KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the orbiter Discovery is lowered in front of the Solid Rocket Booster and External Tank already stacked on the top of the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) . The view is from the MLP surface. After Discovery has been mated to the External Tank_Solid Rocket Booster assembly on the MLP and all umbilicals have been connected, workers will perform an electrical and mechanical verification of the mated interfaces to verify all critical vehicle connections. A Shuttle interface test is performed using the launch processing system to verify Space Shuttle vehicle interfaces and Space Shuttle vehicle-to-ground interfaces. In approximately one week, Space Shuttle Discovery will be ready for rollout to Launch Pad 39B for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window for STS-114 is May 15 to June 3.
S114-E-6574 (3 August 2005) --- Astronaut Charles J. Camarda, STS-114 mission specialist, looks over a procedures checklist on the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Discovery while docked to the International Space Station.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, United Space Alliance employees Charles Bell, Terri Halverstadt, Loralee Woodbury, and Rob Lewis monitor a display in Space Shuttle Endeavour's cockpit the first time the orbiter is powered up after nearly two years. Endeavour has been in its Orbiter Major Modification (OMM) period since December 2003. Engineers and technicians spent 900,000 hours performing 124 modifications to the vehicle. These included all recommended return to flight safety modifications, bonding more than 1,000 thermal protection system tiles and inspecting more than 150 miles of wiring throughout Endeavour. Eighty five of the modifications are completed, with work on the additional 39 modifications continuing throughout the next few months. Shuttle major modification periods are scheduled at regular intervals to enhance safety and performance, infuse new technology and allow for thorough inspections of the airframe and wiring of the vehicles. This was the second of these modification periods performed entirely at Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour's previous modification was completed in March 1997.
Cool and icy Dione floats in front of giant Saturn bedecked in a dazzling array of colors
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A forklift lowers one of two containers with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) equipment onto the ground in front of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO carries six primary instruments: the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Context Camera, Mars Color Imager, Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Mars Climate Sounder and Shallow Radar. By 2007, the MRO will begin a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. It will observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-114 Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas is helped by the Closeout Crew with his launch and entry suit before entering Space Shuttle Discovery. The Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station carries the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, housing 15 tons of hardware and supplies that will be transferred to the Station after the Shuttle docks to the complex . On this mission, the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay.
converted PNM file
ISS011-E-11414 (2 August 2005) --- A line of thunderstorms form the backdrop for this view of the extended Space Shuttle Discovery’s remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm while docked to the International Space Station during the STS-114 mission.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A dragonfly rests atop the highest stalk in foliage on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge before resuming its daily activity. Large predatory insects with wingspans up to 5.5 inches, dragonflies snatch smaller insects from the air by means of their basket-like arrangement of legs. The refuge was established in 1963 on Kennedy Space Center land and water not used by NASA for the space program. It encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.
S114-E-5933 (30 July 2005) --- Japan Aerospace Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi, STS-114 mission specialist, and astronaut Eileen M. Collins, mission commander, share space with spacesuits and other supplies onboard Discovery during activities of Discovery's fifth flight day. Earlier on this day, astronauts Noguchi and Stephen K. Robinson, out of frame, used the NASA extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) spacesuits as they conducted a successful spacewalk.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A piece of metal lies on the ground near the NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building following the wrath of hurricane Wilma as it crossed the state Oct. 24. Kennedy’s facilities sustained minor structural damage, primarily to roofs or from water intrusion. The Vehicle Assembly Building lost some panels on the east and west sides. Some facilities lost power. A total of 13.6 inches of rain was recorded at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The highest wind gust recorded was 94 mph from the north-northwest at Launch Pad 39B, while the maximum sustained wind was 76 mph from the north-northwest at the top of the 492-foot weather tower located north of the Vehicle Assembly Building.
This ultraviolet image from NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer is of the planetary nebula NGC 7293 also known as the Helix Nebula. It is the nearest example of what happens to a star, like our own Sun, as it approaches the end of its life when it runs out of fuel, expels gas outward and evolves into a much hotter, smaller and denser white dwarf star. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07902
East Arabia Landforms
ISS010-E-18843 (27 February 2005) --- Backdropped by scattered clouds above Earth, an unpiloted Progress 16 supply vehicle departs from the International Space Station (ISS) at 10:06 a.m. (CST) February 27, 2005, 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 17, planned to launch February 28 and dock with the Station on March 2.
Landslide in a Crater
NASA Mars Global Surveyor image shows a suite of south mid-latitude gullies on a crater wall. Gullies such as these may have formed by runoff of liquid water.
ISS011-E-09680 (27 June 2005) --- Searles Lake, California is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 11 crewmember on the International Space Station. Searles Lake is known for the abundance of rare elements and evaporite minerals, such as trona, hanksite, and halite formed within its sediments. These minerals dissolve in water or very humid environments. According to NASA scientists who are studying the Space Station photography, during the Pleistocene Epoch (beginning approximately two million years ago), Searles Lake was one of a chain of lakes fed by streamflow from the Sierra Nevada to the west. Lake levels rose and fell dependant on glacial outwash from the Sierra Nevada as climates shifted. Successive layers of sediment were deposited as lake levels fluctuated, preserving an important record of regional climate change. The lakes gradually dried up completely as climatic conditions became hotter and drier (as today), forming a string of enclosed basins with no outlets (playas). This photograph depicts the Searles Lake playa (characterized by white surface mineral deposits) bounded by the Argus and Slate Mountains. The width of the playa is approximately 10 kilometers. The center of the image is dominated by mining operations that extract sodium- and potassium-rich minerals (primarily borax and salt) for industrial use. Minerals are primarily in naturally-occurring brines that are pumped to the surface and evaporated to crystallize the minerals. A large evaporation pond (black) is visible in the center of the image. Further processing concentrates the minerals and removes excess water.
Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) and the External Stowage Platform-2. Back dropped by popcorn-like clouds, the MPLM can be seen in the cargo bay as Discovery undergoes rendezvous and docking operations. Cosmonaut Sergei K. Kriklev, Expedition 11 Commander, and John L. Phillips, NASA Space Station officer and flight engineer photographed the spacecraft from the International Space Station (ISS).
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the CALIPSO spacecraft is lowered toward the Lower Delta Payload Attach Fitting (LDPAF). CALIPSO will be mated with the LDPAF, which contains the CloudSat satellite. The PAF is the interface between the spacecraft and the second stage of the rocket. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites that will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO_CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3:01 a.m. PDT Sept. 29.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Firing Room of the Launch Control Center at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle Program Manager Bill Parsons, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach and Assistant Launch Director Doug Lyons applaud the successful landing of Space Shuttle Discovery on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The landing was deferred to Edwards due to weather concerns at KSC. Landing time was 8:11:22 a.m. EDT, guided by Mission Commander Eileen Collins. Discovery spent two weeks in space on Return to Flight mission STS-114, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. (Photo Credit: NASA_Bill Ingalls)
In the Groove
ISS010-E-20722 (21 March 2005) --- Cosmonaut Salizhan S. Sharipov, Expedition 10 flight engineer representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, holds “Nanosputnik” (TEKh-42) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station (ISS). This small (5 kilogram mass) satellite, powered by 10 lithium thionyl chloride batteries, will be activated by Sharipov after his egress from the Pirs Docking Compartment and later “launched” into its own orbit during the spacewalk scheduled for March 28. The purpose of Nanosputnik is to support development of satellite control techniques, monitoring of satellite operations, and research on new attitude system sensors and other components.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., Boeing technicians place the lower segments of a protective canister around the Deep Impact spacecraft. Once the spacecraft is completely covered, it will be transferred to Launch Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Then, in the mobile service tower, the fairing will be installed around the spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch. Scheduled for liftoff Jan. 12, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. After releasing a 3- by 3-foot projectile to crash onto the surface, Deep Impact’s flyby spacecraft will reveal the secrets of its interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater’s depth and diameter as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network. Deep Impact is a NASA Discovery mission.
Iapetus: A View from the Top
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the launch tower on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the upper end of the Lockheed Martin Centaur second stage is being lowered through an opening toward the Atlas V below. The Centaur will be mated with the Atlas V. The Atlas V_Centaur is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.
An ocean color senor, a passive microwave vertical sounder and an electro-optical sensor were mounted on the Altair UAV for the NOAA-NASA flight demonstration.
The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-114 gathered for a press brief following landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, 5:11 am, August 9, 2005. Left to right: Mission Specialists Charles Camarda, Wendy Lawrence and Stephen Robinson, Commander Eileen Collins at microphone, Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas and Soichi Noguchi, and Pilot James Kelly. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-114 Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence grabs a storage container in orbiter Discovery. STS-114 crew members are familiarizing themselves with elements in the mid-body and upper deck of Discovery as part of Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) activities. During CEIT, the crew has an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the orbiter and equipment they will be working with on the mission. Return to Flight Mission STS-114 will carry the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies for the International Space Station, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope. Launch of STS-114 has a launch window of May 12 to June 3.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The American flag on the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is newly painted. The flag was damaged in the hurricanes of 2004 that assaulted the east coast of Florida. Winds pulled a number of panels from the side of the 525-foot-high building. The flag is 209 feet by 110 feet. Each star is more than six feet in diameter and each stripe is nine feet wide. The flag sits more than 450 feet above the ground.
Dunes of the Frozen North
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Return to Flight STS-114 Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas checks the fit of his helmet, as well as his launch and entry suit. This is Thomas’ fourth Shuttle flight. There are two days to the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery scheduled for 3:51 p.m. July 13. This launch is the 114th Space Shuttle flight and is scheduled to last about 12 days with a planned KSC landing at about 11:06 a.m. EDT on July 25.
Titan Night Side
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility on NASA Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Pilot James Kelly sits in the cockpit of the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) after landing. He and Mission Commander Eileen Collins have been practicing night landings in preparation for the mission. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Return to Flight Mission STS-114 is scheduled to launch aboard Space Shuttle Discovery with a crew of seven at 10:39 a.m. EDT on July 26. Landing is expected on Aug. 7.
S114-E-6215 (3 August 2005) --- Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, on the end of the station’s Canadarm2 (out of frame), slowly and cautiously makes his way to the underside of Space Shuttle Discovery to remove gap fillers from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles during the mission’s third of three sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA).
On Feb. 24, 2005, NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity had driven about 73 meters 240 feet and reached the eastern edge of a small crater dubbed Naturaliste, 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.
The Soyuz TMA-6 vehicle is transported by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, April 13, 2005, as preparations continued for the April 15 launch to send Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, Flight Engineer John Phillips and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the station, while Vittori spends eight days on the station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Squinting at Telesto
This image of the surface of comet Tempel 1 was taken about 20 seconds before NASA Deep Impact probe crashed into the comet on July 3, 2005. This particular region contains the impact site.
More than 650 volunteers - many of them employees at NASA's Stennis Space Center - weathered rain and cold to transform Bay St. Louis' old City Park into a playground Dec. 17. Volunteers assembled and erected a slide, swing set, jungle gym, sand box and planter benches in an eight-hour time frame. The playground was the first new structure built in the town devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the first on the Gulf Coast after the storm. The project was financed and led by nonprofit organization KaBOOM!, whose vision is to create a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.
Ascraeus Pits
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At their consoles in the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, members of the New Horizons team take part in a dress rehearsal for the launch scheduled in mid-January. Seen here (left to right) are David Kusnierkiewicz, New Horizons mission system engineer; Glen Fountain, Applied Physics Lab project manager; and Alan Stern, principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Return to Flight STS-114 Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas secures his helmet during suitup in preparation for launch aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The crew is scheduled to launch on this historic mission at 3:51 p.m. EDT today from Launch Pad 39B. It is the 114th Space Shuttle flight and the 31st for Discovery. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 11:06 a.m. July 25.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush and other guests follow path of Space Shuttle Discovery as it successfully launches on Return to Flight mission STS-114 at 10:39 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. At right of Mrs. Bush is Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. KSC Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. is in front of the governor. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.
ISS011-E-11337 (29 July 2005) --- This scene, photographed from the International Space Station while docked with Space Shuttle Discovery, shows the orbiter, the orbiter's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm, the Space Station RMS (Canadarm2), the Orbiter Boom and Sensor System (OBSS) and a Soyuz vehicle docked with the orbital outpost.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers help as a crane lifts the Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) out of its shipping container. The CMG will be delivered to the International Space Station on Mission STS-114 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery to replace one that has failed. CMGs are critical to ISS operation, keeping the outpost properly oriented toward the Sun without the use of rocket fuel. Four CMGs are mounted inside a truss that extends upward from the Unity module’s zenith port. The Z1 truss, attached to the ISS during Mission STS-92 in October 2000, also carries the station’s main solar arrays. The launch window for Discovery is May 15 to June 3, 2005.
Spirit Surroundings on West Spur, Sol 305 Vertical
Visit to Glenn Research Center (GRC) by United States Senator, Sherrod Brown
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis’ payload bay doors are open. The Remote Manipulator System, or Shuttle arm, is seen on the port side (top) and Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) is seen on the starboard side (lower) of the payload bay. The 50-foot-long OBSS attaches to the Shuttle arm and is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight. It equips the orbiter with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttle’s Thermal Protection System while in space. Mission STS-121 is targeted for launch in September. Once Atlantis' bay doors are open again, further work will be done in the bay.
Frozen Carbon Dioxide
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Following the mock countdown and emergency egress practice from the Fixed Service Structure on Launch Pad 39B, STS-114 crew members stop at the 225-foot level for a unique view. Seen here is Pilot James Kelly. This culminates the pre-launch training known as Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. TCDT provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency egress training. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.
Becquerel Bands
Captivating Dione
S114-E-5660 (28 July 2005) --- This image of the International Space Station easing toward the Space Shuttle Discovery was photographed by one of the STS-114 astronauts in the orbiter's crew cabin.
The Prometheus Effect
One of the two pictures of Tempel 1 (see also PIA02101) taken by Deep Impact's medium-resolution camera is shown next to data of the comet taken by the spacecraft's infrared spectrometer. This instrument breaks apart light like a prism to reveal the "fingerprints," or signatures, of chemicals. Even though the spacecraft was over 10 days away from the comet when these data were acquired, it detected some of the molecules making up the comet's gas and dust envelope, or coma. The signatures of these molecules -- including water, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide -- can be seen in the graph, or spectrum. Deep Impact's impactor spacecraft is scheduled to collide with Tempel 1 at 10:52 p.m. Pacific time on July 3 (1:52 a.m. Eastern time, July 4). The mission's flyby spacecraft will use its infrared spectrometer to sample the ejected material, providing the first look at the chemical composition of a comet's nucleus. These data were acquired from June 20 to 21, 2005. The picture of Tempel 1 was taken by the flyby spacecraft's medium-resolution instrument camera. The infrared spectrometer uses the same telescope as the high-resolution instrument camera. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02100
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Multiple cameras on the perimeter of Launch Pad 39B capture the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery as it rises above the lightning mast (left side) on the historic Return to Flight mission STS-114. It is the 114th flight in the Space Shuttle Program and the 31st for Discovery. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. (Photo Credit: Scott Andrews)
Looking Into a Trough
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, the STS-114 crew gets instructions about the White Room they are in. It is the point of entry into Space Shuttle Discovery. The crew, from left, are Commander Eileen Collins and Mission Specialists Charles Camarda, Wendy Lawrence, Soichi Noguchi and Stephen Robinson. Not seen are Pilot James Kelly and Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is designated the first Return to Flight mission, with a launch window extending from July 13 to July 31.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Following the mock countdown on Launch Pad 39B, STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins (center) adjusts her glove before climbing into a slidewire basket used for emergency egress from the Fixed Service Structure at the pad. This is part of the pre-launch training included in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. TCDT provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency egress training. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside Inside the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, one of the orbiter Discovery’s payload bay doors begins closing. Seen in the center and at left (starboard side) are the new Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) and the Remote Manipulator System (RMS), both Canadian-built. The OBSS is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight, equipping the orbiter with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System while in space. It attaches to the RMS. After door closure, Discovery will roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once arriving in the VAB, a sling will be attached to Discovery and the vehicle will be lifted up and lowered between its twin Solid Rocket Boosters and mated, or attached, to its redesigned External Tank. Once mated, the fully assembled Space Shuttle stack will undergo final closeouts including installation of the new digital camera in the orbiter, electrical and mechanical attachments, umbilical checks, and the interface verification test. Discovery is slated to fly mission STS-114. The launch planning window is May 15 to June 3, 2005.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket (center) undergoes a tanking test on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket was fully fueled with liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP 1 kerosene fuel. Seen surrounding the rocket are lightning towers that support the catenary wire that provides lightning protection. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, scheduled to launch during a 35-day window that opens Jan. 11, and fly through the Pluto system as early as summer 2015.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of the STS-121 crew take part in Crew Equipment Interface Test activities in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center. Here they are looking at elements inside the the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, which is part of the payload on the mission. STS-121, the second Return to Flight mission, is targeted for launch in a lighted planning window of Sept. 9 to Sept. 25.
D Ring Revelations Inset image
Shana Dale, center, is sworn in as NASA's deputy administrator by Dr. John H. Marburger, left, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Executive Office of the President, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. With Ms. Dale is Mr. Mike Fagan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers from Lockheed Martin prepare to conduct a gimbal full range of motion test on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) high-gain antenna. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for JPL. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO is an important next step in fulfilling NASA’s vision of space exploration and ultimately sending human explorers to Mars and beyond.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians monitor New Horizons as it is lowered onto a transporter for its move to Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.
ISS010-E-23748 (9 April 2005) --- The Straits of Mackinac are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 10 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). The Mackinac Bridge spans a stretch of water five miles wide between Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas. The strait connects Lakes Michigan (left) and Huron (right). The bridge is a combination of pier-supported spans with a high, central suspension sector that allows passage of lake steamers. The suspension sector is the longest in the Americas (8614 feet or 1.6 miles). Prior to construction of the bridge, the only passage across the straits was by ferryboat. This view shows the ice broken into a series of irregular rafts that appear gray against bright water in this partial sunglint view. The shipping channel is maintained even through remnants of the ice mass, but the ice ridges can be hazardous to shipping during ice break-up.
THEMIS Images as Art #57
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dawn creeps over the horizon revealing shadows of the media tents and trucks at the NASA News Center. The scene is the calm before the storm of journalists and photographers who have descended upon KSC to capture the Return to Flight mission STS-114 to the International Space Station. This is the first Space Shuttle flight since the loss of Columbia, STS-107, on Feb. 1, 2003. Launch is scheduled for 3:51 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 11:06 a.m. July 25.
Cassini's closest look yet at bright, icy Enceladus was captured in this view, centered on the moon's trailing hemisphere. It shows some of the linear features in the terrain of the Diyar Planitia region. Enceladus is 499 kilometers (310 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on Dec. 14, 2004, at a distance of 672,000 kilometers (417,600 miles) from Enceladus and at a Sun- Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 32 degrees. The image scale is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) per pixel. The image has been magnified by a factor of two and contrast enhanced to aid visibility. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06566
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The immense size of the External Tank is captured here as a crane lowers it between the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) on the Mobile Launcher Platform. The ET, designated for the Return to Flight mission STS-114, will be mated to the SRBs for launch. The 154-foot long ET is recently redesigned to meet recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board before returning to flight. Among dozens of changes is a redesigned forward bipod fitting to reduce the risk to the Space Shuttle from falling debris during ascent. Considered a test flight, STS-114 is scheduled to launch during a window extending May 15 to June 3. The Shuttle will carry supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of the Space Shuttle Discovery’s Return to Flight STS-114 crew are conducting a payload Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Seen here is Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, looking at the Control Moment Gyroscope, part of the mission payload. The launch window for STS-114 is May 15 to June 3, 2005. During CEIT, the crew is inspecting the resupply stowage racks installed in the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and performing tool and equipment interface checks with the Thermal Protection System (TPS) repair sample box, the Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) and the External Stowage Platform-2 in preparation for the mission’s three scheduled spacewalks. The seven-member crew will fly to the International Space Station primarily to evaluate procedures for flight safety, including Shuttle inspection and repair techniques. The TPS repair sample box contains tile samples for the Detailed Test Objective (DTO) that will enable the crew to test new on-orbit TPS repair techniques. The CMG installed on the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC) is a replacement for an inoperable CMG on the International Space Station. The CMGs provide altitude control for the outpost keeping it properly oriented toward the Sun without use of rocket fuel. The ESP2 will carry replacement parts, known as orbital replacement units (ORU) to the Station. The platform will be deployed and attached to the Station’s airlock and will be used as a permanent spare parts facility.
Big Basin
This image was returned on Jan 14, 2005, by the European Space Agency Huygens probe during its successful descent to land on Titan. This colored view, following processing to add reflection spectra data, gives a better indication of the actual color.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At a radar site on North Merritt Island, Fla., the 50-foot C-band radar antenna dish is lowered toward the top of the support structure. It will be placed on the counterweights installed there. The radar will be used for Shuttle missions to track the launches and observe possible debris coming from the Shuttle. It will be used for the first time on STS-114. The launch window for the first Return to Flight mission is July 13 to July 31.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Launch Pad 39B at NASA Kennedy Space Center is clear after launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114. The Mobile Launcher Platform is still in place but will be moved to prepare for Space Shuttle Atlantis, the designated vehicle for mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Launch of STS-121 is during a window extending from Sept. 9 to Sept. 25.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians work on a panel they are installing on the New Horizons spacecraft. A series of interconnecting panels will enclose the spacecraft beneath the antenna to maintain safe operating temperatures in space. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance technician Larry Tanner pulls strips of gap filler to install on the orbiter Discovery, which is being processed in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This work is being performed due to two gap fillers that were protruding from the underside of Discovery on the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114. New installation procedures have been developed to ensure the gap fillers stay in place and do not pose any hazard during the shuttle's re-entry to the atmosphere. Discovery is the scheduled orbiter for the second space shuttle mission in the return-to-flight sequence.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Boeing 727-200 aircraft used for weightless flights by Zero Gravity Corporation, known as ZERO-G, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is airborne from Kennedy Space Center’s shuttle landing facility. NASA and ZERO-G demonstrated Nov. 5 the expanded access to and use of the space shuttle's runway and landing facility at Kennedy Space Center for non-NASA activities. The group of passengers, called "Flyers," were predominantly teachers who performed simple microgravity experiments they can share with their students back in the classroom.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The 154.2-foot-high external tank #120 is suspended above the transfer aisle of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building. It will be lowered to a horizontal position and placed on a transporter to wait for the return of the Pegasus barge from delivering tank #119 to Louisiana. In a few weeks, tank #120 also will be returned to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana for routine testing and maintenance. This tank is the first of the newly designed tanks that were delivered to Kennedy. Previously stacked with Discovery, the tank has already gone through two tanking cycles during tanking tests but was replaced with tank #121 for Discovery’s return to flight mission STS-114
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello is closed and ready for transfer to a payload canister and trip to Launch Complex 39B for transfer to Space Shuttle Discovery. The module will travel to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Discovery’s Return to Flight mission STS-114. Raffaello carries 12 racks of cargo, including food, clothing, spare parts and research equipment, to the Station. Shuttle Discovery is targeted for launch in a window extending May 15 through June 3.
All six divots of thermal insulation foam have been ejected from the flight test fixture on NASA's F-15B testbed as it returns from a LIFT experiment flight.
Titan Descent
ISS012-E-5256 (19 Oct. 2005) --- This image of Hurricane Wilma was taken at 8:23 a.m. CDT Wednesday, Oct. 19, by the crew aboard NASA's international space station as the complex flew 222 miles above the storm. At the time, Wilma was the strongest Atlantic hurricane in history, with winds near 175 miles per hour. The storm was located in the Caribbean Sea, 340 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico.
Dr. Michael Griffin testifies, Tuesday, April 12, 2005, during his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. If confirmed, Griffin, who currently heads the space department at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory will become NASA's 11th administrator. Photo Credit (NASA/Renee Bouchard)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Solid Rocket Booster destined for the GOES-N launch arrives on Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for attachment to the Boeing Delta IV rocket. The Delta IV is the launch vehicle for the GOES-N satellite, the first of three for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will provide continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. GOES-N will provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric “triggers” of severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. When these conditions develop, GOES-N will be able to monitor storm development and track their movements. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is responsible for development of the satellite and testing of the spacecraft and its instruments. GOES-N is scheduled for launch on May 4.
Boulder-Strewn Surface -- Wide Angle Camera View
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-114 crew learn about exiting the slidewire basket at this landing area should they need to leave the Space Shuttle in an emergency situation while on the pad. Crew members seen here are (from left) Commander Eileen Collins and Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas, Soichi Noguchi, Wendy Lawrence, Stephen Robinson and Charles Camarda. Not pictured is Pilot James Kelly. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The training is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is designated the first Return to Flight mission, with a launch window extending from July 13 to July 31.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians position the the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) science rack for installation into the Multi-Purpose Logisitics Module Leonardo. Leonardo will fly on Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-121. The MELFI will provide cooling and storage for scientific experiment samples and perishable materials in four insulated containers, known as dewars, with independently selectable temperatures of -80 degrees Celsius, -26 degrees Celsius, and +4 degrees Celsius. MELFI will also be used to transport samples to and from the Station. MELFI is provided as laboratory support equipment by the European Space Agency. STS-121 is the second Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends from Sept. 9 through Sept. 24.
Graceful Lanes of Ice
Saturn Smile
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the upper Delta Payload Attach Fitting (UDPAF) is lowered toward the lower Delta Payload Attach Fitting (LDPAF). The LDPAF holds the CloudSat satellite and the UDPAF will hold the CALIPSO satellite. The two sections will be mated. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites that will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO_CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3:01 a.m. PDT Sept. 29.
This spectrum shows the light from a dusty, distant galaxy located 11 billion light-years away. The galaxy is invisible to optical telescopes, but NASA Spitzer Space Telescope captured the light from it and dozens of other similar galaxies.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians install the the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) science rack into the Multi-Purpose Logisitics Module Leonardo. Leonardo will fly on Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-121. The MELFI will provide cooling and storage for scientific experiment samples and perishable materials in four insulated containers, known as dewars, with independently selectable temperatures of -80 degrees Celsius, -26 degrees Celsius, and +4 degrees Celsius. MELFI will also be used to transport samples to and from the Station. MELFI is provided as laboratory support equipment by the European Space Agency. STS-121 is the second Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends from Sept. 9 through Sept. 24.
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope sees RCW 79 in the southern Milky Way, 17,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus.
Atmosphere on Enceladus Artist Concept
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip, workers begin offloading the booster segment for a Lockheed Martin Atlas V from a Russian Antonov AH-124-100 cargo airplane. The Atlas V, designated AV-007, is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiter’s instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a “follow the water” strategy. The orbiter is undergoing environmental tests in facilities at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, Colo., and is on schedule for a launch window that begins Aug. 10. Launch will be from Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
A large, bright and complex convective storm that appeared in Saturn's southern hemisphere in mid-September 2004 was the key in solving a long-standing mystery about the ringed planet. Saturn's atmosphere and its rings are shown here in a false color composite made from Cassini images taken in near infrared light through filters that sense different amounts of methane gas. Portions of the atmosphere with a large abundance of methane above the clouds are red, indicating clouds that are deep in the atmosphere. Grey indicates high clouds, and brown indicates clouds at intermediate altitudes. The rings are bright blue because there is no methane gas between the ring particles and the camera. The complex feature with arms and secondary extensions just above and to the right of center is called the Dragon Storm. It lies in a region of the southern hemisphere referred to as "storm alley" by imaging scientists because of the high level of storm activity observed there by Cassini in the last year. The Dragon Storm was a powerful source of radio emissions during July and September of 2004. The radio waves from the storm resemble the short bursts of static generated by lightning on Earth. Cassini detected the bursts only when the storm was rising over the horizon on the night side of the planet as seen from the spacecraft; the bursts stopped when the storm moved into sunlight. This on/off pattern repeated for many Saturn rotations over a period of several weeks, and it was the clock-like repeatability that indicated the storm and the radio bursts are related. Scientists have concluded that the Dragon Storm is a giant thunderstorm whose precipitation generates electricity as it does on Earth. The storm may be deriving its energy from Saturn's deep atmosphere. One mystery is why the radio bursts start while the Dragon Storm is below the horizon on the night side and end when the storm is on the day side, still in full view of the Cassini spacecraft. A possible explanation is that the lightning source lies to the east of the visible cloud, perhaps because it is deeper where the currents are eastward relative to those at cloud top levels. If this were the case, the lightning source would come up over the night side horizon and would sink down below the day side horizon before the visible cloud. This would explain the timing of the visible storm relative to the radio bursts. The Dragon Storm is of great interest for another reason. In examining images taken of Saturn's atmosphere over many months, imaging scientists found that the Dragon Storm arose in the same part of Saturn's atmosphere that had earlier produced large bright convective storms. In other words, the Dragon Storm appears to be a long-lived storm deep in the atmosphere that periodically flares up to produce dramatic bright white plumes which subside over time. One earlier sighting, in July 2004, was also associated with strong radio bursts. And another, observed in March 2004 and captured in a movie created from images of the atmosphere (PIA06082 and PIA06083) spawned three little dark oval storms that broke off from the arms of the main storm. Two of these subsequently merged with each other; the current to the north carried the third one off to the west, and Cassini lost track of it. Small dark storms like these generally get stretched out until they merge with the opposing currents to the north and south. These little storms are the food that sustains the larger atmospheric features, including the larger ovals and the eastward and westward currents. If the little storms come from the giant thunderstorms, then together they form a food chain that harvests the energy of the deep atmosphere and helps maintain the powerful currents. Cassini has many more chances to observe future flare-ups of the Dragon Storm, and others like it over the course of the mission. It is likely that scientists will come to solve the mystery of the radio bursts and observe storm creation and merging in the next 2 or 3 years. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06197
Radargram of Mars North Polar Layered Deposits with Topographic Map
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers attach the 175-ton bridge crane to the orbiter Discovery, which is resting on an orbiter transporter. The crane will lift Discovery to vertical for the remate to a new External Tank, ET-121. The new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters are waiting in high bay 3. Discovery is expected roll back to the launch pad June 13 for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31.