Orbit Quest

SL3-122-2620 (July-September 1973) --- Skylab 3 Earth view of the Nile Delta, Egypt and Suez Canal. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers from NASA's Glenn Research Center remove the blue shrink-wrapped covers on these Ares I-X upper stage simulator segments. The protective covers were used for shipping. The upper stage simulator will be used in the test flight identified as Ares I-X in 2009. The segments will simulate the mass and the outer mold line and will be more than 100 feet of the total vehicle height of 327 feet. The simulator comprises 11 segments that are approximately 18 feet in diameter. Most of the segments will be approximately 10 feet high, ranging in weight from 18,000 to 60,000 pounds, for a total of approximately 450,000 pounds. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A close-up of repair work under way on the flame trench on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Damage to the trench occurred during the launch of Discovery on the STS-124 mission. A 75- by 20-foot section of the east wall was destroyed and debris scattered as far as the pad perimeter fence. Repairs are expected to be completed before the targeted Oct. 8 launch of Atlantis on the STS-125 mission. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --- STS-123 Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Takao Doi, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, have a friendly exchange under space shuttle Endeavour at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. Endeavour landed on Runway 15 to end the STS-123 mission, a 16-day flight to the International Space Station. This was the 16th night landing at Kennedy. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:08 p.m. EDT. The nose landing gear touched down at 8:39:17 p.m. and wheel stop was at 8:40:41 p.m. The mission completed nearly 6.6 million miles. The landing was on the second opportunity after the first was waved off due to unstable weather in the Kennedy Space Center area. The STS-123 mission delivered the first segment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Dr. Stephen Hawking, a professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge, left, and his daughter Lucy Hawking talk about their co-authored children's book "George's Secret Key to the Universe" Monday, April 21, 2008, at George Washington University's Morton Auditorium in Washington. Stephen Hawking also delivered a speech entitled "Why we should go into space" during a lecture that is part of a series honoring NASA's 50th Anniversary, Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul. E. Alers)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – During emergency escape training on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-126 Mission Specialists Shane Kimbrough, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Sandra Magnus test the slidewire basket. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, which includes equipment familiarization, emergency exit training and a simulated launch countdown. On the STS-126 mission, space shuttle Endeavour's crew will deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. The mission also will include four spacewalks to service the station’s Solar Alpha Rotary Joints. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

After Attempted Sample Delivery on Sol 60, False Color

Three weeks after Hurricane Ike came ashore near Galveston, TX, residents returned to find their houses in ruins. Images were acquired by NASA Terra satellite on September 28, right, and August 15, 2006, left.

NRP partnerships: Airship Ventures Zeppelin Dedication ceremony at Moffett Field Flight Line, Moffett Field, CA Speaker Colonel William Moffett III

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter span the flame trench as they begin rolling off Launch Pad 39B for the 3.4-mile rollaround to Launch Pad 39A. First motion was at 8:28 a.m. EDT. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14 on the STS-126 mission. On this 27th mission to the International Space Station, Endeavour will carry the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo that will hold supplies and equipment, including additional crew quarters, additional exercise equipment, spare hardware and equipment for the regenerative life support system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ISS016-E-023048 (15 Jan. 2008) --- Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, Expedition 16 flight engineer representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, uses a communication system while working in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

Dunes and Gullies

September 11th remembrance ceremony held in front of NASA Research Park Bldg-17 (Lunar Science Institute) hosted by the American Legion, Post 881, Moffett Field. Step off to Amazing Grace - POW/MIA Detail; TSgt Robert Soua, Detail Commander, 129th Security Forces, TSgt Rachel Velasco, SSgt Susan Avalos, SSgt Alex Cohen, SSgt Elias Gonzalez

S126-E-008914 (22 Nov. 2008) --- Astronaut Steve Bowen, STS-126 mission specialist, participates in the mission's third scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the six-hour, 57-minute spacewalk, Bowen and astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper (out of frame), mission specialist, focused their efforts on the continued cleaning of the station's starboard solar alpha rotary joint (SARJ) and the removal and replacement of trundle bearing assemblies (TBA). Bowen and Piper also cleaned the area around the SARJ's drive lock assemblies, which help the joint to rotate and lock into place.

Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engine (VAATE) tested in the Ames 11ft wind tunnel Test-11-0191 with Amela Zanacic, of Ames/Jacobs Technology

NASA Administrator, Michael Griffin watches the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-124) from the Launch Control Center Saturday, May 31, 2008, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Shuttle lifted off from launch pad 39A at 5:02 p.m. EDT. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Distant Details on Enceladus

La Mancha Trench Dug by Phoenix Mars Lander

JSC2008-E-141528 (6 Nov. 2008) --- Astronaut Mike Massimino, STS-125 mission specialist, gets help with final touches in the donning of a training version of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Astronaut John Grunsfeld, mission specialist, assisted Massimino.

Space Technology Division Summer picnic

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This is the radome beneath which is the NASA Debris Radar. It is located at a remote site on North Merritt Island in Florida. One of the largest of its kind in the world, the C-band radar provided critical support to pinpoint debris during the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-125 mission. The need for this radar was identified after the Columbia tragedy. It worked together with smaller X-band radars placed on the solid rocket booster ship Liberty Star and the U.S. Army landing craft utility ship Brandy Station. Together they provided extremely high resolution images of any debris that created by Atlantis during launch. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis rolls through the open doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after rolling back from Launch Pad 39A. In the VAB, Atlantis will await launch on its STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. First motion of Atlantis off the pad was at 6:48 a.m. EDT. The journey was expected to take about six hours. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis has passed the bend in the crawlerway taking it to Launch Pad 39A, above left, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The crawlerway is flanked by the Banana River at right and Banana Creek at left. The Atlantic Ocean stretches across the horizon. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the Ares I-X upper stage simulator segment 7 onto segment 6. The upper stage simulator comprises 11 segments, each approximately 18 feet in diameter, that will be used in the test flight identified as Ares I-X in 2009. The simulator segments will simulate the mass and the outer mold line. The upper stage accounts for nearly one-quarter of the total height of the Ares I. It will take the Ares I on the second phase of its journey from Earth, providing the guidance, navigation and control needed for the second phase of the Ares I ascent flight. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers stand ready as the starboard integrated truss, known as S6, is three-fourths of the way through its rotation. The truss is being rotated in order to remove and replace lower deck batteries. The final starboard truss in the assembly of the International Space Station, the S6 is scheduled to fly on the STS-119 space shuttle mission, whose launch date is not yet determined. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A C-130 airplane flown by U.S. Marines lands at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The plane carries the support team for the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, who are going to perform at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Space and Air Show Nov. 8-9. The Navy's elite flight demonstration squadron will take to the skies in military aircraft demonstrations by the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F/A-18 Super Hornet jets for the second annual Space & Air Show at Kennedy. This year’s show brings together the best in military aircraft, coupled with precision pilots and veteran astronauts to celebrate spaceflight and aviation. The event includes military aircraft demonstrations by the F-16 Fighting Falcon and a water rescue demonstration by the 920th Rescue Wing. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The space shuttle Atlantis approaches touch down on Runway 15 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle landed on orbit 202 to complete the 13-day STS-122 mission. Main gear touchdown was 9:07:10 a.m. Nose gear touchdown was 9:07:20 a.m. Wheel stop was at 9:08:08 a.m. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 44 seconds. During the mission, Atlantis' crew installed the new Columbus laboratory, leaving a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. The Columbus Research Module adds nearly 1,000 cubic feet of habitable volume and affords room for 10 experiment racks, each an independent science lab. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Crew members for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission put on their launch and entry suits before heading to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mission Specialist Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is making her second shuttle flight. STS-126 is the 124th space shuttle flight and the 27th flight to the International Space Station. The mission will feature four spacewalks and work that will prepare the space station to house six crew members for long- duration missions. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:55 p.m. EST Nov. 14. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The U.S. Navy's F/A-18 Blue Angels begin taxiing toward the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They will taking off to begin rehearsing their demonstrations for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Space and Air Show Nov. 8-9. The Navy's elite flight demonstration squadron will take to the skies in military aircraft demonstrations for the second annual Space & Air Show at Kennedy. This year’s show brings together the best in military aircraft, coupled with precision pilots and veteran astronauts to celebrate spaceflight and aviation. The event also includes demonstrations by the F-16 Fighting Falcon and a water rescue demonstration by the 920th Rescue Wing. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Pavonis Mons

Singularity University First Meeting with Ames Center Director Pete Worden,

Moons in Transit

Climate researchers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and several universities install and perform functional checkouts of a variety of sensitive atmospheric instruments on NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory prior to beginning the ARCTAS mission.

Safety Day Events 2008: Stan Phillips speaks at the open of the 10th annual Safety Awareness Week briefing in N-201.

ISS018-E-040788 (17 March 2009) --- A close-up view of Space Shuttle Discovery?s main engines was provided by Expedition 18 crewmembers on the International Space Station. Before docking with the station, astronaut Lee Archambault, STS-119 commander, flew the shuttle through a Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver or basically a backflip to allow the space station crew a good view of Discovery's heat shield. Using digital still cameras equipped with both 400 and 800 millimeter lenses, the ISS crewmembers took a number of photos of the shuttle's thermal protection system and sent them down to teams on the ground for analysis. A 800 millimeter lens was used for this image.

STS126 launch imagery

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The Ocean Surface Topography Mission, or OSTM/Jason 2, spacecraft is being wrapped, or bagged, before fueling, encapsulation and transfer to the launch pad. The launch of the OSTM/Jason 2 aboard a Delta II rocket is scheduled for Friday, June 20, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch window extends from 12:46 a.m. to 12:55 a.m. PDT. The satellite will be placed in an 830-mile-high orbit at an inclination of 66 degrees after separating from the Delta II 55 minutes after liftoff. The five primary science instruments of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission aboard the Jason 2 spacecraft are dedicated to measuring ocean surface height. These measurements will be used to evaluate and forecast climate changes and improve weather forecasting. The results also are expected to help forecasters better predict hurricane intensity. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Under the watchful eyes of astronaut rescue team leader Capt. George Hoggard, at left, STS-126 Mission Specialist Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper takes her turn driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Piper and the other crew members are at Kennedy for pre-launch preparation known as Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. The training provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. On the STS-126 mission, space shuttle Endeavour's crew will deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. The mission also will include four spacewalks to service the station’s Solar Alpha Rotary Joints. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Hellas Dunes

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Replacement parts for the Zvezda service module toilet on the International Space Station are inspected following their arrival at Kennedy Space Center. The toilet malfunctioned last week and was initially repaired by replacing a microprocessor valve. After the station crew members experienced additional difficulties with the toilet, they were directed to use Soyuz toilet facilities at first and are using the main toilet again after rigging a urine bypass. The spare toilet parts have been added to space shuttle Discovery’s manifest for delivery to the station on the STS-124 mission. On the 14-day mission, Discovery and its crew will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Launch is scheduled for 5:02 p.m. EDT May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Astronaut Andrew Feustel (right) is ready to participate in NASCAR's Preseason Thunder Fan Fest at Daytona International Speedway. At left is NASCAR driver Kurt Busch. Feustel's appearance celebrates NASA's 50th anniversary and the speedway's 50th running of the Daytona 500 in February. Besides meeting with fans and media, Feustel will ride around the track, taking "hot laps," in an official track vehicle. The NASA/NASCAR association spans decades. Technology developed for the space program has helped NASCAR drivers increase their performance and stay safe over the years. They wear cooling suits similar to what astronauts wear during a spacewalk. Foam that NASA developed for aircraft seats protects racecar drivers' necks in crashes. In addition to participating in the fan festival, NASA will fly three Daytona 500 flags aboard an upcoming space shuttle flight. Speedway officials plan to wave one of the flags to begin the 2008 installment of the Daytona 500, while another will be presented to the winning driver. NASA will keep the third. Feustel will fly on the space shuttle mission STS-125 to the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission will extend and improve the observatory's capabilities through 2013. Launch is targeted for August 2008. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Freedom Star, one of NASA's solid rocket booster retrieval ships, tows a solid rocket booster alongside, heading for Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Barely visible in the background at right is the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The booster is from space shuttle Endeavour, which launched the STS-123 mission on March 11. The space shuttle’s solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered at sea. The boosters impact the Atlantic Ocean approximately seven minutes after liftoff. The splashdown area is a square of about 6 by 9 nautical miles located about 140 nautical miles downrange from the launch pad. The retrieval ships are stationed approximately 8 to 10 nautical miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. As soon as the boosters enter the water, the ships accelerate to a speed of 15 knots and quickly close on the boosters, which they tow back to port. After transfer to a position alongside the ship, the booster will be towed to Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There, the expended boosters are disassembled, refurbished and reloaded with solid propellant for reuse. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

LCROSS Family night at Ames

JSC2008-E-031807 (2 April 2008) --- Astronaut John M. Grunsfeld, STS-125 mission specialist, participates in an extravehicular activity (EVA) hardware training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

ISS018-E-005026 (23 Oct. 2008) --- Astronaut Greg Chamitoff (left) and cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov, both Expedition 18 flight engineers, watch live video of post landing activities on the steppes of Kazakhstan of Expedition 17 crewmembers and spaceflight participant on a computer screen in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, Expedition 17 commander, is visible on the screen.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-122 crew discusses its mission at a post-landing conference. Seen here, from left, are Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim and Hans Schlegel, who represents the European Space Agency. After a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles, space shuttle Atlantis and crew returned to Earth with a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

NASA Ames Exploration Center exhibits Updated 2008

S123-E-006788 (15/16 March 2008) --- Astronauts Mike Foreman (left) and Rick Linnehan, both STS-123 mission specialists, participate in the mission's second scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 7-hour, 8-minute spacewalk, Linnehan and Foreman, assembled the stick-figure-shaped Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator (SPDM), a task that included attaching its two arms. Designed for station maintenance and service, Dextre is capable of sensing forces and movement of objects it is manipulating. It can automatically compensate for those forces and movements to ensure an object is moved smoothly. Dextre is the final element of the station's Mobile Servicing System.

S126-E-009915 (24 Nov. 2008) --- Astronaut Steve Bowen, STS-126 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth and final scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the six-hour, seven-minute spacewalk, Bowen and astronaut Shane Kimbrough (out of frame), mission specialist, completed the lubrication of the port Solar Alpha Rotary Joints (SARJ) as well as other station assembly tasks. Bowen returned to the starboard SARJ to install the final trundle bearing assembly, retracted a berthing mechanism latch on the Japanese Kibo Laboratory and reinstalled its thermal cover. Bowen also installed a video camera on the Port 1 truss and attached a Global Positioning System antenna on the Japanese Experiment Module Pressurized Section.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the aid of a drag chute billowing behind it, space shuttle Atlantis slows to a stop on Runway 15 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. At left is one of the fire/rescue vehicles standing by in the event of an emergency. The shuttle landed on orbit 202 to complete the 13-day STS-122 mission. Main gear touchdown was 9:07:10 a.m. Nose gear touchdown was 9:07:20 a.m. Wheel stop was at 9:08:08 a.m. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 44 seconds. During the mission, Atlantis' crew installed the new Columbus laboratory, leaving a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. The Columbus Research Module adds nearly 1,000 cubic feet of habitable volume and affords room for 10 experiment racks, each an independent science lab. Photo credit: NASA/Norley Willets

S126-E-009193 (23 Nov. 2008) --- Astronauts Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Shane Kimbrough, both STS-126 mission specialists, work in the Unity node of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Endeavour remains docked with the station.

Argyre Dunes

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Workers in Building 1555 at Vandenberg AFB check the installation of the wing on the Pegasus rocket. The Pegasus will launch NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission, or IBEX, satellite from Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands, South Pacific. IBEX will make the first map of the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space. IBEX is the first mission designed to detect the edge of the solar system. As the solar wind from the sun flows out beyond Pluto, it collides with the material between the stars, forming a shock front. IBEX contains two neutral atom imagers designed to detect particles from the termination shock at the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space. IBEX also will study galactic cosmic rays, energetic particles from beyond the solar system that pose a health and safety hazard for humans exploring beyond Earth orbit. IBEX will make these observations from a highly elliptical orbit that takes it beyond the interference of the Earth's magnetosphere. IBEX is targeted for launch in September 2008. Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin

JSC2008-E-014908 (21 Feb. 2008) --- Johnson Space Center's (JSC) director Michael L. Coats (right) greets astronauts Rex Walheim (left) and Leland Melvin, STS-122 mission specialists, at Ellington Field near JSC prior to the STS-122 crew return ceremonies. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Hans Schlegel, mission specialist, is visible in the background.

ISS018-E-007623 (5 Nov. 2008) --- Cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov, Expedition 18 flight engineer, takes a moment for a photo while performing in-flight maintenance on the Komparus A3 System in the Zarya module of the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the 195-foot level of the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-125 crew members enjoy the view to the landing area for emergency escape from the shuttle and pad. Clockwise from center bottom are Mission Specialist Megan McArthur, Commander Scott Altman, Mission Specialists John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Andrew Feustel, Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialist Michael Good. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities before launching on space shuttle Atlantis’ mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization, emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NGC 520 is the product of a collision between two disk galaxies that started 300 million years ago. This image is part of a large collection of images of merging galaxies taken by NASA Hubble Space Telescope.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Twisted metal is all that’s left of the mobile service tower, or gantry, at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after its demolition April 27. This mammoth structure, with its cavernous clean room, was imploded to make room for the construction of launch pad access and servicing facilities for the new Falcon rockets to be launched by Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX. The gantry was used for the final spacecraft launch preparations for NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, currently orbiting Saturn. The launch occurred on Oct. 15, 1997, aboard an Air Force Titan IV-Centaur rocket. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Here, Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus makes notes regarding a piece of hardware on a stowage rack. The CEIT provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment slated to fly on their mission. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --- The STS-123 crewmembers are greeted by NASA VIPs and guests at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. From left in the blue flight suits are Commander Dominic Gorie, Mission Specialist Mike Foreman, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson, and Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken, Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Rick Linnehan. Space shuttle Endeavour landed on Runway 15 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility to end the STS-123 mission, a 16-day flight to the International Space Station. This was the 16th night landing at Kennedy. The main landing gear touched down at 8:39:08 p.m. EDT. The nose landing gear touched down at 8:39:17 p.m. and wheel stop was at 8:40:41 p.m. The mission completed nearly 6.6 million miles. The landing was on the second opportunity after the first was waved off due to unstable weather in the Kennedy Space Center area. The STS-123 mission delivered the first segment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Pad 17-B, NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope , or GLAST, sits poised for launch atop the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket after rollback of the mobile service tower. GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. Launch is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. June 11. Photo credit: Carleton Bailie photograph for United Launch Alliance

This image of a camera going through the Surface Stereo Imager SSI on NASA Phoenix lander. At the end of the animation is an approximate color mosaic taken by Phoenix SSI camera.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers check data on the payload ground handling mechanism, or PGHM, in the Payload Changeout Room on Launch Pad 39A. The PGHM is being used to transfer the STS-125 mission payload into space shuttle Atlantis’ payload bay. STS-125 is the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The payload comprises four carriers holding various equipment for the mission. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 14 on the 11-day mission. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

A Movie of MESSENGER Observations of Mercury Exosphere

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the OSTM/Jason-2 spacecraft is lifted to a near-45-degree angle on the tilt dolly. The OSTM, or Ocean Topography Mission, on the Jason-2 satellite is a follow-on to Jason-1. It will take oceanographic studies of sea surface height into an operational mode for continued climate forecasting research and science and industrial applications. This satellite altimetry data will help determine ocean circulation, climate change and sea-level rise. OSTM is a joint effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, France’s Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales and the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation. OSTM/Jason-2 will be launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 from Vandenberg on June 15. Photo credit: NASA/Mark Mackley

Singularity University First Meeting with Ames Center Director Pete Worden,

Soil Delivery to Phoenix Oven

STS126 launch imagery

September 11th remembrance ceremony held in front of NASA Research Park Bldg-17 (Lunar Science Institute) hosted by the American Legion, Post 881, Moffett Field. Remarks by American Legion Commander - dist 13 (Santa Clara County) Commander Carlos Ramos

On Oct. 9, 2008, just after coming within 25 kilometers 15.6 miles of the surface of Enceladus, NASA Cassini captured this stunning mosaic as the spacecraft sped away from this geologically active moon of Saturn.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In NASA Kennedy Space Center's News Room, STS-123 Mission Specialist Takao Doi, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, shows his enthusiasm for his upcoming flight during an interview. The crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Pegasus barge carrying external tank 130 moves through the Banana River bridge in Florida after an ocean voyage towed by a solid rocket booster retrieval ship from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans. Pegasus will continue upriver to the turn basin near the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After the Pegasus docks, the fuel tank will be offloaded and transported to the VAB. External tank 130 is the one designated for space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch on May 15. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astromony) primary mirror coating completed at the Ames Vacuum Chamber in N-211.

NASA technicians position the aerodynamic tailcone around the engine nozzles of the Space Shuttle Endeavour Dec. 7 in preparation for its ferry flight from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Ancient Rift

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a crane lifts part of the lightning mast to be erected on towers being built 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/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members get hands-on familiarization with equipment to be used on the mission. They are looking at the hoist of one of two Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's Visual Equipments, or VE. These are used to support on-orbit cameras. The visual equipment flies on top of the Japanese Experiment Module External Facility, or JEM-EF, and will be installed on orbit to the outer perimeter of the EF. The view is the hoist from the top of the EF. The mission payload includes the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, Extended Facility and the Inter-orbit Communication System Extended Facility, or ICS-EF. Equipment familiarization is part of a Crew Equipment Interface Test. The payload will be launched to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission, targeted for launch on May 15, 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After greeting the media on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the STS-122 crew signals a successful mission and landing. From left are Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Hans Schlegel, Rex Walheim and Stanley Love, Pilot Alan Poindexter and Commander Steve Frick. Schlegel represents the European Space Agency. After a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles, space shuttle Atlantis and crew returned to Earth with a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST. The shuttle landed on orbit 202 to complete the 13-day STS-122 mission. Main gear touchdown was 9:07:10 a.m. Nose gear touchdown was 9:07:20 a.m. Wheel stop was at 9:08:08 a.m. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 44 seconds. During the mission, Atlantis' crew installed the new Columbus laboratory, leaving a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. The Columbus Research Module adds nearly 1,000 cubic feet of habitable volume and affords room for 10 experiment racks, each an independent science lab. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-126 Mission Specialist Steve Bowen (right) is next to take his turn driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier. At left is astronaut rescue team leader Capt. George Hoggard. The mission crew is at Kennedy for pre-launch preparation known as Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. The training provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. On the STS-126 mission, space shuttle Endeavour's crew will deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station in preparation for expansion from a three- to six-person resident crew aboard the complex. The mission also will include four spacewalks to service the station’s Solar Alpha Rotary Joints. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Launch of space shuttle Atlantis STS-122

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians work to move the Hubble payload canister into the payload changeout room for space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-125 mission. The canister arrived at the pad on Saturday evening, however, early Sunday morning technicians were unable to place the canister into the pad’s payload changeout room. Teflon pads on “shoes” attached to the outside of the payload canister that help the canister move along guide rails didn’t fit properly. The shoes, one seen here, were removed and several options were considered, including slightly shaving down the pads so the shoes will fit onto the rails. STS-125 is the fifth and final shuttle Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Atlantis’ launch is targeted for Oct. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach a hoist to the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo in order to remove it from space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. Leonardo carried 32,000 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission in November. Endeavour returned to Kennedy on a piggyback flight from California Dec. 12. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

S124-E-006648 (6 June 2008) --- Cosmonauts Sergei Volkov (right), Expedition 17 commander, and Oleg Kononenko, flight engineer, are pictured in the Zvezda service module while hosting the STS-124 Discovery crew for a meal time which afforded some rare leisure time for both crews.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft is driven from the Astrotech building in an environmentally controlled container to Hangar 1555 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. In the hangar, IBEX will be mated with the Pegasus XL rocket for launch. The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX is targeted for launch from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, on Oct. 19 aboard the Pegasus rocket dropped from under the wing of an L-1011 aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean. The Pegasus will carry the spacecraft approximately 130 miles above Earth and place it in orbit. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Liberotti, VAFB

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Technicians in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center help guide a specialized overhead crane toward the Fine Guidance Sensor, or FGS. The sensor will be lifted and moved to the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier or ORUC, for installation. An FGS consists of a large structure housing a collection of mirrors, lenses, servos, prisms, beam splitters and photomultiplier tubes. There are three fine guidance sensors on Hubble located at 90-degree intervals around the circumference of the telescope. Along with the gyroscopes, the optical sensors are a key component of Hubble’s highly complex but extraordinarily effective “pointing control system.” The ORUC is one of three carriers that are being prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, STS-125, on space shuttle Atlantis. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

S124-E-006061 (3 June 2008) --- Astronaut Karen Nyberg and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide (partially obscured), both STS-124 mission specialists, work the controls of the International Space Station's robotic Canadarm2 in the Destiny laboratory to maneuver the Kibo Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM) to the port side of the Harmony node.

S126-E-007254 (16 Nov. 2008) --- Astronaut Chris Ferguson, STS-126 commander, occupies the commander's station on the forward flight deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour during rendezvous and docking operations with the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-125 Commander Scott Altman examines the cockpit window on space shuttle Atlantis. The inspection is part of the crew equipment interface test, which provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment for the mission. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8 on the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission crew will perform history-making, on-orbit “surgery” on two important science instruments aboard the telescope. After capturing the telescope, two teams of spacewalking astronauts will perform the repairs during five planned spacewalks. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

STS-122 Mission Specialist, Rex Walheim, left, and Shuttle Launch Director, Michael D. Leinbach take a moment to watch the close out crew work on the space shuttle Atlantis. Atlantis landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility, 9:07a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008 at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. completing delivery of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Members of NASA Phoenix Mars Mission Robotic Arm engineering team test the arm motorized rasp in the Payload Interoperability Testbed at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vertical Integration Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers on either side monitor the progress of the payload canister as it is raised to a vertical position. The canister contains the Japanese Experiment Module -Pressurized Module, which will be transported to Launch Pad 39A for space shuttle Discovery’s STS-124 mission. At the pad, the payload will be transferred from the canister into the payload changeout room on the rotating service structure. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into an orbiter's payload bay. On the mission, the STS-124 crew will transport the JEM as well as the Japanese Remote Manipulator System to the International Space Station. The launch of Discovery is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

ISS018-E-005024 (23 Oct. 2008) --- Cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov, Expedition 18 flight engineer, works with camera equipment in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

Expedition 18 Commander Michael Fincke dons his Russian Sokol suit hours before he and Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Yuri V. Lonchakov and American spaceflight participant Richard Garriott launch in the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The three crew members are scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on Oct. 14. Fincke and Lonchakov will spend six months on the station, while Garriott will return to Earth Oct. 24 with two of the Expedition 17 crew members currently on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In front of the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, a forklift begins to lift the OSTM/Jason-2 satellite shipping container off the flatbed truck. The OSTM, or Ocean Topography Mission, on the Jason-2 satellite is a follow-on to Jason-1. It will take oceanographic studies of sea surface height into an operational mode for continued climate forecasting research and science and industrial applications. This satellite altimetry data will help determine ocean circulation, climate change and sea-level rise. OSTM is a joint effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, France’s Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales and the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation. OSTM/Jason-2 will be launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 from Vandenberg on June 15. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Liberotti

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the rotating service structure, or RSS, is rolling on its axis to uncover space shuttle Discovery in preparation for launch on the STS-124 mission. Support for the outer end of the bridge is provided by two eight-wheel, motor-driven trucks (one is seen at bottom left) that move along circular twin rails installed flush with the pad surface. First motion was at 8:33 p.m. and rollback was complete at 9:07 p.m. The structure provides protected access to the shuttle for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. It is supported by a rotating bridge that pivots on a vertical axis on the west side of the pad's flame trench. After the RSS is rolled back, the orbiter is ready for fuel cell activation and external tank cryogenic propellant loading operations. The pad is cleared to the perimeter gate for operations to fill the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants used by the shuttle’s main engines. This is done at the pad approximately eight hours before the scheduled launch. The STS-124 mission is the second of three flights launching components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. The shuttle crew will install Kibo's large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system, or RMS. The 14-day flight includes three spacewalks. Launch is scheduled for 5:02 p.m. May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Fine Guidance Sensor, or FGS, is lifted over the crossbar of the stand. The sensor will be installed on the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier or ORUC, below. An FGS consists of a large structure housing a collection of mirrors, lenses, servos, prisms, beam splitters and photomultiplier tubes. There are three fine guidance sensors on Hubble located at 90-degree intervals around the circumference of the telescope. Along with the gyroscopes, the optical sensors are a key component of Hubble’s highly complex but extraordinarily effective “pointing control system.” The ORUC is one of three carriers that are being prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, STS-125, on space shuttle Atlantis. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After transfer of space shuttle Atlantis’ HST payload on Launch Pad 39A on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload canister has been lowered onto the transporter. Umbilical lines keep the payload in an environmentally controlled environment. The payload comprises four carriers holding various equipment for the mission. The hardware will be transported back to Kennedy’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where it will be stored until a new target launch date can be set for Atlantis’ STS-125 mission in 2009. Atlantis’ October target launch date was delayed after a device on board Hubble used in the storage and transmission of science data to Earth shut down on Sept. 27. Replacing the broken device will be added to Atlantis’ servicing mission to the telescope. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the payload bay doors are closing on space shuttle Atlantis. During launch preparations, technicians noticed a small section of a braided metal hose that was bent in a shape similar to the Greek letter Omega. The radiator retract hose (seen in the middle), part of the shuttle's cooling system that carries Freon, is designed to flex. Engineers designed a tool to guide the hose back into the storage box. During the starboard door closure, eight incremental stops were performed. After each stop, the aft hose was adjusted and seated in place utilizing the ladder and hose assist tool. The team was satisfied with the final placement of the hose at door closure. STS-122 is the 121st space shuttle flight, the 29th flight for Atlantis and the 24th flight to the International Space Station. The Columbus laboratory module, built by the European Space Agency, is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 2:45 p.m. Feb. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller