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HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronaut Rex Walheim checks out the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2012-1826

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronaut Rex Walheim checks out the Dragon ...

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronaut Rex Walheim checks out the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. In 201... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media learn about the plans Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has to take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX is working to make its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule safe for humans for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) under the Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities. SpaceX already is developing these systems under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) Program to take supplies to the space station. Scott Henderson, director of SpaceX mission assurance, explained that the company is drafting designs to make the Dragon capsule crew-capable with life support systems while meeting CCP's safety requirements. One such option under discussion is a launch abort system that would push astronauts away from the launch pad in the event of an emergency, which is  different than traditional pull systems. It's the freedom to develop innovative solutions such as this that CCP hopes will drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before.       CCP, which is based at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, partnered with seven aerospace companies to mature launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) of Promontory, Utah, Blue Origin of Kent, Wash., The Boeing Co., of Houston, Excalibur Almaz Inc. of Houston, Sierra Nevada Corp. of Louisville, Colo., Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., and United Launch Alliance (ULA) of Centennial, Colo. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial   Photo credit: Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-7885

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media learn about the plans Space Exploration ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media learn about the plans Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has to take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dragon capsule under development by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance (ULA). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2011-8117

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dragon c...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This is an artist's conception of the Dragon capsule under development by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). In 2011,... More

DALLAS – This image was taken during a series of wind tunnel tests for Blue Origin's Space Vehicle at Lockheed Martin's High Speed Wind Tunnel Facility in Dallas. The Space Vehicle's innovative biconic shape is designed to provide more cross-range and interior volume than a traditional capsule and weigh less than a winged vehicle. More than 180 wind tunnel tests validated the company's analysis of the Space Vehicle's aerodynamics during descent through the atmosphere and the ability to change its flight path, which could increase the number of available landing opportunities and enhance the vehicle's emergency return capability.         In 2011, NASA selected Blue Origin during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp., Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Blue Origin KSC-2012-3151

DALLAS – This image was taken during a series of wind tunnel tests for...

DALLAS – This image was taken during a series of wind tunnel tests for Blue Origin's Space Vehicle at Lockheed Martin's High Speed Wind Tunnel Facility in Dallas. The Space Vehicle's innovative biconic shape is... More

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. – An Erickson Sky Crane helicopter releases The Boeing Company's CST-100 crew capsule over the Delamar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev., where it floated to a smooth landing beneath its parachute system. This is the second parachute test that Boeing performed under its partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP. The first showed the parachute system’s deployment scheme worked and that it could be re-packed and re-used for this second test.           In 2011, NASA selected Boeing during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Boeing KSC-2012-2689

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. – An Erickson Sky Crane helicopter releases...

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. – An Erickson Sky Crane helicopter releases The Boeing Company's CST-100 crew capsule over the Delamar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev., where it floated to a smooth landing beneath its ... More

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. – The Boeing Company's CST-100 crew capsule floats to a smooth landing beneath three main parachutes over the Delamar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev. This is the second parachute test that Boeing performed under its partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP. The first showed the parachute system’s deployment scheme worked and that it could be re-packed and re-used for this second test.      In 2011, NASA selected Boeing during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Boeing KSC-2012-2691

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. – The Boeing Company's CST-100 crew capsule...

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. – The Boeing Company's CST-100 crew capsule floats to a smooth landing beneath three main parachutes over the Delamar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev. This is the second parachute test t... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The second stage of the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is transferred into the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    Operations are underway to install the second stage atop the rocket's first stage. SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3615

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The second stage of the Delta II r...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The second stage of the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is transferred into the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Comp... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians use a crane to move a component of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft for a lift by a crane.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4297

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians use a crane to move a component of NASA's Soil Moisture... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians prepare a component of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft for a lift by a crane.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4281

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians prepare a component of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Pass... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Operations are underway to weigh NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft in the clean room of the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The weighing of a spacecraft is standard procedure during prelaunch processing.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that built the observatory and its radar instrument also is responsible for SMAP project management and mission operations.  Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4456

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Operations are underway to weigh N...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Operations are underway to weigh NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft in the clean room of the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air For... More

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts are monitored while they check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2012-1825

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts are monitore...

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts are monitored while they check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawtho... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --  In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch is ready to be disassembled.  Separation rings will be used to move the segments apart. The pins attaching the segments to each other are removed at the start. Each separation ring has three joints that help mold the ring around the seg¬ment and an air motor is used to rotate the rings to separate the segments. After disassembly, the segments will be sent to ATK (Alliant Techsystems) in Utah for final processing and return to Kennedy for another shuttle launch.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd3948

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., one of ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch is ready to be disassembled. Separation rings will be used to move the segments... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first Ares I-X motor segment is in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is one of four reusable motor segments and nozzle exit cone shipped by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc. for final processing and integration in the facility. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming flight test this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-2311

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first Ares I-X motor segment is in the Rota...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first Ares I-X motor segment is in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is one of four reusable motor segments and nozzle exit con... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad delivers the first Ares I-X segment to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc.,  departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments are being delivered to Kennedy's  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-2310

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad delivers the first Ares I-X s...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad delivers the first Ares I-X segment to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four reusable motor segments and the nozzle... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rail car cover is moved away from the first Ares I-X motor segment. It is one of four reusable motor segments and nozzle exit cone shipped by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc. for final processing and integration in the facility. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming flight test this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-2314

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rail car cover is moved away from the first Ares I-X motor segment. It is one of four reusabl... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) managers announce an agreement that could accelerate the availability of U.S. commercial crew transportation capabilities in the Press Site auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Candrea Thomas, NASA Public Affairs; Ed Mango, Commercial Crew Program manager, NASA; Kent Rominger, vice president, Strategy and Business Development, ATK Aerospace; and John Schumacher, vice president, Space Programs, EADS North America.    The unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) through NASA's Commercial Crew Program will allow the agency and ATK to review and discuss Liberty system requirements, safety and certification plans, computational models of rocket stage performance, and avionics architecture designs. The agreement outlines key milestones including an Initial System Design review, during which ATK will present to NASA officials the Liberty systems level requirements, preliminary design, and certification process development. For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-6950

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) managers an...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) managers announce an agreement that could accelerate the availability of U.S. commercial crew transportation capabilities in the Press Site auditorium ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP, Ed Mango, hosts a virtual conversation, called a Tweet Chat, with Twitter followers from around the world. Those who follow www.twitter.com/commercial_crew had an hour-long opportunity to ask Mango questions about NASA’s efforts to get astronauts to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station aboard American rockets and spacecraft. Mango stuck to the social networking service's 140 character limit and answered dozens of questions. At left, is Brittani Sims, a member of the CCP team.        The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Seven aerospace companies are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under the program’s second round of development, called Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2), including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: NASA/Gianni Woods KSC-2012-2647

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program C...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP, Ed Mango, hosts a virtual conversation, called a Tweet Chat, with Twitter followers from around the world. Those who follow www.twitter.... More

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems’ Dream Chaser full-scale test vehicle is lifted by an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter to verify proper aerodynamic flight performance near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County, Colo. This captive-carry test is one of several milestones the company is meeting during its partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program CCP. Data from this test will provide SNC an early opportunity to evaluate and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations in preparation for approach and landing tests scheduled for later this year.     In 2011, NASA selected Sierra Nevada during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. KSC-2012-3148

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems’ Dream Cha...

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems’ Dream Chaser full-scale test vehicle is lifted by an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter to verify proper aerodynamic flight performance near the Rocky Mou... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A second solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is raised into a vertical position at the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3603

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A second solid rocket motor for th...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A second solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is raised into a vertical position at the mobile service tower a... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California monitor a solid rocket motor as it is raised into a vertical position for installation on the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, in the mobile service tower.    SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3598

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers at Space Launch Complex 2 ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California monitor a solid rocket motor as it is raised into a vertical position for installation on the Del... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to begin processing.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4294

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, sp... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to begin processing.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4278

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, sp... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft as it is lowered onto a transporter for its move to the launch pad.    SMAP will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap.  Photo credit: NASA/U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1092

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processin...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Activ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., workers prepare the separated segments of one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch for their transport to the NASA railway. The segments will be sent to ATK (Alliant Techsystems) in Utah for final processing and return to Kennedy for another shuttle launch. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd3956

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., workers ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., workers prepare the separated segments of one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch for their transport to the NASA railway... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., separation rings are moved above two segments of one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch. The rings will be lowered and locked around the segments. The pins attaching the segments to each other are removed at the start. Each separation ring has three joints that help mold the ring around the segment and an air motor is used to rotate the rings to separate the segments. After disassembly, the segments will be sent to ATK (Alliant Techsystems) in Utah for final processing and return to Kennedy for another shuttle launch.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd3955

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., separati...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., separation rings are moved above two segments of one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch. The rings will be lowered and l... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at the Jay Jay Rail Yard with the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket for interchange with the NASA Railroad. The four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments will be delivered to the  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.   Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-2201

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at the Jay Jay Rail Yard with the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket for interchange with the NASA Railroad. The four reusable moto... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After switching out the box cars on the train, the NASA Railroad hauls the Ares I-X motor segments and nozzle exit cone to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments will be delivered to Kennedy's  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-2229

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After switching out the box cars on the train, ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After switching out the box cars on the train, the NASA Railroad hauls the Ares I-X motor segments and nozzle exit cone to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four reusable motor ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –  In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida,  technicians check the fit of the end cover on the Ares I-X motor segment.  It is one of four reusable motor segments and nozzle exit cone shipped by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc. for final processing and integration in the facility. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming flight test this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-2320

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians check the fit of the end cover on the Ares I-X motor segment. It is one of four re... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astronauts spoke to participants of the International Space University on the future of human spaceflight during a panel discussion at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Participating in the discussion is Kent Rominger, vice president with Alliant Techsystems and former NASA astronaut.    The International Space University is a nine-week intensive course designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the world. NASA Kennedy Space Center and the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., are co-hosting this year’s event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. There are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3758

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astronauts spoke to participants of the International Space University on the future of human spaceflight during a panel discussion at the Kenned... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California monitor a solid rocket motor as it is installed on the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP.    SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3601

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers in the mobile service towe...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California monitor a solid rocket motor as it is installed on the Delta II rocke... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A plethora of ground support equipment for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is delivered to the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4235

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A plethora of ground support equip...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A plethora of ground support equipment for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is delivered to the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air F... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers push the pallet supporting the transportation container protecting NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft into the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4244

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers push the pallet supporting...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers push the pallet supporting the transportation container protecting NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft into the Astrotech payload processing faci... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians remove a protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4275

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians remove a protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to begin processing.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4279

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, sp... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians remove a protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4274

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians remove a protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, an engineer inspects NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4283

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, an engineer inspects NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft. ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to begin processing.      SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4292

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, sp... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft is lowered onto the Delta II payload attach structure in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The structure will secure the spacecraft to the rocket's second stage.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap.  Photo credit: NASA/Chris Wiant, U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1083

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passiv...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft is lowered onto the Delta II payload attach structure in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air ... More

LAS VEGAS -- The Boeing Company tests the forward heat shield FHS jettison system of its CST-100 spacecraft at the Bigelow Aerospace facility in Las Vegas as part of an agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities. The FHS will protect the spacecraft's parachutes, rendezvous-and-docking sensor packages, and docking mechanism during ascent and re-entry. During a mission to low Earth orbit, the shield will be jettisoned after re-entry heating, allowing the spacecraft's air bags to deploy for a safe landing. In 2011, NASA selected Boeing for CCDev2 to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also were selected to mature launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corp. SNC, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Boeing    The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is developing the necessary ground systems, infrastructure and operational approaches required to safely process, assemble, transport and launch the next generation of rockets and spacecraft in support of NASA’s exploration objectives. Future work also will replace the antiquated communications, power and vehicle access resources with modern efficient systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB opened in 1965. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: Boeing KSC-2012-4386

LAS VEGAS -- The Boeing Company tests the forward heat shield FHS jett...

LAS VEGAS -- The Boeing Company tests the forward heat shield FHS jettison system of its CST-100 spacecraft at the Bigelow Aerospace facility in Las Vegas as part of an agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Pro... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket were delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida by the Florida East Coast Railroad and the NASA Railroad.  Accompanying the train on its route from Jacksonville, Fla., were NASA and ATK officials.  Standing here, from left, are ATK Ares I Flight Tests Program Director Joe  Oliva, ATK Ares I-X Florida Program Manager Russ Page, NASA Ares Program Manager Steve Cook, ATK Deputy Site Director in Florida Ted Shaffner, NASA KSC Ares I-X Deputy Mission Manager Jon Cowart, ATK Vice President of Space Launch Propulson Cary Ralston, ATK Ares I First Stage program Director Fred Brasfield, ATK Vice President Space Launch Systems Charlie Precourt, ATK Ares I Flight Tests Deputy Program Director Kathy Philpot, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Reusable Solid Rocket Booster Integration Lead Roy Worthy, ATK Florida Site Director Bob Herman, NASA Res First Stage Project Manager Alex Priskos and NASA KSC Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach.  The four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments will be delivered to the  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.   Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-2211

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The booster segments for the Ares I-X test rock...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket were delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida by the Florida East Coast Railroad and the NASA Railroad. Accompanying the trai... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad hauls one of the cars with the first Ares I-X segment to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc.,  departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments are being delivered to Kennedy's  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-2307

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad hauls one of the cars with th...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad hauls one of the cars with the first Ares I-X segment to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four reusable motor segme... More

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. -- The Boeing Company's CST-100 boilerplate crew capsule floats toward a smooth landing beneath three main parachutes after being released from an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter at about 11,000 feet above Delamar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev. This is one of two tests that Boeing will perform for NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP in order to validate the spacecraft's parachute system architecture and deployment scheme, characterize pyrotechnic shock loads, confirm parachute sizing and design, and identify potential forward compartment packaging and deployment issues. In 2011, NASA selected Boeing during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Boeing KSC-2012-1952

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. -- The Boeing Company's CST-100 boilerplate...

DELAMAR DRY LAKE BED, Nev. -- The Boeing Company's CST-100 boilerplate crew capsule floats toward a smooth landing beneath three main parachutes after being released from an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter at abo... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP, Ed Mango, hosts a virtual conversation, called a Tweet Chat, with Twitter followers from around the world. Those who follow www.twitter.com/commercial_crew had an hour-long opportunity to ask Mango questions about NASA’s efforts to get astronauts to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station aboard American rockets and spacecraft. Mango stuck to the social networking service's 140 character limit and answered dozens of questions. At left, is Brittani Sims, a member of the CCP team.            The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Seven aerospace companies are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under the program’s second round of development, called Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2), including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: NASA/Gianni Woods KSC-2012-2645

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program C...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP, Ed Mango, hosts a virtual conversation, called a Tweet Chat, with Twitter followers from around the world. Those who follow www.twitter.... More

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter lifts Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems’ Dream Chaser full-scale test vehicle to verify proper aerodynamic flight performance near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County, Colo. This captive-carry test is one of several milestones the company is meeting during its partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program CCP. Data from this test will provide SNC an early opportunity to evaluate and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations in preparation for approach and landing tests scheduled for later this year.     In 2011, NASA selected Sierra Nevada during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. KSC-2012-3149

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter lifts Sierra Neva...

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter lifts Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems’ Dream Chaser full-scale test vehicle to verify proper aerodynamic flight performance near the Rocky Mountain M... More

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne tests a thruster destined for Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft. The thruster was fired in a vacuum chamber that simulated a space-like environment of 100,000 feet at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, N.M., to verify its durability in extreme heat, evaluate the opening and closing of its valves and confirm continuous combustion and performance. Twenty-four thrusters will be part of the spacecraft's orbital maneuvering and attitude control system OMAC, giving the CST-100 the ability to maneuver in space and during re-entry. The thrusters also will allow the spacecraft to separate from its launch vehicle if an abort becomes necessary during launch or ascent.      In 2011, NASA selected Boeing of Houston during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Blue Origin, Excalibur Almaz Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp., Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne KSC-2012-3495

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne tests a thruster destin...

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne tests a thruster destined for Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft. The thruster was fired in a vacuum chamber that simulated a space-like environment of 100,000 feet at NA... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astronauts spoke to participants of the International Space University on the future of human spaceflight during a panel discussion at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Participating in the discussion from left, are Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana Winston Scott, dean of the College of Aeronautics at Florida Institute of Technology and former NASA astronaut Kent Rominger, vice president with Alliant Techsystems and former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, NASA astronaut currently on detail at Kennedy Space Center Jim Voss, director of advanced programs at Sierra Nevada Corporation and former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, senior engineer with SpaceX and former NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox, former NASA astronaut and Chiaki Mukai, a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut.    The International Space University is a nine-week intensive course designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the world. NASA Kennedy Space Center and the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., are co-hosting this year’s event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. There are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3753

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astronauts spoke to participants of the International Space University on the future of human spaceflight during a panel discussion at the Kenned... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians use a crane to move NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4286

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians use a crane to move NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians have rotated NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to begin processing.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4295

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians have rotated NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SM... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians enclose a transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft in an environmentally protective wrap for its move to the launch pad.    SMAP will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap.  Photo credit: NASA/U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1091

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processin...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians enclose a transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Active ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Alliant motor designated for Stage 3 of a Taurus rocket is weighed by Orbital Sciences workers in Building 1555 at Vandenberg AFB.  The Taurus will launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, in January 2009. The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program.  OCO will provide space-based observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal human-initiated driver of climate change. Mature technologies will be used to address NASA's highest priority carbon cycle measurement requirement.  NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory leads the OCO effort. Orbital Sciences Corporation is providing the Taurus launch vehicle; Hamilton Sundstrand Sensor Systems, the OCO spacecraft.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-08pd2045

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Alliant motor designated for S...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Alliant motor designated for Stage 3 of a Taurus rocket is weighed by Orbital Sciences workers in Building 1555 at Vandenberg AFB. The Taurus will launch the Orbiting Ca... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., the disassembled solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch will be transported to the NASA railway. The segments will be sent to ATK (Alliant Techsystems) in Utah for final processing and return to Kennedy for another shuttle launch. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd3957

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., the disa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., the disassembled solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch will be transported to the NASA railway. The segments will be sent to ATK (Alliant Te... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at the Jay Jay Rail Yard with the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket for interchange with the NASA Railroad. The four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments will be delivered to the  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.   Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-2203

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at the Jay Jay Rail Yard with the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket for interchange with the NASA Railroad. The four reusable moto... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at the Jay Jay Rail Yard with the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket for interchange with the NASA Railroad.  Officials from Alliant Techsystems Inc. and NASA accompany the train. The four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments will be delivered to the  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.   Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-2202

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Florida East Coast Railway train arrives at the Jay Jay Rail Yard with the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket for interchange with the NASA Railroad. Officials from Allian... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X motor segment waits for inspection after removal of the shipping container. It is one of four reusable motor segments and nozzle exit cone shipped by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc. for final processing and integration in the facility. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming flight test this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-2316

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X motor segment waits for inspection after removal of the shipping container. It is on... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Twitter page of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program CCP buzzes with activity as program manager, Ed Mango, hosts a virtual conversation, called a Tweet Chat, with followers from around the world. Those who follow www.twitter.com/commercial_crew had an hour-long opportunity to ask Mango questions about NASA’s efforts to get astronauts to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station aboard American rockets and spacecraft. Mango stuck to the social networking service's 140 character limit and answered dozens of questions.           The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Seven aerospace companies are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under the program’s second round of development, called Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2), including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: NASA/Gianni Woods KSC-2012-2646

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Twitter page of NASA’s Commercial Crew Prog...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Twitter page of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program CCP buzzes with activity as program manager, Ed Mango, hosts a virtual conversation, called a Tweet Chat, with followers from around the... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kent Rominger, vice president with Alliant Techsystems and former NASA astronaut, signs autographs and talks with participants of the International Space University during a panel discussion on the future of human spaceflight at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.     The International Space University is a nine-week intensive course designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the world. NASA Kennedy Space Center and the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., are co-hosting this year’s event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. There are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3763

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kent Rominger, vice president with Alliant Tech...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kent Rominger, vice president with Alliant Techsystems and former NASA astronaut, signs autographs and talks with participants of the International Space University during a panel discuss... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A crane hoists the second stage of the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, to the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    Operations are underway to install the second stage atop the rocket's first stage. SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3614

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A crane hoists the second stage of...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A crane hoists the second stage of the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, to the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Comple... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The protective covering has been replaced around NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft following the spacecraft's post-shipment inspection in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The covering will protect the spacecraft from static-charge buildup and contamination while it awaits further processing.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4273

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The protective covering has been r...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The protective covering has been replaced around NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft following the spacecraft's post-shipment inspection in the Astrotech... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft is delivered by truck from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4253

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passiv...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft is delivered by truck from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to the Astrotech payload processing... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Preparations are underway to remove the protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California during a post-shipment inspection. The covering protects the spacecraft from static-charge buildup and contamination.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4266

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Preparations are underway to remov...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Preparations are underway to remove the protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vand... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians remove a protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4289

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians remove a protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to begin processing.      SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4293

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, sp... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media are briefed on the agency's Space Launch System SLS Program by former astronaut Brian Duffy who is now vice president and program manager of Exploration Systems at Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK. The briefing took place in the spaceport's Booster Fabrication Facility BFF. During the Space Shuttle Program, the facility was used for processing forward segments and aft skirts for the solid rocket boosters. The BFF will serve a similar role for the SLS.    Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-4614

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, memb...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media are briefed on the agency's Space Launch System SLS Program by former astronaut Brian Duffy who is now vice president ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft, has been secured inside a transportation canister and secured onto a transporter for its move to the launch pad.    SMAP will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap.  Photo credit: NASA/U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1096

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processin...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft, has been secured inside a t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –  Alliant Techsystems Inc. workers at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., attach an overhead crane to the Ares I-X forward skirt just arrived from Major Tool & Machine Inc. in Indiana.  The forward skirt will be lifted and moved to a stand. Major Tool is subcontractor to Ares I prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, in Utah. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide.  United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK,  will integrate and assemble the forward skirt components in the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida..  It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations.  Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-08pd3654

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Alliant Techsystems Inc. workers at Astrotech ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Alliant Techsystems Inc. workers at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., attach an overhead crane to the Ares I-X forward skirt just arrived from Major Tool & Machine Inc. in Indiana. The for... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The last newly manufactured section of the Ares I-X test rocket, the frustum, arrives at the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center.   Resembling a giant funnel, the frustum's function is to transition the primary flight loads from the rocket's upper stage to the first stage. The frustum is located between the forward skirt extension and the upper stage of the Ares I-X. Weighing in at approximately 13,000 pounds, the 10-foot-long section is composed of two aluminum rings attached to a truncated conic section. The large diameter of the cone is 18 feet and the small diameter is 12 feet. The cone is 1.25 inches thick. The frustum will be integrated with the forward skirt and forward skirt extension, which already are in the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility. That will complete the forward assembly. The assembly then will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking operations, which are scheduled to begin in April. Manufactured by Major Tool and Machine Inc. in Indiana under a subcontract with Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, the Ares I-X is targeted to launch in the summer of 2009. The flight will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I launch vehicle. The flight test also will bring NASA a step closer to its exploration goals of sending humans to the moon and destinations beyond.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-1746

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The last newly manufactured section of the Ares...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The last newly manufactured section of the Ares I-X test rocket, the frustum, arrives at the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Resembling a giant funne... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – – The NASA Railroad (right) is ready for the exchange of the Florida East Coast Railway cars carrying the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket. The four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments will be delivered to the  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.   Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-2209

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – – The NASA Railroad (right) is ready for the ex...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – – The NASA Railroad (right) is ready for the exchange of the Florida East Coast Railway cars carrying the booster segments for the Ares I-X test rocket. The four reusable motor segments a... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), updates media on the progress of Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities in which seven aerospace companies are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft systems designed to take astronauts to the International Space Station. The goal of the program is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience.    Seven aerospace companies are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) of Promontory, Utah, Blue Origin of Kent, Wash., The Boeing Co., of Houston, Excalibur Almaz Inc. of Houston, Sierra Nevada Corp. of Louisville, Colo., Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., and United Launch Alliance (ULA) of Centennial, Colo. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial Photo credit: Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-7882

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercia...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), updates media on the progress of Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities in which seven aerospace comp... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), updates media on the progress of Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities in which seven aerospace companies are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft systems designed to take astronauts to the International Space Station. The goal of the program is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience.      Seven aerospace companies are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) of Promontory, Utah, Blue Origin of Kent, Wash., The Boeing Co., of Houston, Excalibur Almaz Inc. of Houston, Sierra Nevada Corp. of Louisville, Colo., Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., and United Launch Alliance (ULA) of Centennial, Colo. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial Photo credit: Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-7881

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercia...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ed Mango, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), updates media on the progress of Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) activities in which seven aerospace comp... More

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. The firing was in preparation for the ninth milestone to be completed under SpaceX's funded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). SpaceX is working with CCP during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) in order to mature the design and development of its Dragon spacecraft with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. Eight SuperDracos would be built into the sidewalls of the Dragon capsule to carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch or ascent. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp. and United Launch Alliance (ULA). For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew KSC-2012-1209

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a...

MCGREGOR, Texas -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completes a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. T... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astronauts spoke to participants of the International Space University on the future of human spaceflight during a panel discussion at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Participating in the discussion from left, are Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana Winston Scott, dean of the College of Aeronautics at Florida Institute of Technology and former NASA astronaut Kent Rominger, vice president with Alliant Techsystems and former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, NASA astronaut currently on detail at Kennedy Space Center Jim Voss, director of advanced programs at Sierra Nevada Corporation and former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, senior engineer with SpaceX and former NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox, former NASA astronaut and Chiaki Mukai, a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut.    The International Space University is a nine-week intensive course designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the world. NASA Kennedy Space Center and the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., are co-hosting this year’s event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. There are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3754

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Current and former NASA and international astronauts spoke to participants of the International Space University on the future of human spaceflight during a panel discussion at the Kenned... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is lifted alongside the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3599

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A solid rocket motor for the Delta...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, is lifted alongside the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers monitor a second solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, as it is lifted into the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California beside the rocket's first stage.    SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3605

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers monitor a second solid roc...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers monitor a second solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, as it is lifted into the mobile service tower at... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers align the second stage of the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, on the rocket's first stage in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    Operations are underway to install the second stage atop the rocket's first stage. SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3617

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers align the second stage of ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers align the second stage of the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, on the rocket's first stage in the mobile service tower at Spa... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers inspect instrument and optics covers on NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California during a post-shipment inspection. The spacecraft was delivered to the launch site today from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4271

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers inspect instrument and opt...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers inspect instrument and optics covers on NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians inspect NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4284

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians inspect NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, s... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians remove a protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Robert Rasmison KSC-2014-4290

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians remove a protective covering from NASA's Soil Moisture ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Technicians connect NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to the Delta II payload attach structure in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The structure will secure the spacecraft to the rocket's second stage.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap.  Photo credit: NASA/Chris Wiant, U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1085

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Technicians connect NASA's Soil Mo...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Technicians connect NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to the Delta II payload attach structure in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenbe... More

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. On top, from left, are NASA Crew Survival Engineering Team Lead Dustin Gohmert, NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli and Lee Archambault, and SpaceX Mission Operations Engineer Laura Crabtree. On bottom, from left, are SpaceX Thermal Engineer Brenda Hernandez and NASA astronauts Rex Walheim and Tim Kopra. In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2012-1824

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out th...

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agen... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers remove the cover from the frustum, the last newly manufactured section of the Ares I-X test rocket.  Resembling a giant funnel, the frustum's function is to transition the primary flight loads from the rocket's upper stage to the first stage. The frustum is located between the forward skirt extension and the upper stage of the Ares I-X. Weighing in at approximately 13,000 pounds, the 10-foot-long section is composed of two aluminum rings attached to a truncated conic section. The large diameter of the cone is 18 feet and the small diameter is 12 feet. The cone is 1.25 inches thick. The frustum will be integrated with the forward skirt and forward skirt extension, which already are in the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility. That will complete the forward assembly. The assembly then will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking operations, which are scheduled to begin in April. Manufactured by Major Tool and Machine Inc. in Indiana under a subcontract with Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, the Ares I-X is targeted to launch in the summer of 2009. The flight will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I launch vehicle. The flight test also will bring NASA a step closer to its exploration goals of sending humans to the moon and destinations beyond.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-1749

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility of N...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers remove the cover from the frustum, the last newly manufactured section of the Ares I-X test rocket. Res... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad leaves four of the cars with Ares I-X segments at Suspect siding on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and continues on with the remaining car to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility.  The four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments will be delivered to Kennedy's  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-2230

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad leaves four of the cars with ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad leaves four of the cars with Ares I-X segments at Suspect siding on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and continues on with the remaining car to the Rotation, Proce... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad delivers the first Ares I-X segment to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four reusable motor segments and the nozzle exit cone, manufactured by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc.,  departed Utah March 12 on the seven-day, cross-country trip to Florida.  The segments are being delivered to Kennedy's  Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility for final processing and integration. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-2309

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad delivers the first Ares I-X s...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The NASA Railroad delivers the first Ares I-X segment to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four reusable motor segments and the nozzle... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to remove the cover from the end of the Ares I-X motor segment for propellant grain inspection of the interior. It is one of four reusable motor segments and nozzle exit cone shipped by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc. for final processing and integration in the facility. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming flight test this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-2317

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to remove the cover from the end of the Ares I-X motor segment for propellant... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rail car cover is removed from the first Ares I-X motor segment.  It is one of four reusable motor segments and nozzle exit cone shipped by the Ares I first-stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc. for final processing and integration in the facility. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming flight test this summer. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-2312

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rail car cover is removed from the first Ares I-X motor segment. It is one of four reusable ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) managers discuss an agreement that could accelerate the availability of U.S. commercial crew transportation capabilities with media representatives in the Press Site auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Ed Mango, Commercial Crew Program manager, NASA; Kent Rominger, vice president, Strategy and Business Development, ATK Aerospace; and John Schumacher, vice president, Space Programs, EADS North America.     The unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) through NASA's Commercial Crew Program will allow the agency and ATK to review and discuss Liberty system requirements, safety and certification plans, computational models of rocket stage performance, and avionics architecture designs. The agreement outlines key milestones including an Initial System Design review, during which ATK will present to NASA officials the Liberty systems level requirements, preliminary design, and certification process development. For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-6951

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) managers di...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) managers discuss an agreement that could accelerate the availability of U.S. commercial crew transportation capabilities with media representatives in ... More

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. On top, from left, are NASA Crew Survival Engineering Team Lead Dustin Gohmert, NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli and Eric Boe and SpaceX Mission Operations Engineer Laura Crabtree. On bottom, from left, are SpaceX Thermal Engineer Brenda Hernandez and NASA astronauts Rex Walheim and Tim Kopra. This is the second crew accommodation check that allowed passengers to get a feel for Dragon’s interior, including displays and simulated control panels.        In 2011, NASA selected SpaceX during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, The Boeing Co., Excalibur Almaz Inc., Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Space Exploration Technologies KSC-2012-2692

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out th...

HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- NASA astronauts and industry experts check out the crew accommodations in the Dragon spacecraft under development by Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for the agen... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A crane is enlisted to position a solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, beside the rocket's first stage in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3600

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A crane is enlisted to position a ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A crane is enlisted to position a solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, beside the rocket's first stage in the ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Solid rocket motor installation progresses on the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, with the attachment of the second motor to the rocket's first stage in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3607

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Solid rocket motor installation pr...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Solid rocket motor installation progresses on the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, with the attachment of the second motor to the roc... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers inside the mobile service tower use headsets to ensure communication with each other and their fellow workers outside the tower during operations to install the solid rocket motors on the first stage of the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-3608

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers inside the mobile service ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers inside the mobile service tower use headsets to ensure communication with each other and their fellow workers outside the tower during operations to install the solid... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Operations are underway to offload NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft from the truck that delivered it from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4238

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Operations are underway to offload...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Operations are underway to offload NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft from the truck that delivered it from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, C... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians begin processing of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4276

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians begin processing of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians wearing protective garb, monitor operations as a crane lifts a component of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-4282

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload proce...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians wearing protective garb, monitor operations as a crane ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Technicians connect NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to the Delta II payload attach structure in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The structure will secure the spacecraft to the rocket's second stage.    SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap.  Photo credit: NASA/Chris Wiant, U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1084

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Technicians connect NASA's Soil Mo...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Technicians connect NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to the Delta II payload attach structure in the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenbe... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a technician ensures the transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft is ready for its move to the launch pad.    SMAP will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap.  Photo credit: NASA/U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1089

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processin...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a technician ensures the transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Acti... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft has had the appropriate logos affixed to its transportation canister before its move to the launch pad.    SMAP will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap.  Photo credit: NASA/U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1093

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processin...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft has had the appropriate logo... More

CANOGA PARK, Calif. -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne hot-fires a launch abort engine for The Boeing Co., which is developing its CST-100 spacecraft for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Under its fixed-price contract with Boeing, Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne is combining its Attitude Control Propulsion System thrusters from heritage spaceflight programs, Bantam abort engine design and storable propellant engineering capabilities. In 2011, NASA selected Boeing of Houston during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 CCDev2) activities to mature the design and development of a crew transportation system with the overall goal of accelerating a United States-led capability to the International Space Station. The goal of CCP is to drive down the cost of space travel as well as open up space to more people than ever before by balancing industry’s own innovative capabilities with NASA's 50 years of human spaceflight experience. Six other aerospace companies also are maturing launch vehicle and spacecraft designs under CCDev2, including Alliant Techsystems Inc. ATK, Blue Origin, Excalibur Almaz Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp., Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance ULA. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Image credit: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne KSC-2012-1829

CANOGA PARK, Calif. -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne hot-fires a launch a...

CANOGA PARK, Calif. -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne hot-fires a launch abort engine for The Boeing Co., which is developing its CST-100 spacecraft for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Under its fixed-price contrac... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Alliant motor designated for Stage 3 of a Taurus rocket is weighed by Orbital Sciences workers in Building 1555 at Vandenberg AFB.  The Taurus will launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, in January 2009. The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program.  OCO will provide space-based observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal human-initiated driver of climate change. Mature technologies will be used to address NASA's highest priority carbon cycle measurement requirement.  NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory leads the OCO effort. Orbital Sciences Corporation is providing the Taurus launch vehicle; Hamilton Sundstrand Sensor Systems, the OCO spacecraft.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-08pd2046

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Alliant motor designated for S...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Alliant motor designated for Stage 3 of a Taurus rocket is weighed by Orbital Sciences workers in Building 1555 at Vandenberg AFB. The Taurus will launch the Orbiting Ca... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –  Alliant Techsystems Inc. workers at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., remove the protective outer shipping cover from the Ares I-X forward skirt after its arrival from Major Tool & Machine Inc. in Indiana. Major Tool is subcontractor to Ares I prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, in Utah. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide.  United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK,  will integrate and assemble the forward skirt components in the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida..  It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations.  Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-08pd3653

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Alliant Techsystems Inc. workers at Astrotech ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Alliant Techsystems Inc. workers at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., remove the protective outer shipping cover from the Ares I-X forward skirt after its arrival from Major Tool & Machine ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --  In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., with separation rings in place, workers begin to move apart segments of one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch.  The pins attaching the segments to each other are removed at the start. Each separation ring has three joints that help mold the ring around the segment and an air motor is used to rotate the rings to separate the segments. After disassembly, the segments will be sent to ATK (Alliant Techsystems) in Utah for final processing and return to Kennedy for another shuttle launch.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd3953

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., with se...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., with separation rings in place, workers begin to move apart segments of one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch. The pi... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --  In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., workers again remove separation rings from around segments of one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch.  The pins attaching the segments to each other are removed at the start. Each separation ring has three joints that help mold the ring around the segment and an air motor is used to rotate the rings to separate the segments. After disassembly, the segments will be sent to ATK (Alliant Techsystems) in Utah for final processing and return to Kennedy for another shuttle launch.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd3954

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., workers...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral, Fla., workers again remove separation rings from around segments of one of the retrieved solid rocket boosters from the STS-126 launch. The pins attachi... More

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