robert Crippen, astronaut Jim Halsell, several employees, area clergymen, and members of Patrick Air Force Base. The service concluded with a “Missing Man Formation Fly Over” by NASA T-38 jet aircraft.

ISS007-E-15484 (26 September 2003) --- Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, Expedition 7 mission commander representing Rosaviakosmos, looks over procedures checklists in a Soyuz spacecraft docked to the International Space Station (ISS).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe presents a framed photo to Kevin Hoshstrasser, chairman of the 40th Space Congress held April 28-May 1, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The international conference gathers attendees from the scientific community, the space industry workforce, educators and local supporting industries. This year's event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight. The theme for the Space Congress was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space."

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Center Director Roy Bridges speaks to attendees at the groundbreaking for the Operations Support Building II. The audience included representatives of Governor Jeb Bush and the state of Florida. The new building will replace modular housing constructed more than 20 years ago and house NASA and contractor support staff for shuttle operations. The demolition of the modular buildings has begun and construction will immediately follow. The new structure is projected to be ready in April 2005.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance technician Jamie Haynes does a gap test on the tiles of the nose of orbiter Atlantis as part of return-to-flight activities. Atlantis is scheduled for mission STS-114, a return-to-flight test mission to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance employees (from left) Harrell Watts, Mike Cote, and Jason Levandusky install Thermal Protection System tiles on a main landing gear door of Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). Sections of Enterprise were borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum where the orbiter is being stored at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Enterprise was the first orbiter built in the Shuttle fleet and was used to conduct the Approach and Landing Test Program before the first powered Shuttle flight. After the tile installation is complete, the sections will be transferred to the Southwest Research Institute for testing requested by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-107 Pilot William "Willie" McCool smiles at spectators as he arrives at KSC for pre-launch preparations. STS-107 is a mission devoted to research and will include more than 80 experiments that will study Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety. The payload on Space Shuttle Columbia includes FREESTAR (Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research) and the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM), known as SPACEHAB. Experiments on the module range from material sciences to life sciences. The crew includes Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut. Other crew members are Commander Rick Husband, Payload Commander Michael Anderson and Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and Laurel Clark. Launch of Columbia is targeted for Jan. 16 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox calls his wife Annie from the airplane prior to departure from Astana, Kazakhstan to Moscow, Tuesday, May 4, 2003. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The mated Pegasus XL and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite arrive at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The GALEX, to be launched April 28 from an Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft, will carry into space an orbiting telescope that will observe a million galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history to help astronomers determine when the stars and elements we see today had their origins. The spacecraft will sweep the skies for 28 months using state-of-the-art ultraviolet detectors to single out galaxies dominated by young, hot, short-lived stars that give off a great deal of energy at that wavelength. These galaxies are actively creating stars, and therefore provide a window into the history and causes of star formation in galaxies.