CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – White clouds of smoke and steam sandwich space shuttle Atlantis as it roars off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida with its crew of seven for a rendezvous with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The launch was on-time at 2:01 p.m. EDT. Atlantis' 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014. The payload includes a Wide Field Camera 3, fine guidance sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. Photo credit: NASA/Fletcher Hildreth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Atlas V/Centaur rocket with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS, on top roll out to the launch pad. At right are the protective lightning towers that surround the pad. LRO and LCROSS are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. The LRO also includes seven instruments that will help NASA characterize the moon's surface: DIVINER, LAMP, LEND, LOLA, CRATER, Mini-RF and LROC. Launch is scheduled for 5:22 p.m. EDT June 18 . Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

ISS021-E-027159 (15 Nov. 2009) --- European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne (right), Expedition 21 commander; Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, NASA astronauts Jeffrey Williams (bottom) and Nicole Stott; along with Russian cosmonauts Maxim Suraev and Roman Romanenko (left), all flight engineers, enjoy a light moment in the Unity node of the International Space Station.

S125-E-012204 (20 May 2009) --- The crewmembers for the STS-125 mission pose for a photo following a news conference from the flight deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis. Pictured on the front row are astronauts Scott Altman (center), commander; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; and Megan McArthur, mission specialist. Pictured on the back row (left to right) are astronauts Michael Good, Mike Massimino, John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel, all mission specialists.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the orbiter access arm and White Room are extended toward space shuttle Discovery after rollback of the rotating service structure. The White Room provides crew access into the shuttle. The rollback is in preparation for Discovery's liftoff on the STS-119 mission with a crew of seven. An earlier launch attempt March 11 was scrubbed at 2:36 p.m. due to a gaseous hydrogen leak from the external tank at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate during tanking. A seven-inch quick disconnect and two seals were replaced. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Liftoff of Discovery is scheduled for 7:43 p.m. EDT on March 15. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Port Canaveral, a tugboat begins to push the Pegasus barge, carrying external tank 134, through the Banana River toward the turn basin near the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pegasus arrived in Florida after an ocean voyage towed by a solid rocket booster retrieval ship from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans. After Pegasus docks in the turn basin, the fuel tank will be offloaded and transported into the VAB. ET-134 will be used to launch space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Feb. 4, 2010. For information on the components of the space shuttle and the STS-130 mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center technician Carl Clause, second from left, installs an aft omni coupler on the bagged Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010. For information on SDO, visit http://www.nasa.gov/sdo. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a new mobile launcher is under construction for the Constellation Program. The new mobile launcher will be the base for the Ares rockets to launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle and the cargo vehicle. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the added load of the 345-foot tower and taller rocket. When the structural portion of the new launcher is complete, umbilicals, access arms, communications equipment and command/control equipment will be installed. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-129 Mission Specialist Mike Foreman prepares to practice driving an M113 armored personnel carrier. The M113 is kept at the foot of the launch pad in case an emergency egress from the vicinity of the pad is needed. The crew members of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission are at Kennedy for training related to their launch dress rehearsal, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Launch of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 16. For information on the STS-129 mission objectives and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

JSC2009-E-119633 (13 May 2009) --- Astronaut Dan Burbank, STS-125 spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day three activities.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Branches on the nearby shore frame startled birds and space shuttle Endeavour as it roars into space from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. This was the sixth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The launch was scrubbed on June 13 and June 17 when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. The mission was postponed July 11, 12 and 13 due to weather conditions near the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy that violated rules for launching, and lightning issues. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section in the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar

Ames 70 Year Anniversary Exhibit in downtown Mountain View, California. The banner across Castro Street.

Dune Fields of Terra Cimmeria

Technicians install components that will aid with guidance, navigation and control of NASA Juno spacecraft.

JSC2009-E-286845 (21 Dec. 2009) --- Astronauts Terry Virts, STS-130 pilot; and Kathryn Hire, mission specialist, participate in a training session in an International Space Station mock-up/trainer in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, left, discusses the picture-perfect landing with STS-129 Commander Charles O. Hobaugh. Space shuttle Atlantis touched down on Runway 33 with Hobaugh at the controls, completing the 4.5-million-mile STS-129 mission to the International Space Station on orbit 171. Main gear touchdown was at 9:44:23 a.m. EST. Nose gear touchdown was at 9:44:36 a.m., and wheels stop was at 9:45:05 a.m. On STS-129, the six-member crew delivered 14 tons of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, including two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers containing spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired next year. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

S125-E-014058 (11 May 2009) --- One of a series of photos taken by the umbilical well camera aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis shortly after the shuttle's external fuel tank (ET) separated from Atlantis following launch.

STS129-S-050 (16 Nov. 2009) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-129 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was on time at 2:28 p.m. (EST) on Nov. 16, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Onboard are astronauts Charles O. Hobaugh, commander; Barry E. Wilmore, pilot; along with Leland Melvin, Mike Foreman, Robert L. Satcher Jr. and Randy Bresnik, all mission specialists. Atlantis will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight.

LCROSS launch public viewing event held at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Yuri's Night 2009 held at the California Acaemy of Sciences in San Francisco, California NASA Astronaut Stephen Robinson talk to the crowd.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image) is waiting to be installed on the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES. The MAXI is part of space shuttle Endeavour's payload on the STS-127 mission. Using X-ray slit cameras with high sensitivity, the MAXI will continuously monitor astronomical X-ray objects over a broad energy band (0.5 to 30 keV). Endeavour is targeted to launch May 15. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

STS129-S-072 (16 Nov. 2009) --- Space Shuttle Atlantis and its six-member STS-129 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was on time at 2:28 p.m. (EST) on Nov. 16, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Onboard are astronauts Charles O. Hobaugh, commander; Barry E. Wilmore, pilot; along with Leland Melvin, Mike Foreman, Robert L. Satcher Jr. and Randy Bresnik, all mission specialists. Atlantis will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight.

PHOTO DATE: 09-28-09 LOCATION: Bldg 9NW, ISS Mockups SUBJECT: STS-129 crew during trans hands-on review in the space station mockups. PHOTOGRAPHER: James Blair

S127-E-007360 (20 July 2009) --- During the second STS-127 spacewalk, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette, mission specialist, provides support for her crewmates inside the International Space Station's U.S. lab (Destiny). Payette was joined in the lab by astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-127 pilot (almost totally out of view in this frame).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (left) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, President Keiji Tachikawa sign an agreement defining the terms of cooperation between the agencies on the Global Precipitation Measurement, or GPM, mission. The ceremony took place July 30 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. Through the agreement, NASA is responsible for the GPM core observatory spacecraft bus, the GPM Microwave Imager, or GMI, carried by it, and a second GMI to be flown on a partner-provided Low-Inclination Observatory. JAXA will supply the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar for the core observatory, an H-IIA rocket for the core observatory's launch in July 2013, and data from a conical-scanning microwave imager on the upcoming Global Change Observation Mission satellite. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to secure the fourth tower section to a new mobile launcher, or ML, being constructed to support the Constellation Program. The tower will be approximately 345 feet tall when completed and have multiple platforms for personnel access. The ML is being built at the mobile launcher park site area north of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. The launcher will provide a base to launch the Ares I, designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and taller rocket. For information on the Ares I, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ares. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

International Space University (ISU) and Singularity University (SU) Emerging Space Nations Panel held at NASA's Ames Research Center 2009 host site. Angie Bukley, ISU SSP09 program director, speaks with the panel moderator, Ray Williamson, ISU SSP09 distinguished lecturer and executive director of the Secure World Foundation, Superior, Colo., before the discussion begins.

The Arabian Connection

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the astronauts on the STS-129 crew, dressed in their orange launch-and-entry suits, wave to spectators as they walk out of the Operations and Checkout Building for the 15-minute ride in the Astrovan to Launch Pad 39A. In the left column, from the front, are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Mike Foreman. In the right column, from the front, are Pilot Barry E. Wilmore and Mission Specialists Randy Bresnik and Robert L. Satcher Jr. Liftoff is set for 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 Mission Specialist Julie Payette of the Canadian Space Agency has the communication apparatus in her helmet before heading to Launch Pad 39A for launch. Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled for 6:03 p.m. EDT. Today will be the sixth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The launch was scrubbed on June 13 and June 17 when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. The mission was postponed July 11, 12 and 13 due to weather conditions near the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy that violated rules for launching, and lightning issues. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section in the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/ Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-119 Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba participates in a news conference following landing of the space shuttle Discovery STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Main gear touchdown was at 3:13:17 p.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 3:13:40 p.m. and wheels stop was at 3:14:45 p.m. Discovery delivered the final pair of large power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. The mission was the 28th flight to the station, the 36th flight of Discovery and the 125th in the Space Shuttle Program, as well as the 70th landing at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden delivers his remarks during a press conference where NASA unveiled new images from the Hubble Space Telescope Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The unveiled images were from four of the telescopes' six operating science instruments. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

ISS020-E-005066 (30 May 2009) --- Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka (left), Expedition 20 commander; along with cosmonaut Roman Romanenko (center) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, both flight engineers, are pictured in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-129 Pilot Barry E. Wilmore greets the camera with a smile as he disembarks from a T-38 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew members of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission have arrived at Kennedy for training related to their launch dress rehearsal, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Launch of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for November. For information on the STS-129 mission objectives and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

LCROSS launch public viewing event held at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

ISS020-E-026729 (31 July 2009) --- NASA astronaut Michael Barratt and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk (foreground), both Expedition 20 flight engineers, work with the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) wire cutting and safing procedures to eliminate shorted heated wires in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-128 Mission Specialists Nicole Stott and Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang, of the European Space Agency, are welcomed to Kennedy Space Center by Center Director Bob Cabana, at left, a former astronaut himself. Stott will remain on the International Space Station as flight engineer for Expedition 20. Space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission crew members arrived in a NASA Shuttle Training Aircraft, a modified Gulfstream II jet behind them, at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at 6:34 p.m. EDT. The crew has returned to Kennedy to prepare for launch on Aug. 25 at 1:36 a.m. EDT. The 13-day mission will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Dr. David Morrison being interviewed by Space News regarding the Lunar Science Institute at the NASA Research Park.

Daniel Murrin, Partner, Assurance and Advisory Business Service, Ernst & Young LLP, testifies during a Joint Hearing before the House Committee on Science and Technology, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter sees hummocks and blocks on the ejecta blanket of Tsiolkovskiy crater.

Glenn Extreme Environments Rig, GEER, Test Chamber, recreate Venus conditions on Earth, photos of insulation construction progress

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the end of the Ares I-X motor segment is removed to allow propellant grain inspection of the interior. It is one of four reusable motor segments and nozzle exit cone shipped by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc. for final processing and integration in the facility. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming flight test this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

S129-E-006736 (19 Nov. 2009) --- Astronaut Robert L. Satcher Jr., STS-129 mission specialist, participates in the mission's first session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the six-hour, 37-minute spacewalk, Satcher and astronaut Mike Foreman (out of frame), mission specialist, installed a spare S-band antenna structural assembly to the Z1 segment of the station?s truss, or backbone. Foreman and Satcher also installed a set of cables for a future space-to-ground antenna on the Destiny laboratory and replaced a handrail on the Unity node with a new bracket used to route an ammonia cable that will be needed for the Tranquility node when it is delivered next year. The two spacewalkers also repositioned a cable connector on Unity, checked S0 truss cable connections, and lubricated latching snares on the Kibo robotic arm and the station?s mobile base system.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility 1, STS-129 crew members take a close look at some of the tiles on the underside of space shuttle Atlantis. At left are Mission Specialists Michael Foreman and Randy Bresnik. At right, Mission Specialist Robert Satcher practices focusing a camera that will be used on the mission. The crew is at Kennedy for a Crew Equipment Interface Test, which provides hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. Atlantis' STS-129 mission is targeted to launch Nov. 12. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, speaks to those in attendance at an Education Summitt, Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

JSC2009-E-155198 (24 Aug. 2009) --- Astronaut Terry Virts Jr., STS-130 pilot, attired in a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit, awaits the start of a water survival training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Full resolution detail from one of the first LROC NAC images. At this scale and lighting, impact craters dominate the landscape.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first crew members for space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission arrive at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for launch. From left, Commander Lee Archambault and Mission Specialist John Phillips are greeted by Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director, and Mike Wetmore, associate director for Engineering and Technical Operations at Kennedy. STS-119 is the 125th space shuttle flight and the 28th flight to the International Space Station. Discovery and its crew will deliver the final set of large power-generating solar array wings and integrated truss structure, S6, to the space station. The mission includes four spacewalks. Launch is scheduled for March 11 at 9:20 p.m. EDT. 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, technicians begin the modal survey testing on the top part of the Ares I-X (center) after sensors were placed on the stack. The top consists of the launch abort tower, crew module, service module and spacecraft adaptor. Shakers will impose random loads/vibrations to determine the flight test vehicle’s first several bending modes and the strategically located sensors throughout the stacks will measure the amount, acceleration and direction of movement. The purpose of the testing is to confirm that Ares I-X will behave as predicted as it lifts off the pad and powers through the initial stage of flight in a demonstration flight later this year. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

JSC2009-E-142092 (26 June 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, flight engineer.

This 2001 Mars Odyssey image shows the dune field in Nili Patera.

ISS018-E-041411 (21 March 2009) --- Astronaut Tony Antonelli (left), STS-119 pilot; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 18 flight engineer, assist astronaut Steve Swanson and Joseph Acaba (out of frame), both STS-119 mission specialists, as they return to the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station as the mission?s second session of extravehicular activity (EVA) draws to a close.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the White Room on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-125 crew members review procedures for entry into space shuttle Atlantis with a trainer (right). From left are Pilot Gregory C. Johnson, Mission Specialist Megan McArthur, Commander Scott Altman, and Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel and Mike Massimino. Not seen clearly are Mission Specialists Michael Good (left) and John Grunsfeld (right). Space shuttle Atlantis' 11-day flight is targeted for launch May 12 and will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

ISS020-E-010016 (15 June 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, enclosed in a transportation canister, climbs up the side of the mobile launch tower at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. WISE will survey the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, creating a cosmic clearinghouse of hundreds of millions of objects which will be catalogued and provide a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. Launch is scheduled for Dec. 9. For additional information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/wise. Photo credit: NASA/Mark Mackley, VAFB

This image shows the initial ejecta that resulted when NASA Deep Impact probe collided with comet Tempel 1 at 10:52 p.m. Pacific time, July 3 1:52 a.m. Eastern time, July 4, 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Fiery columns propel space shuttle Endeavour into space from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A on the STS-127 mission. Liftoff was on-time at 6:03 p.m. EDT. Below the main engine nozzles are the blue mach diamonds, a formation of shock waves in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system. This was the sixth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The launch was scrubbed on June 13 and June 17 when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. The mission was postponed July 11, 12 and 13 due to weather conditions near the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy that violated rules for launching, and lightning issues. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section in the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Mike Gayle, Rusty Backer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, a crane lifts space shuttle Endeavour's Orbiter Boom Sensor System out of the payload bay. After returning from the STS-127 mission July 31, 2009, Endeavour now is being processed for the STS-130 mission targeted for Feb. 4, 2010. Endeavour will deliver to the International Space Station the Tranquility pressurized module that will provide room for many of the station's life support systems. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., the forward fifth segment simulator of the Ares I-X is being prepared for cork application. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations. The Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

ISS021-E-032832 (24 Nov. 2009) --- Various segments of the International Space Station are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 21 crew member while space shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) remains docked with the station. A portion of the Columbus laboratory is at bottom. Earth’s horizon and the blackness of space provide the backdrop for the scene.

ISS021-E-031842 (23 Nov. 2009) --- A portion of the Russian segment of the International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by a space-walking astronaut during the third and final spacewalk for the STS-129 mission. A docked Soyuz spacecraft is at center and a Progress resupply vehicle is docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment. Earth’s horizon and the blackness of space provide the backdrop for the scene.

Spirit Near Stapledon on Sol 1802 Polar

JSC2009-E-028064 (February 2009) --- Computer-generated artist?s rendering of the International Space Station as of Feb. 5, 2009. Progress 31 resupply vehicle undocks from the Pirs Docking Compartment. Soyuz 17 (TMA-13) remains docked to the Zarya nadir port.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers check the MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image) before it is installed on the Japanese Experiment Module's Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES. The MAXI is part of space shuttle Endeavour's payload on the STS-127 mission. Using X-ray slit cameras with high sensitivity, the MAXI will continuously monitor astronomical X-ray objects over a broad energy band (0.5 to 30 keV). Endeavour is targeted to launch May 15. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

STS119-S-011 (15 March 2009) --- In the White Room on launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, astronaut John Phillips, STS-119 mission specialist, attired in his shuttle launch and entry suit, dons his harness, which includes a parachute pack, before crawling through the open hatch into Space Shuttle Discovery. The White Room is at the end of the orbiter access arm on the fixed service structure and provides access into the shuttle. Members of the closeout crew assisted Phillips. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:43 p.m. (EDT) on March 15, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As the sun sets behind Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X rocket awaits the approaching liftoff of its flight test. This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis rises from its mobile launcher platform as its twin solid rocket boosters ignite and the eight hold-down posts securing it to the platform are released. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer

ISS020-E-023581 (23 July 2009) --- Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata (right) and astronaut Mark Polansky, STS-127 mission specialist and commander, respectively, work in the Japanese Experiment Module or Kibo during flight day 9, as joint shuttle-station activities continue on the orbital outpost.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Twitter followers and media representatives at the NASA Press Site watch as space shuttle Atlantis springs into action from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Stage 0 of the Taurus XL launch vehicle for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory arrives at complex 576E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will be mated with stages 1, 2 and 3 for the launch of OCO. The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. It is scheduled to launch Feb. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians remove the protective cover wrapped around the GOES-O satellite. The satellite will undergo final testing of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems. The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The GOES-O satellite is targeted to launch April 28 onboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. GOES-O will be placed in on-orbit storage as a replacement for an older GOES satellite. GOES-O carries an advanced attitude control system using star trackers with spacecraft optical bench Imager and Sounder mountings that provide enhanced instrument pointing performance for improved image navigation and registration to better locate severe storms and other events important to the NOAA National Weather Service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ISS018-E-043613 (28 March 2009) --- Soyuz TMA-14 is photographed from the International Space Station as the two spacecraft approach each other in Earth orbit on March 28 prior to a docking that delivers the Expedition 19 crew to the orbital outpost.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Space shuttle Atlantis atop the mobile launcher platform straddles the flame trench on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is joined by space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B. This is probably the final time two shuttles will be on launch pads at the same time with the space shuttle fleet set for retirement in 2010. Endeavour will be prepared on the pad for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary following space shuttle Atlantis' launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. After Atlantis is cleared to land, Endeavour will move to Launch Pad 39A for its upcoming STS-127 mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 4, a crane lowers the Ares I-X Super Stack 3 toward Super Stack 2 for integration. The upper stage comprises five super stacks, which are integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Atlas V/Centaur arrives on Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

S125-E-006670 (13 May 2009) --- An STS-125 crewmember onboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis snapped a still photo of the Hubble Space Telescope following grapple of the giant observatory by the shuttle?s Canadian-built remote manipulator system.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers dressed in clean room attire, known as bunny suits, prepare to shut the hatch on the International Space Station's Node 3, named Tranquility. Hatch closure follows the completion of preparations for the node's transport to the pad and is a significant milestone in launch processing activities. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission, Tranquility is a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the space station's life support systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. The cupola resembles a circular bay window and will provide a vastly improved view of the station's exterior. The multi-directional view will allow the crew to monitor spacewalks and docking operations, as well as provide a spectacular view of Earth and other celestial objects. The module was built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency. Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission is targeted for launch in early February 2010. For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

ISS018-E-029693 (10 Feb. 2009) --- Astronaut Michael Fincke, Expedition 18 commander, uses a computer at a work station in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.

JSC2009-E-242832 (19 Nov. 2009) --- Astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, dons a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technician Mike Thompson (left) assisted Behnken.

JSC2009-E-207857 (12 Sept. 2009) --- NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) director Michael L. Coats addresses a large crowd of well-wishers at the STS-128 crew return ceremony on Sept. 12, 2009 at Ellington Field near JSC. Also pictured (from the second left) are NASA astronauts Rick Sturckow, commander; Kevin Ford, pilot; Patrick Forrester, Jose Hernandez, John ?Danny? Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang, all mission specialists.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The suited STS-128 crew members pause for a photo in front of the Astrovan before heading to NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A and a simulated launch countdown. From left are Mission Specialists Danny Olivas, Nicole Stott, Christer Fuglesang, Jose Hernandez and Patrick Forrester, Pilot Kevin Ford and Commander Rick Sturckow. The countdown is the culmination of terminal countdown demonstration test activities to prepare the STS-128 crew for launch on space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission. Discovery will deliver 33,000 pounds of equipment to the station, including science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Vladimir Solovyov, Chief Flight Director, MCC-M, answers reporters questions during a Soyuz post-docking press conference at the Russian mission Control Center in Korolev, Russia on Saturday March 28, 2009. The Soyuz TMA-14 docked to the International Space Station carrying Expedition 19 Commander Gennady I. Padalka, Flight Engineer Michael R. Barratt and Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Internal view of the VAB Utility Annex

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow exits the Shuttle Training Aircraft after completing practice shuttle landings as preparation for space shuttle Discovery's launch Aug. 25 on the STS-128 mission. The 13-day mission will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

NASA Cassini spacecraft spies the large Penelope crater on Saturn moon Tethys.

STIRLING ENGINE PARTS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., toy space ranger Buzz Lightyear participates in a ticker-tape parade to welcome him home from space. The 12-inch-tall action figure spent more than 15 months aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth aboard space shuttle Discovery on Sept. 11 with the STS-128 crew. Lightyear's space adventure, a collaboration between NASA and Disney Parks, is intended to share the excitement of space exploration with students around the world and encourage them to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. For additional information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/buzzoniss. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Ames 70_year picture day on Flight line. David Morse leads the the staff to their places in the line to keep the numbers uniform.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The STS-128 crew members pause in front of the Astrovan that will take them to Launch Pad 39A. From left are Mission Specialists Danny Olivas, Nicole Stott, Christer Fuglesang, Jose Hernandez and Patrick Forrester, Pilot Kevin Ford and Commander Rick Sturckow. At the pad, the astronauts will complete their suitup and enter space shuttle Discovery for the 1:36 a.m. EDT liftoff. The 13-day mission will deliver more than 7 tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional environmental hardware to sustain six crew members on the International Space Station. The equipment includes a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. The mission is the 128th in the Space Shuttle Program, the 37th flight of Discovery and the 30th station assembly flight. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

S119-E-006403 (17 March 2009) --- Astronaut John Phillips, STS-119 mission specialist, uses a handheld laser ranging device -- designed to measure the distance between two spacecraft -- through one of the overhead windows on the aft flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery to track the range of the International Space Station during rendezvous operations.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The STS-119 crew members head for the Astrovan to take them to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch of space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. From left are Mission Specialists John Phillips, Koichi Wakata, Steve Swanson and Richard Arnold, Pilot Tony Antonelli, Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba (behind Antonelli) and Commander Lee Archambault. Wakata represents the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and will remain on the International Space Station, replacing Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus, who returns to Earth with the STS-119 crew. Liftoff of Discovery is scheduled for 7:43 p.m. EDT on March 15. An earlier launch attempt March 11 was scrubbed at 2:36 p.m. due to a gaseous hydrogen leak from the external tank at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate during tanking. A seven-inch quick disconnect and two seals were replaced. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the space station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ISS020-E-006212 (1 June 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata (left) and NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, both Expedition 20 flight engineers, work in the Harmony node of the International Space Station.

Mercury Surface Has More Iron + Titanium Than Previously Thought

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Trestles and girders for a new mobile launcher arrive by barge at the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 Area of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new launcher will be the base for the Constellation Program's Ares rockets to launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle and the cargo vehicle. The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the added load of the 345-foot tower and taller rocket. When the structural portion of the new mobile launcher is complete, umbilicals, access arms, communications equipment and command/control equipment will be installed. 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, the yellow framework , nicknamed the "birdcage," is lowered over the Crew Module, or CM, and Launch Abort System, or LAS, assembly for a fit check. Ares I-X is the flight test for the Ares I. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 327-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X is targeted for July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Smooth and Rough Enceladus

ISS019-E-019407 (23 May 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 19/20 flight engineer, looks through a window in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

41G-120-005 (5-13 Oct 1984) --- The Kyzyl Kum Desert of the Kazakh and Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republics. The Aralskoe More, also known as the Aral Sea, is to the south-southeast. This saltwater lake is fed mainly from waters of the Amu Darya River, mostly with snow melt water from the distant Tyan-Shan Mountains near the Afghanistan and China border. The crew consisted of astronauts Robert L. Crippen, commander; Jon A. McBride, pilot; mission specialist's Kathryn D. Sullivan, Sally K. Ride, and David D. Leestma; Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau; and Paul D. Scully-Power, payload specialist.

Advanced Stirling Converter

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Viewed across the Indian River Lagoon, space shuttle Endeavour waits for launch after rollback of the rotating service structure, or RSS, at left. First motion of the RSS was at 10:15 a.m. EDT. At far right is the tank that holds 300,000 gallons of water used for sound suppression during liftoff. First motion of the RSS was at 10:15 a.m. EDT. The rollback is in preparation for Endeavour's liftoff on the STS-127 mission with a crew of seven. This is the second launch attempt for Endeavour after the June 13 launch was scrubbed due to a hydrogen leak at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate during tanking June 12. The launch will be Endeavour's 23rd flight. The shuttle will carry the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, on STS-127. The mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the space station. Endeavour's launch is scheduled for June 17 at 5:40 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett