KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 Commander Steve Frick puts on his helmet, part of his launch and entry suit, in astronaut crew quarters. The STS-122 crew is preparing for a simulated launch countdown aboard Atlantis, 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. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Spirit Nears North-Tilting Site for Winter Haven

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-123 crew members are lowered into space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay to check out the equipment. At right is Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman; at left is Mission Specialist Takao Doi. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a crew equipment interface test, a process of familiarization with payloads, hardware and the space shuttle. Doi represents the Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency. Reisman will join the Expedition 16 crew on the International Space Station, replacing flight engineer Leopold Eyharts. The STS-123 mission is targeted for launch on space shuttle Endeavour on Feb. 14. It will be the 25th assembly flight of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

This illustration shows some of the components on and near the end of the robotic arm on NASA Phoenix Mars Lander. Primary and secondary blades on the scoop that aided in the collection of soil samples.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, one of nine solid rocket boosters is lifted into the mobile service tower. It will be attached to the Delta II first stage for the launch of 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. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

ISS014-E-18950 (3 April 2007) --- Covered with snow and ice, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station.

Swarm of Swirls

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- This fledgling eagle, at right, stares at his mother, at left, in their nest at the north end of S.R. 3 near Kennedy Space Center. The resident eagle parents are raising two offspring. This year-old nest is one of a dozen eagle nests both in KSC and in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which surrounds KSC. The refuge includes several wading bird rookeries, many osprey nests, up to 400 manatees during the spring, and approximately 2,500 Florida scrub jays. It also is a major wintering area for migratory birds. More than 500 species of wildlife inhabit the refuge, with 15 considered federally threatened or endangered. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Center Director Bill Parsons talks to employees in his first all-hands meeting of 2007 and his first as director. Topics discussed included the year ahead at KSC. A brief question-and-answer segment followed. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lifted by the overhead crane, the container with the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) remote manipulator system inside is carried across the Space Station Processing Facility to another location. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency developed the laboratory known as "Kibo" (Hope) and includes an exposed facility (platform) for space environment experiments, the RMS and two logistics modules. Japan's primary contribution to the International Space Station, it will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. The various JEM components will be assembled in space over the course of three Shuttle missions. The JEM and RMS are scheduled to launch on mission STS-124 no earlier than February 2008. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

American spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi is taken in his chair to the medical tent near the Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft where the recovery officials conduct post-landing medical checks, Friday, April 21, 2007 in Kazakhstan. Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and American spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi landed in their Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft southwest of Karaganda, Kazakhstan at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After landing at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger Atlantis are towed toward the mate/demate device that will put the orbiter back on the ground. After a three-day, cross-country trip, the duo touched down at 8:27 a.m. EDT. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Visible on Atlantis is the tail cone that covers and protects the main engines during the ferry flight. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California to end mission STS-117. The return to KSC began July 1 and included several stops across the country for fuel. The last stop was at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky. Weather conditions over the last leg postponed the return trip until July 3. After demate, Atlantis will then be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility to begin processing for its next launch, mission STS-122 in December. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 crew members listen to instructions about the use of the M-113 armored personnel carrier for emergency exit procedures from Launch Pad 39A. From the front, on the left, are Mission Specialists Doug Wheelock, Paolo Nespoli and Stephanie Wilson; at right are Pilot George Zamka, Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Daniel Tani, and Commander Pamela Melroy. Nespoli represents the European Space Agency. The training is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sandpipers investigate a washed up horseshoe crab on the river bank on Kennedy Space Center. Sandpipers are found on shores and in wetlands around the globe, breeding on the Arctic tundra then returning to more temperate climes. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature 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/Dimitri Gerondidakis

ISS015-E-17670 (5 July 2007) --- Astronaut Clay Anderson, Expedition 15 flight engineer, works with a European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- As the sun rises, space shuttle Atlantis turns toward the door of the Vehicle Assembly Building after rolling out of Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1. Rollover from its processing bay began at 7:05 a.m. EDT. Atlantis arrived in the VAB's transfer aisle at 8:03 a.m. In the VAB, the shuttle will be lifted and mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters designated for mission STS-122, already secured atop a mobile launcher platform. On this mission, Atlantis will deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's largest contribution to the station, Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. 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. Mission STS-122 is targeted for launch on Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, workers are ready to move a main bus switching unit into Discovery's payload bay. A main bus switching unit is used for power distribution, circuit protection and fault isolation on the space station's power system. The units route power to proper locations in the space station, such as from solar arrays through umbilicals into the U.S. Lab. The unit will be installed on the external stowage platform 2 attached to the Quest airlock for temporary storage. Discovery is targeted to launch mission STS-120 no earlier than Oct. 20. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Following the debut of its new attraction, Shuttle Launch Experience, on May 26, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex treated guests to a concert by the instrumental group Mannheim Steamroller, seen here. Mannheim Steamroller, known for its digital-classic-rock style, recorded sound from the last space shuttle liftoff at Kennedy Space Center, and has incorporated it into its music. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After a ceremony to commemorate the transition of the historic Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building high bay for use by the Constellation Program, representatives from NASA, Lockheed Martin, Space Florida and the state of Florida look at the banner, unfurled by Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons (center), spotlighting the Orion crew exploration vehicle that will be assembled in the O&C. From left are Russell Romanella, director of the International Space Station/Payload Processing Directorate at Kennedy Space Center; Thad Altman, representative of the State of Florida; Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin program manager; Parsons; Steve Koller, executive director of Space Florida (turned away); and Skip Hatfield, Orion Project manager. Originally built to process space vehicles in the Apollo era, the O&C Building will serve as the final assembly facility for the Orion crew exploration vehicle. Orion, America's human spaceflight vehicle of the future, will be capable of transporting four crewmembers for lunar missions and later will support crew transfers for Mars missions. Each Orion spacecraft also may be used to support up to six crewmembers to the International Space Station after the space shuttle is retired in 2010. Design, development and construction of Orion's components will be performed by Lockheed Martin for NASA at facilities throughout the country. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Sample Tharsis Tholus Caldera Wall

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights demonstrate precision landing as part of the World Space Expo aerial salute at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Other aircraft joining in the expo salute include the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstration Squadron, the U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornets, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle, P-51 Mustang Heritage Flight, and the U.S. Air Force 920th Rescue Wing, which was responsible for Mercury and Gemini capsule recovery. The World Space Expo held Nov. 1-4 was an event commemorating humanity's first 50 years in space while looking forward to returning people to the moon and exploring beyond. The expo showcased various panels, presentations and educational programs. It also was a part of NASA's 50th anniversary celebrations, highlighting the 45th Anniversary of the Mercury Program celebration featuring original NASA astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter and the Pioneering Women of Aerospace forum featuring Eileen Collins and other prominent female space veterans. The agency was founded Oct. 1, 1958. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ISS016-E-011297 (15 Nov. 2007) --- Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, prepares a meal at the galley in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Following sunrise on a cloudy Florida day, Space Shuttle Atlantis awaits launch atop a mobile launch platform at Launch Pad 39A. 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

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. In this HD video image, an Ares I x-test involves the upper stage separating from the first stage. This particular test was conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center in July 2007. (Highest resolution available)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Following the Flight Readiness Review for the STS-117 mission, NASA officials presented the decisions of NASA senior managers in a television conference. Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of NASA Space Operations Mission, confirmed the launch time and date of Space Shuttle Atlantis at 7:38 p.m. EDT on June 8. Seen here is Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale (left) demonstrating the level of scrutiny engineers apply to inspecting the smallest of components that make up the shuttle system. This housing and bolt insert are part of the main engine low pressure oxidizer turbopump (LPOTP). Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, is ready to roll out for practice landings. In the cockpit are Commander Steve Frick and Pilot Alan Poindexter, who are preparing for the Dec. 6 launch on space shuttle Atlantis. 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. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During crew equipment interface test activities in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at KSC, STS-118 crew members get a close look at equipment they will use on their flight. Seen here at center are Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell and Barbara Morgan. The STS-118 mission will be delivering the third starboard truss segment, the ITS S5, to the International Space Station, as well as the SPACEHAB single cargo module filled with supplies and equipment. Launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for Aug. 9. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Layers Exposed on Slope in Echus Chasma Region

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the slidewire basket bunker area of Launch Pad 39A, STS-118 Pilot Charlie Hobaugh waits to begin a media interview before the crew's morning training activities in the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. Those activities include M-113 training, payload familiarization, the emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour will carry a payload including the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. STS-118 is targeted for launch on Aug. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft is on display for a media showing. On each side are the folded solar array panels. At the top is the high gain antenna, covered by a sun shade. At the bottom, also under cover, is one of the ion propulsion thrusters. Behind the antenna on the outside edge are the framing cameras. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

This unnamed crater east of Herschel Crater contains both a large landslide and a field of small dark sand dunes

This artist concept based on data from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, depicts a quadruple-star system called HD 98800. The system is approximately 10 million years old, and is located 150 light-years away in the constellation TW Hydrae.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 117 is suspended vertically above the transfer aisle. The tank will next be lifted into the checkout cell in high bay 2 for processing. ET-117 arrived aboard the Pegasus barge after its voyage around the Florida Peninsula from the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans. The tank is slated for mission STS-118, which is targeted for launch in early August. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock has his helmet fitted on his launch and entry suit, preparing for launch. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

JSC2007-E-43407 (15 Aug. 2007) --- Attired in a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit, astronaut Mark E. Kelly, STS-124 commander, awaits the start of a water survival training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center.

Silicon Valley FIRST Regional Robotics competition: Arctic Ice Bears - Team 1544 - NASA/USKH British Petroteum/CIRI Foundation & Bartlett HS. Anchorage, Alaska (AK)

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. -- In a clean-room environment at North Vandenberg Air Force Base, technicians remove covers from instruments in the AIM spacecraft while solar panels are partially deployed. 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 the Pegasus XL during the second week of April, after which final inspections will be conducted. Launch is scheduled for April 25.

MSL III (Mars Science Laboratory) Test in UPWT 9x7ft with tunnel Test-97-159 These tests were for parachute entry deployment CFD validation.

S118-E-07117 (14 Aug. 2007) --- The Space Shuttle Endeavour's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm (left) moves away following the hand-off of an external stowage platform (ESP-3) to the station's robotic arm while docked with the International Space Station. Astronauts Tracy Caldwell and Barbara R. Morgan, both STS-118 mission specialists, were inside at Endeavour's controls as the shuttle's robotic arm lifted the storage platform from the cargo bay to hand it over to the station's robotic arm, also known as Canadarm2. Astronauts Charlie Hobaugh, pilot, and Clay Anderson, Expedition 15 flight engineer, then used the Canadarm2 to attach the 13-by-7-foot platform to the station's Port 3 truss.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A United Space Alliance employee prepares a test article that will be used in wind tunnel testing by NASA to collect data for analysis of the detached Flexible Insulation Blanket, or FIB, on Atlantis. A tear occurred in an area of the OMS pod on Atlantis during launch of mission STS-117 on June 8, 2007. The test articles each feature three tiles (Low Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation, or LRSI) affixed next to two FIB blankets, simulating the thermal protection system set-up on Atlantis' OMS pod in the vicinity of the in-flight anomaly. These test articles will be flown to Texas the morning of June 14. The TPS team at KSC has also provided a total of 22 FIB samples for other testing and analysis. Repair is under consideration following testing at KSC and Houston. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

Live video from the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft of the International Space Station is shown on the screen in the upper right in the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow, Friday, Oct. 12, 2007. Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor docked their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft to the ISS at 10:50 a.m. EDT, October 12. The crew launched on Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Distinguished by its large nose payload bay, NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft does an engine run prior to takeoff from General Atomics' Grey Butte airfield.

ISS014-E-12499 (19 Jan. 2007) --- Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria (right), Expedition 14 commander, and Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, flight engineer, photographed at control panels in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station during the docking of Progress 24 resupply vehicle to the Pirs Docking Compartment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39A, a team of external tank specialists from Lockheed Martin and the United Space Alliance undertakes the task of removing the hydrogen feed-through connector in support of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission. Here, a technician inspects the connector just removed from the external tank. Some of the tank's engine cutoff sensors, or ECO sensors, failed during propellant tanking for launch attempts on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. Results of a tanking test on Dec. 18 pointed to an open circuit in the feed-through connector wiring, which is located at the base of the tank. The feed-through connector passes the wires from the inside of the tank to the outside. After the data from additional testing on the connector is analyzed, shuttle program managers will decide on a forward plan. Launch of STS-122 is targeted for January 2008. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy talks to media and guests on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after landing space shuttle Discovery. Behind her are (from left) mission specialist Stephanie Wilson, Pilot George Zamka and mission specialists Doug Wheelock and Scott Parazynski. The Discovery crew completed the 15-day mission STS-120, with an on-time landing at 1:01:16 p.m. Wheel stop was at 1:02:07 p.m. Mission elapsed time was 15 days, 2 hours, 24 minutes and 2 seconds. Mission STS-120 continued the construction of the station with the installation of the Harmony Node 2 module and the relocation of the P6 truss. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Handover of GeneSat 1 from NASA to Santa Clara University event

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker connects a cable to recharge the battery for the S6 integrated truss. The final starboard truss in the assembly of the International Space Station, the S6 is scheduled to fly on space shuttle mission STS-119, whose launch date is not yet determined. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Pilot George Zamka responds to a question from the media during a press conference at the slidewire basket landing on Launch Pad 39A. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to take part in terminal countdown demonstration test activities that include emergency egress procedures and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Tani will remain aboard the station and return with the STS-122 crew, targeted to launch Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-120 crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the pre-launch terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. Practicing to get out of the slidewire basket at the landing site during emergency egress training are Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Daniel Tani and Paolo Nespoli, who represents the European Space Agency. After the mission, Tani will remain aboard the International Space Station and return with the STS-122 crew, targeted to launch Dec. 6. 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

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, under the protective clean tent, technicians move the second half of the fairing into place around the AIM spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits around the spacecraft and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch. Launch will be from a Pegasus XL rocket, carried and released by Orbital Sciences L-1011 jet aircraft. 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. Launch is scheduled for April 25.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a P-51 Mustang keeps pace with a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor during the World Space Expo aerial salute. Other aircraft joining in the expo salute include the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstration Squadron, the U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornets, U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle, the U.S. Air Force 920th Rescue wing, which was responsible for Mercury and Gemini capsule recovery, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights demonstrating precision skydiving. The World Space Expo held Nov. 1-4 was an event commemorating humanity's first 50 years in space while looking forward to returning people to the moon and exploring beyond. The expo showcased various panels, presentations and educational programs. It also was a part of NASA's 50th anniversary celebrations, highlighting the 45th Anniversary of the Mercury Program celebration featuring original NASA astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter and the Pioneering Women of Aerospace forum featuring Eileen Collins and other prominent female space veterans. The agency was founded Oct. 1, 1958. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Chamberland

The Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft is transported by railcar to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in Kazakhstan for an October 10th launch date. The Soyuz will carry Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor to the International Space Station. Whitson and Malenchenko will spend six months on the station. Shukor, who is flying under an agreement between Malaysia and the Russian Federal Space Agency, will return to Earth October 21 with two of the Expedition 15 crew members currently on the complex. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, clouds of smoke form around the Delta II rocket with NASA's THEMIS spacecraft aboard as it blasts off Pad 17-B at 6:01 p.m. EST. THEMIS, an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole. This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA has ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights. The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color.

ISS015-E-14584 (26 June 2007) --- The "bull's-eye" of the Richat Structure in the barren Gres de Chinguetti Plateau, central Mauritania in northwest Africa is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 15 crewmember on the International Space Station. It represents domally uplifted, layered (sedimentary) rocks that have been eroded by water and wind into the present shape. The 25-mile-wide structure is a 300-foot-deep landmark that has caught the eye of many an astronaut in Earth orbit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — The Phoenix Mars Lander is lifted into the upper level of the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The lander will be mated to the Delta II launch vehicle. Launch of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is scheduled for Aug. 3. There are two instantaneous launch times, 5:35:18 and 6:11:24 a.m. EDT. 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

JSC2007-E-26261 (4 April 2007) --- Astronaut Dafydd R. (Dave) Williams, STS-118 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, wearing a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, participates in an underwater simulation of extravehicular activity (EVA) in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center. SCUBA-equipped divers are in the water to assist Williams in his rehearsal, intended to help prepare him for work on the exterior of the International Space Station.

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. Speaker James Reuther, ARC, leader of the Advanced Development Thermal rotection Systems (heat shield) project for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During the FIRST robotics event held at the University of Central Florida Arena March 8-10, Center Director Bill Parsons (left) talks to students from Titusville, Fla., about their robot. The team is cosponsored by ASRC Aerospace and The Boeing Company, and represents Astronaut and Titusville High Schools. The FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, Robotics Competition challenges teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard "kit of parts" and a common set of rules. Teams build robots from the parts and enter them in a series of competitions designed by FIRST founder Dean Kamen and Dr. Woodie Flowers, chairman and vice chairman of the Executive Advisory Board respectively, and a committee of engineers and other professionals. FIRST redefines winning for these students. Teams are rewarded for excellence in design, demonstrated team spirit, gracious professionalism and maturity, and ability to overcome obstacles. Scoring the most points is a secondary goal. Winning means building partnerships that last. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

LCROSS in Clean Room at Ames Research Centeer - flight hardware in Thermal Cycle configuration with _______

Sinuous Ridges in Argyre Basin

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, technicians secure both halves of the fairing around the Dawn spacecraft to the upper stage booster of the Delta II rocket below. 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. Dawn is scheduled to launch between 7:25 and 7:54 a.m. on Sept. 26 aboard a Delta II rocket. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

ISS016-E-006296 (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.

This artist concept depicts NASA Phoenix Mars Lander a moment before its 2008 touchdown on the arctic plains of Mars. Pulsed rocket engines control the spacecraft speed during the final seconds of descent.

ISS014-E-13546 (8 Feb. 2007) --- Astronaut Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, Expedition 14 commander and NASA space station science officer, attired in his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, awaits the start of the third session of extravehicular activity (EVA) in nine days in the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel exits Atlantis' fight deck following a simulated launch countdown at Launch Pad 39A. Schlegel is with the European Space Agency. 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/Kim Shiflett

Kepler Project: Depiction of star field to be studied

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Astrotech Space Operations facility, Orbital Science technicians install a computer chip on the Dawn spacecraft. The silicon chip holds the names of more than 360,000 space enthusiasts worldwide who signed up to participate in a virtual voyage to the asteroid belt and is about the size of an American five-cent coin. Dawn's mission is to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn is scheduled to launch June 30 from Launch Complex 17-B. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, workers attach the Remote Manipulator System, or robotic arm, to a hoisting device to prepare for installation to the Japanese Experiment Module for testing. The RMS is one of the payloads scheduled to be delivered to the station on a future mission tentatively scheduled for 2008. The RMS is similar to the robotic arm already installed on the station's mobile base system. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — On Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Dawn spacecraft has been separated from the Delta II second stage. Dawn is being returned to the Astrotech payload processing facility 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/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An overhead crane lowers a solid rocket booster segment toward a railroad car at the railroad yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The yellow transportation end cover has already been inserted and is secure. The spent segment is part of the booster used to launch space shuttle Discovery in October. The segment will be placed on the car and covered for the long trip back to Utah. After a mission, the spent boosters are recovered, cleaned, disassembled, refurbished and reused after each launch. After hydrolasing the interior of each segment, they are placed on flatbed trucks. The individual booster segments are transferred to a railhead located at the railroad yard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The long train of segments is part of the twin solid rocket boosters used to launch space shuttle Discovery in October. The NASA Railroad locomotive backs up the rail cars and the segment is lowered onto the car. The covered segments are moved to Titusville for interchange with Florida East Coast Railway to begin the trip back to Utah. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second half of the fairing (in the foreground) moves 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. -- Bill Parsons (left), director of Kennedy Space Center, greets pilot Rick Svetkoff after a test flight of the Starfighter F-104. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a second solid rocket booster is ready to be lifted into the mobile service tower. It will be attached to the Delta II first stage for the launch of 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. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In a marshy area of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, this white ibis may be looking for sticks to build its nest in a nearby tree. White ibis range from coastal South Carolina to Florida and Texas, as well as South America. They inhabit marshy sloughs, mud flats, lagoons and swamp forests. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The crew members of space shuttle mission STS-120 prepare for their return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston following three days of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities. At Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, at left, and Commander Pam Melroy are packed and ready to board their aircraft. Melroy is the second woman to command a shuttle mission. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station on a 14-day mission. Discovery's launch is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Landslides in IR

Off the shoulder of giant Saturn, a bright pinpoint marks the location of the ring moon Atlas image center. Shadows cast by the C ring adorn the planet at upper right

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a bench review in the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts (right side, from back) Koicki Wakata, Tim Kopra and Garrett Reisman get a close look at hardware they will be taking into and using in orbit. Reisman is slated to join Expedition 16 aboard the International Space Station in 2008, flying on mission STS-123; Kopra is his backup. Wakata, with the Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency, will join the Expedition 18 crew, flying on mission STS-126. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, secured atop a mobile launch platform, passes by the crawler kraal in Launch Complex 39 on its way to Pad A. This area is used to perform maintenance on the crawler transporter. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 4:43 a.m. EST. Rollout is a milestone for Atlantis' launch to the International Space Station on mission STS-122, targeted for Dec. 6. On this mission, Atlantis will deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's largest contribution to the station, Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. 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. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — At the Astrotech payload processing facility, workers remove the lower canister from around the Dawn spacecraft. 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

With smoke from the Lake Arrowhead area fires streaming in the background, NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft heads out on a Southern California wildfires imaging mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis is captured as it lifts off Launch Pad 39A for a rocket ride into the sky and rendezvous with the International Space Station on mission STS-117. On the mobile launcher platform below Atlantis can be seen the jets of water flooding the surface for sound suppression. Beyond the pad on the horizon is the Atlantic Ocean. Liftoff of Atlantis was on-time at 7:38:04 p.m. EDT. The shuttle is delivering a new segment to the starboard side of the International Space Station's backbone, known as the truss. Three spacewalks are planned to install the S3/S4 truss segment, deploy a set of solar arrays and prepare them for operation. STS-117 is the 118th space shuttle flight, the 21st flight to the station, the 28th flight for Atlantis and the first of four flights planned for 2007. Photo Credit: NASA/Tony Gray & Rick Wetherington

Yuri's Night at Ames a celebration of the first human in space

From the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, media photographers capture the launch of space shuttle Discovery as it soars from its seaside launch pad. Liftoff was on time at 11:38:19 a.m. EDT. Discovery carries the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day STS-120 mission, the crew 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.

Alan Stern, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate HQ addressing Ames staff

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The covered THEMIS spacecraft is transported to Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. On Launch Pad 17-B, the spacecraft will be mated with the third stage of the Delta II rocket. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission is to investigate what causes auroras in the Earth's atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of color. Discovering what causes auroras to change will provide scientists with important details on how the planet's magnetosphere works and the important Sun-Earth connection. THEMIS is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta II rocket on Feb. 15 during a window extending from 6:08 to 6:27 p.m. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

S117-E-06886 (11 June 2007) --- Astronauts Jim Reilly (center frame) and John "Danny" Olivas (bottom right), both STS-117 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA), as construction resumes on the International Space Station. Among other tasks, Reilly and Olivas connected power, data and cooling cables between S1 and S3; released the launch restraints from and deployed the four solar array blanket boxes on S4 and released the cinches and winches holding the photovoltaic radiator on S4.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the external tank is lowered between the solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform below. After mating, the boosters-tank configuration will be used on space shuttle Atlantis for mission STS-122, which is targeted for launch on Dec. 6. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

The synthetic aperture radar pod developed by JPL is slung beneath NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed during flight tests.

ISS015-E-25420 (30 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Clay Anderson (left), Expedition 15 flight engineer, works the controls of the station's robotic arm, Canadarm2; while cosmonaut Fyodor N. Yurchikhin, commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, works with docking systems in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station during Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) transfer operations. Using the Canadarm2, the PMA-3 was undocked from the Unity node's left side at 7:18 a.m. (CDT) and docked to Unity's lower port at 8:07 a.m. to prepare for the arrival of Node 2, the Harmony module, on the STS-120 flight of Space Shuttle Discovery in October 2007.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-118 Mission Specialist Alvin Drew completes suitup for the simulated launch countdown that concludes the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. The STS-118 crew has been at Kennedy for the TCDT activities that also include M-113 training, payload familiarization and emergency egress training at the pad. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour will carry a payload including the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. STS-118 is targeted for launch on Aug. 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

S117-E-07264 (13 June 2007) --- Astronauts Steven Swanson and Patrick Forrester (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. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers watch as the upper transportation canister is lowered over the Dawn spacecraft. The canister will be attached to the bottom segments already in place. The canister will protect the spacecraft and booster during transfer to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (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. Launch via a Delta II rocket is scheduled in a window from 7:25 to 7:54 a.m. Sept. 26 from CCAFS. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Titan T28 Mosaic

Inside a thermal vacuum at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, technicians prepared NASA Phoenix Mars Lander for environmental testing

JSC2007-E-44684 (29 Aug. 2007) --- The STS-120 crewmembers celebrate the end of formal crew training with a cake-cutting ceremony in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at Johnson Space Center. Pictured from the left are astronauts George D. Zamka, pilot; Daniel M. Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer; Stephanie D. Wilson, mission specialist; Pamela A. Melroy, commander; Douglas H. Wheelock, Scott E. Parazynski, and European Space Agency's (ESA) Paolo Nespoli, all mission specialists. Tani is scheduled to join Expedition 16 after launching to the International Space Station on mission STS-120.

ISS015-E-10886 (6 June 2007) --- Cosmonaut Fyodor N. Yurchikhin, Expedition 15 commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA). Among other tasks, Yurchikhin and cosmonaut Oleg V. Kotov (out of frame), flight engineer representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, completed the installation of 12 more Zvezda Service Module debris panels and installed sample containers on the Pirs Docking Compartment for a Russian experiment, called Biorisk, which looks at the effect of space on microorganisms.

S118-E-06968 (13 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Rick Mastracchio, STS-118 mission specialist, 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, Mastracchio and astronaut Dave Williams (out of frame), mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, 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.

wireless space shuttle tile scanner (P.I. Joe Lavelle)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the water next to the NASA Causeway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, part of the U.S. Air Force 920th Rescue Wing puts on a demonstration during the World Space Expo aerial salute. This unit was responsible for Mercury and Gemini capsule recovery. Other aircraft joining in the expo salute include the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstration Squadron, the U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornets, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle, P-51 Mustang Heritage Flight, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights demonstrating precision skydiving. The World Space Expo held Nov. 1-4 was an event commemorating humanity's first 50 years in space while looking forward to returning people to the moon and exploring beyond. The expo showcased various panels, presentations and educational programs. It also was a part of NASA's 50th anniversary celebrations, highlighting the 45th Anniversary of the Mercury Program celebration featuring original NASA astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter and the Pioneering Women of Aerospace forum featuring Eileen Collins and other prominent female space veterans. The agency was founded Oct. 1, 1958. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Chamberland