KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers remove the nose cone of the orbiter Atlantis for routine inspection. The nose cap is made of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), which has an operating range of minus 250° F to about 3,000° F.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers remove the nose cone of the orbiter Atlantis for routine inspection. The nose cap is made of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), which has an operating range of minus 250° F to about 3,000° F.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers remove the nose cone of the orbiter Atlantis for routine inspection. The nose cap is made of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), which has an operating range of minus 250° F to about 3,000° F.