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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board look at a segment of a solid rocket booster in Hangar AF (the SRB Disassembly Facility). The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0384

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board look at a segment of a solid rocket booster in Hangar AF (the SRB Disassembly Facility). The board is visiting sites at KSC to ... More

AST-04-243 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Overexposed view of Clouds during Reentry

AST-04-243 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Ov...

The original database describes this as: Description: Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP),Overexposed view of Clouds during Reentry,Fireball. Image taken on Revolution 138. Original Film Magazine: CI-17,Laborator... More

AST-04-247 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Overexposed view during Reentry, Fireball

AST-04-247 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Ov...

The original database describes this as: Description: Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP),Overexposed view during Reentry,Fireball. Image taken on Revolution 138. Original Film Magazine: CI-17,Laboratory Roll 4; ... More

MSGT Ronald T. Brock briefs members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron on the removal of the last local Titan II reentry vehicle from site No. 570-5

MSGT Ronald T. Brock briefs members of the 390th Missile Maintenance S...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

SSGT David R. Puissegur works with other members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron to guide a Titan II reentry vehicle onto a trailer after its removal from a silo at site No. 570-5

SSGT David R. Puissegur works with other members of the 390th Missile ...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron cover a Titan II reentry vehicle after it was removed from a silo at site No. 570-5 and placed onto a trailer for transport

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron cover a Titan II ree...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

STS053-34-006 - STS-053 - Crewmembers in the middeck preparing for earth atmosphere reentry.

STS053-34-006 - STS-053 - Crewmembers in the middeck preparing for ear...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Mission Specialist Guion Bluford in the middeck, beside the middeck accommodations rack (MAR) wearing a launch entry suit, and preparing for earth atmos... More

STS061-31-025 - STS-061 - Thornton and Musgrave on the middeck prior to reentry

STS061-31-025 - STS-061 - Thornton and Musgrave on the middeck prior t...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-61 mission specialists Kathryn Thornton and Story Musgrave (both back to camera) are photographed in their Launch and Entry Suits (LES) on the Endea... More

STS069-351-021 - STS-069 - Views taken during reentry

STS069-351-021 - STS-069 - Views taken during reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Views taken from the side window during the reentry phase of the STS-69 mission include views of the waters edge during the approach. Subject Terms: CL... More

STS075-322-003 - STS-075 - STS-75 crew preparations for reentry

STS075-322-003 - STS-075 - STS-75 crew preparations for reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Pilot Scott Horowitz (right) and Payload specialist Umberto Guidoni prepare to don their orange launch and entry suits (LES) prior to reentry and return... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  In the Orbiter Processing Facility,  Jim Landy (left), NDE specialist with United Space Alliance (USA), prepares to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel using flash thermography.  Helping out, at right, is Dan Phillips, also with USA.  Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters,  the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Jim Landy (left), NDE specialist with United Space Alliance (USA), prepares to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel using flash thermograph... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance workers (left to right) Jim Landy, Paul Ogletree, Dan Kenna and Dan Phillips check results of flash thermography on the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel on the table (foreground).  Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters,  the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance workers (left to right) Jim Landy, Paul Ogletree, Dan Kenna and Dan Phillips check results of flash thermography on the Rei... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance workers share the task of examining  a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel using flash thermography.  From left are Dan Kenna, Jim Landy, Paul Ogletree and Dan Phillips.  Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters,  the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance workers share the task of examining a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel using flash thermography. From left are Dan Kenna, J... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  In the Orbiter Processing Facility, astronaut Scott E. Parazynski points to the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels used on the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters. With Parazynski are engineers from around the Agency who are working on improving the RCC panels used on the wing leading edge.  The gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, astronaut Scott E. Parazynski points to the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels used on the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters. With Parazynsk... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  In the Orbiter Processing Facility, astronaut Scott E. Parazynski discusses the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels used on the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters.  With him are engineers from around the Agency who are working on improving the RCC panels used on the wing leading edge. The gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, astronaut Scott E. Parazynski discusses the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels used on the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters. With him are ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA.  -  After being wrapped and secured on pallets, pieces of Columbia debris are loaded onto a truck to transport them to the shipping facility for travel to The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, Calif.  The pieces have been released for loan to the non-governmental agency for testing and research.  The Aerospace Corporation requested and will receive graphite/epoxy honeycomb skins from an Orbital Maneuvering System pod, Main Propulsion System Helium tanks, a Reaction Control System Helium tank and a Power Reactant Storage Distribution system tank. The company will use the parts to study re-entry effects on composite materials. NASA notified the Columbia crew’s families about the loan before releasing the items for study.  Researchers believe the testing will show how materials are expected to respond to various heating and loads' environments. The findings will help calibrate tools and models used to predict hazards to people and property from reentering hardware. The Aerospace Corporation will have the debris for one year to perform analyses to estimate maximum temperatures during reentry based upon the geometry and mass of the recovered composite.  Columbia’s debris is stored in the VAB. KSC-04pd1236

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After being wrapped and secured on pall...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After being wrapped and secured on pallets, pieces of Columbia debris are loaded onto a truck to transport them to the shipping facility for travel to The Aerospace Corporation in... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Jim Landy, NDE specialist with USA, looks closely at an area of a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel just examined using flash thermography. A relatively new procedure at KSC, thermography uses high intensity light to heat areas of the panels. The panels are then immediately scanned with an infrared camera. As the panels cool, any internal flaws are revealed. The gray carbon composite RCC panels are attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters.  They have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.  The panels will be installed on the orbiter Discovery, designated for the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114. KSC-04pd0450

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Jim Landy, NDE specialist with USA, look...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Jim Landy, NDE specialist with USA, looks closely at an area of a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel just examined using flash thermography. A relatively new procedure at KSC, thermogr... More

2.8% Ares I Acoustic Reentry Wind Tunnel Model in Ames 9X7ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel test-97-0193; model flying backwards in tunnel ARC-2008-ACD08-0266-019

2.8% Ares I Acoustic Reentry Wind Tunnel Model in Ames 9X7ft Supersoni...

2.8% Ares I Acoustic Reentry Wind Tunnel Model in Ames 9X7ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel test-97-0193; model flying backwards in tunnel

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –  The launch abort system for the Ares I-X rocket is moved inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The launch abort system joins the precisely machined, full-scale simulator crew module, which, together, will form the tip of the Ares I-X.  Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I.   The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1415

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The launch abort system for the Ares I-X rocke...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The launch abort system for the Ares I-X rocket is moved inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch abort system joins the p... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –  The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" is lifted by a crane to test the load capability.  The Birdcage will be used to lift the Crew Module, or CM, and Launch Abort System, or LAS, assembly for the Ares I-X rocket and to stack and de-stack the assembly from the Service Module/Spacecraft Adapter assembly.  It will also have the ability to lift and to stack and de-stack Stack-5  (all of the above components) from the Ares I-X in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I.   The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1422

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" i...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The lifting fixture nicknamed the "Birdcage" is lifted by a crane to test the load capability. The Birdcage will be used to lift the Crew Module, or CM, and Launch Abort System, or LAS,... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians prepare to perform a push test on an external tank door beneath space shuttle Atlantis.    Two umbilical doors, located on the shuttle's aft fuselage, close after external tank separation following launch. The test confirms that the door's actuators are functioning properly and that signals sent from the actuators correctly indicate that the doors have closed, creating the necessary thermal barrier for reentry.  Atlantis is next slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission.  The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module will be permanently attached to the Zarya module. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also are payloads on the flight.  Launch is targeted for May 14, 2010.  Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-2010-1071

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians prepare to perform a push test on an external tank door beneath space shuttle... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians verify the alignment of the test equipment that will be used to perform a push test on an external tank door on space shuttle Atlantis.    Two umbilical doors, located on the shuttle's aft fuselage, close after external tank separation following launch. The test confirms that the door's actuators are functioning properly and that signals sent from the actuators correctly indicate that the doors have closed, creating the necessary thermal barrier for reentry.  Atlantis is next slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission.  The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module will be permanently attached to the Zarya module. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also are payloads on the flight.  Launch is targeted for May 14, 2010.  Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-2010-1072

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians verify the alignment of the test equipment that will be used to perform a pus... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana helps mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To his right is Rachel Kraft, NASA Public Affairs Officer, and standing behind him is Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager. The crew module has been stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing cell. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft’s 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.    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 test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2958

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana helps ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana helps mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, inside the Operations and Checkout Building ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA astronauts Rex Walheim, left, and Doug Hurley helped mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, during a visit to the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Behind them the Orion crew module has been stacked on top of the service module in the Final Assembly and System Test cell. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft’s 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.    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 test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2971

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA astronauts Rex Walheim, left, and Doug Hur...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA astronauts Rex Walheim, left, and Doug Hurley helped mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, during a visit to the Operations ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module has been stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing cell in preparation for final system tests for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, prior to rolling out of the facility for integration with the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft’s 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.    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 test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2960

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Operations and Checkout Building hig...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module has been stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and Syst... More

Cygnus 2 reentry. NASA public domain image colelction.

Cygnus 2 reentry. NASA public domain image colelction.

ISS040-E-098592 (17 Aug. 2014) --- One of the Expedition 40 crew members aboard the International Space Station recorded this image of the Orbital Sciences Corporation's Cygnus cargo carrier spacecraft breaking... More

AST-04-238 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Overexposed view during Reentry

AST-04-238 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Ov...

The original database describes this as: Description: Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP),Overexposed view during Reentry. Image taken on Revolution 138. Original Film Magazine: CI-17,Laboratory Roll 4; Camera Da... More

A time exposure of eight Peacekeeper (LGM-118A) intercontinental ballistic missile reentry vehicles passing through clouds while approaching an open-ocean impact zone during a flight test

A time exposure of eight Peacekeeper (LGM-118A) intercontinental balli...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Country: Pacific Ocean (POC) Scene Camera Operator: Unknown Release Status: Released to Public Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files

STAFF Sergeant William F. Sarhage III, 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron, uses a communications headset to speak to technicians in a silo, during the removal of a Titan II reentry vehicle at site No. 570-5

STAFF Sergeant William F. Sarhage III, 390th Missile Maintenance Squad...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron use ropes to guide a Titan II reentry vehicle as it is lifted from its silo at site No. 570-5

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron use ropes to guide a...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron guide a reentry vehicle mating sling over a Titan II reentry vehicle, for its removal from a silo at site No. 570-5

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron guide a reentry vehi...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

Astronaut Charles Bolden in pilots station prior to entry

Astronaut Charles Bolden in pilots station prior to entry

61C-01-007 (12-17 Jan 1986)--- Astronaut Charles F. Bolden STS 61-C pilot, mans the pilot's station on Columbia's flight deck prior to re-entry.

STS075-322-020 - STS-075 - Jet firing prior to reentry

STS075-322-020 - STS-075 - Jet firing prior to reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: View of the reaction control system (RCS) jets firing prior to reentry. Subject Terms: ENGINES, IGNITION, REACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, STS-75, COLUMBIA (OR... More

STS-85 Payload Commander N. Jan Davis is assisted with her ascent/reentry flight suit by white room closeout crew members Dave Law (left) and Jack Burritt at Launch Pad 39A before she enters the crew cabin of the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery KSC-97PC1215

STS-85 Payload Commander N. Jan Davis is assisted with her ascent/reen...

STS-85 Payload Commander N. Jan Davis is assisted with her ascent/reentry flight suit by white room closeout crew members Dave Law (left) and Jack Burritt at Launch Pad 39A before she enters the crew cabin of t... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board are in the Orbiter Processing Facility to look over Space Shuttle Endeavour.  In the center (gesturing) is the chairman, Retired Navy Adm. Harold Gehman Jr.  The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0382

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board are in the Orbiter Processing Facility to look over Space Shuttle Endeavour. In the center (gesturing) is the chairman, Retire... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board are in the Vehicle Assembly Building to look over Space Shuttle Atlantis (behind them). The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0374

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Invest...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board are in the Vehicle Assembly Building to look over Space Shuttle Atlantis (behind them). The board is visiting sites at KSC to ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA.  -  In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), Scott Thurston (red shirt) stands by while a United Space Alliance worker (blue shirt) gets ready to start moving pieces of Columbia debris, such as the PRSD tank in front, for transfer to a shipping facility and delivery to The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, Calif.  Thurston is the Columbia debris coordinator.  The pieces have been released for loan to the non-governmental agency for testing and research.   The Aerospace Corporation requested and will receive graphite/epoxy honeycomb skins from an Orbital Maneuvering System pod, Main Propulsion System Helium tanks, a Reaction Control System Helium tank and a Power Reactant Storage Distribution system tank. The company will use the parts to study re-entry effects on composite materials. NASA notified the Columbia crew’s families about the loan before releasing the items for study.  Researchers believe the testing will show how materials are expected to respond to various heating and loads' environments. The findings will help calibrate tools and models used to predict hazards to people and property from reentering hardware. The Aerospace Corporation will have the debris for one year to perform analyses to estimate maximum temperatures during reentry based upon the geometry and mass of the recovered composite.  Columbia’s debris is stored in the VAB. KSC-04pd1229

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB),...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), Scott Thurston (red shirt) stands by while a United Space Alliance worker (blue shirt) gets ready to start moving pieces of Columbia debris... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA.  -  United Space Alliance workers begin packing pieces of Columbia debris for shipment to The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, Calif.   The pieces have been released for loan to the non-governmental agency for testing and research.   The Aerospace Corporation requested and will receive graphite/epoxy honeycomb skins from an Orbital Maneuvering System pod, Main Propulsion System Helium tanks, a Reaction Control System Helium tank and a Power Reactant Storage Distribution system tank. The company will use the parts to study re-entry effects on composite materials. NASA notified the Columbia crew’s families about the loan before releasing the items for study.  Researchers believe the testing will show how materials are expected to respond to various heating and loads' environments. The findings will help calibrate tools and models used to predict hazards to people and property from reentering hardware. The Aerospace Corporation will have the debris for one year to perform analyses to estimate maximum temperatures during reentry based upon the geometry and mass of the recovered composite.  Columbia’s debris is stored in the VAB. KSC-04pd1234

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance workers begin pac...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance workers begin packing pieces of Columbia debris for shipment to The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, Calif. The pieces have been released for loan to t... More

US Air Force (USAF) STAFF Sergeant (SSGT) Douglas Fuller, Nuclear Weapons SPECIALIST, 576th Flight Test Squadron (FLTS), holds a tag line connected to the Reentry System handling sling. This keeps the shroud under control during movement as a Peacekeeper shroud is installed for mission GT-33 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB), California (CA)

US Air Force (USAF) STAFF Sergeant (SSGT) Douglas Fuller, Nuclear Weap...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SRA Karolina Gmyrek, USAF Releas... More

[Hurricane Ike] Galveston, TX, September 23, 2008 -- Jaime Forero, FEMA Galveston Division Coordinator, speaks at a press conference with local, state and federal partners about the reentry of citizens into the area after Hurricane Ike.  Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

[Hurricane Ike] Galveston, TX, September 23, 2008 -- Jaime Forero, FEM...

Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside a C-5 aircraft, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The hardware consists of a precisely machined, full-scale simulator crew module and launch abort system to form the tip of NASA's Ares I-X rocket. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.    Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1400

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside a C-5 aircraft, hardware that will be us...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside a C-5 aircraft, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ha... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –   In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the newly arrived simulator crew module for the Ares I-X rocket rests on a work stand, surrounded by other segments stacked on the floor. Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I.  The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1440

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Buildin...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the newly arrived simulator crew module for the Ares I-X rocket rests on a work stand, surround... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers position the Ares I-X crew module mock-up onto a mock-up of the service module during a fit check of the hardware.  When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for future astronauts, and the service module’s main engine will be used to break out of lunar orbit for the return trip to Earth.  Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I launches. Targeted for the summer of 2009, the launch of the full-scale Ares I-X will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1664

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers position the Ares I-X crew module mock-up onto a mock-up of the service module during a fit check of... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians study the results of a push test performed on an external tank door on space shuttle Atlantis.    Two umbilical doors, located on the shuttle's aft fuselage, close after external tank separation following launch. The test confirms that the door's actuators are functioning properly and that signals sent from the actuators correctly indicate that the doors have closed, creating the necessary thermal barrier for reentry.  Atlantis is next slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission.  The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module will be permanently attached to the Zarya module. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also are payloads on the flight.  Launch is targeted for May 14, 2010.  Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-2010-1075

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians study the results of a push test performed on an external tank door on space ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media listen as NASA Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer marks the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, in the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To his right is Kennedy Director Bob Cabana. Partially hidden behind him is NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. To his left is Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager, and Rachel Kraft, NASA Public Affairs Officer.  Behind them is the crew module stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing cell. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft’s 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.    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 test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2964

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media listen as NASA Orion Progr...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media listen as NASA Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer marks the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, in the Operations and... More

Shadowgraph Images of Re-entry Vehicles

Shadowgraph Images of Re-entry Vehicles

These four shadowgraph images represent early re-entry vehicle concepts. A shadowgraph is a process that makes visible the disturbances that occur in a fluid flow at high velocity, in which light passing throug... More

Solid Rocket Booster - Space Shuttle Projects

Solid Rocket Booster - Space Shuttle Projects

The right solid rocket booster (SRB) for the STS-5 mission, with one chute opened, falls after its separation from the external tank (ET). This view was photographed from a Cast Glance aircraft. After impact to... More

Airmen make final checks after assembling a reentry vehicle mating sling to be used for the removal of a Titan II reentry vehicle at site No. 570-5. They are assigned to the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron

Airmen make final checks after assembling a reentry vehicle mating sli...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

41C-14-530 - STS-41C - View of flight deck during reentry

41C-14-530 - STS-41C - View of flight deck during reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Underexposed views of the forward flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger during its reentry at the end of its mission. Subject Terms: ASTRONAUTS, ... More

STS069-351-013 - STS-069 - Views taken during reentry

STS069-351-013 - STS-069 - Views taken during reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Views taken from the side window during the reentry phase of the STS-69 mission include views of the runway during the approach. Subject Terms: CLOUDS,... More

STS069-351-018 - STS-069 - Views taken during reentry

STS069-351-018 - STS-069 - Views taken during reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Views taken from the side window during the reentry phase of the STS-69 mission include views of the runway during the approach. Subject Terms: CLOUDS,... More

STS079-369-003 - STS-079 - Astronaut Lucid tries out recumbent seat before reentry

STS079-369-003 - STS-079 - Astronaut Lucid tries out recumbent seat be...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-79 View of Lucid strapped into the recumbent seat on the middeck. Subject Terms: ASTRONAUTS, MIDDECK, ONBOARD ACTIVITIES, SEATS, STS-79, ATLANTIS (... More

STS079-366-004 - STS-079 - Astronaut Shannon Lucid in her recumbent seat for reentry

STS079-366-004 - STS-079 - Astronaut Shannon Lucid in her recumbent se...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Astronaut Lucid, in her liquid cooling and ventilation garment (LCVG) strapped into her recumbent seat on the middeck. Subject Terms: SEATS, MIDDECK, O... More

STS075-322-018 - STS-075 - Jet firing prior to reentry

STS075-322-018 - STS-075 - Jet firing prior to reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: View of the reaction control system (RCS) jets firing prior to reentry. Subject Terms: ENGINES, IGNITION, REACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, STS-75, COLUMBIA (OR... More

STS075-322-006 - STS-075 - STS-75 crew preparations for reentry

STS075-322-006 - STS-075 - STS-75 crew preparations for reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Payload specialist Umberto Guidoni, wearing his orange Launch and Entry Suit (LES) and communication carrier assembly (CCA) reaches for his helmet on t... More

STS-85 Payload Commander N. Jan Davis gives a thumbs up as she is assisted with her ascent/reentry flight suit in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. She has logged nearly 400 hours in space on the STS-47 and STS-60 missions and holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering. Davis will have overall responsibility for the experiments conducted on STS-85. She will also deploy and retrieve the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the AtmosphereShuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) free-flyer and operate the prototype Japanese robotic arm. The primary payload aboard the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery is the CRISTA-SPAS-2. Other payloads on the 11-day mission include the Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD), and Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) experiments KSC-97PC1199

STS-85 Payload Commander N. Jan Davis gives a thumbs up as she is assi...

STS-85 Payload Commander N. Jan Davis gives a thumbs up as she is assisted with her ascent/reentry flight suit in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. She has logged nearly 400 hours in space on the STS-... More

STS-85 Mission Specialist Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. looks down at his glove as a suit technician helps him with the other as he undergoes suitup in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. He is a lieutenant commander in the Navy and is a former radar intercept officer. Curbeam holds a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering and was selected as an astronaut in 1994. On TS-85, Curbeam will serve as the expert for the operation of the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) free-flyer, Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) and science, and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 payloads. He will also serve as the flight engineer during ascent and reentry operations KSC-97PC1196

STS-85 Mission Specialist Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. looks down at his glo...

STS-85 Mission Specialist Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. looks down at his glove as a suit technician helps him with the other as he undergoes suitup in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. He is a lieutenant co... More

STS103-353-020 - STS-103 - Various views of the STS-103 crew on the middeck preparing for reentry

STS103-353-020 - STS-103 - Various views of the STS-103 crew on the mi...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: View of the STS-103 crew on the Discovery's middeck as they prepare for return from orbit including: Mission specialist Steven Smith (red shirt) is phot... More

STS103-353-022 - STS-103 - Various on the middeck preparing for reentry

STS103-353-022 - STS-103 - Various on the middeck preparing for reentr...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: View taken by STS-103 crew on the Discovery's middeck as they prepare for return from orbit including: Dark views of LES hanging on the middeck. Subjec... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr. (second from left), chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, and other members of the board are given a guided tour around Space Shuttle Discovery as it undergoes its Orbiter Major Modification Period. Gehman and other members of the board are visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0364

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr....

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr. (second from left), chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, and other members of the board are given a guided tour around Sp... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr. (right), chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, and other members of the board are given a guided tour around Space Shuttle Endeavour as it undergoes processing in an Orbiter Processing Facility bay. Gehman and other members of the board are visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0356

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr....

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr. (right), chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, and other members of the board are given a guided tour around Space Shuttle... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board look over Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Vehicle Assembly Building.  The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0368

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board look over Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  Dr. James Hallock looks over a portion of a solid rocket booster in the Hangar AF (the SRB Disassembly Facility).  He is a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board that is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0385

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Dr. James Hallock looks over a portion ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Dr. James Hallock looks over a portion of a solid rocket booster in the Hangar AF (the SRB Disassembly Facility). He is a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board that... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board learn about the work done in Hangar AF (the SRB Disassembly Facility).  Sections of solid rocket boosters surround them.  The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0386

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Invest...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board learn about the work done in Hangar AF (the SRB Disassembly Facility). Sections of solid rocket boosters surround them. The ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board look at one of the solid rocket boosters on Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0373

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Invest...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board look at one of the solid rocket boosters on Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The board is visiting sit... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -   Billy Witt, a midbody shop mechanic with United Space Alliance, checks a part used for installation of a Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) panel to the leading edge of the wing of an orbiter.  Above him is an RCC panel just installed on Atlantis.  The gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Billy Witt, a midbody shop mechanic wit...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Billy Witt, a midbody shop mechanic with United Space Alliance, checks a part used for installation of a Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) panel to the leading edge of the wing of an... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance worker Dan Kenna (right) positions a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel on the table to perform flash thermography.  In the background, Paul Ogletree observes the monitor.  Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters,  the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance worker Dan Kenna (right) positions a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel on the table to perform flash thermography. In the ba... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  While Jay Beason (left), with United Space Alliance,  looks on, Jeremy Schwarz (front) and Tom Summers (behind), also with USA, place new tiles on the heat shield of main engine 1 for the orbiter Discovery.  A heat shield is a protective layer on a spacecraft designed to protect it from the high temperatures, usually those that result from aerobraking during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - While Jay Beason (left), with United Spa...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - While Jay Beason (left), with United Space Alliance, looks on, Jeremy Schwarz (front) and Tom Summers (behind), also with USA, place new tiles on the heat shield of main engine 1 ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Dan Phillips (left) and Donald Nielen, with United Space Alliance, watch a monitor as  Jim Landy, NDE specialist with USA, prepares to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel (on the table, center) using flash thermography.  A relatively new procedure at KSC, thermography uses high intensity light to heat areas of the panels. The panels are then immediately scanned with an infrared camera. As the panels cool, any internal flaws are revealed. The gray carbon composite RCC panels are attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters.  They have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.  The panels will be installed on the orbiter Discovery, designated  for the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dan Phillips (left) and Donald Nielen, w...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dan Phillips (left) and Donald Nielen, with United Space Alliance, watch a monitor as Jim Landy, NDE specialist with USA, prepares to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel (on ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers lower the Ares I-X crew module mock-up onto a mock-up of the service module during a fit check of the hardware.  When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for future astronauts, and the service module’s main engine will be used to break out of lunar orbit for the return trip to Earth.  Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I launches. Targeted for the summer of 2009, the launch of the full-scale Ares I-X will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1663

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers lower the Ares I-X crew module mock-up onto a mock-up of the service module during a fit check of th... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane removes the Ares I-X crew module simulator from the service module beneath.  Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I.   The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 327-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts.  Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2009-1865

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane removes the Ares I-X crew module simulator from the service module beneath. Ares I-X is ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X crew/service module simulator (center right) is being moved following a fit check.  Next to it are Ares I-X segments  stacked.  In the foreground is a launch abort system that, with the module, will form the tip of the rocket.  Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I.   The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 327-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts.  Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2009-1864

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X crew/service module simulator (center right) is being moved following a fit check. ... More

ATV reentry. NASA public domain image colelction.

ATV reentry. NASA public domain image colelction.

ISS033-E-009232 (3 Oct. 2012) --- This still photo taken by the Expedition 33 crew members aboard the International Space Station shows evidence of the fiery plunge through Earth?s atmosphere and the destructiv... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager, at right, helps mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view behind him is the crew module stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing cell. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft’s 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.    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 test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2959

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin Orion Program ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager, at right, helps mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, inside the Operatio... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module has been stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing cell. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden spoke to the media during an event to mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1. The flight test will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft’s 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.    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 test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2966

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Operations and Checkout Building hig...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module has been stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and Syst... More

The Gemini 12 astronauts James Lovell and Edwin Aldrin lifted off aboard a Titan launch vehicle from the Kennedy Space Center on November 11, 1966, an hour and a half after their Agena target vehicle was orbited by an Atlas rocket. Launched atop an Atlas booster, the Agena target vehicle (ATV) was a spacecraft used by NASA to develop and practice orbital space rendezvous and docking techniques in preparation for the Apollo program lunar missions. The objective was for Agena and Gemini to rendezvous in space and practice docking procedures. An intermediate step between Project Mercury and the Apollo Program, the Gemini Program's major objectives were to subject two men and supporting equipment to long duration flights, to perfect rendezvous and docking with other orbiting vehicles, methods of reentry, and landing of the spacecraft. n/a

The Gemini 12 astronauts James Lovell and Edwin Aldrin lifted off aboa...

The Gemini 12 astronauts James Lovell and Edwin Aldrin lifted off aboard a Titan launch vehicle from the Kennedy Space Center on November 11, 1966, an hour and a half after their Agena target vehicle was orbite... More

Apollo 8 reentry photograph, NASA Apollo program

Apollo 8 reentry photograph, NASA Apollo program

S69-15592 (27 Dec. 1968) --- This Apollo 8 re-entry photograph was taken by U.S. Air Force Airborne Lightweight Optical Tracking System (ALOTS) camera mounted on a KC-135-A aircraft flown at 40,000 feet altitud... More

AST-04-234 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Overexposed view of Clouds during Reentry

AST-04-234 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Ov...

The original database describes this as: Description: Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP),Overexposed, view of Clouds during Reentry, Fireball. Image taken on Revolution 138. Original Film Magazine: CI-17,Labora... More

AST-04-235 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Overexposed view during Reentry

AST-04-235 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Ov...

The original database describes this as: Description: Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), Overexposed view during Reentry. Image taken on Revolution 138. Original Film Magazine: CI-17,Laboratory Roll 4; Camera D... More

This diagram illustrates the Space Shuttle mission sequence. The Space Shuttle was approved as a national program in 1972 and developed through the 1970s. Part spacecraft and part aircraft, the Space Shuttle orbiter, the brain and the heart of the Space Transportation System (STS), required several technological advances, including thousands of insulating tiles able to stand the heat of reentry over the course of many missions, as well as sophisticated engines that could be used again and again without being thrown away. The airplane-like orbiter has three main engines, that burn liquid hydrogen and oxygen stored in the large external tank, the single largest structure in the Shuttle. Attached to the tank are two solid rocket boosters that provide the vehecile with most of the thrust needed for liftoff. Two minutes into the flight, the spent solids drop into the ocean to be recovered and refurbished for reuse, while the orbiter engines continue burning until approximately 8 minutes into the flight. After the mission is completed, the orbiter lands on a runway like an airplane. n/a

This diagram illustrates the Space Shuttle mission sequence. The Space...

This diagram illustrates the Space Shuttle mission sequence. The Space Shuttle was approved as a national program in 1972 and developed through the 1970s. Part spacecraft and part aircraft, the Space Shuttle or... More

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron raise a nitrogen tank/pneumatic winch assembly over a reentry vehicle mating sling in preparation for the removal of a Titan II reentry vehicle at site No. 570-5

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron raise a nitrogen tan...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron guide a Titan II reentry vehicle onto a trailer after its removal from a silo at site No. 570-5

Members of the 390th Missile Maintenance Squadron guide a Titan II ree...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Dean M. Fox Release Status:... More

Members of the 381st Strategic Missile Wing cover a Titan II reentry vehicle before it is transported by a trailer back to the base. This is the first Titan II missile to be deactivated at McConnell

Members of the 381st Strategic Missile Wing cover a Titan II reentry v...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Mcconnell Air Force Base State: Kansas (KS) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: MSGT Deal Toney Release Status: Relea... More

STS069-351-017 - STS-069 - Views taken during reentry

STS069-351-017 - STS-069 - Views taken during reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: Views taken from the side window during the reentry phase of the STS-69 mission include views of the runway during the approach. Subject Terms: CLOUDS,... More

STS075-322-009 - STS-075 - Jet firing prior to reentry

STS075-322-009 - STS-075 - Jet firing prior to reentry

The original finding aid described this as: Description: View of the reaction control system (RCS) jets firing prior to reentry. Subject Terms: ENGINES, IGNITION, REACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, STS-75, COLUMBIA (OR... More

STS079-366-006 - STS-079 - STS-79 crew on flight deck in preparation for reentry

STS079-366-006 - STS-079 - STS-79 crew on flight deck in preparation f...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-79 Mission specialist Tom Akers (foreground) and his crewmates, all in their LCVG's, work on the forward flight deck. Subject Terms: ASTRONAUTS, FL... More

STS-91 Mission Specialist and Russian cosmonaut Valery Victorovitch Ryumin is outfitted with his ascent/reentry flight suit and helmet by two suit technicians in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. The final suit fitting and checkout takes place prior to the crew walkout and transport to Launch Pad 39A. He has been director of the Russian Shuttle-Mir program and flight director for the Salyut-7 and Mir space stations and is a veteran of three space flights with a total of 362 days in space. This will be Ryumin’s first visit to Mir. However, his experience with Russian spacecraft in orbit will prove extremely valuable as he helps the crew with Mir equipment transfer operations. He will also be assessing the condition of the station for the Russian space program. STS-91 is scheduled to be launched on June 2 with a launch window opening around 6:10 p.m. EDT. The mission will feature the ninth and final Shuttle docking with the Russian space station Mir, the first Mir docking for Discovery, the first on-orbit test of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), and the first flight of the new Space Shuttle super lightweight external tank. Astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas will return to Earth as a STS91 crew member after living more than four months aboard Mir KSC-98pc677

STS-91 Mission Specialist and Russian cosmonaut Valery Victorovitch Ry...

STS-91 Mission Specialist and Russian cosmonaut Valery Victorovitch Ryumin is outfitted with his ascent/reentry flight suit and helmet by two suit technicians in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. The ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  Members of the Columbia Accident Board look over Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Vehicle Assembly Building.   At right is Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr., chairman of the board.   The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements. The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0367

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Board ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Board look over Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Vehicle Assembly Building. At right is Retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr., chairman of the ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board look intently at some equipment in the Orbiter Processing Facility.  In the center is Retired Navy Adm. Harold Gehman Jr., who is chairman of the board. The board is visiting sites at KSC to become familiar with the Shuttle launch process and elements.   The independent board is charged with determining what caused the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member crew on Feb. 1 during reentry. KSC-03pd0379

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board look intently at some equipment in the Orbiter Processing Facility. In the center is Retired Navy Adm. Harold Gehman Jr., who ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Jerry Belt, with United Space Alliance, checks a spar attachment on the wing of the orbiter Atlantis before installing Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) panels on the wing.  The spars - floating joints - reduce loading on the panels caused by wing deflections.  The gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Jerry Belt, with United Space Alliance, checks a spar attachment on the wing of the orbiter Atlantis before installing Reinforced Carbon Carbon (... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance employee Anthony Simmons checks the electroweld he performed on an insulator inside a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel.   The gray carbon composite RCC panels are attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance employee Anthony Si...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance employee Anthony Simmons checks the electroweld he performed on an insulator inside a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel. The gray carbon composite RCC panels ar... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  United Space Alliance employee Anthony Simmons electrowelds a crack formed in the insulator inside a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel.   The gray carbon composite RCC panels are attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot.  The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance employee Anthony S...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - United Space Alliance employee Anthony Simmons electrowelds a crack formed in the insulator inside a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel. The gray carbon composite RCC panels are atta... More

Nuclear Weapons Specialists of the 576th Flight Test Squadron (FLTS), lower a shroud over the Reentry Vehicles and down to be attached to the Deployment Module during a Peacekeeper shroud installation for mission GT-33 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB), California (CA)

Nuclear Weapons Specialists of the 576th Flight Test Squadron (FLTS), ...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: SRA Karolina Gmyrek, USAF Releas... More

[Hurricane Ike] Galveston, TX, September 23, 2008 -- Marty Bahamonde, FEMA National Spokesperson, speaks at a press conference with local, state and federal partners about the reentry of citizens into the area after Hurricane Ike.  Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

[Hurricane Ike] Galveston, TX, September 23, 2008 -- Marty Bahamonde, ...

Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The simulator crew module for NASA's Ares I-X rocket is moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.   The precisely machined, full-scale simulator crew module is part of the hardware that will be used in the launch of the rocket. Also arriving is a launch abort system that, with the module, will form the tip of the rocket.  Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I.   The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1412

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The simulator crew module for NASA's Ares I-X r...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The simulator crew module for NASA's Ares I-X rocket is moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The precisely machined, full-sca... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded from the C-5 aircraft. The hardware consists of a precisely machined, full-scale simulator crew module and launch abort system to form the tip of NASA's Ares I-X rocket. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.    Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1401

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded from the C-5 aircraft. The ha... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –   In the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the protective blue cover is removed from the simulator crew module for the Ares I-X rocket. The precisely machined, full-scale simulator crew module is part of the hardware that will be used in the launch of the rocket. Also arriving is a launch abort system that, with the module, will form the tip of the rocket. Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I.   The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.   Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1417

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 4...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the protective blue cover is removed from the simulator crew module for the Ares I-X rocket. The... More

A plaque presented to Harvey Allen in recognition of his outstanding solution of the reentry heating problem which has been indispensable to the design of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft  (Manned Spacecraft Center, November 14, 1968) Plaque contains samples of tested materials and models of spacecraft. ARC-2009-ACD09-0141-006

A plaque presented to Harvey Allen in recognition of his outstanding s...

A plaque presented to Harvey Allen in recognition of his outstanding solution of the reentry heating problem which has been indispensable to the design of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft (Manned Spa... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media listen as NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden marks the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, during a visit to the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To his right is Kennedy Director Bob Cabana. To his left are Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager, and Mark Geyer, NASA Orion Program manager. Behind them is the crew module stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing cell. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft’s 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.    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 test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2962

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media listen as NASA Administrat...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media listen as NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden marks the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, during a visit to the Ope... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Rex Walheim look at the Orion crew module stacked on top of the service module in the Final Assembly and System Test cell inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An event was held to mark the T-6 months and counting to the launch of Orion on Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1. The flight test will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of reentry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft’s 20,000-mph reentry from space. Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions.    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 test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including the heat shield, parachute system and launch abort system. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2968

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Rex Walh...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Rex Walheim look at the Orion crew module stacked on top of the service module in the Final Assembly and System Test cell inside the Operations and ... More

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