SDO MOVE FROM ASTROTECH TO PAD 41 - LIFT & MATE

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen after the rotating service structure is rolled back on Saturday Feb. 6, 2010 at pad 39a of the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Endeavour and the crew members of the STS-130 mission are set to launch on Sunday at 4:39 a.m. EST. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JSC2010-E-044344 (29 March 2010) --- NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, STS-133 mission specialist, participates 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.

STS-134 ENDEAVOUR STORRM INSTLN FORWARD CARGO BAY FOR "BALL" ORION PROJECT - DOCKING EXPERIMENT - LARK

STS132-S-082 (26 May 2010) --- Space shuttle Atlantis nears touchdown on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Landing was at 8:48 a.m. (EDT) on May 26, 2010, completing the 12-day STS-132 mission to the International Space Station. Main gear touchdown was at 8:48:11 a.m., followed by nose gear touchdown at 8:48:21 a.m. and wheelstop at 8:49:18 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Ken Ham, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers, all mission specialists. The six-member STS-132 crew carried the Russian-built Mini Research Module 1 (MRM1) to the orbital complex. STS-132 is the 34th shuttle mission to the station, the 132nd shuttle mission overall and the last planned flight for Atlantis.

Splendors of Mare Smythii

STS-133 DISCOVERY ROLLOUT - 1ST MOTION

KSC WEATHER - CLOUDS & FOG WAVEOFF FOR STS-131 LANDING OPPORTUNITY 2

The Soyuz TMA-18 rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, April 2, 2010 carrying Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Russia, Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of Russia and NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson of the U.S. to the International Space Station. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls/Carla Cioffi)

Exterior view of Launch Complex 39A

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., spacecraft technicians rotate NASA's GOES-P meteorological satellite. GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. GOES-P is designed to watch for storm development and observed current weather conditions on Earth. Launch of GOES-P is targeted for no earlier than March 1 from Launch Complex 37 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket. For information on GOES-P, visit http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/spacecraft/n_p_spacecraft.html. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians prepare to install a new Ku-Band communications system antenna on space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The antenna is used to transmit and receive high data rate communications, such as video, and is being replaced for the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. During its STS-131 mission to the station in April, Discovery's Ku-Band failed to operate in orbit. As a result, video of the thermal protection system inspection had to be recorded aboard Discovery and transmitted to the ground after the shuttle docked with the station. Typically, the inspection video is simultaneously transmitted live to the ground and recorded aboard the shuttle for later review. NASA_Charisse Nahser

S131-E-008532 (10 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, STS-131 commander, exercises using the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED) in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station.

ISS022-E-063058 (11 Feb. 2010) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space, the Japanese Kibo complex of the International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 22 crew member while space shuttle Endeavour (STS-130) remains docked with the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This panoramic image of space shuttle Discovery was photographed in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as the shuttle was being prepared for "rollover," or moved, to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, testing of the Tilt-Up Umbilical Arm (TUUA) prototype's Environmental Control System Quick Disconnect takes place in the Launch Equipment Test Facility's 6,000-square-foot high bay. The prototype is used to demonstrate the safe disconnect and retraction of ground umbilical plates and associated hardware of a launch vehicle's upper stage and service module. The Environmental Control System consists of regulated air, which would be used to purge an inner tank and crew module. Since 1977, the facility has supported NASA’s Launch Services, shuttle, International Space Station, and Constellation programs, as well as commercial providers. The facility recently underwent a major upgrade to support even more programs, projects and customers. It houses a cable fabrication and molding shop, pneumatics shop, machine and weld shop and full-scale control room. Outside, the facility features a water flow test loop, vehicle motion simulator, 600-ton test fixture, launch simulation towers and a cryogenic system. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

STS-133 TCDT - SUITING

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin the process of attaching an overhead hoist to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) for its move to a rotation stand to begin processing for flight. AMS, a state-of-the-art particle physics detector, is designed to operate as an external experiment on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for dark matter. AMS will fly to the station aboard space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission targeted to launch February, 2011. For more information visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

This image from NASA Cassini spacecraft shows the location of an area known as Sotra Facula on Saturn moon Titan. Scientists believe the Sotra Facula region makes the best case for a cryovolcanic, or ice volcano, region on Titan.

Students, Ajay Ramesh and Prithvi Aiyaswamy in 7th grade, Chaboya Middle School, San Jose, have entered the Intel Inernational Science Fair (May 2010) They are here at the Ames Research center to test the drag of race cars in the Fluid Mechanics Lab (FML)

NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected widespread deposits of glacial ice in the mid-latitudes of Mars. This map of a region known as Deuteronilus Mensae, in the northern hemisphere, shows locations of the detected ice deposits in blue.

ISS022-E-062894 (11 Feb. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 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 6-hour, 32-minute spacewalk, Behnken and astronaut Nicholas Patrick (out of frame), mission specialist, relocated a temporary platform from the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre, to the station?s truss structure and installed two handles on the robot. Once Tranquility was structurally mated to Unity, the spacewalkers connected heater and data cables that will integrate the new module with the rest of the station?s systems. They also pre-positioned insulation blankets and ammonia hoses that will be used to connect Tranquility to the station?s cooling radiators during the mission?s second spacewalk.

ISS023-E-021097 (9 April 2010) --- NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, STS-131 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, 27-minute spacewalk, Mastracchio and astronaut Clayton Anderson (out of frame), mission specialist, helped move a new 1,700-pound ammonia tank from space shuttle Discovery’s cargo bay to a temporary parking place on the station, retrieved an experiment from the Japanese Kibo Laboratory exposed facility and replaced a Rate Gyro Assembly on one of the truss segments.

ORBITER TRIBUTES - FIRING ROOM 4

The Soyuz TMA-21 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 carrying Expedition 27 Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev, NASA Flight Engineer Ron Garan and Russian Flight Engineer Andrey Borisenko to the International Space Station. The Soyuz, which has been dubbed "Gagarin", is launching one week shy of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Yuri Gagarin from the same launch pad in Baikonur on April 12, 1961 to become the first human to fly in space. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

NEW ORLEANS -- Workers monitor the progress of the Space Shuttle Program's last external fuel tank, ET-122, at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as it is being loaded onto the Pegasus BargeThe tank will travel 900 miles by sea to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida secured aboard the barge, offloaded and moved to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be integrated to space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. The tank, which is the largest element of the space shuttle stack, was damaged during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and restored to flight configuration by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company employees. STS-134, targeted to launch Feb. 2011, currently is scheduled to be the last mission in the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-133 LAUNCH L-2 PAD 39B DEMOLITION MEDIA EVENT

U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, R-CA, makes a point during the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics to discuss proposed changes to NASA's exploration program on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

This image from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is one of the rare examples of a fresh lunar-like crater on Mars. The impact crater formed in the Tharsis region.

Glory/Taurus, Static Shots of Stages 1 & 2 Prior to Mate

WATER MAIN BREAK REPAIRS ON SATURN CAUSEWAY

STS-134 CREW CEIT - ENDEAVOUR

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery, secured to a crawler-transporter, slowly moves away from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 3.4-mile trek, called rollback, to the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 10:48 p.m. and took about eight hours. Next, Discovery's external fuel tank will be examined and foam reapplied where 89 sensors were installed on the tank's aluminum skin for an instrumented tanking test on Dec. 17. The sensors were used to measure changes in the tank as super-cold propellants were pumped in and drained out. Data and analysis from the test will be used to determine what caused the tops of two, 21-foot-long support beams, called stringers, on the outside of the intertank to crack during fueling on Nov. 5. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

Madhulika Guhathakurta, SDO Program Scientist, speaks during a briefing to discuss the upcoming launch of NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory, or SDO, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The mission is to study the Sun and its dynamic behavior. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- As the sun rises over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations to remove the ground umbilical carrier plate's (GUCP) 7-inch quick disconnect are under way. A hydrogen gas leak at that location on the external fuel tank during tanking for space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station caused the launch attempt to be scrubbed Nov. 5. The GUCP will be examined to determine the cause of the hydrogen leak and then repaired. The GUCP is the overboard vent to the pad and the flame stack where the vented hydrogen is burned off. Discovery's next launch attempt is no earlier than Nov. 30 at 4:02 a.m. EST. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

ISS026-E-012167 (25 Dec. 2010) --- Three of the six crew members aboard the International Space Station peek out of their sleeping quarters on Christmas morning to view the station’s decorations and gifts. Shown, from left, are European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, Expedition 26 flight engineer, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, Expedition 26 commander, and NASA astronaut Catherine (Cady) Coleman, flight engineer

Expedition 25 Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri of Russia, bottom, NASA Flight Engineer Scott Kelly of the U.S., center, and Russian Flight Engineer Oleg Skripochka wave farewell from the bottom of the soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Friday, Oct. 8, 2010. Kaleri, Kelly and Skripochka launched in their Soyuz TMA-01M rocket later that morning at 5:10 a.m. Kazakhstan time. (Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi)

STS-133 Discovery GUCP Re-Installation

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload transportation canister containing the International Space Station's Node 3, named Tranquility, is ready for its move to Launch Pad 39A. The primary payload for space shuttle Endeavour's 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. Launch of STS-130 is targeted for Feb. 7. For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Exterior view of Launch Complex 39A

NEW ORLEANS -- A tug boat is pulls the Pegasus Barge carrying the Space Shuttle Program's last external fuel tank, ET-122, from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tank will travel 900 miles by sea before being offloaded and moved to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. There it will be integrated to space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. The tank, which is the largest element of the space shuttle stack, was damaged during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and restored to flight configuration by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company employees. STS-134, targeted to launch Feb. 2011, currently is scheduled to be the last mission in the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-130 Commander George Zamka arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a T-38 jet. The crew of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission is at Kennedy to participate in training and a dress rehearsal for their upcoming launch, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. STS-130 will be Zamka's second spaceflight. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission is the International Space Station's Node 3, Tranquility, a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the 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. Launch of STS-130 is targeted for Feb. 7. For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

JSC2010-E-170877 (1 Oct. 2010) --- A large monitor is featured in this image during STS-133 crew members? training activities in the virtual reality laboratory in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS131-S-023 (5 April 2010) --- Space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member STS-131 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 6:21 a.m. (EDT) on April 5, 2010, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Clayton Anderson; along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, all mission specialists. The crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station’s truss structure, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall.

The amount of sand in this region of Juventae Chasma has coalesced into a sand sheet, rather than individual dune forms. Wind continues to sculpt the sand around high standing hills in this image from NASA Mars Odyssey.

NATHAN HORACE STRONG (AEROSPACE ENGINEER, ER31 PROPULSION TURBOMACHINERY DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT BRANCH) AND NATHAN COFFEE (EM10 MATERIALS TEST ENGINEER, JACOBS ESTS GROUP/JTI) ADJUST A UNIQUE MECHANICAL TEST SETUP THAT MEASURES STRAIN ON A SINGLE SAMPLE, USING TWO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AT THE SAME TIME. THE TEST FIXTURE HOLDS A SPECIMEN THAT REPRESENTS A LIQUID OXYGEN (LOX) BEARING FROM THE J2-X ENGINE. COFFEY, AT RIGHT, WORK IN A LAB IN BUILDING 4612 ON A BEARING TEST

LUNABOTICS - SANDBOX BEING FILLED WITH SAND AT ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an adult osprey keeps an eye on its young from a pole near its nest, built on a platform in the Press Site parking lot. The adults feed their young until they are fully fledged and defend their brood with great perseverance until they are independent. The osprey, also known as a fish hawk, is well adapted for capturing fish, which make up its entire diet. The soles of its feet are equipped with sharp, spiny projections that give the bird a firm grip on its slippery prey. Kennedy's Press Site is located at the turn basin in Launch Complex 39, making it an ideal osprey nesting place. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge overlaps with Kennedy Space Center property and provides a habitat for 330 species of birds, including the osprey. A variety of other wildlife - 117 kinds of fish, 65 types of amphibians and reptiles, 31 different mammals, and 1,045 species of plants - also inhabit the refuge. For information on the refuge, visit http:__www.fws.gov_merrittisland_Index.html. For information on Kennedy Space Center, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_kennedy. Photo credit: NASA_Jack Pfaller

View of the Shuttle Landing Facility

STS-131 Discovery Lift & Mate to SRB/ET Stack

Exterior View of CRF

STS-131 CREW CEIT - DISCOVERY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour makes its slow trek from the Shuttle Landing Facility to Orbiter Processing Facility-2 following its successful landing on Runway 15. After 14 days in space, Endeavour's 5.7-million-mile STS-130 mission was completed on orbit 217. Main gear touchdown was at 10:20:31 p.m. EST followed by nose gear touchdown at 10:20:39 p.m. and wheels stop at 10:22:10 p.m. It was the 23rd night landing in shuttle history and the 17th at Kennedy. Aboard were Commander George Zamka; Pilot Terry Virts; and Mission Specialists Robert Behnken, Nicholas Patrick, Kathryn Hire and Stephen Robinson. During Endeavour's STS-130 mission, astronauts installed the Tranquility node, a module that provides additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to Tranquility is a cupola with seven windows that provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. The module was built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency. The orbiting laboratory is approximately 90 percent complete now in terms of mass. STS-130 was the 24th flight for Endeavour, the 32nd shuttle mission devoted to ISS assembly and maintenance, and the 130th shuttle mission to date. For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_mission_pages_shuttle_shuttlemissions_sts130_index.html. Photo credit: NASA_Kim Shiflett

STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE INSTALL TO TRANSPORT CONTAINER

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves under NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure. The crawler will transport the ML from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building, to the Mobile Launcher east park site. Once there, the ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program. The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

STS-133 CTC LIFTO TO ELC-3

S132-E-008052 (17 May 2010) --- NASA astronaut Steve Bowen, STS-132 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 seven-hour, 25-minute spacewalk, Bowen and NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman (out of frame), mission specialist, loosened bolts holding six replacement batteries, installed a second antenna for high-speed Ku-band transmissions and adding a spare parts platform to Dextre, a two-armed extension for the station’s robotic arm.

President Barack Obama delivers a speech at the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Thursday, April 15, 2010. Obama visited Kennedy Space Center to deliver remarks on the bold new course the Administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human space flight. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

S132-E-007141 (15 May 2010) --- A blue and white part of Earth and the blackness of space are featured in this image photographed by an STS-132 crew member on the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis during flight day two activities.

Russian Return EVA16, 17 Part 207 pt2

NASA Ames Research Center 70 Year Anniversary Gala Dinner held at Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California with special guest speaker Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame.

JSC2010-E-080441 (14 May 2010) --- Flight director Richard Jones is pictured at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis? STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians hoist the Express Logistics Carrier-4, or ELC-4, for the deck-to-keel mate. The deck is about 14 by 16 feet and spans the width of a space shuttle’s payload bay. It is capable of providing astronauts aboard the International Space Station with a platform and infrastructure to deploy experiments in the vacuum of space without requiring a separate dedicated Earth-orbiting satellite. Space shuttle Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the carrier along with critical spare parts to the station later this year. Photo credit: NASA_Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Mission Specialist Alvin Drew (right) assists Mission Specialist Tim Kopra during a hands-on exercise with tools they will use on the mission. The astronauts are at Kennedy for the Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT, which provides the crew with hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware for their mission to the International Space Station. Launch of the STS-133 mission on space shuttle Discovery is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:33 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA_Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians install the zero-g storage rack into Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. The seven-member STS-131 crew will deliver Leonardo, filled with resupply stowage platforms and racks, to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discovery. Work to attach a spare ammonia tank assembly to the station's exterior and return a European experiment from outside the station's Columbus module will be conducted during three spacewalks. STS-131, targeted for launch on April 5, will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall. For information on the STS-131 mission and crew, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_mission_pages_shuttle_shuttlemissions_sts131_index.html. Photo credit: NASA_Jim Grossmann

JSC2010-E-193961 (2 Dec. 2010) --- NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot; and Sandy Magnus, mission specialist, participate in a training session in the fixed-base shuttle mission simulator (SMS) in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. STS-135 is planned to be the final mission of the space shuttle program. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

JSC2010-E-045453 (April 2010) --- Computer-generated artist?s rendering of the International Space Station as of April 4, 2010. Soyuz 22 (TMA-18) docks to the Poisk Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2). Soyuz 21 (TMA-17) is linked to the Zarya nadir port. Progress 35 resupply vehicle remains docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment and Progress 36 is linked to the Zvezda Service Module?s aft port.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-130 Pilot Terry Virts arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a T-38 jet. The crew of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission is at Kennedy to participate in training and a dress rehearsal for their upcoming launch, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. STS-130 will be Virts' first spaceflight. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission is the International Space Station's Node 3, Tranquility, a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the 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. Launch of STS-130 is targeted for Feb. 7. For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

JSC2010-E-098596 (22 June 2010) --- NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, STS-133 mission specialist, participates in an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit fit check in the Space Station Airlock Test Article (SSATA) in the Crew Systems Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

STS-131 CREW CEIT - DISCOVERY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is visible on Launch Pad 39A before the rotating service structure, which protects it from the elements and provides access to the shuttle, is moved into place. It took the spacecraft about six hours to make the journey, known as "rollout," from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad. Rollout sets the stage for Discovery's STS-133 crew to practice countdown and launch procedures during the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test in mid-October. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Expedition 25 Flight Engineer Oleg Skripochka, far left, has his Russian Sokol Suit pressure checked at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, Oct. 8, 2010. Fellow crew members Flight Engineer Scott Kelly, fourth from right, and Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri, third from right, look on. (Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi)

This enhanced image, one of the closest taken of comet Harley 2 by NASA EPOXI mission, shows jets and where they originate from the surface. There are jets outgassing from the sunward side, the night side, and along the terminator.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) performs touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Eric Boe are flying the modified Gulfstream II business jets to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Practice landings are part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), which provides each shuttle crew and launch team an opportunity to participate in various simulated activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training at the launch pad. Space shuttle Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m. For more information on the STS-133 mission, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

JSC2010-E-193900 (1 Dec. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel (right), STS-134 mission specialist, participates in an extravehicular activity (EVA) training session in the Partial Gravity Simulator (POGO) test area in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA?s Johnson Space Center. NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff (left), mission specialist, looks on. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Preparations are under way in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to examine space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank. Shown here is the nose of the shuttle, which still is attached to the external tank and solid rocket boosters. Technicians will begin to remove thermal sensors that will give engineers data about the changes the tank went through during the loading and draining of super-cold propellants during a tanking test on Dec. 17. Engineers also will examine 21-foot-long support beams, called stringers, on the outside of the tank's intertank region. Also on the agenda, is to re-apply foam to the outside of the tank. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

STS-131 DISCOVERY AT PAD 39A AFTER ROLLOUT - HARDDOWN

JSC2010-E-187233 (22 Nov. 2010) --- Attired in a training version of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, NASA astronaut Rex Walheim, STS-135 mission specialist, is submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Divers (out of frame) are in the water to assist Walheim in his rehearsal, which is intended to help prepare him for work on the exterior of the International Space Station. STS-135 is planned to be the final mission of the space shuttle program. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Storm clouds move over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, postponing the retraction of the pad's rotating service structure, which would reveal space shuttle Discovery. The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits lift off on the pad. RSS "rollback," as it's called, will begin again after the lightning-producing clouds pass. Launch of Discovery on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station is set for 3:29 p.m. on Nov. 4. During the 11-day mission, Discovery and its six crew members will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, to the orbiting laboratory. Discovery, which will fly its 39th mission, is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This will be the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

TAURUS - GLORY - FAIRING ARRIVAL

NASA Cassini spacecraft peers through Titan atmosphere at the region called Adiri, west of the landing site of the Huygens probe on the anti-Saturn side of the moon.

JSC2010-E-046544 (2 April 2010) --- NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli (left foreground), STS-132 pilot; Garrett Reisman (left background), Michael Good and Steve Bowen, all mission specialists, 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.

Space X 1st Stage Arrival at Complex 40

KSC WEATHER - CLOUDS & FOG WAVEOFF STS-131 LANDING OPPORTUNITY 1

An iron meteorite is the latest quarry for NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Shown here is the left-eye view of a stereo pair of images. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

The highly reflective surface of Saturn moon Enceladus is almost completely illuminated in this NASA Cassini spacecraft image taken at a low phase angle.

LUNABOTICS - OPENING CEREMONY

This map indicates some of the geological information gained from orbital observations of Endeavour Crater, which has been the long-term destination for NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity since mid-2008.

ISS023-E-032398 (4 May 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer, photographed the Mississippi Delta showing the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico on May 4, 2010. Part of the river delta and nearby Louisiana coast appear dark in the sunglint. This phenomenon is caused by sunlight reflecting off the water surface, in a mirror-like manner, directly back towards the astronaut observer onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The sunglint improves the identification of the oil spill which is creating a different water texture (and therefore a contrast) between the smooth and rougher water of the reflective ocean surface. Other features which cause a change in surface roughness that can be seen in sunglint are wind gusts, naturally occurring oils that will be gathered by and take the form of water currents or wave patterns, and less windy areas behind islands.

The eye of Hurricane Earl in the Atlantic Ocean is seen from NASA’s DC-8 research aircraft, Monday, Aug. 30, 2010. This flight through the eyewall caught Earl just as it was intensifying from a Category 2 to a Category 4 hurricane. The flights are part of the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment, a NASA Earth science field experiment being conducted to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. (NASA/Jane Peterson)

Space X 1st Stage Arrival at Complex 40

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Discovery begins to back out of Orbiter Processing Facility-3 during a move called "rollover" to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once inside the VAB, the shuttle will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. Later this month, Discovery is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Expedition 24 Flight Engineer Shannon Walker, left, and back-up crew member Cady Coleman smile during a press conference held at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Monday, June 14, 2010. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 24 NASA Flight Engineers Shannon Walker and Douglas Wheelock, and Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin is scheduled for Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 3:35 a.m. Kazakhstan time. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the NASA Causeway at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for Education, center, and Stephan Turnipseed, president of LEGO Education North America, right, help a student build LEGO space vehicles inside a 40- by 70-foot activity tent. There, children of all ages are building their vision of the future with LEGO bricks, marking the beginning of a three-year Space Act Agreement meant to spark the interest of children in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). To commemorate the partnership, two small LEGO space shuttles will launch aboard space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station and the company will release four NASA-inspired products in its LEGO CITY line next year. LEGO sets also will fly to the space station aboard Endeavour's STS-134 mission, and will be put together on orbit to demonstrate the challenges faced while building things in microgravity. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

STS-133 DISCOVERY ROLLOVER FROM OPF-3 TO VAB

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis soars toward orbit from Florida's Space Coast, beginning the STS-132 mission to the International Space Station. The spacecraft took off from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A at 2:20 p.m. EDT on May 14. STS-132 is the 132nd shuttle flight, the 32nd for Atlantis and the 34th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information on the STS-132 mission objectives, payload and crew, visit www.nasa.gov_mission_pages_shuttle_shuttlemissions_sts132_index.html. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

S131-E-010163 (14 April 2010) --- Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov (left), Expedition 23 commander; and NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, STS-131 commander, shake hands in the Unity node of the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery remains docked with the station. NASA astronauts James P. Dutton Jr., STS-131 pilot; and Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Expedition 23 flight engineer, are also pictured.

KSC WILDLIFE - BABY EAGLE AT REST ON SR3 - BABY OSPREYS AT PRESS SITE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 crew put on their launch-and-entry suits before heading to the Astrovan for the ride to Launch Pad 39A. The crew is participating in a dress rehearsal for their upcoming launch, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Making his second spaceflight on STS-130 is Commander George Zamka, seen here in his helmet. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission is the International Space Station's Tranquility node, a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the 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. Launch of STS-130 is targeted for Feb. 7. For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ISS024-E-011634 (7 Aug. 2010) --- Attired in her Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Expedition 24 flight engineer, is pictured in the Quest airlock of the International Space Station as the first of three planned spacewalks to remove and replace an ammonia pump module that failed July 31 draws to a close.