NASA Officials gather at Ames Research Center to discuss Spaceship development progress. Constellation is developing the Orion spacecraft and Ares rockets to support an American return to the moon by 2020.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock completes suiting up to take part in a simulated launch countdown, part of the prelaunch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. His name patch reflects the nicknames the crew gave each other for the event. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various launch preparation activities, including equipment familiarization, emergency training and the simulated countdown. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery on mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT on a 14-day mission. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

S118-E-06912 (12 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Dave Williams, STS-118 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, works with the Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS) experiment in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. The PMDIS experiment will measure the decline in hand-eye coordination of shuttle astronauts while on orbit. These measurements will be used to evaluate various mechanisms thought to be responsible for the decline. Astronaut Charlie Hobaugh, pilot, looks on as he floats above Williams.

The Space Shuttle Discovery and its seven-member STS-120 crew headed toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled linkup with the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 11:38:19 a.m. (EDT) on October 23, 2007. Onboard were astronauts Pam Melroy, commander; George Zamka, pilot; Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, European Space Agency's (ESA) Paolo Nespoli, and Daniel Tani, all mission specialists. Discovery linked up with the station for a joint mission of continued construction. The mission delivered the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, named Harmony. During the 14-day mission, the crew installed Harmony, and moved and deployed the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position.

Reull Vallis

LCROSS flight hardware in clean room at Ames N-240. with P.I.'s and EEL personnel preforming various tests

The shepherd moon Prometheus is lit partly by reflected light from Saturn as it lurks near the heavily perturbed F ring

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar accompaning teachers (learning for the the classroom)

ISS015-E-22364 (13 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Dave Williams, STS-118 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, participates in the mission's second planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 6-hour, 28-minute spacewalk, Williams and astronaut Rick Mastracchio (out of frame), mission specialist, removed a faulty control moment gyroscope (CMG-3) and installed a new CMG into the station's Z1 truss. The failed CMG will remain at its temporary stowage location on the station's exterior until it is returned to Earth on a later shuttle mission. The new gyroscope is one of four CMGs that are used to control the station's attitude in orbit.

ISS016-E-006328 (25 Oct. 2007) --- Backdropped by a blue and white Earth, Space Shuttle Discovery approaches the International Space Station during STS-120 rendezvous and docking operations. Docking occurred at 7:40 a.m. (CDT) on Oct. 25, 2007. The Harmony node is visible in Discovery's cargo bay.

Eroding Crater Fill

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Following rollback of the rotating service structure, or RSS, on Launch Pad 39A, Space Shuttle Atlantis stands bathed in lights atop a mobile launch platform. Rollback is one of the milestones in preparation for the launch of mission STS-117 on June 8. Rollback started at 10:56 p.m. and was complete at 11:34 p.m EDT. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. Connecting the RSS to the cockpit of the shuttle is the orbiter access arm with the White Room extended. The White Room provides access into the orbiter for the astronauts. Above the external tank is the vent hood (known as the "beanie cap") at the end of the gaseous oxygen vent arm. Vapors are created as the liquid oxygen in the external tank boil off. The hood vents the gaseous oxygen vapors away from the space shuttle vehicle. This mission is the 118th shuttle flight and the 21st U.S. flight to the International Space Station and will deliver and install the S3/S4 truss segment, deploy a set of solar arrays and prepare them for operation. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The water near Launch Pad 39A captures the brilliance of both the setting sun, at left, and Space Shuttle Endeavour as it hurtles into space on mission STS-118. The 22nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station, the mission will continue space station construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, and other payloads such as the SPACEHAB module and the external stowage platform 3. Liftoff of Endeavour was on time at 6:36 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Tony Gray, Robert Murray

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Astrotech's Hazardous Processing Facility, technicians check data during the loading of xenon for the ion propulsion system in the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's mission is to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. The Dawn spacecraft uses ion propulsion to get the additional velocity needed to reach Vesta once it leaves the Delta rocket. It also uses ion propulsion to spiral to lower altitudes on Vesta, to leave Vesta and cruise to Ceres and to spiral to a low-altitude orbit at Ceres. Ion propulsion makes efficient use of the onboard fuel by accelerating it to a velocity 10 times that of chemical rockets. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians control the descent of the crew airlock module into Endeavour's payload bay, where it will be installed. The airlock is located in the middeck. The airlock and airlock hatches permit flight crew members to transfer from the middeck crew compartment into the payload bay for extravehicular activities in their space suits without depressurizing the orbiter crew cabin. The airlock is sized to accommodate two fully suited flight crew members simultaneously. Endeavour is targeted for flight on Aug. 9 on mission STS-118 to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The SAEF II Payload Processing Facility (M7-1210) was demolished having outlived its useful life. Located in the Industrial Area, the facility was originally built for the Viking Program in the mid-1970s. It was abandoned in 2004 and placed on the demolition list because it was no longer used due to the condition of the facility. NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the wiring is checked and validated before the tanking test on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank set for Dec. 18. The test wiring has been spliced into an electrical harness in the aft main engine compartment connected with the engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor system. The attached wiring leads to the interior of the mobile launcher platform where the time domain reflectometry, or TDR, test equipment is located. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-117 Commander Frederick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault aim high to begin landing practice in the shuttle training aircraft (STA). The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II 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. STS-117 is scheduled to launch at 7:38 p.m. June 8. During the 11-day mission and three spacewalks, the crew will work with flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to install the 17-ton segment on the station's girder-like truss and deploy the set of solar arrays, S3/S4. The mission will increase the space station's power capability in preparation for the arrival of new science modules from the European and Japanese space agencies. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

On an upper level of high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians move protective material toward the nose cone (foreground) of Atlantis' external tank. The nose cone will undergo repair for hail damage. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117.

ISS015-E-12877 (15 June 2007) --- Astronaut Jim Reilly, STS-117 mission specialist, enters the Quest Airlock on the International Space Station at the conclusion of the mission's third scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) while Space Shuttle Atlantis was docked with the station.

This region of dark sand dunes is located on the floor of an unnamed crater south of Bosporos Planum

S118-E-07484 (13 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Rick Mastracchio, STS-118 mission specialist, prepares to exit the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station for the mission's second session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, an area near the top of the external tank has been covered in a red dye to help expose cracks or compression dents. A severe thunderstorm with golf ball-sized hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April on mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

In this artist concept illustration, NASA Phoenix Mars Lander begins to shut down operations as winter sets in. The far-northern latitudes on Mars experience no sunlight during winter.

Toward Tethys

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-122 Pilot Alan Poindexter heads for the plane for the return trip to Houston. The crew is flying back to Houston after launch of space shuttle Atlantis was delayed when a failure occurred in a fuel sensor system while the vehicle's external fuel tank was being filled. One of the four engine cutoff, or ECO, sensors inside the liquid hydrogen section of the tank gave a false reading and NASA's current Launch Commit Criteria require that all four sensors function properly. The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle's main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low. Space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission now is targeted to launch no earlier than Jan. 2. The liftoff date depends on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

S117-E-07204 (13 June 2007) --- Astronaut Rick Sturckow, STS-117 commander, uses a computer on the flight deck of Space Shuttle Atlantis during flight day six activities while docked with the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In bay 3 of the Orbiter Processing Facility, a tool storage assembly unit is being moved for storage in Discovery's payload bay. The tools may be used on a spacewalk, yet to be determined, during mission STS-120. In an unusual operation, the payload bay doors had to be reopened after closure to accommodate the storage. Space shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch Oct. 23 to the International Space Station. It will carry the U.S. Node 2, a connecting module, named Harmony, for assembly on the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

This unnamed northern crater contains several dune fields. Within the central peak region (left side of image) there is material with a "swirled" surface pattern/texture. This type of texture indicates that volitiles may exist within the material. Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 41.8N, Longitude 44.8E. 38 meter/pixel resolution. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09124

Io in Eclipse

At North Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the AIM spacecraft is moved into a clean room for testing. AIM, which stands for Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, is being prepared for integrated testing and a flight simulation. The AIM spacecraft will fly three instruments designed to study polar mesospheric clouds located at the edge of space, 50 miles above the Earth's surface in the coldest part of the planet's atmosphere. The mission's primary goal is to explain why these clouds form and what has caused them to become brighter and more numerous and appear at lower latitudes in recent years. AIM's results will provide the basis for the study of long-term variability in the mesospheric climate and its relationship to global climate change. AIM is scheduled to be mated to its launch vehicle, Orbital Sciences' Pegasus XL, during the second week of April, after which final inspections will be conducted. Launch is scheduled for April 25.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A large crawler crane travels up the ramp toward Launch Pad 39B. At the top can be seen a mobile launcher platform with the rotating and fixed service structures at left. The current 80-foot lightning mast can be seen atop the fixed structure. The crane with its 70-foot boom will be used to construct a new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Pad B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X which is scheduled for April 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 Pilot Gregory Johnson (center) and Commander Dominic Gorie (right) look over tools that will be carried on the mission. The crew is at Kennedy for crew equipment interface test, a process of familiarization with payloads, hardware and the space shuttle. The STS-123 mission is targeted for launch on Feb. 14. It will be the 25th assembly flight of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is lifted up into the mobile service tower. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the THEMIS spacecraft, consisting of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. After the first stage is in the tower on the pad, nine solid rocket boosters will be placed around the base of the first stage and attached in sets of three. THEMIS is scheduled to launch aboard the Delta II at 6:07 p.m. EST on Feb. 15. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

This plot of infrared data, called a spectrum, shows the strong signature of water vapor deep within the core of an embryonic star system, called NGC 1333-IRAS 4B. The data were captured by NASA Spitzer Space Telescope.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Discovery Commander Pam Melroy tlaks with NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and his wife, Rebecca Griffin, shortly after Melroy and the crew of STS-120 landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery landed at 1:02 p.m. EST Wednesday after a mission that included on-orbit construction of the station with the installation of the Harmony Node 2 module and the relocation of the P6 truss. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

S118-E-09158 (18 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Dave Williams, STS-118 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, participates in the mission's fourth and final session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 5-hour spacewalk, Williams and astronaut Clay Anderson (out of frame), Expedition 15 flight engineer, installed the External Wireless Instrumentation System antenna, attached a stand for the shuttle's robotic arm extension boom and retrieved the two Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) to be brought back on the shuttle.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, workers (in the background) secure a crane onto a set of solar array panels that will be installed on the Dawn spacecraft, at right. Another set was installed previously. Together, the panels extend 64.6 feet when fully open.Dawn is scheduled to launch June 30 aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn's mission is to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

ISS015-E-18872 (21 July 2007) --- Astronaut Clay Anderson, Expedition 15 flight engineer, poses for a photo with food packets floating freely in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

Boeing's sub-scale X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft flies over the edge of Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base during its fifth flight on Aug. 14, 2007.

The Cassini spacecraft continues to image terrain on Iapetus that is progressively eastward of the terrain it has previously seen illuminated by sunlight

ISS016-E-006871 (26 Oct. 2007) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth's horizon, the docked Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-120) and a Soyuz spacecraft are featured in this image photographed by a crewmember on the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From a lower level in the Orbiter Processing Facility, members of the STS-122 crew check out the landing gear on space shuttle Atlantis, overhead. Dressed in their blue suits are Mission Specialist Leland Melvin, Commander Stephen Frick, European Space Agency astronaut Leopold Eyharts and Pilot Alan Poindexter. Eyharts will be traveling to the International Space Station to join the Expedition 16 crew as a flight engineer. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT, which helps familiarize them with equipment and payloads for the mission. Among the activities standard to a CEIT are harness training, inspection of the thermal protection system and camera operation for planned extravehicular activities, or EVAs. STS-122 is targeted for launch in December. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ISS015-E-18870 (21 July 2007) --- Cosmonaut Oleg V. Kotov, Expedition 15 flight engineer representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, prepares to eat a meal at the galley in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. A bag of food floats freely in the foreground near Kotov.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In formation, a flock of white pelicans cruise through the blue sky over NASA's Kennedy Space Center. White pelicans winter from Florida and southern California to Panama, chiefly in coastal lagoons, and usually in colonies. The turn basin was carved out of the Banana River when Kennedy Space Center was built. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

JSC2007-E-06538 (2 Feb. 2007) --- Astronaut Scott E. Parazynski, STS-120 mission specialist, attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, awaits the start of a training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center.

STS120-S-013 (23 Oct. 2007) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery and its seven-member STS-120 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 11:38:19 a.m. (EDT). Onboard are astronauts Pam Melroy, commander; George Zamka, pilot; Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, European Space Agency's (ESA) Paolo Nespoli and Daniel Tani, all mission specialists. Discovery will link up with the station on Thursday, Oct. 25, to begin a joint mission to continue construction by delivering the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day mission, the crew will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them.

STS118-S-071 (21 Aug. 2007) --- Space Shuttle Endeavour's drag chute is deployed as the spacecraft rolls toward wheels stop on runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center completing a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. Aboard are astronauts Scott Kelly, STS-118 commander; Charlie Hobaugh, pilot; Rick Mastracchio, Canadian Space Agency's Dave Williams, Barbara R. Morgan, Tracy Caldwell and Alvin Drew, all mission specialists. The STS-118 mission began Aug. 8 and installed a new gyroscope, an external spare parts platform and another truss segment to the expanding station. Endeavour's main gear touched down at 12:32:16 p.m. (EDT). Nose gear touchdown was at 12:32:29 p.m. and wheel stop was at 12:33:20 p.m. Endeavour traveled nearly 5.3 million miles, landing on orbit 201. STS-118 was the 119th space shuttle flight, the 22nd flight to the station, the 20th flight for Endeavour and the second of four missions planned for 2007.

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston, Texas -- JSC2007-E-34405 -- NASA astronaut Alvin Drew Jr., mission specialist.

JSC2007-E-113495 (17 Dec. 2007) --- Astronaut John M. Grunsfeld, STS-125 mission specialist, attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, awaits the start of a training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, platforms surround Endeavour to complete stacking of the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters, barely visible behind the platforms. Endeavour will be launched on mission STS-118, its first flight in more than four years. The shuttle has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour also features new hardware, such as the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbiting lab. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

This spectacular image of the northern escarpment of Olympus Mons contains many different features. Lava flows are visible at the bottom of the frame

ISS016-E-009192 (3 Nov. 2007) --- Astronaut Doug Wheelock, STS-120 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth session of extravehicular activity (EVA) while Space Shuttle Discovery is docked with the International Space Station. During the 7-hour, 19-minute spacewalk, astronaut Scott Parazynski (out of frame), mission specialist, cut a snagged wire and installed homemade stabilizers designed to strengthen the damaged solar array's structure and stability in the vicinity of the damage. Wheelock assisted from the truss by keeping an eye on the distance between Parazynski and the array. Once the repair was complete, flight controllers on the ground successfully completed the deployment of the array.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved toward the Phoenix Mars Lander for installation. Phoenix is targeted for launch on Aug. 3 aboard a Delta II rocket. 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 nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the clear morning light, Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, slowly makes its way to Launch Pad 39A. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 8:19 a.m. The 3.4-mile trip to the pad along the crawlerway will take about 6 hours. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for March 15. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

S117-E-07246 (13 June 2007) --- Astronauts Steven Swanson and Patrick Forrester (at left, partially out of frame), both STS-117 mission specialists, participate in the mission's second planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA), as construction resumes on the International Space Station. Among other tasks, Forrester and Swanson removed all of the launch locks holding the 10-foot-wide solar alpha rotary joint in place and began the solar array retraction.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Cameras are prepared to record the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis from Launch Pad 39A following sunrise on a cloudy Florida day. Rollback of the pad's rotating service structure, or RSS, is one of the milestones in preparation for the launch of mission STS-117 on June 8. Rollback started at 10:56 p.m. EDT June 7 and was complete at 11:34 p.m. The RSS, the massive structure to the left of the shuttle, provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. The structure is supported by a rotating bridge that pivots about a vertical axis on the side of the pad's flame trench. The hinge column rests on the pad surface and is braced to the fixed service structure. Support for the outer end of the bridge is provided by two eight-wheel, motor-driven trucks that move along circular twin rails installed flush with the pad surface. The track crosses the flame trench on a permanent bridge. The RSS is 102 feet long, 50 feet wide and 130 feet high. The structure has orbiter access platforms at five levels to provide access to the payload bay while the orbiter is being serviced in the RSS. Each platform has independent extendable planks that can be arranged to conform to a payload's configuration. This mission is the 118th shuttle flight and the 21st U.S. flight to the International Space Station and will deliver and install the S3/S4 truss segment, deploy a set of solar arrays and prepare them for operation. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, mission STS-120 crew members familiarize themselves with the Node 2 Harmony module during a visit to Kennedy Space Center. From left are Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski, Commander Pam Melroy and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson. Other crew members include Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Douglas Wheelock, Paoli Nespoli (with the European Space Agency), Daniel Tani and Clayton Anderson. Mission STS-120 will deliver the Node 2 "Harmony" connecting module to the station. During the mission, Tani and Anderson will transfer to the station and remain as flight engineers for Expedition 15. The mission is tentatively scheduled for August of this year. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

An efficient turboprop engine and large fuel capacity enable NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft to remain aloft for up to 30 hours on science or technology flights.

This image from NASA Terra satellite shows the Morenci open-pit copper mine in southeast Arizona, North America leading producer of copper.

ISS015-E-07005 (6 May 2007) --- Cosmonaut Oleg V. Kotov, Expedition 15 flight engineer representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, equipped with a bungee harness, exercises on the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

Knobs and Mounds on the Northern Plains

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — Sitting on a transporter, the Dawn spacecraft arrives at the Astrotech payload processing facility. Dawn was returned from Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to Astrotech to await a new launch date. The launch opportunity extends from Sept. 7 to Oct. 15. Dawn is the ninth mission in NASA's Discovery Program. The spacecraft will be the first to orbit two planetary bodies, asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, during a single mission. Vesta and Ceres lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It is also NASA’s first purely scientific mission powered by three solar electric ion propulsion engines. NASA/Charisse Nahser

STS117-S-010 (8 June 2007) --- The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-117 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 7:38 p.m. (EDT) on June 8, 2007. Onboard are astronauts Rick Sturckow, commander; Lee Archambault, pilot; Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, John "Danny" Olivas, Steven Swanson and Clayton Anderson, all mission specialists. Anderson will join Expedition 15 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the station. Atlantis will dock with the orbital outpost on Sunday, June 10, to begin a joint mission that will increase the complex's power generation capability. Using the shuttle and station robotic arms and conducting three scheduled spacewalks, the astronauts will install another set of giant solar array wings on the station and retract another array, preparing it for a future move.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, technicians prepare the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, for its move onto a pallet. Processing of the payload is under way for its mission to the International Space Station. Dextre will work with the mobile base and Canadarm2 on the station to perform critical construction and maintenance tasks. Dextre is part of the payload scheduled on mission STS-123, targeted to launch Feb. 14, 2008. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

JSC2007-E-03082 (16 Jan. 2007) --- Roll-out of the Progress 24 vehicle occurred on schedule at 7:00 a.m., Jan. 16, 2007 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The vehicle was in the vertical and hard-down at the pad by 9:30 a.m. The gantry towers were placed around the vehicle shortly thereafter. Progress is targeted for launch on Jan. 18, 2007 for a two-day trip to the International Space Station carrying 2 1/2 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 14 crew. Photo Credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- External tank No. 124 is moved from its checkout cell in the Vehicle Assembly Building to high bay 1 where it will be mated with the solid rocket boosters for mission STS-117. The boosters are already in place on the mobile launcher platform in the VAB. The mission is targeted to launch on March 16 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During emergency egress training as part of the pre-launch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, STS-120 crew members learn how to get out of the slidewire basket at the landing site. In the basket are Commander Pamela Melroy and Pilot George Zamka. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery on mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT on a 14-day mission. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ISS014-E-12364 (19 Jan. 2007) --- Backdropped by a blue Earth, an unpiloted Progress supply vehicle approaches the International Space Station. The Progress 24 resupply craft launched at 8:12 p.m. (CST) on Jan. 17, 2007 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to deliver 2.5 tons of food, fuel, oxygen and other supplies to the Expedition 14 crewmembers onboard the station. Progress automatically docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 8:59 p.m. (CST) on Jan. 19 as the spacecraft and the station flew approximately 220 miles above a point near the South Atlantic off the southeast coast of Uruguay.

In the firing room at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, NASA Associate Administrator, Chris Scolese and other managers watch the space shuttle Discovery launch the STS-120 mission, 11:38 a.m. EDT, October 23, 2007. Photo credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the solar array panels have been unfolded around the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft. The deployment of the panels is part of the pre-launch testing under way. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. Phoenix is scheduled to launch Aug. 3. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

ISS015-E-22143 (12 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Barbara R. Morgan, STS-118 mission specialist, pauses for a photo while working the controls on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour while docked with the International Space Station. Astronaut Tracy Caldwell (partially out of fame), mission specialist, is visible at right.

JSC2007-E-14485 (20 March 2007) --- While seated at the pilot's station, astronaut Alan G. Poindexter, STS-122 pilot, participates in a post insertion/de-orbit training session in the crew compartment trainer (CCT-2) in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center. Poindexter is wearing a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit.

Layered Deposits in Terby

ISS015-E-08322 (6 May 2007) --- Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, Expedition 15 flight engineer, dons squat harness pads in preparation to exercise using the Interim Resistive Exercise Device (IRED) equipment in the Unity node of the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers remove the transportation canister from around the Dawn spacecraft. After removal of the canister, Dawn will be mated with the waiting Delta II rocket. Dawn is scheduled for launch in a window from 7:25 to 7:54 a.m. EDT Sept. 26 from CCAFS. During its nearly decade-long mission, the Dawn mission will study the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, celestial bodies believed to have accreted early in the history of the solar system. To carry out its scientific mission, the Dawn spacecraft will carry a visible camera, a visible and infrared mapping spectrometer, and a gamma ray and neutron spectrometer, whose data will be used in combination to characterize these bodies. In addition to the three instruments, radiometric and optical navigation data will provide data relating to the gravity field and thus bulk properties and internal structure of the two bodies. Data returned from the Dawn spacecraft could provide opportunities for significant breakthroughs in our knowledge of how the solar system formed. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers remove the canister surrounding NASA's Dawn spacecraft in the mobile service tower. The spacecraft was clad in a shipping canister for its transport from Astrotech in Titusville, Fla. The canister will be mated with the Delta II launch vehicle in the tower. Launch is scheduled for July 7. Dawn is the ninth mission in NASA's Discovery Program. The spacecraft will be the first to orbit two planetary bodies, asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, during a single mission. Vesta and Ceres lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It is also NASA's first purely scientific mission powered by three solar electric ion propulsion engines. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Mission STS-117 Mission Specialists James Reilly (left) and Danny Olivas sit in the mid-deck of Space Shuttle Atlantis at Launch Pad 39A to participate in a simulated launch countdown that is part of the prelaunch preparations known as terminal countdown demonstration test (TCDT). The TCDT also includes M-113 armored personnel carrier training and payload familiarization. The STS-117 mission is No. 21 to the International Space Station. Mission payloads aboard Atlantis include the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than March 15. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.

S118-E-09271 (18 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Barbara R. Morgan, STS-118 mission specialist, pauses for a photo while holding a still camera on the middeck of Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Back of Hangar

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Afternoon clouds have rolled in, serving as a background for space shuttle Discovery after rollback of the rotating service structure, at far left. Seen above the golden external tank is the vent hood (known as the "beanie cap") at the end of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, extending from the fixed service structure. Vapors are created as the liquid oxygen in the external tank boil off. The hood vents the gaseous oxygen vapors away from the space shuttle vehicle. Below it, also extending toward Discovery from the structure, is the orbiter access arm with the White Room at the end. The crew gains access into the orbiter through the White Room. At right is the 300,000-gallon water tank that provides water for sound suppression during liftoff. Rollback of the RSS started at 3:34 p.m. EDT and was complete at 4:20 p.m. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. Rollback of the pad's RSS is one of the milestones in preparation for the launch of mission STS-120. Discovery is scheduled for liftoff at 11:38 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23. The mission will be the 23rd assembly flight to the International Space Station and the 34th flight for Discovery. Payload on the mission is the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The 14-day mission will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the white room on Launch Pad 39A, STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy is helped by the closeout crew in donning a parachute pack before she crawls through the open hatch into space shuttle Discovery for a simulated launch countdown. The countdown is the culmination of the prelaunch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. The TCDT at NASA's Kennedy Space Center provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various launch preparation activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery is targeted to launch on its 14-day mission at 11:38 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, workers monitor progress as a huge crane is used to remove the top of the crate carrying the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section for the Japanese Experiment Module. The logistics module is one of the components of the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM, also known as Kibo, which means "hope" in Japanese. Kibo comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. Kibo also has a scientific airlock through which experiments are transferred and exposed to the external environment of space. Kibo is Japan's first human space facility and its primary contribution to the station. Kibo will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment in which astronauts can conduct science experiments. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, targeted for launch in 2007.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour is viewed from a high level in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Lights from above cast an orange glow. Visible behind Endeavour are the orange external tank and the white solid rocket boosters on either side. The many platform levels on either side of the shuttle provide access for work. The shuttle assembly rests on the mobile launcher platform, which will be lifted by the crawler-transporter for the slow journey to the pad. Rollout was originally planned for just after midnight on July 10 but the move was canceled by NASA managers because unfavorable weather was predicted to arrive in the launch area before the vehicle would be secured at the pad. Rollout is scheduled to begin again about 9 p.m. July 10. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

Jupiter Rings: Sharpest View

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-118 Mission Specialist Barbara R. Morgan is ready to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency exit training. Behind her at the rear are Mission Specialists (left) Tracy Caldwell and Dave Williams. Morgan joined NASA's Teacher in Space program in 1985 and was selected as an astronaut in 1998. She and other crew members are at Kennedy for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), a dress rehearsal for launch. TCDT activities include the M-113 training, payload familiarization, emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. The STS-118 payload aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour includes the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug.7. NASA/George Shelton

Ganymede Shadow

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A large alligator on the bank of a creek in NASA's Kennedy Space Center rests its head, apparently ignoring the great blue heron standing behind it. A protected species, alligators can be spotted in the drainage canals and other waters surrounding KSC. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge, which is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-122 Mission Specialist Stanley Love heads for the plane for the return trip to Houston. The crew is flying back to Houston after launch of space shuttle Atlantis was delayed when a failure occurred in a fuel sensor system while the vehicle's external fuel tank was being filled. One of the four engine cutoff, or ECO, sensors inside the liquid hydrogen section of the tank gave a false reading and NASA's current Launch Commit Criteria require that all four sensors function properly. The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle's main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low. Space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission now is targeted to launch no earlier than Jan. 2. The liftoff date depends on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the White Room on Launch Pad 39A, suit technicians help space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 Mission Specialist Rex Walheim with his flight and entry suit before his entry onto Atlantis' flight deck, through the hatch behind him. The exercise is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT is a dress rehearsal for launch and also provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization and emergency egress training. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's largest single contribution to the station, Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The laboratory will expand the research facilities aboard the station, providing crew members and scientists from around the world the ability to conduct a variety of experiments in the physical, materials and life sciences. Atlantis' launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In bay 3 of the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers oversee the lowering of the tool storage assembly unit into Discovery's payload bay, where it will be stored. The tools may be used on a spacewalk, yet to be determined, during mission STS-120. In an unusual operation, the payload bay doors had to be reopened after closure to accommodate the storage. Space shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch Oct. 23 to the International Space Station. It will carry the U.S. Node 2, a connecting module, named Harmony, for assembly on the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Just after sunrise, Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform, rolls a second time to Launch Pad 39A atop a crawler transporter. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, members of the STS-122 crew practice handling cameras that will be used during the mission. Holding the camera at left is Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel. Next to him, from left, are Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim and Stanley Love. The crew is at Kennedy Space Center to take part in a crew equipment interface test, which helps familiarize them with equipment and payloads for the mission. Among the activities standard to a CEIT are harness training, inspection of the thermal protection system and camera operation for planned extravehicular activities, or EVAs. The mission will carry and install the Columbus Lab, a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to Node 2 of the space station to carry out experiments in materials science, fluid physics and biosciences, as well as to perform a number of technological applications. It is Europe’s largest contribution to the construction of the International Space Station and will support scientific and technological research in a microgravity environment. STS-122 is targeted for launch in December. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

At Astrotech Space Operations, the integrated THEMIS spacecraft is ready for spin-balance testing. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers prepare the Spacehab module for its move to the payload canister. The module is part of the payload on mission STS-118 and will be loaded into Space Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay at the pad. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 9 to the International Space Station. The mission will continue space station construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, as well as carrying the external stowage platform 3 and Spacehab module. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Collapse Tube

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, an engineer from Dutch Space is making repairs on the slight damage done by a technician's tool to the back of a solar array panel of the Dawn spacecraft on June 11 during a procedure to prepare Dawn for spin-balance testing. The size of the affected area is about 2.5 inches by 2 inches. There is no impact to the launch date of July 7. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson dons her flight suit prior to launch, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 16 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko, Whitson, and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at sunset n their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft bound for a docking to the International Space Station on Oct. 12. Whitson and Malenchenko will spend six months on the station, while Shukor will return to Earth Oct. 21 with two of the Expedition 15 crewmembers currently on the complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On platforms suspended from the top of the 525-foot-high VAB, workers use rollers and brushes to repaint the U.S. flag on the southwest side of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The flag spans an area 209 feet by 110 feet, or about 23, 437 square feet. Each stripe is 9 feet wide and each star is 6 feet in diameter. The logo is also being painted. Known as the "meatball," the logo measures 110 feet by 132 feet, or about 12,300 square feet. The flag and logo were last painted in 1998, honoring NASA's 40th anniversary. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery moves along the crawlerway from the Vehicle Assembly Building toward Launch Pad 39A as the sun rises on a balmy Florida morning. First motion out of the VAB was at 6:47 a.m. EDT. Rollout is a milestone for Discovery's launch to the International Space Station on mission STS-120, targeted for Oct. 23. The crew will be delivering and installing the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, named Harmony. The pressurized module will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. In addition to increasing the living and working space inside the station, it also will serve as a work platform outside for the station's robotic arm. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton