Tinto Vallis Fluvial Channel

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronaut Dom Gorie joins faculty members of Trojan Intermediate School in Potosi, Mo., for a photo. Students from three area schools — Potosi High School, John Evans Middle School and Trojan — are on a team taking part in NASA’s Explorer Schools program. KSC Deputy Director Dr. Woodrow Whitlow and Gore are sharing America’s new vision for space exploration with the next generation of explorers. They are talking with students about our destiny as explorers, NASA’s stepping stone approach to exploring Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond, how space impacts our lives, and how people and machines rely on each other in space.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the body flap for the orbiter Discovery is prepared for installation. The body flap is an aluminum structure consisting of ribs, spars, skin panels and a trailing edge assembly. It thermally shields the three main engines during entry and provides pitch control trim during landing approach. Discovery is being processed for launch on the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mobile Service Tower begins to roll back from the pad, revealing the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket, Model 7925-H with heavy lift capability. MESSENGER is ready for liftoff on Aug. 2 at 2:16 a.m. EDT and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

Platy Lava Surface

Test cells comprise specimen sand contained in a latex membrane (with a grid pattern for CCD cameras) between metal end plates and housed in a water-filled Lexan jacket. Experiment flown on STS-79 and STS-89. Principal Investigator: Dr. Stein Sture.

Cookies and Cream Under the Microscope

Southern Hemisphere in Ultraviolet

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Former astronaut Winston Scott (left) presents a NASA flag flown at the KSC Space Life Sciences Lab to NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. The flag was flown during construction through the dedication of the Lab. The presentation was during a tour of the Lab following the launching ceremony at the KSC Visitor Complex for the new Florida quarter issued by the U.S. Mint. The ceremony was emceed by Center Director Jim Kennedy and included remarks by O’Keefe, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Samuel W. Bodman. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility built for ISS biotechnology research. It was developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Congressman Tom Feeney (left) and Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. talk on the ground after completing an air boat ride around Kennedy Space Center. During January and February, Congressman Feeney traveled the entire coastline of Florida’s 24th District, and concluded his walks March 1 in Brevard County. On his walks, he met with constituents and community leaders to discuss legislative issues that will be addressed by the 108th Congress. Feeney ended his beach walk at the KSC Visitor Complex main entrance.

A Curious Landscape

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The first Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) for the MESSENGER spacecraft launch is lifted up the mobile service tower at Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The SRB will be mated to the Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket for the Aug. 2 launch to the planet Mercury. The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around Mercury in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

NASA's historic B-52 mother ship carried the X-43A and its Pegasus booster rocket on a captive carry flight from Edwards Air Force Base Jan. 26, 2004. The X-43A and its booster remained mated to the B-52 throughout the two-hour flight, intended to check its readiness for launch. The hydrogen-fueled aircraft is autonomous and has a wingspan of approximately 5 feet, measures 12 feet long and weighs about 2,800 pounds.

ISS008-E-14076 (30 January 2004) --- Cosmonaut Alexander Y. Kaleri, Expedition 8 flight engineer, practices docking procedures with the manual TORU rendezvous system in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS) in preparation for the docking of the Progress 13 on January 31. With the manual TORU mode, Kaleri can perform necessary guidance functions from Zvezda via two hand controllers in the event of a failure of the “Kurs” automated rendezvous and docking (AR&D) of the Progress. Kaleri represents Rosaviakosmos.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Space Station Processing Facility, a trailer delivers the Cupola, an element scheduled to be installed on the International Space Station in early 2009. It was shipped from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy, for the European Space Agency. A dome-shaped module with seven windows, the Cupola will give astronauts a panoramic view for observing many operations on the outside of the orbiting complex. The view out of the Cupola windows will enhance an arm operator's situational awareness, supplementing television camera views and graphics. It will provide external observation capabilities during spacewalks, docking operations and hardware surveys and for Earth and celestial studies. The Cupola is the final element of the Space Station core.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During a simulated launch countdown_emergency simulation on Launch Pad 39A, astronaut-suited workers are placed in a medical-rescue helicopter for transport to a hospital participating in the simulation. Pad team members took part in the four-hour exercise simulating normal launch countdown operations, with the added challenge of a fictitious event causing an evacuation of the vehicle and launch pad. The simulation tested the team’s rescue approaches on the Fixed Service Structure, slidewire basket evacuation, triage care and transportation of injured personnel to hospitals, as well as communications and coordination.

Blueberry Layers Indicate Watery Origins

ISS008-E-22311 (26 April 2004) --- Astronaut C. Michael Foale, Expedition 8 commander and NASA ISS science officer, views the topography of a point on Earth from the nadir window in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station (ISS).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astrotech Space Operations facilities near KSC, workers check the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft after completing rotation on the turnover fixture. Workers will perform the propulsion system phasing test - firing gas through the thrusters in order to verify that the right thrusters fire when expected - as part of prelaunch testing at the site. Launch is scheduled for May 11 from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft will fly past Venus three times and Mercury twice before starting a year-long orbital study of Mercury in July 2009.

Outcrops In Aram Chaos

At the Rim, Looking In

Visit to Glenn Research Center by United States Senator George Voinovich of Ohio

Typical picture of a dendrite: Notice how the branch on the left has no arms coming off the top. This is because of the convective forces (hot liquid rises) that the top of the branch is not solidifying (growing arms) like the bottom, cooler area. The is a gravitational effect. This does not happen in space.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - KSC Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. (center) is interviewed by TV station WUFT after a presentation at Howard Bishop Middle School in Gainesville, Fla. Dr. Whitlow shared the new vision for space exploration with the students, the next generation of explorers. Whitlow talked about our destiny as explorers, NASA’s stepping stone approach to exploring Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond, how space impacts our lives, and how people and machines rely on each other in space. The presentation also included a downlink from the International Space Station for students to ask questions of the Expedition 8 crew, Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Howard Bishop Middle School is one of 50 nationwide (four in Florida) in the NASA Explorer Schools (NES) Program. NES establishes a three-year partnership between NASA and 50 NASA Explorer Schools teams, consisting of teachers and education administrators from diverse communities nationwide

RAYTHEON HORIZONTAL TAIL SECTION

JSC2004-E-37689 (18 August 2004) --- Astronaut Steven W. Lindsey, STS-121 commander, uses a climbing apparatus to lower himself from a simulated trouble-plagued shuttle in an emergency egress training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). Lindsey is wearing a training version of the shuttle launch and entry suit. United Space Alliance (USA) crew trainer David Pogue assisted Lindsey.

This artist's conception illustrates the decline in our universe's "birth-rate" over time. When the universe was young, massive galaxies were forming regularly, like baby bees in a bustling hive. In time, the universe bore fewer and fewer "offspring," and newborn galaxies (white circles) matured into older ones more like our own Milky Way (spirals). Previously, astronomers thought that the universe had ceased to give rise to massive, young galaxies, but findings from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer suggest that may not be the case. Surveying thousands of nearby galaxies with its highly sensitive ultraviolet eyes, the telescope spotted three dozen that greatly resemble youthful galaxies from billions of years ago. In this illustration, those galaxies are represented as white circles on the right, or "today" side of the timeline. The discovery not only suggests that our universe may still be alive with youth, but also offers astronomers their first close-up look at what appear to be baby galaxies. Prior to the new result, astronomers had to peer about 11 billion light-years into the distant universe to see newborn galaxies. The newfound galaxies are only about 2 to 4 billion light-years away. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07142

R&D 100 Award Winners Recognition Luncheon

Sedimentary Rocks of 8°N, 7°W

THEMIS Images as Art #12

Wind Streak in Acidalia

Columbiana County Port Authority, Wellsville Intermodal Facility Wellsville, Ohio USA. Ares 1-X

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center, a manatee rests in the shallows. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. 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 rollout locomotive prepares to back away from the launch pad leaving the Soyuz TMA-4 capsule and its booster rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Saturday, April 17, 2004, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan in preparation for the launch of the Expedition 9 crew and a European researcher to the International Space Station on April 19. The Soyuz vehicle is transported to the launch pad horizontally on a railcar from its processing hangar in a process that takes about 2.5 hours to complete. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Swift spacecraft is being unwrapped in Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Swift is a first-of-its-kind, multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science. Its three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma-ray, X-ray and optical wavebands. Swift is part of NASA’s medium explorer (MIDEX) program being developed by an international collaboration. During its nominal 2-year mission, Swift is expected to observe more than 200 bursts, which will represent the most comprehensive study of GRB afterglow to date. It is scheduled for launch into a low-Earth orbit on a Delta 7320 rocket on Oct. 7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In a plant growth chamber in the KSC Space Life Sciences Lab, plant physiologist Ray Wheeler checks radishes being grown using hydroponic techniques. Wheeler and other colleagues are researching plant growth under different types of light, different CO2 concentrations and temperatures. The Lab is exploring various aspects of a bioregenerative life support system. Such research and technology development will be crucial to long-term habitation of space by humans.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., a Ball Aerospace technician helps guide the flight battery toward the flyby spacecraft on Deep Impact where it will be installed. About the size of a Ford Explorer, the flyby spacecraft is three-axis stabilized and uses a fixed solar array and a small NiH2 battery for its power system. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. During the encounter phase when the comet collides with the impactor projectile propelled into its path, the spacecraft’s high-gain antenna will transmit near-real-time images of the impact back to Earth. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch Jan. 8 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director James Kennedy (left) is aboard a helicopter to observe damage from Hurricane Jeanne. A category 3 storm, Jeanne barreled through Central Florida Sept. 25-26, the fourth hurricane in 6 weeks to batter the state.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A KSC employee moves equipment from the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), damaged by Hurricane Frances, into a hangar and storage facility near the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. Previously, this hangar was used to house the Space Shuttle Columbia debris. Located in Launch Complex 39, the TPSF is used to manufacture both internal and external insulation products for the Space Shuttle orbiters. The storm's path over Florida took it through Cape Canaveral and KSC property during Labor Day weekend.

This 3D anaglyph, from NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows a microscopic image taken of the rock called Adirondack. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A tug boat begins towing the barge containing an External Tank (ET) to Port Canaveral. There one of the SRB Retrieval Ships will take over and tow the ET to the Michoud Space Systems Assembly Facility near New Orleans where redesign of the external tank is underway for Return to Flight.

Ares 1-X segment US2 being transported from building 50 to building 333

Chlorine Clues

PBOW - PLUM BROOK ORDNANCE WORKS CAFETERIA - c1944

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Outside Gainesville Elementary School, a NASA Explorer School in Gainesville, Ga., Principal Shawn McCollough (far left) and a staff member pose for this photo with Jim Jennings (second from left), deputy associate administrator for Institutions and Asset Management at NASA Headquarters; astronaut Leland Melvin (second from right); and Dr. Woodrow Whitlow (far right), KSC deputy director. Jennings visited the school to share the new vision for space exploration with the next generation of explorers. Whitlow and Melvin accompanied him and talked with students about our destiny as explorers, NASA’s stepping stone approach to exploring Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond, how space impacts our lives, and how people and machines rely on each other in space.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The newly shod Crawler Transporter is ready for a road test. The Crawler Transporter that will move Space Shuttle Discovery to the launch pad for Return to Flight is taking its first road test following the replacement of all its shoes. The crawlers have 456 shoes, 57 per belt (8 belts in all). Each shoe weighs 2,200 pounds. Cracks appeared in the shoes in recent years, spurring a need for replacement. The new manufacturer, in Duluth, Minn., has improved the design for a safe Return to Flight and use through the balance of the Space Shuttle Program.

BALLISTIC IMPACT OF MONOLYTHIC AND COMPOSITE PLATES

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Deputy Program Manager Mike Rudolphi, from Marshall Space Flight Center, congratulates employees in the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility for preparing the first (left) solid rocket booster aft skirt for mission STS-114 on schedule. The segment, seen behind Rudolphi, will be transferred to the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) for stacking. At the RPSF an aft motor segment and an external tank attach ring will be installed. The stack will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for further build-up. This is the first transfer of a large piece of hardware from SRB to Ground Operations. It is a significant milestone in the march to Return to Flight.

The Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft is mated to its booster rocket in a processing hangar at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Monday, October 11, 2004, in preparation for its rollout to the launch pad October 12 and its liftoff October 14 to carry Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao, Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov and Russian Space Forces cosmonaut Yuri Shargin to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

This artist concept shows the proposed NASA Mars sample return mission above the red planet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - These pristine sand dunes near the launch pads at KSC are gently washed by the calm blue Atlantic Ocean. Sea oats stand like sentinels on the dunes, which are part of the Canaveral National Seashore, managed by the National Wildlife Service.

ISS009-E-09952 (3 June 2004) --- Large internal waves in the Strait of Gibraltar are featured in this scene photographed by an Expedition 9 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). These subsurface internal waves occur at depths of about 100 meters, but appear in the sun glint as giant swells flowing eastward into the Mediterranean Sea. This image was merged with image ISS009-E-09954 to create a mosaic, which can be viewed on http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov.

ISS009-E-12760 (24 June 2004) --- Astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke, Expedition 9 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, wearing thermal undergarment, floats in the Pirs Docking Compartment of the International Space Station (ISS).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, Kevin Harrington, manager of Softgoods Production, talks to workers about the equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) now being stored in the hangar. The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.

North Polar Cap

Spirit Keeps on Trekking right eye

This close-up image of a penny shows the degree to which the microscopic imager on NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit can zoom in on a target.

This Spitzer false-color image is a composite of data from the 24 micron channel of Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer (red), and three channels of its infrared array camera: 8 micron (yellow), 5.6 micron (blue), and 4.8 micron (green). Stars are most prominent in the two shorter wavelengths, causing them to show up as turquoise. The supernova remnant is most prominent at 24 microns, arising from dust that has been heated by the supernova shock wave, and re-radiated in the infrared. The 8 micron data shows infrared emission from regions closely associated with the optically emitting regions. These are the densest regions being encountered by the shock wave, and probably arose from condensations in the surrounding material that was lost by the supernova star before it exploded. The composite above (PIA06908, PIA06909, and PIA06910) represent views of Kepler's supernova remnant taken in X-rays, visible light, and infrared radiation. Each top panel in the composite above shows the entire remnant. Each color in the composite represents a different region of the electromagnetic spectrum, from X-rays to infrared light. The X-ray and infrared data cannot be seen with the human eye. Astronomers have color-coded those data so they can be seen in these images. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06910

While most hills and mountains on Earth originate from tectonic motions or volcanism, Earth also has some examples of hills that originated from impacts of large meteorites, the predominant origin for hills and mountains on the Moon.

Oblique Impact

A Precious Opportunity

NASA Dryden historian Christian Gelzer explains functions of the high-altitude pressure suit he is wearing to (left to right) Brandon Blankenship and Garrett Clay of Lancaster and Eddie Patterson of Tehachapi during Take Your Children to Work Day activities at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center June 22.

Collapse Pits in Bernard Crater

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Dynamac worker (left) explains the function of the KSC Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab to a prestigious tour group: in the center, Laura O’Keefe and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe; at right, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flanked by his wife, Columba on the left and Bernadette Kennedy, wife of Center Director Jim Kennedy. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility built for ISS biotechnology research. It was developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida. The tour followed the launching ceremony at the KSC Visitor Complex for the new Florida quarter issued by the U.S. Mint. The ceremony was emceed Kennedy and included remarks by O’Keefe, Bush, U.S. Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Samuel W. Bodman.

Spirit Gets Her Kicks at Route 66

Ready to Enter Endurance Right Eye

Meridiani Outcrops

The Marshall Space Flight Center, a NASA field installation, was established at Huntsville, Alabama, in 1960. The Center was named in honor of General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff during World War II, Secretary of State, and Nobel Prize Wirner for his world-renowned Marshall Plan.

STS109-S-001 (August 2001) --- STS-109 is the fourth mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The mission patch depicts the Hubble Space Telescope and the space shuttle Columbia over the North American continent. During the eleven-day mission, the crew of Columbia will rendezvous with the telescope and grapple and berth it to the space shuttle using the remote manipulator system. Then, a series of spacewalks will be performed to significantly upgrade HST?s scientific capabilities and power system. Inside of HST?s aperture is a portrayal of the spectacular Hubble Deep Field Image, representing the billions of stars and galaxies in the Universe. This Deep Field Image symbolizes all the major discoveries made possible by the Hubble Space Telescope over the last ten years, and all those to come following the installation of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) by the crew of STS-109. The ACS is the major scientific upgrade for this servicing mission and will dramatically increase HST?s ability to see deeper into our universe. To further extend HST?s discovery potential, a new cooling system will be added that will restore HST?s infrared capability. The telescope is also shown with the smaller, sturdier, and more efficient solar arrays that will be installed during the spacewalks on STS-109. When combined with a new Power Control Unit, these solar arrays will provide more power for use by the telescope and allow multiple scientific instruments to operate concurrently. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On a visit to Kennedy, STS-114 Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson looks at the tiles, part of the Thermal Protection System, on the belly of the orbiter Discovery. The designated vehicle for the mission, Discovery is in the Orbiter Processing Facility for launch processing. Discovery is scheduled for a launch planning window of May 12 to June 3, 2005.

This is a portrait of General George C. Marshall in Army uniform. The Marshall Space Flight Center, a NASA field installation, was established in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1960. The Center was named in honor of General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff during World War II, Secretary of State, and Nobel Prize Winner for his world-renowned Marshall Plan.

Near Endurance on Sol 115 right eye

Tracks of Art

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - On Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the two fairing sections for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-N) spacecraft are ready to be lifted up the launch service tower. The fairing is placed around the spacecraft to protect it during launch. NOAA-N is the fourth in the series of support dedicated microwave instruments for the generation of temperature, moisture, surface, and hydrological products in cloudy regions where visible and infrared (IR) instruments have decreased capability. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is currently scheduled for no earlier than May 11, 2005.

Noctus Labyrinthus by Day and Night

In this artist's visualization, the newly discovered planet-like object, dubbed "Sedna," is shown where it resides at the outer edges of the known solar system. The object is so far away that the Sun appears as an extremely bright star instead of a large, warm disc observed from Earth. All that is known about Sedna's appearance is that it has a reddish hue, almost as red and reflective as the planet Mars. In the distance is a hypothetical small moon, which scientists believe may be orbiting this distant body. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05566

Goddard rocket with four rocket motors. This rocket attained an altitude of 200 feet in a flight, November 1936, at Roswell, New Mexico. From 1930 to 1941, Dr. Goddard made substantial progress in the development of progressively larger rockets which attained altitudes of 2400 meters, and refined his equipment for guidance and control, his techniques of welding, and his insulation, pumps, and other associated equipment. In many respects, Dr. Goddard laid the essential foundations of practical rocket technology

NASA 50th Anniversary Gala Celebration - Ohio Astronaut Reunion

ISS009-E-05034 (29 April 2004) --- As seen through a window on the International Space Station (ISS), the Soyuz TMA-3 capsule departs from the Station carrying astronaut C. Michael Foale, Expedition 8 commander and NASA ISS science officer; cosmonaut Alexander Y. Kaleri, flight engineer representing Russia’s Federal Space Agency; and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands. Undocking occurred at 3:52 p.m. (CDT) on April 29.

ISS010-E-11836 (22 December 2004) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space, an unpiloted Progress 15 supply vehicle undocks from the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:37 pm (CST) on December 22, 2004, carrying its load of trash and unneeded equipment to be deorbited and burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. The undocking clears the way for the arrival of a new Progress 16, planned to launch December 23 and dock with the Station on December 25.

Legendary characters used the power of mythology to fly through the heavens. About 200 BC, a Greek inventor known as Hero of Alexandria came up with a new invention that depended on the mechanical interaction of heat and water. He invented a rocket-like device called an aeolipile. It used steam for propulsion. Hero mounted a sphere on top of a water kettle. A fire below the kettle turned the water into steam, and the gas traveled through the pipes to the sphere. Two L-shaped tubes on opposite sides of the sphere allowed the gas to escape, and in doing so gave a thrust to the sphere that caused it to rotate.

The Soyuz TMA-5 vehicle rolled to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Tuesday, October 12, 2004, in preparation for its launch October 14 to send Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao, Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov and Russian Space Forces cosmonaut Yuri Shargin to the International Space Station. Chiao and Sharipov will replace the Expedition 9 crew of Gennady Padalka and Mike Fincke, while Shargin will conduct eight days of scientific experiments. He will return to earth with the Expedition 9 crew October 24. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JSC2004-E-47547 (24 October 2004) --- The Soyuz capsule lies on its side after landing approximately 85 kilometers northeast of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan with astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke, NASA International Space Station (ISS) science officer and flight engineer; cosmonaut Gennady I. Padalka, Russia’s Federal Space Agency Expedition 9 commander; and Russian Space Forces cosmonaut Yuri Shargin on October 24, 2004. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"

iss009e22435 (9/13/2004) --- A view of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) #1,aft side. MISSE is attached to the outside of the Zvezda Service Module (SM). Image taken from the Pirs Docking Compartment forward port window during observation and photography of ISS External Structures on Expedition 9. MISSE-1 and 2 are a test bed for materials and coatings attached to the outside of the ISS is being evaluated for the effects of atomic oxygen, direct sunlight, and extremes of heat and cold. This experiment allows the development and testing of new materials to better withstand the rigors of space environments. Results will provide a better understanding of the durability of various materials when they are exposed to the space environment. Many of the materials may have applications in the design of future spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Fernando Caldeiro (left) and Joseph Tellado (right) present a memento of appreciation to Tom Neimeyer (with InDyne Corp.) at KSC’s annual Hispanic American Heritage luncheon. The theme was “Hispanic Americans Making a Difference.” Tellado was co-chair of the event hosted by the Hispanic Employment Program Working Group. InDyne was one of the sponsors of the luncheon. The annual event helps employees reflect on the extensive contributions Hispanics have made to KSC, NASA and the nation.

ISS008-E-22009 (22 April 2004) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands is pictured near food storage containers in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station (ISS).

ENGINE COMPONENTS RESEARCH LAB ECRL SIDE 1 AND 2A

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Herons, a roseate spoonbill and other species of water birds gather in a canal near KSC, which shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. 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.

Opportunity at the Wall

Pictured is an artist's collage of every phase of an X-34 Demonstrator's flight, from launch to landing. An X-34 was launched from an airplane, then proceeded to obtain an on-orbit altitude where it could remain for up to 21 days performing various experiments. At the conclusion of its mission, the X-34 returned to the Earth's atmosphere for a runway landing. The X-34 program was cancelled in 2001.

DYNAMICS OF DROPLET COMBUSTION AND EXTINCTION GROUND TEST HARDWARE

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the left wing leading edge on Discovery is ready for installation of the first Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panel. The RCC panels are mechanically attached to the wing with spars, a series of floating joints to reduce loading on the panels caused by wing deflections. Discovery has been named as the orbiter to fly on the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114.

ISS010-E-09366 (4 December 2004) --- New York’s Finger Lakes region is featured in this digital image photographed by an Expedition 10 crewmember on the International Space Station. Shapes of the snow-covered hills are accented by the low sun angles, and contrast with the darker, finger-shaped lakes filling the region’s valleys. Scientists believe the steep, roughly parallel valleys and hills of the Finger Lakes region were shaped by advancing and retreating ice sheets that were as much as 2 miles deep during the last ice age. River valleys were scoured into deep troughs; many are now filled with lakes. The two largest lakes, Seneca and Cayuga, are so deep that the bases of their lakebeds are below sea level. The cities of Rochester, Syracuse and Ithaca are included in this field-of-view, as seen from the Space Station. These three cities enjoy large seasonal snowpacks, thanks to the influence of the Great Lakes producing lake-effect snowstorms. According to NASA scientists studying the Space Station imagery, despite its reputation for long winters, the region is balmy compared with the glacial climate present when the landscape was carved. Scientists believe, at the time of the greatest ice extent, yearly average temperatures over northern North America were several degrees lower than today.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, with the help of a lifting device, the starboard hatch is lifted on the Node 2 module. The second of three Station connecting modules, the Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for several other elements. Node 2 is scheduled to launch on mission STS-120, Station assembly flight 10A.

MICROSYSTEMS FABRICATION LABORATORY - PULSED-DC REACTIVE SPUTTERING SYSTEM

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Terry Virts questions students from Immokalee Middle School in Naples, Fla., which is part of NASA’s Explorer School (NES) Program. Virts spoke about what it takes for mission success and the importance of teamwork. Virts accompanied Center Director Jim Kennedy on the visit to the school to share the vision for space exploration with the next generation of explorers. Immokalee is part of NASA’s Explorer School (NES) Program and is teamed with Pine Ridge Middle School. Kennedy is talking with students about our destiny as explorers, NASA’s stepping stone approach to exploring Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond, how space impacts our lives, and how people and machines rely on each other in space. NES establishes a three-year partnership annually between NASA and 50 NASA Explorer Schools teams, consisting of teachers and education administrators from diverse communities nationwide.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An aerial photo of the recently completed Space Life Sciences Lab at KSC. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility built for ISS biotechnology research. It was developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Seen in the photo is one end of the airlock that is installed in the payload bay of orbiter Discovery. The airlock is normally located inside the middeck of the spacecraft’s pressurized crew cabin. The airlock is sized to accommodate two fully suited flight crew members simultaneously. Support functions include airlock depressurization and repressurization, extravehicular activity equipment recharge, liquid-cooled garment water cooling, EVA equipment checkout, donning and communications. The outer hatch isolates the airlock from the unpressurized payload bay when closed and permits the EVA crew members to exit from the airlock to the payload bay when open.

NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke, left, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, center and Flight Engineer and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands walk from the Soyuz capsule at building 254 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome after their final fit check in the Soyuz, Wednesday, April 14, 2004, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

STS-122 Crew Members visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio and present an STS-122 commemorative collage to the Hall of Fame President