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Titusville, NASA Shuttle Landing Facility, Florida

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Location and History

The NASA Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) is located near Titusville, Florida, on the eastern coast of the state. It served as a backup landing site for the Space Shuttle program, primarily used when weather conditions prevented landings at the Kennedy Space Center. The facility was operational from 1976 to 2011, supporting 13 landings of the Space Shuttle.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The SLF encompassed a 15,000-foot runway, specifically designed for the Space Shuttle's unique landing requirements. It also included a support complex with hangars, crew quarters, and other necessary infrastructure.

Current Status

Following the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, the SLF was deactivated. Today, the runway is used for general aviation purposes, while some of the support facilities are utilized by various organizations, including the Florida Air National Guard and the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum.

Future Plans

There are currently no concrete plans for the future development of the SLF. However, various proposals have been suggested, including converting it into a spaceport for commercial launches or utilizing it for educational and tourism purposes.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the Joint Airlock Module, the gateway from which crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will enter and exit the 470-ton orbiting research facility, is settled onto a flatbed trailer for transport to the Operations and Checkout Building in the KSC industrial area. There it will undergo vacuum chamber testing. It will then be moved to the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) for further prelaunch preparation and checkout. The massive, spindle-shaped airlock is 20 feet long, has a diameter of 13 feet at its widest point, and weighs six and a half tons. It was manufactured at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center by the Huntsville division of The Boeing Company. The Space Shuttle Atlantis will carry the airlock to orbit on mission STS-104, the tenth International Space Station flight, currently targeted for liftoff in May 2001 KSC00pp1348

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the Joint Airlock Module, the gateway from which crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will enter and exit the 470-ton orb... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Crews in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida remove space shuttle Discovery's right-hand inner heat shield from engine No. 1. The removal is part of Discovery's transition and retirement processing. Work performed on Discovery is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for future public display.Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-2396

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Crews in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA'...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Crews in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida remove space shuttle Discovery's right-hand inner heat shield from engine No. 1. The removal is part of Di... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seated in the cockpit of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy is eager to begin landing practice on NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility runway. A modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet, the STA simulates an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Melroy and other crew members are at Kennedy Space Center to take part in the terminal countdown demonstration test, which also includes a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-07pd2691

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seated in the cockpit of the shuttle tr...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seated in the cockpit of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy is eager to begin landing practice on NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility runway. A mod... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers watch the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, simulate all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The VMS is part of the Launch Equipment Test Facility's (LETF) $35 million comprehensive upgrade that lasted four years. The LETF was established in the 1970s to support the qualification of the Space Shuttle Program’s umbilical and T-0 mechanisms. Throughout the years, it has supported the development of systems for shuttle and the International Space Station, Delta and Atlas rockets, and various research and development programs. The LETF has unique capabilities to evolve into a versatile test and development area that supports a wide spectrum of programs. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2010-4513

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wor...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers watch the vehicle motion simulator, or VMS, simulate all of the movements a space vehicle could experience from rollout to launch. The ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers check out the 6,000-square-foot high bay of the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF). The LETF recently underwent a $35 million comprehensive upgrade that lasted four years. The LETF was established in the 1970s to support the qualification of the Space Shuttle Program’s umbilical and T-0 mechanisms. Throughout the years, it has supported the development of systems for shuttle and the International Space Station, Delta and Atlas rockets, and various research and development programs. The LETF has unique capabilities to evolve into a versatile test and development area that supports a wide spectrum of programs. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2010-4516

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wor...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers check out the 6,000-square-foot high bay of the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF). The LETF recently underwent a $35 million compre... More

ORBITER 102 - COLUMBIA PIGGY-BACK - NASA 905 - KSC

ORBITER 102 - COLUMBIA PIGGY-BACK - NASA 905 - KSC

S79-30819 (24 March 1979) --- The space shuttle orbiter 102 Columbia riding ?piggyback? on NASA 905, a 747 carrier aircraft, is only seconds away from landing on Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle landing facility,... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane moves the right orbital maneuvering system OMS pod closer to space shuttle Endeavour for installation. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the transition and retirement processing of each shuttle. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-1907

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane moves the right orbital maneuvering system OMS pod closer to space shuttle Endeavour for installa... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mike Williams, a thermal protection system technician with United Space Alliance, puts the finishing touches on a layer of adhesive applied to the right wing of space shuttle Endeavour. The work is being done in preparation for tile bonding. Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2012-1941

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mike Williams, a thermal protection system technician with United Space Alliance, puts the finishing touche... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Technicians attach a Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine, or SSME, to an engine-handling device inside the SSME Processing Facility, the engine shop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Preparations are under way to rotate the engine into a horizontal position on a portable workstand. The engine is one of the last SSMEs remaining at Kennedy and is being prepared for shipment to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The first two groups of engines were shipped from Kennedy to Stennis in November 2011 and January 2012 the remaining engines are scheduled to depart on April 9. Altogether, 15 shuttle-era engines will be stored at Stennis for reuse on NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, under development. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2012-1912

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Technicians attach a Pratt and Whitney Rocketdy...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Technicians attach a Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine, or SSME, to an engine-handling device inside the SSME Processing Facility, the engine shop at NASA’s Kennedy S... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians monitor the progress as the large crane that was used to lower the right orbital maneuvering system OMS pod onto space shuttle Endeavour is moved away. The OMS pod underwent complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the transition and retirement processing of each shuttle. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-1927

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians monitor the progress as the large crane that was used to lower the right orbi... More

Discovery STS-133 Mission Landing

Discovery STS-133 Mission Landing

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-133) is seen shortly after it landed, Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., completing its 39th and final flight. Since 1984, Discovery flew 39... More

Discovery STS-133 Mission Landing

Discovery STS-133 Mission Landing

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-133) lands, Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., completing its 39th and final flight. Since 1984, Discovery flew 39 missions, spent 365 days ... More

Space shuttle STS-135 Atlantis Landing

Space shuttle STS-135 Atlantis Landing

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, right, and NASA Kennedy Space center Director Robert Cabana pose for a photograph together at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) runway at NASA Kennedy Space Center shortly af... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After the successful Flight Readiness Firing of the space shuttle Discovery's three main engines, Kennedy Space Center Director Forrest McCartney congratulates members of the launch team in the firing room. The approximate 22-second firing was conducted to evaluate the performance of various components of the shuttle, external tank and solid rocket boosters, as well as the launch facilities and support equipment which will be used during the launch of STS-26. Looking on is Bob Sieck, KSC launch director, right, Hugh Harris, deputy director of KSC Public Affairs, left, and John Conway, director of Payload Management and Operations, second from left. Photo credit: NASA KSC-88PC-0806

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After the successful Flight Readiness Firing of...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After the successful Flight Readiness Firing of the space shuttle Discovery's three main engines, Kennedy Space Center Director Forrest McCartney congratulates members of the launch team ... More

STS-41 mission charts, computer-generated and artist concept drawings, photos

STS-41 mission charts, computer-generated and artist concept drawings,...

S90-45985 (May 1990) --- The Ulysses spacecraft undergoes testing at the vacuum spin-balancing facility in ESTEC. Careful balancing is required in order to ensure that the high gain antenna, which is aligned w... More

STS-38 Atlantis, OV-104, lifts off from KSC LC Pad during night launch

STS-38 Atlantis, OV-104, lifts off from KSC LC Pad during night launch

STS-38 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, lifts off from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad at 6:48:15:0639 pm (Eastern Standard Time (EST)) for Department of Defense (DOD)-devoted mission. OV-... More

PALMDALE, Calif. -- S91-39477 -- A Rockwell worker at the space shuttle's Palmdale Final Assembly Facility in Palmdale, Calif., takes a technical documentation image of space shuttle Endeavour as it is mated to the agency's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, designated NASA 911, in preparation for its first ferry flight to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour is scheduled to return to California in 2012, where it will be on public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight across America is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASA’s orbiter fleet. During the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions. For more information on shuttle transition and retirement work, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/ Rockwell International Space Systems Division KSC-2012-4807

PALMDALE, Calif. -- S91-39477 -- A Rockwell worker at the space shuttl...

PALMDALE, Calif. -- S91-39477 -- A Rockwell worker at the space shuttle's Palmdale Final Assembly Facility in Palmdale, Calif., takes a technical documentation image of space shuttle Endeavour as it is mated to... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-79 Commander William F. Readdy arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility with five fellow astronauts, ready to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). The TCDT is a dress rehearsal for launch for the flight crew and launch team. Over the next several days, the astronauts will take part in training exercises at the launch pad that will culminate in a simulated launch countdown. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is being prepared for liftoff on STS-79 around Sept. 12.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-79 Commander William F. Readdy arriv...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-79 Commander William F. Readdy arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility with five fellow astronauts, ready to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). ... More

STS-86 Landing, NASA Space Shuttle Landing Facility

STS-86 Landing, NASA Space Shuttle Landing Facility

The Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis touches down on Runway 15 of the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the conclusion of the nearly 11-day STS-86 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 5:55:09 ... More

Space Shuttle Columbia, Space shuttle STS-83

Space Shuttle Columbia, Space shuttle STS-83

Launched: April 4, 1997, 2:20:32 p.m. EST.Landing: April 8, 1997, 2:33:11 p.m. EDT, Kennedy Space Center, Florida.Space Shuttle: Columbia.Crew: Commander James D. Halsell, Pilot Susan L. Still, Payload Commande... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-82 Mission Specialist Gregory J. Harbaugh, at top, inspects part of the Flight Support System during the Crew Equipment Integration Test (CEIT) at KSC's Vertical Processing Facility. Harbaugh and the other six STS-82 crew members will conduct the second Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Harbaugh will be one of four spacewalkers. Liftoff aboard Discovery is scheduled Feb. 11.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-82 Mission Specialist Gregory J. Har...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-82 Mission Specialist Gregory J. Harbaugh, at top, inspects part of the Flight Support System during the Crew Equipment Integration Test (CEIT) at KSC's Vertical Processing Fac... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery touches down in darkness on Runway 15 of the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, bringing to a close the 10-day STS-82 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Main gear touchdown was at 3:32:26 a.m. EST on February 21, 1997. It was the ninth nighttime landing in the history of the Shuttle program and the 35th landing at KSC. The first landing opportunity at KSC was waved off because of low clouds in the area. The seven-member crew performed a record-tying five back-to-back extravehicular activities (EVAs) or spacewalks to service the telescope, which has been in orbit for nearly seven years. Two new scientific instruments were installed, replacing two outdated instruments. Five spacewalks also were performed on the first servicing mission, STS-61, in December 1993. Only four spacewalks were scheduled for STS-82, but a fifth one was added during the flight to install several thermal blankets over some aging insulation covering three HST compartments containing key data processing, electronics and scientific instrument telemetry packages. Crew members are Mission Commander Kenneth D. Bowersox, Pilot Scott J. "Doc" Horowitz, Payload Commander Mark C. Lee, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Joseph R. "Joe" Tanner and Steven A. Hawley. STS-82 was the 82nd Space Shuttle flight and the second mission of 1997 KSC-97pc352

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery touc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery touches down in darkness on Runway 15 of the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, bringing to a close the 10-day STS-82 mission to service the Hubble S... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Under the cover of darkness, the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery glides in for a landing on Runway 15 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at the conclusion of a 10-day mission to service the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope (HST). New runway centerline lights provide an additional visual aid for the nighttime landings. STS-82 is the ninth Shuttle nighttime landing, and the fourth nighttime landing at KSC. The seven-member crew performed a record-tying five back-to-back extravehicular activities (EVAs) or spacewalks to service the telescope, which has been in orbit for nearly seven years. Two new scientific instruments were installed, replacing two outdated instruments. Five spacewalks also were performed on the first servicing mission, STS-61, in December 1993. Only four spacewalks were scheduled for STS-82, but a fifth one was added during the flight to install several thermal blankets over some aging insulation covering three HST compartments containing key data processing, electronics and scientific instrument telemetry packages. Crew members are Mission Commander Kenneth D. Bowersox, Pilot Scott J. "Doc" Horowitz, Payload Commander Mark C. Lee, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Joseph R. "Joe" Tanner and Steven A. Hawley. STS-82 was the 82nd Space Shuttle flight and the second mission of 1997 KSC-97pc353

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Under the cover of darkness, the Space S...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Under the cover of darkness, the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery glides in for a landing on Runway 15 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at the conclusion of a 10-day mission to ser... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With drag chute deployed, the Space Shuttle Columbia hurtles down Runway 33 at KSCþs Shuttle Landing Facility to conclude the Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (MSL-1) mission. With main gear touchdown at 2:33:11 p.m. EDT, April 8, the STS-83 mission duration was 3 days, 23 hours, 12 minutes. The planned 16-day mission was cut short by a faulty fuel cell. This is only the third time in Shuttle program history that an orbiter was brought home early due to a mechanical problem. This was also the 36th KSC landing since the program began in 1981. Mission Commander James D. Halsell, Jr. flew Columbia to a perfect landing with help from Pilot Susan L. Still. Other crew members are Payload Commander Janice E. Voss; Mission Specialists Michael L.Gernhardt and Donald A. Thomas; and Payload Specialists Roger K. Crouch and Gregory T. Linteris. In spite of the abbreviated flight, the crew was able to perform MSL-1 experiments. The Spacelab-module-based experiments were used to test some of the hardware, facilities and procedures that are planned for use on the International Space Station and to conduct combustion, protein crystal growth and materials processing investigations KSC-97pc599

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With drag chute deployed, the Space Shut...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With drag chute deployed, the Space Shuttle Columbia hurtles down Runway 33 at KSCþs Shuttle Landing Facility to conclude the Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (MSL-1) mission. Wit... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With Commander Curtis L. Brown, Jr. and Pilot Kent V. Rominger at the controls, the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery touches down on Runway 33 at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 7:07:59 a.m. EDT Aug. 19 to complete the 11-day, 20-hour and 27-minute-long STS-85 mission. The first landing opportunity on Aug. 18 was waved off due to the potential for ground fog. Also onboard the orbiter are Payload Commander N. Jan Davis, Mission Specialist Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson and Payload Specialist Bjarni V. Tryggvason. During the 86th Space Shuttle mission, the crew deployed the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) free-flyer to conduct research on the Earth’s middle atmosphere, retrieving it on flight day 9. The crew also conducted investigations with the Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD), Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) experiments. Robinson also made observations of the comet HaleBopp with the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWIS) while other members of the crew conducted biological experiments in the orbiter’s crew cabin. This was the 39th landing at KSC in the history of the Space Shuttle program and the 11th touchdown for Discovery at the space center KSC-97PC1251

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With Commander Curtis L. Brown, Jr. and ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With Commander Curtis L. Brown, Jr. and Pilot Kent V. Rominger at the controls, the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery touches down on Runway 33 at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 7... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With Commander Curtis L. Brown, Jr. and Pilot Kent V. Rominger at the controls, the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery touches down on Runway 33 at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 7:07:59 a.m. EDT Aug. 19 to complete the 11-day, 20-hour and 27-minute-long STS-85 mission. The first landing opportunity on Aug. 18 was waved off due to the potential for ground fog. Also onboard the orbiter are Payload Commander N. Jan Davis, Mission Specialist Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson and Payload Specialist Bjarni V. Tryggvason. During the 86th Space Shuttle mission, the crew deployed the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) free-flyer to conduct research on the Earth’s middle atmosphere, retrieving it on flight day 9. The crew also conducted investigations with the Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD), Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) experiments. Robinson also made observations of the comet HaleBopp with the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWIS) while other members of the crew conducted biological experiments in the orbiter’s crew cabin. This was the 39th landing at KSC in the history of the Space Shuttle program and the 11th touchdown for Discovery at the space center KSC-97PC1253

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With Commander Curtis L. Brown, Jr. and ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With Commander Curtis L. Brown, Jr. and Pilot Kent V. Rominger at the controls, the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery touches down on Runway 33 at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 7... More

United States Microgravity Payload-4 (USMP-4) experiments are prepared to be flown on Space Shuttle mission STS-87 in the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This horizontal tube is known as MEPHISTO, the French acronym for a cooperative American-French investigation of the fundamentals of crystal growth. This experiment, designed for the study of solidification (or freezing) during the growth cycle of liquid materials used for semiconductor crystals, aims to aid in the development of techniques for growing higher quality crystals on Earth. All STS-87 experiments are scheduled for launch on Nov. 19 from KSC KSC-97PC1382

United States Microgravity Payload-4 (USMP-4) experiments are prepared...

United States Microgravity Payload-4 (USMP-4) experiments are prepared to be flown on Space Shuttle mission STS-87 in the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This horizontal tube is... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) for the International Space Station is moved for further processing in KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility. A PMA is a cone-shaped connector that will be attached to Node 1, the space station’s structural building block, during ground processing. Node 1 with two PMAs attached will be the first element of the station scheduled to be launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 in July 1998. KSC-97PC1491

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1)...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) for the International Space Station is moved for further processing in KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility. A PMA is a cone-shaped conn... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Atlantis sits atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC’s) Shuttle Landing Facility. Atlantis is being prepared for its ferry flight to Palmdale, Calif., for its Orbiter Maintenance Down Period at Palmdale’s Orbiter Assembly Facility, where it will remain until August 1998. There, modifications and structural inspections will be conducted in preparation for Atlantis’ future missions to support International Space Station assembly activities. Atlantis’ next flight into space is scheduled to be Space Shuttle mission STS-92, targeted for launch from KSC in January 1999 KSC-97PC1666

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Atlantis sits atop the Shutt...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Atlantis sits atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC’s) Shuttle Landing Facility. Atlantis is being prepared for its ferry flight to Palmdale,... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An air conditioning replacement unit to be included among the logistics equipment to be transferred to Mir as part of the STS-89 mission is processed at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility in Cape Canaveral. STS-89 will be the eighth docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Endeavour will be carrying the SPACEHAB module in the payload bay of the orbiter. The double module configuration will house experiments to be performed by Endeavour's crew along with logistics equipment to be transferred to Mir KSC-98pc159

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An air conditioning replacement unit to ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An air conditioning replacement unit to be included among the logistics equipment to be transferred to Mir as part of the STS-89 mission is processed at the SPACEHAB Payload Proces... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle's first super lightweight external tank is moved on a barge toward the turn basin at Kennedy Space Center from Port Canaveral, Fla. The tank is scheduled to undergo processing at KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building for flight on STS-91, targeted for launch in late May. The improved tank is 7,500 pounds lighter than its predecessors and was developed to increase the Shuttle payload capacity on International Space Station assembly flights. The tank was sent from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans KSC-98pc272

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle's first super lightwei...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle's first super lightweight external tank is moved on a barge toward the turn basin at Kennedy Space Center from Port Canaveral, Fla. The tank is scheduled to under... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Z1 Integrated Truss Segment (ITS), a major element of the STS-92 mission scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in January 1999, is lowered into its workstand for processing in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). The Z-1 truss supports the staged buildup of International Space Station (ISS) on this third scheduled flight for ISS. The Z1 truss allows the temporary installation of the U.S. power module to Node 1. Early in the assembly sequence, the purpose of Z1 is to provide a mounting location for Ku-band and S-band telemetry and extravehicular activity (EVA) equipment. It also provides common berthing mechanism hardcover stowage. In addition, it will assist with the execution of nonpropulsive attitude control. The truss arrived at KSC on Feb. 17 for preflight processing in the SSPF KSC-98pc303

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Z1 Integrated Truss Segment (ITS), a...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Z1 Integrated Truss Segment (ITS), a major element of the STS-92 mission scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in January 1999, is lowered into its workstand for p... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3), an element of the STS-92 mission scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in January 1999, arrived from the Boeing Company in Huntington Beach, Calif., for processing in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). While in orbit, PMA-3 will be removed from the orbiter's payload bay by the astronauts using the remote manipulator arm and mated to Node 1, a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the International Space Station. The primary purpose of PMA-3 is to serve as a Shuttle docking port through which crew members and equipment will transfer to the International Space Station during later assembly missions. KSC-98pc310

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3)...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3), an element of the STS-92 mission scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in January 1999, arrived from the Boeing Company in Hu... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Node 1, the first U.S. element for the International Space Station, and Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) continue with prelaunch preparation activities at KSC's Space Station Processing Facility. The node and PMA-1 are seen here on a workstand getting ready to be moved the next day to a weight and balance stand for an interim weight and center of gravity determination. (The final determination is planned to be performed prior to transporting Node 1 to the launch pad.) Upon completing the interim determination, the node and PMA will be hoisted into the Shuttle payload transportation canister and the doors will be closed for a two-week leak check. Node 1 is a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the space station. Node 1 is scheduled to fly on STS-88 KSC-98pc348

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Node 1, the first U.S. element for the I...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Node 1, the first U.S. element for the International Space Station, and Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) continue with prelaunch preparation activities at KSC's Space Station P... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Node 1, the first U.S. element for the International Space Station, and attached Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) are seen here being moved into their test stand from the Shuttle payload transportation canister, where the doors were closed a week ago for a leak check in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility. Node 1 is a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the space station. Since the node and PMA passed the test with flying colors, they were removed from the canister one week early in order to continue with other prelaunch preparation activities. Node 1 is scheduled to fly on STS-88 KSC-98pc383

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Node 1, the first U.S. element for the I...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Node 1, the first U.S. element for the International Space Station, and attached Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) are seen here being moved into their test stand from the Shutt... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Boeing technicians move a piece of hardware into position on Node 1 of the International Space Station (ISS) in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility in preparation for mating with Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)-2. The node is the first element of the ISS to be manufactured in the United States and is currently scheduled to lift off aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 later this year, along with PMAs 1 and 2. The 18-foot-in-diameter, 22-foot-long aluminum module was manufactured by the Boeing Co. at Marshall Space Flight Center. Once in space, Node 1 will function as a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the ISS. It has six hatches that will serve as docking ports to the U.S. laboratory module, U.S. habitation module, an airlock and other space station elements KSC-98pc539

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Boeing technicians move a piece of hardw...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Boeing technicians move a piece of hardware into position on Node 1 of the International Space Station (ISS) in KSC's Space Station Processing Facility in preparation for mating wi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Columbia is about to touch down on Runway 33 of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the nearly 16-day STS-90 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 12:08:59 p.m. EDT on May 3, 1998, landing on orbit 256 of the mission. The wheels stopped at 12:09:58 EDT, completing a total mission time of 15 days, 21 hours, 50 minutes and 58 seconds. The 90th Shuttle mission was Columbia's 13th landing at the space center and the 43rd KSC landing in the history of the Space Shuttle program. During the mission, the crew conducted research to contribute to a better understanding of the human nervous system. The crew of the STS-90 Neurolab mission include Commander Richard Searfoss; Pilot Scott Altman; Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, D.V.M., Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., with the Canadian Space Agency, and Kathryn (Kay) Hire; and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D KSC-pa90-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Columbia is about to touch d...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Columbia is about to touch down on Runway 33 of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the nearly 16-day STS-90 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 12:08:59 p.m. ED... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Discovery nears touchdown on Runway 15 of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the STS-91 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 2:00:18 p.m. EDT on June 12, 1998, landing on orbit 155 of the mission. The wheels stopped at 2:01:22 p.m. EDT, for a total mission-elapsed time of 9 days, 19 hours, 55 minutes and 1 second. The 91st Shuttle mission was the 44th KSC landing in the history of the Space Shuttle program and the 15th consecutive landing at KSC. During the mission, the orbiter docked with the Russian space station Mir for the ninth time, concluding Phase I of the joint U.S.-Russian International Space Station Program. STS-91 also featured first flights for both the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and the Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank. The STS-91 flight crew included Mission Commander Charles J. Precourt; Pilot Dominic L. Gorie; and Mission Specialists Wendy B. Lawrence, Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Janet Lynn Kavandi and Valery Victorovitch Ryumin of the Russian Space Agency. Astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas also returned to Earth from Mir as an STS-91 crew member after 141 days in space KSC-98dc735

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Discovery nears touchdown on...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Discovery nears touchdown on Runway 15 of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the STS-91 mission. Main gear touchdown was at 2:00:18 p.m. EDT on June 12, 1998, l... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Freedom Star, one of NASA's two solid rocket booster recovery ships, tows a barge containing the third Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank (SLWT) into Port Canaveral. This SLWT will be used to launch the orbiter Discovery on mission STS-95 in October. This first-time towing arrangement, part of a cost savings plan by NASA to prudently manage existing resources, began June 12 from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the Shuttle's external tanks are manufactured. The barge will now be transported up the Banana River to the LC-39 turn basin using a conventional tugboat. Previously, NASA relied on an outside contractor to provide external tank towing services at a cost of about $120,000 per trip. The new plan allows NASA's Space Flight Operations contractor, United Space Alliance (USA), to provide the same service directly to NASA using the recovery ships during their downtime between Shuttle launches. Studies show a potential savings of about $50,000 per trip. The cost of the necessary ship modifications should be paid back by the fourteenth tank delivery. The other recovery ship, Liberty Star, has also undergone deck strengthening enhancements and will soon have the necessary towing winch installed KSC-98pc755

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Freedom Star, one of NASA's two solid ro...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Freedom Star, one of NASA's two solid rocket booster recovery ships, tows a barge containing the third Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank (SLWT) into Port Canaveral. Thi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, at center, takes some experiment equipment from Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., while in the SPACEHAB trainer at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility in Cape Canaveral. Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, representing the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), sets up a camera in the foreground. STS-95 will feature a variety of research payloads, including the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, and experiments on space flight and the aging process. STS-95 is targeted for an Oct. 29 launch aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery KSC-98pc860

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 Mission Specialist Scott E. Paraz...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, at center, takes some experiment equipment from Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., while in the SPACEHAB trainer at the SPACEHAB P... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., at right, and Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski examine a camera at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility in Cape Canaveral. STS-95 will feature a variety of research payloads, including the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, and experiments on space flight and the aging process. STS-95 is targeted for an Oct. 29 launch aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery KSC-98pc857

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., at right, and Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski examine a camera at the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility in Cape Canaveral. ST... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An Airbus Beluga transporter parks on the Shuttle Landing Facility to deliver the first of three Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs), designed to transport experiments and supplies in a pressurized environment to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The MPLMs will be carried in the payload bay of a Shuttle orbiter, and will provide storage and additional work space for up to two astronauts when docked to the ISS. The modules are being provided by Alenia Aerospazio, in Italy, and will be operated by NASA and supported by ASI, the Italian space agency. The first MPLM has been named Leonardo, and is scheduled to be launched on STS-100 in December 1999. The second, to be handed over in April 1999, is named Raffaello. A third module, to be named Donatello, is due to be delivered in October 2000 for launch in January 2001 KSC-98pc886

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An Airbus Beluga transporter parks on th...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- An Airbus Beluga transporter parks on the Shuttle Landing Facility to deliver the first of three Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs), designed to transport experiments and supp... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Unity connecting module, part of the International Space Station, awaits processing in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). On the end at the right can be seen the Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, which provides entry into the module. The Unity, scheduled to be launched on STS-88 in December 1998, will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module which will already be in orbit. STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for the International Space Station KSC-98pc993

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Unity connecting module, part of the Int...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Unity connecting module, part of the International Space Station, awaits processing in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). On the end at the right can be seen the Pressur... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility prepare the hatch of the Unity connecting module for closure before its launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 in December. Unity will now undergo a series of leak checks before a final purge of clean, dry air inside the module to ready it for initial operations in space. Other testing includes the common berthing mechanism to which other space station elements will dock and the Pad Demonstration Test to verify the compatibility of the module with the Space Shuttle as well as the ability of the astronauts to send and receive commands to Unity from the flight deck of the orbiter. The next time the hatch will be opened it will be by astronauts on orbit. Unity is expected to be ready for installation into the payload canister on Oct. 25, and transported to Launch Pad 39-A on Oct. 27. The Unity will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module which should already be in orbit at that time KSC-98pc1125

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Space Station Processing ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility prepare the hatch of the Unity connecting module for closure before its launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 in December... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, STS-88 Pilot Frederick W. Sturckow makes a visual inspection of windows on the Space Shuttle orbiter Endeavour. The STS-88 crew members are participating in a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), familiarizing themselves with the orbiter's midbody and crew compartments. Targeted for launch on Dec. 3, 1998, STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). The primary payload is the Unity connecting module which will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module, expected to be already on orbit after a November launch from Russia. The first major U.S.-built component of ISS, Unity will serve as a connecting passageway to living and working areas of the space station. Unity has two attached pressurized mating adapters (PMAs) and one stowage rack installed inside. PMA-1 provides the permanent connection point between Unity and Zarya; PMA-2 will serve as a Space Shuttle docking port. Zarya is a self-supporting active vehicle, providing propulsive control capability and power during the early assembly stages. It also has fuel storage capability KSC-98pc1226

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, STS-88 Pilot Frederick W. Sturckow makes a visual inspection of windows on the Space Shuttle orbiter Endeavour. The STS-88 crew members ar... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft arrives in KSC air space escorted by two T-38 aircraft after leaving Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The whale-like airplane carries the U.S. Laboratory module, considered the centerpiece of the International Space Station. The module will undergo final pre-launch preparations at KSC's Space Station Processing Facility. Scheduled for launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98, the laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in such areas as life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000 KSC-98pc1694

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft arrives in...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft arrives in KSC air space escorted by two T-38 aircraft after leaving Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The whale-like airplane carries ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft rolls to a stop at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after leaving Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The gargantuan plane carries the U.S. Laboratory module, considered the centerpiece of the International Space Station. The module will undergo final pre-launch preparations at KSC's Space Station Processing Facility. Scheduled for launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98, the laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in such areas as life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000 KSC-98pc1696

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft rolls to a...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft rolls to a stop at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after leaving Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The gargantuan plane carries the U.... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The open front end of NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility reveals the U.S. laboratory module, intended for the International Space Station, that was flown from Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, to Kennedy. The lab is being transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility for pre-launch preparations. Scheduled for launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98, the laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in the areas of life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000 KSC-98pc1700

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The open front end of NASA's "Super Gupp...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The open front end of NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility reveals the U.S. laboratory module, intended for the International Space Station, that was flown... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Participants pose for a photo at the Space Station Processing Facility ceremony transferring the "Leonardo" Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), to NASA. From left, they are astronaut Jim Voss, European Space Agency astronauts Umberto Guidoni of Italy and Christer Fuglesang of Sweden, NASA International Space Station Program Manager Randy Brinkley, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin, ASI President Sergio De Julio and Stephen Francois, director, International Space Station Launch Site Support at KSC. The MPLM, a reusable logistics carrier, will be the primary delivery system used to resupply and return International Space Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo is the first of three MPLM carriers for the International Space Station. It is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Mission STS-100, targeted for April 2000 KSC-98pc1776

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Participants pose for a photo at the Spa...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Participants pose for a photo at the Space Station Processing Facility ceremony transferring the "Leonardo" Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the Italian Space Agency, Agen... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's Freedom Star ship tows the Pegasus Barge through Port Canaveral in Florida. Freedom Star is towing the 266-foot-long and 50-foot-wide barge to Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. to deliver space shuttle main engine (SSME) ground support equipment. Since being delivered to NASA in 1999, Pegasus sailed 41 times and transported 31 shuttle external fuel tanks from Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans to Kennedy Space Center. The barge is leaving Kennedy, perhaps for the final time. Both the barge and shuttle equipment will remain in storage until their specific future uses are determined. The SSMEs themselves will be transported to Stennis separately for use with the agency's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing. For more information about Shuttle Transition and Retirement, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/transition/home/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2011-7749

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's Freedom Star ship tows the Pegasus Barge...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's Freedom Star ship tows the Pegasus Barge through Port Canaveral in Florida. Freedom Star is towing the 266-foot-long and 50-foot-wide barge to Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Lou... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A tugboat pulls the Pegasus Barge through Port Canaveral after leaving NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 266-foot-long and 50-foot-wide barge will be towed by NASA's Freedom Star ship to deliver space shuttle main engine (SSME) ground support equipment to Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. Since being delivered to NASA in 1999, Pegasus sailed 41 times and transported 31 shuttle external fuel tanks from Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans to Kennedy. The barge is leaving Kennedy, perhaps for the final time. Both the barge and shuttle equipment will remain in storage until their specific future uses are determined. The SSMEs themselves will be transported to Stennis separately for use with the agency's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Program’s transition and retirement processing. For more information about Shuttle Transition and Retirement, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/transition/home/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2011-7736

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A tugboat pulls the Pegasus Barge through Port ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A tugboat pulls the Pegasus Barge through Port Canaveral after leaving NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 266-foot-long and 50-foot-wide barge will be towed by NASA's Freedom Sta... More

S46-10-015 - STS-046 - STS-46 MS Ivins and MS Nicollier, in LES, on OV-104's aft flight deck

S46-10-015 - STS-046 - STS-46 MS Ivins and MS Nicollier, in LES, on OV...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-46 Mission Specialists (MS) Marsha S. Ivins and Claude Nicollier of the European Space Agency, wearing launch and entry suits (LES), are seated at t... More

S46-10-036 - STS-046 - STS-46's Hoffman and MS Chang-Diaz pose arm and arm on the people mover

S46-10-036 - STS-046 - STS-46's Hoffman and MS Chang-Diaz pose arm and...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-46 Mission Specialist (MS) Franklin R. Chang-Diaz and Payload Commander Jeffrey A. Hoffman pose arm and arm on the people mover that is attached to ... More

S46-10-035 - STS-046 - STS-46 MS Chang-Diaz crawls through the side hatch of OV-104

S46-10-035 - STS-046 - STS-46 MS Chang-Diaz crawls through the side ha...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-46 Mission Specialist (MS) Franklin R. Chang-Diaz crawls through the side hatch of the Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, after its landing at the ... More

S46-10-029 - STS-046 - View of the crew transfer vehicle and ground crew vehicles from OV-104

S46-10-029 - STS-046 - View of the crew transfer vehicle and ground cr...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: A view of the crew transfer vehicle and other ground crew vehicles on the runway at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). The i... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a simulated rescue mission in the woods near the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), the KSC response team practices lifting an injured crew member to an Air Force HH-60 helicopter for transport to a local hospital. The response team is training for the unlikely scenario of a Shuttle mishap at the SLF. The Mode 7 simulation of an astronaut rescue exercises all aspects of command and control, search and rescue, and medical procedures required for a successful rescue. The remote location of the mock-up prevents a totally land-based crew rescue, and calls on a NASA UH-1 helicopter to locate the site and four Air Force HH-60 helicopters to reach and prepare the "crew" five astronaut candidates, one representative from the Vehicle Integration Test office, and one fire/rescue worker for preliminary triage. The exercise will conclude with airlifted "patients" arriving safely in the emergency rooms of participating area hospitals KSC-99pp0299

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a simulated rescue mission in the...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During a simulated rescue mission in the woods near the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), the KSC response team practices lifting an injured crew member to an Air Force HH-60 helicop... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (center) and his chief of staff Dana Gartzke (second from left) get a close-up look at the interior of the U.S. Lab, called "Destiny." Thomas R. "Randy" Galloway (second from right), with the Space Station Hardware Integration Office, helps with their familiarization of the equipment. They are joined (far left and right) by workers from Boeing. Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early 2000. It will become the centerpiece of scientific research on the ISS, with five equipment racks aboard to provide essential functions for station systems, including high data-rate communications, and to maintain the station's orientation using control gyroscopes launched earlier. Additional equipment and research racks will be installed in the laboratory on subsequent Shuttle flights KSC-99pp0813

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (center) and his chief of staff Dana Gartzke (second from left) get a close-up look at the interior of the U.S. Lab,... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin (foreground) talks with STS-93 Commander Eileen Collins beside the Space Shuttle orbiter Columbia following the successful completion of her mission. Marshall Space Flight Center Director Arthur G. Stephenson (far left) looks on. Landing occurred on runway 33 with main gear touchdown at 11:20:35 p.m. EDT on July 27. The mission's primary objective was to deploy the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to study some of the most distant, powerful and dynamic objects in the universe. This was the 95th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 26th for Columbia. The landing was the 19th consecutive Shuttle landing in Florida and the 12th night landing in Shuttle program history. On this mission, Collins became the first woman to serve as a Shuttle commander KSC-99pp0988

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility, NASA Ad...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin (foreground) talks with STS-93 Commander Eileen Collins beside the Space Shuttle orbiter Columbia following the su... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the one-piece, upward-hinged main cargo door of the Airbus Industrie A300-600ST "Beluga" Super Transporter is open to offload its cargo, the second Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) for the International Space Station (ISS). One of Italy's major contributions to the ISS program, the MPLM, named Raffaello, is a reusable logistics carrier and the primary delivery system used to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Weighing nearly 4.5 tons, the module measures 21 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Raffaello will join Leonardo, the first Italian-built MPLM, in the Space Station Processing Facility for testing. NASA, Boeing, the Italian Space Agency and Alenia Aerospazio will provide engineering support KSC-99pp1011

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the one...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the one-piece, upward-hinged main cargo door of the Airbus Industrie A300-600ST "Beluga" Super Transporter is open to offload its cargo, the second... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Escort vehicles prepare to leave the Shuttle Landing Facility with the S1 truss (at right) on its trek to the Operations and Checkout Building. Manufactured by the Boeing Co. in Huntington Beach, Calif., this component of the ISS is the first starboard (right-side) truss segment, whose main job is providing structural support for the orbiting research facility's radiator panels that cool the Space Station's complex power system. The S1 truss segment also will house communications systems, external experiment positions and other subsystems. Primarily constructed of aluminum, the truss segment is 45 feet long, 15 feet wide and 6 feet tall. When fully outfitted, it will weigh 31,137 pounds. The truss is slated for flight in 2001. The truss arrived at KSC aboard NASA's Super Guppy, seen in the background. The aircraft is uniquely built with a 25-foot diameter fuselage designed to handle oversized loads and a "fold-away" nose that opens 110 degrees for cargo loading. A system of rails in the cargo compartment, used with either Guppy pallets or fixtures designed for specific cargo, makes cargo loading simple and efficient. Rollers mounted in the rails allow pallets or fixtures to be moved by an electric winch mounted beneath the cargo floor. Automatic hydraulic lock pins in each rail secure the pallet for flight KSC-99pp1186

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Escort vehicles prepare to leave the Shu...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Escort vehicles prepare to leave the Shuttle Landing Facility with the S1 truss (at right) on its trek to the Operations and Checkout Building. Manufactured by the Boeing Co. in Hu... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, workers watch as the nose of NASA's Super Guppy aircraft opens to reveal its cargo, a component for the International Space Station (ISS), the port-side P3 truss. The truss is scheduled to be added to the ISS on mission STS-115 in 2002 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. The second port truss segment, P3 will be attached to the first port truss segment (P1). The P3 truss will be taken to the Operations and Checkout Building. KSC-99pp1352

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landin...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, workers watch as the nose of NASA's Super Guppy aircraft opens to reveal its cargo, a component for the International Space Stat... More

Millie Hughes-Fulford, Scientist and Prior Astronaut

Millie Hughes-Fulford, Scientist and Prior Astronaut

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Researcher and principal investigator Dr. Millie Hughes-Fulford of the Hughes-Fulford Laboratory, San Francisco, Calif., at right, plans preflight and post-flight experiment operations wi... More

Morpheus Campaign 2A Tether Test

Morpheus Campaign 2A Tether Test

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander is lifted by crane and its engine is ignited during a tethered test near a new launch site at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NAS... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians lift and rotate the left orbital maneuvering system OMS pod of space shuttle Endeavour above its transporter. The OMS pod is being reinstalled on Endeavour following a complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the shuttle’s transition and retirement processing. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-1837

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Ken...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians lift and rotate the left orbital maneuvering system OMS pod of space shuttle... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a main propulsion system tank will be removed from space shuttle Endeavour’s mid-body by United Space Alliance technicians. The main propulsion system tanks will be retained for possible future use on the agency’s Space Launch System Program. The work is part of Endeavour’s transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122, 883, 151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-1878

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Ken...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a main propulsion system tank will be removed from space shuttle Endeavour’s mid-body by United Space Alliance... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians have removed several auxiliary power units from space shuttle Endeavour and are preparing them for transport. The work is part of Endeavour’s transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122, 883, 151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-1893

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Ken...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians have removed several auxiliary power units from space shuttle Endeavour and ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana sit in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1. Glenn is at the space center to mark the 50th anniversary of being the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth inside the NASA Mercury Project's Friendship 7 capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. Glenn later returned to space in October 1998 as a payload specialist aboard Discovery's STS-95 mission. Glenn's launch aboard an Atlas rocket took with it the hopes of an entire nation and ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Glenn soon was followed into orbit by Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights. Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts, was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Shuttle Discovery currently is being prepared for display at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Photo credit: Cory Huston KSC-2012-1454

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA Kennedy Space Center Direc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- John Glenn and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana sit in the flight deck of space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 OPF-1. Glenn is at the space center to mar... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this overhead image shows the Space Shuttle Program's last external fuel tank, ET-122, after it was delivered to the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The tank traveled 900 miles by sea, carried in the Pegasus Barge, from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Once inside the VAB, it eventually will be attached to space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station targeted to launch Feb. 2011. STS-134 currently is scheduled to be the last mission in the shuttle program. 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. Photo credit: NASA/Kevin O'Connell KSC-2010-4912

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, thi...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this overhead image shows the Space Shuttle Program's last external fuel tank, ET-122, after it was delivered to the transfer aisle of the Vehi... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Shown here is Mission Specialist Shane Kimbrough. The CEIT provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment slated to fly on their mission. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2230

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. Shown here is ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Robert Cabana, second from right, joins space shuttle support personnel in a ceremony following the final power down of space shuttle Discovery during Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement activities. "Power down" followed the final closure of Discovery's payload bay doors. Discovery is being prepared for public display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., in 2012. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-8324

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Center Director Robert Cabana, second from right, joins space shuttle support personnel in a ceremony following... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly gets behind the controls of a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) to perform touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STAs are Gulfstream II business jets that are modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Practice landings are part of standard training before space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 launch to the International Space Station. Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2521

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly gets behind the c...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly gets behind the controls of a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) to perform touch-and-go landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the podium, Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. offers remarks at the commissioning ceremony for the new Convoy Command Vehicle behind him. At left is Mike McCulley, chief operating officer, United Space Alliance. The new 40-foot vehicle is replacing a 15-year old model, and will be used following Shuttle landings as the prime vehicle to control critical communications between the orbiter, the crew and the Launch Control Center, to monitor the health of the Shuttle Orbiter systems and to direct convoy operations at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Upgrades and high-tech features incorporated into the design and development of this vehicle make it more reliable and efficient for the convoy crew. Seating capacity was increased from 4 to 12, and video recorders and television monitors were added to provide the convoy team with the maximum amount of visual information KSC-02pd1087

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the podium, Center Director Roy Bridg...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the podium, Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. offers remarks at the commissioning ceremony for the new Convoy Command Vehicle behind him. At left is Mike McCulley, chief operatin... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts are getting first-hand experience with the fluid experiment rack of the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, part of the mission payload to the International Space Station. The JEM comprises six components: two research facilities -- the Pressurized Module and Exposed Facility; a Logistics Module attached to each of them; a Remote Manipulator System; and an Inter-Orbit Communication System unit. The various components of JEM will be assembled in space over the course of three Space Shuttle missions. The first of those three missions, STS-123, will carry the Experiment Logistics Module Pressurized Section aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, targeted for launch in February 2008. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-07pd1175

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facilit...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts are getting first-hand experience with the fluid experiment rack of the Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, part of the missio... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. From left are Mission Specialists Steve Bowen and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper. The CEIT provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment slated to fly on their mission. Endeavour will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module to the International Space Station on the STS-126 mission. Launch is targeted for Nov. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2239

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 crew participate in a crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. From left are ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians, lying on a work platform, remove window #8 from the top of the crew module of space shuttle Atlantis. Inspection and maintenance of the crew module windows is standard procedure between shuttle missions. Atlantis is next slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission. The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module will be permanently attached to the Zarya module. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also are payloads on the flight. Launch is targeted for May 14. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson KSC-2010-1082

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians, lying on a work platform, remove window #8 from the top of the crew module o... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers are disconnecting and dismantling components on shuttle Endeavour. Seen here is the view from inside the spacecraft's airlock looking toward the payload bay. The work is part of Endeavour's transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavour's STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-4911

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Ken...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers are disconnecting and dismantling components on shuttle Endeavour. Seen here is the view from inside t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, officials pose at the site where a Shuttle Program time capsule has been secured vault within the walls of the Space Shuttle Atlantis home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. From the left are: Pete Nickolenko, deputy director of NASA Ground Processing at Kennedy, Patty Stratton of Abacus Technology, currently program manager for the Information Management Communications Support Contract. During the Shuttle Program she was deputy director of Ground Operations for NASA's Space Program Operations Contractor, United Space Alliance, Rita Wilcoxon, NASA's now retired director of Shuttle Processing, Bob Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center and George Jacobs, deputy director of Center Operations, who was manager of the agency's Shuttle Transition and Retirement Project Office. The time capsule, containing artifacts and other memorabilia associated with the history of the program is designated to be opened on the 50th anniversary of the shuttle's final landing, STS-135. The new $100 million "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2013-3517

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, officials pose at the site where a Shuttle Program time capsule has been secured vault within the walls of the Space Shuttle Atlan... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-115 Mission Specialist Joseph Tanner (foreground) examines tiles on the orbiter Atlantis, the designated launch vehicle for the mission. The crew is at the center for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, which involves equipment familiarization, a routine part of astronaut training and launch preparations. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch on Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1188

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-115 Mission Specialist Joseph Tanner (foreground) examines tiles on the orbiter Atlantis, the designated launch vehicle for the mission. ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- John J. “Tip” Talone (right) poses with Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach and his wife during the annual National Space Club Debus Award Banquet. Talone received the award that was created to recognize significant achievements made in Florida to American aerospace efforts. The event was held at the Dr. Kurt H. Debus Conference Facility in the Visitor Complex. Talone is director of the International Space Station/Payloads Processing directorate at KSC that is responsible for prelaunch and launch preparations for all Shuttle payloads. He was honored for his outstanding personal and professional efforts in supporting the U.S. space program, especially in his current role. The award was created by the National Space Club Florida Committee to recognize significant achievements and contributions made in Florida to American aerospace efforts. It is named for Dr. Kurt H. Debus, first director of KSC, from 1962 to 1974. KSC-04pd0683

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- John J. “Tip” Talone (right) poses with ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- John J. “Tip” Talone (right) poses with Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach and his wife during the annual National Space Club Debus Award Banquet. Talone received the award tha... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After greeting the media on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the STS-122 crew stands in front of space shuttle Atlantis for a final group photo. From left are Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Hans Schlegel, Rex Walheim and Stanley Love, Pilot Alan Poindexter and Commander Steve Frick. Schlegel represents the European Space Agency. After a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles, space shuttle Atlantis and crew returned to Earth with a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST. The shuttle landed on orbit 202 to complete the 13-day STS-122 mission. Main gear touchdown was 9:07:10 a.m. Nose gear touchdown was 9:07:20 a.m. Wheel stop was at 9:08:08 a.m. Mission elapsed time was 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 44 seconds. During the mission, Atlantis' crew installed the new Columbus laboratory, leaving a larger space station and one with increased science capabilities. The Columbus Research Module adds nearly 1,000 cubic feet of habitable volume and affords room for 10 experiment racks, each an independent science lab. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd0407

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After greeting the media on the Shuttle...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After greeting the media on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the STS-122 crew stands in front of space shuttle Atlantis for a final group photo. From ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The closeup of this Florida softshell turtle shows its snorkel-like snout. A totally aquatic freshwater turtle, it prefers lakes and slow-moving rivers. It was spotted near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The species main food is crayfish, fish, frogs, tadpoles and some vegetation. It ranges throughout all of Florida. Kennedy shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge, which is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/Kenny Allen KSC-08pd1625

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The closeup of this Florida softshell turtl...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The closeup of this Florida softshell turtle shows its snorkel-like snout. A totally aquatic freshwater turtle, it prefers lakes and slow-moving rivers. It was spotted near the Shutt... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians secure several of space shuttle Endeavour’s main propulsion system tanks after they were removed from the orbiter’s mid-body. The tanks will be retained for possible future use on the agency’s Space Launch System Program. The work is part of Endeavour’s transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122, 883, 151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-1886

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Ken...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians secure several of space shuttle Endeavour’s main propulsion system tanks aft... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians prepare to lift the left orbital maneuvering system OMS pod of space shuttle Endeavour. The OMS pod is being reinstalled on Endeavour following a complete deservicing and cleaning at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, part of the shuttle’s transition and retirement processing. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-1831

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Ken...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians prepare to lift the left orbital maneuvering system OMS pod of space shuttle... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The space shuttle Atlantis is towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis is switching places with Endeavour which had been in Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility OPF. In the OPF, Atlantis will undergo final preparations for its transfer to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex targeted for November. The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Atlantis and Endeavour. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at Kennedy's Visitor Complex. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis spent 293 days in space during 33 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-4521

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The space shuttle Atlantis is towed from the Ve...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The space shuttle Atlantis is towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis is switching places with Endeavour which had been in Bay 2 of th... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians close space shuttle Atlantis’ aft doors for the final time. The orbiter is undergoing final preparations for its transfer to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor complex targeted for November. The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining shuttle. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at the visitor complex. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis spent 293 days in space during 33 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2012-5615

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians close space shuttle Atlantis’ aft doors for the final time. The orbite... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-99 crew members check the underside of Space Shuttle Endeavour after completing the 11-day, 5-hour, 38-minute-long mission. From left are Mission Specialists Mamoru Mohri of Japan and Gerhard Thiele of Germany, with Commander Kevin Kregel. Main gear touchdown was at 6:22:23 p.m. EST Feb. 22 , landing on orbit 181 of the mission. Nose gear touchdown was at 6:22:35 p.m.. EST, and wheel stop at 6:23:25 p.m. EST. The other crew members are Pilot Dominic Gorie and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi and Janice Voss. The crew are returning from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, after mapping more than 47 million square miles of the Earth's surface. This was the 97th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 14th for Endeavour, also marking the 50th landing at KSC, the 21st consecutive landing at KSC, and the 28th in the last 29 Shuttle flights KSC00pp0251

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-9...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-99 crew members check the underside of Space Shuttle Endeavour after completing the 11-day, 5-hour, 38-minute-long mission. From left are Mis... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the STS-99 crew pose with NASA Administrator Dan Goldin underneath Space Shuttle Endeavour on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. From left are Commander Kevin Kregel, Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi, Pilot Dominic Gorie, Goldin, and Mission Specialists Gerhard Thiele and Mamoru Mohri. Not in the photo is Mission Specialist Janice Voss. Main gear touchdown was at 6:22:23 p.m. EST Feb. 22 , landing on orbit 181 of the mission. Nose gear touchdown was at 6:22:35 p.m.. EST, and wheel stop at 6:23:25 p.m. EST. The crew returned from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission after mapping more than 47 million square miles of the Earth's surface. This was the 97th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 14th for Endeavour, also marking the 50th landing at KSC, the 21st consecutive landing at KSC, and the 28th in the last 29 Shuttle flights KSC-00pp0253

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the STS-99 crew pose with NAS...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the STS-99 crew pose with NASA Administrator Dan Goldin underneath Space Shuttle Endeavour on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. From left are Commander Kevin Kregel, Missi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, members of the STS-92 crew get a close look at some of the equipment, such as the Integrated Truss Structure Z1, to fly on their mission. STS-92 is the fifth U.S. flight in the construction of the International Space Station. At left is Commander Brian Duffy; with their backs to the camera are Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata and Pilot Pamela A. Melroy. The Z1 is an early exterior framework to allow the first U.S. solar arrays on a future flight to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power. Another part of the payload is a pressurized mating adapter, PMA-3, to provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. The other crew members are Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Peter J.K. Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, and William S. McArthur Jr. Wakata is with the National Space Development Agency of Japan. Launch of STS-92 is scheduled for Sept. 21, 2000 KSC-00pp0591

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, members of the STS-92 crew get a close look at some of the equipment, such as the Integrated Truss Structure Z1, to fly on their mission. ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-92 Pilot Pamela A. Melroy gets a close look at the Integrated Truss Structure Z1 that will fly on the mission, the fifth U.S. flight in the construction of the International Space Station. Other crew members are Commander Brian Duffy, and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, Leroy Chaio, Peter J.K. Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, and William S. McArthur Jr. Wakata is with the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The Z1 is an early exterior framework to allow the first U.S. solar arrays on a future flight to be temporarily installed on Unity for early power. Another part of the payload is a pressurized mating adapter, PMA-3, to provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth ISS flight and Lab installation on the seventh ISS flight. Launch of STS-92 is scheduled for Sept. 21, 2000 KSC00pp0594

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-92 Pilot Pamela A. Melroy gets a close look at the Integrated Truss Structure Z1 that will fly on the mission, the fifth U.S. flight i... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The landing lights on Runway 15 cast a glow as Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches touchdown on KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the 9-day, 20-hour, 9-minute-long STS-101 mission. At the controls are Commander James D. Halsell Jr. and Pilot Scott “Doc” Horowitz. Also onboard the orbiter are Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, James S. Voss, Jeffrey N. Williams, Susan J. Helms and Yury Usachev of Russia. The crew is returning from the third flight to the International Space Station. This was the 98th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 21st for Atlantis, also marking the 51st landing at KSC, the 22nd consecutive landing at KSC, the 14th nighttime landing in Shuttle history and the 29th in the last 30 Shuttle flights. Main gear touchdown was at 2:20:17 a.m. EDT May 29 , landing on orbit 155 of the mission. Nose gear touchdown was at 2:20:30 a.m. EDT, and wheel stop at 2:21:19 a.m. EDT KSC00pp0675

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The landing lights on Runway 15 cast a g...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The landing lights on Runway 15 cast a glow as Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches touchdown on KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the 9-day, 20-hour, 9-minute-long STS-101 m... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Landing lights spotlight Space Shuttle Atlantis as it nears touchdown on Runway 15 at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility after completing the 9-day, 20-hour, 9-minute-long STS-101 mission. At the controls are Commander James D. Halsell Jr. and Pilot Scott “Doc” Horowitz. Also onboard the orbiter are Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, James S. Voss, Jeffrey N. Williams, Susan J. Helms and Yury Usachev of Russia. The crew is returning from the third flight to the International Space Station. This was the 98th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 21st for Atlantis, also marking the 51st landing at KSC, the 22nd consecutive landing at KSC, and the 29th in the last 30 Shuttle flights. Main gear touchdown was at 2:20:17 a.m. EDT, landing on orbit 155 of the mission. Nose gear touchdown was at 2:20:30 a.m. EDT, and wheel stop at 2:21:19 a.m. EDT KSC-00padig027

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Landing lights spotlight Space Shuttle A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Landing lights spotlight Space Shuttle Atlantis as it nears touchdown on Runway 15 at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility after completing the 9-day, 20-hour, 9-minute-long STS-101 miss... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Seen in the landing lights, an illuminated Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches touchdown on KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 15 to complete the 9-day, 20-hour, 9-minute-long STS-101 mission. At the controls are Commander James D. Halsell Jr. and Pilot Scott “Doc” Horowitz. Also onboard the orbiter are Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, James S. Voss, Jeffrey N. Williams, Susan J. Helms and Yury Usachev of Russia. The crew is returning from the third flight to the International Space Station. This was the 98th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 21st for Atlantis, also marking the 51st landing at KSC, the 22nd consecutive landing at KSC, the 14th nighttime landing in Shuttle history and the 29th in the last 30 Shuttle flights. Main gear touchdown was at 2:20:17 a.m. EDT May 29 , landing on orbit 155 of the mission. Nose gear touchdown was at 2:20:30 a.m. EDT, and wheel stop at 2:21:19 a.m. EDT KSC00pp0674

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Seen in the landing lights, an illuminat...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Seen in the landing lights, an illuminated Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches touchdown on KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 15 to complete the 9-day, 20-hour, 9-minute-long STS... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Landing lights illuminate the night sky as Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches touchdown on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 15 to complete the 9-day, 20-hour, 9-minute-long STS-101 mission. At the controls are Commander James D. Halsell Jr. and Pilot Scott "Doc" Horowitz. Also onboard the orbiter are Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, James S. Voss, Jeffrey N. Williams, Susan J. Helms and Yury Usachev of Russia. The crew is returning from the third flight to the International Space Station. This was the 98th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 21st for Atlantis, also marking the 51st landing at KSC, the 22nd consecutive landing at KSC, and the 29th in the last 30 Shuttle flights. Main gear touchdown was at 2:20:17 a.m. EDT, landing on orbit 155 of the mission. Nose gear touchdown was at 2:20:30 a.m. EDT, and wheel stop at 2:21:19 a.m. EDT KSC00padig022

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Landing lights illuminate the night sky ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Landing lights illuminate the night sky as Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches touchdown on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 15 to complete the 9-day, 20-hour, 9-minute-long STS... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker checks the U.S. Laboratory Destiny as it rotates. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research.<font size="3" KSC-00pp0795

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker checks the U.S. Laboratory Destiny as it rotates. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. Laboratory Destiny is about to undergo rotation in its workstand. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research KSC00pp0791

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. Laboratory Destiny is about to undergo rotation in its workstand. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is sche... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians watch closely as the U.S. Laboratory Destiny rotates. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research KSC-00pp0797

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians watch closely as the U.S. Laboratory Destiny rotates. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. Lab Destiny comes to rest on the weigh stand. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research KSC00pp0804

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. Lab Destiny comes to rest on the weigh stand. A component of the International Space Station, Destiny is scheduled to fly on miss... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The U.S. Laboratory Destiny, a component of the International Space Station, is lifted off a weigh stand (below) in the Space Station Processing Facility. The module is being moved to a payload canister for transfer to the Operations and Checkout Building where it will be tested in the altitude chamber. Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research KSC00pp0805

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The U.S. Laboratory Destiny, a component...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The U.S. Laboratory Destiny, a component of the International Space Station, is lifted off a weigh stand (below) in the Space Station Processing Facility. The module is being moved... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C), the doors of the payload canister open to reveal the U.S. Lab, named Destiny. The Lab will undergo testing in the altitude chamber in the O&C. Destiny is scheduled to fly on mission STS-98 in early 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research KSC00pp0832

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C), the doors of the payload canister open to reveal the U.S. Lab, named Destiny. The Lab will undergo testing in the altitude chamber in... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Operations and Checkout Building check the placement of the lid on the vacuum chamber containing the U.S. Lab, a component of the International Space Station. The 32,000-pound scientific research lab, named Destiny, is the first Space Station element to spend seven days in the renovated vacuum chamber for a leak test. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Shuttle mission STS-98, the 5A assembly mission, targeted for Jan. 18, 2001. During the mission, the crew will install the Lab in the Space Station during a series of three space walks. The STS-98 mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Lab module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research KSC-00pp0850

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Operations and Checkout B...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Operations and Checkout Building check the placement of the lid on the vacuum chamber containing the U.S. Lab, a component of the International Space Station. The 32... More

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