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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The light from engine ignition is reflected in the water near Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as a Delta IV rocket clears the tower with the GOES-O satellite aboard. Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT. The first attempt to launch GOES-O, on June 26, was scrubbed due to thunderstorms in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral. The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Each of the GOES satellites continuously provides observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. Photo credit: NASA/Tom Farrar, Sandy Joseph KSC-2009-3871

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The light from engine ignition is reflected in ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The light from engine ignition is reflected in the water near Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as a Delta IV rocket clears the tower with the GOES-O satell... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – With smoke and steam rolling across the launch pad, a Delta IV rocket races into the sky with the GOES-O satellite aboard. Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The first attempt to launch GOES-O, on June 26, was scrubbed due to thunderstorms in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral. The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Each of the GOES satellites continuously provides observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-3854

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – With smoke and steam rolling across the launch ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – With smoke and steam rolling across the launch pad, a Delta IV rocket races into the sky with the GOES-O satellite aboard. Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Can... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lifts Super Stack 2, part of the Ares I-X upper stage. The stack is being moved across the transfer aisle for attachment to Super Stack 1 in High Bay 3. Beneath is seen Super Stack 3 and at left is the crew module-launch abort system, or CM-LAS, and simulator service module-service adapter stack. The upper stage comprises five super stacks, which are integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2009-4441

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 a...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lifts Super Stack 2, part of the Ares I-X upper stage. The stack is being moved across t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is attached to the Ares I-X Super Stack 4. The stack will be lifted and moved to High Bay 3 for integration with Super Stack 3. Five super stacks make up the upper stage that will be integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2009-4593

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 a...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is attached to the Ares I-X Super Stack 4. The stack will be lifted and moved to High Bay... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3, a worker watches as a crane lowers the Ares I-X Super Stack 4 for integration with Super Stack 3. Five super stacks make up the upper stage that will be integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2009-4602

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3, ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3, a worker watches as a crane lowers the Ares I-X Super Stack 4 for integration with Super Stack 3. Five super stacks make up the upper stage... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4, assembly of the Ares I-X rocket nears completion. The yellow framework, nicknamed the "birdcage," lifts Super Stack 5 through an opening at the 16th floor crossover into the transfer aisle. The stack will be positioned on top of the segments already in place on the mobile launcher platform in High Bay 3, completing assembly of the 327-foot-tall rocket. Five super stacks make up the rocket's upper stage that is integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2009-4659

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4, ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4, assembly of the Ares I-X rocket nears completion. The yellow framework, nicknamed the "birdcage," lifts Super Stack 5 through an opening at ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Water at left is seen flooding Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying the Space Tracking and Surveillance System - Demonstrator, or STSS-Demo, spacecraft lifts off. STSS-Demo was launched at 8:20:22 a.m. EDT by NASA for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The STSS-Demo is a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detecting, tracking and discriminating ballistic missiles. STSS is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph- Kevin O'Connell KSC-2009-5224

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Water at left is seen flooding Launch Pad 17-B ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Water at left is seen flooding Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying the Space Tracking and Surveillance System - Demo... More

Expedition 21 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 21 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Launch scaffolding is raised into place around the Soyuz rocket shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the cre... More

Expedition 21 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 21 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Photojournalists photograph the Soyuz rocket as it is rolled out to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 21 an... More

Expedition 21 Launches. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 21 Launches. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-16 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 carrying Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev and Spaceflight Partici... More

Expedition 21 Launches. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 21 Launches. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-16 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 carrying Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev and Spaceflight Partici... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - At Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the interstage of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket for launch of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, is in place on top of the rocket's first stage in the pad's mobile service tower. WISE will survey the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, creating a cosmic clearinghouse of hundreds of millions of objects which will be catalogued and provide a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. Launch is scheduled for Dec. 7. For additional information, visit http://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Roy Allison, VAFB KSC-2009-5880

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - At Space Launch Complex 2 at Vande...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - At Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the interstage of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket for launch of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Su... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage of the Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, awaits processing in the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center hangar on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It was delivered on Oct. 27. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010. For information on SDO, visit http://www.nasa.gov/sdo. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-6447

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage of the Atlas V rocket slated to...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage of the Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, awaits processing in the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center hangar on Cape Canaveral Air... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Nozzle extension deployment system testing on the second stage of a Delta IV rocket has been completed in a test cell in the hangar of the Delta Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket is slated to launch GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Next, the second stage will be transported to the Horizontal Integration Facility where it will be inspected and prepared for mating with the Delta IV rocket's first stage. GOES-P, a meteorological satellite, is designed to watch for storm development and observed current weather conditions on Earth. Launch of GOES-P is scheduled for no earlier than Feb. 25, 2010, from Launch Complex 37. For information on GOES-P, visit http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/spacecraft/n_p_spacecraft.html. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson KSC-2009-6779

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Nozzle extension deployment system testing on t...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Nozzle extension deployment system testing on the second stage of a Delta IV rocket has been completed in a test cell in the hangar of the Delta Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Fo... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Centaur upper stage for the Atlas V rocket scheduled to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is lifted from its transporter at Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V is scheduled for 10:53 a.m. EST on Feb. 3, 2010. For information on SDO, visit http://www.nasa.gov/sdo. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-2009-6905

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Centaur upper stage for the Atlas V rocket ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Centaur upper stage for the Atlas V rocket scheduled to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is lifted from its transporter at Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air For... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Centaur upper stage for the Atlas V rocket scheduled to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, begins its lift into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V is scheduled for 10:53 a.m. EST on Feb. 3, 2010. For information on SDO, visit http://www.nasa.gov/sdo. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-2009-6907

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Centaur upper stage for the Atlas V rocket ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Centaur upper stage for the Atlas V rocket scheduled to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, begins its lift into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41 o... More

Expedition 22 Launch Day. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 22 Launch Day. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-17 rocket is seen several hours before its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. The Soyuz rocket will carry Expedition 22 NASA Flight Engineer Timothy J. Cr... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the core stage of a Delta IV rocket is nearly upright as operations proceed to place it in the mobile service tower. The rocket's first stage mated to its second stage comprise the core stage. The rocket is slated to launch GOES-P, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The Delta IV rocket will be launched by United Launch Alliance for Boeing Launch Services under an FAA commercial license. Launch is targeted for no earlier than March 1. For information on GOES-P, visit http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/spacecraft/n_p_spacecraft.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2010-1222

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Forc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the core stage of a Delta IV rocket is nearly upright as operations proceed to place it in the mobile service tower. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first of two solid rocket boosters for the Delta IV rocket slated to launch NASA's GOES-P meteorological satellite arrives at the pad. GOES-P is the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The Delta IV rocket will be launched by United Launch Alliance for Boeing Launch Services under an FAA commercial license. Launch is targeted for no earlier than March 1. For information on GOES-P, visit http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/spacecraft/n_p_spacecraft.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2010-1259

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Forc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first of two solid rocket boosters for the Delta IV rocket slated to launch NASA's GOES-P meteorological satellite... More

Expedition 23 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 23 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March, 31, 2010. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Al... More

Expedition 23 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 23 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March, 31, 2010. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Ale... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket arrives at Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Once assembled, it will be a two-stage fully integrated launch vehicle, consisting of a first stage powered by nine SpaceX-developed Merlin 1C engines, a second stage, an interstage, an unpressurized trunk and the Dragon spacecraft qualification unit. SpaceX was awarded procurement for three demonstration flights under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program managed by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. A subsequent contract for Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS, was awarded in late 2008 to resupply the International Space Station. The SpaceX CRS contract provides for 12 missions to resupply the station from 2011 through 2015. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-2010-4339

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket arrives at Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Once assembled, it will be a two-stage fully integrated launch ... More

Expedition 25 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 25 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft is raised into vertical position at the launch pad of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010. The TMA-01M is a new modified Soyuz vehicle that features upgraded ... More

BOULDER, Colo. – A Sierra Nevada Corp. team member examines the company's structural test article for the Dream Chaser spacecraft in the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Facility for Advanced Spatial Technology. The university is one of Sierra Nevada’s partners on the design and development of the Dream Chaser orbital crew vehicle. Dream Chaser is one of five systems NASA invested in during Commercial Crew Development Round 1 CCDev1 activities in order to aid in the innovation and development of American-led commercial capabilities for crew transportation and rescue services to and from the International Space Station and other low Earth orbit destinations. In 2011, NASA's Commercial Crew Program CCP entered into another funded Space Act Agreement with Sierra Nevada for the second round of commercial crew development CCDev2) so the company could further develop its Dream Chaser spacecraft for NASA transportation services. For information about CCP, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Photo credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. KSC-2012-1014

BOULDER, Colo. – A Sierra Nevada Corp. team member examines the compan...

BOULDER, Colo. – A Sierra Nevada Corp. team member examines the company's structural test article for the Dream Chaser spacecraft in the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Facility for Advanced Spatial Technol... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket awaits a static fire test on Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in which all nine Merlin engines will fire at once. The engines use rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen to produce 1 million pounds of thrust. After the test, SpaceX will conduct a thorough review of all data as engineers make final preparations for the first launch of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Dragon spacecraft to low Earth orbit atop the Falcon 9. This first stage firing is part of a full launch dress rehearsal, which will end after the engines fire at full power for two seconds, with only the hold-down system restraining the rocket from flight. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O'Connell KSC-2010-5772

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket awaits a static fir...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket awaits a static fire test on Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in which all nine Merlin engines will fire at once. The engines use r... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Stage 0 motor of the Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL is moved into launch position on Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. As part of the four-stage Taurus XL rocket that will carry NASA's Glory spacecraft into low Earth orbit, stages 1, 2 and 3 will join Stage 0 at the launch pad about a week later. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 5:09 a.m. EST Feb. 23. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Don Kosoksa, VAFB KSC-2011-1171

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Stage 0 motor of the Orbital ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Stage 0 motor of the Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL is moved into launch position on Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. As part of ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Taurus XL rocket's Stage 3 motor is on a stationary rail in a temporary processing tent near the pad at Space Launch Complex 576-E. Orbital Sciences' Taurus XL is a four-stage rocket that will carry NASA's Glory spacecraft into low Earth orbit. In early February, the spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the pad, where it will be attached to the third stage and then stacked atop the remaining stages. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 5:09 a.m. EST Feb. 23. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2011-1248

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in C...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Taurus XL rocket's Stage 3 motor is on a stationary rail in a temporary processing tent near the pad at Space Launch Complex ... More

Ariane 5 Rocket. NASA public domain image colelction.

Ariane 5 Rocket. NASA public domain image colelction.

ISS026-E-027267 (16 Feb. 2011) --- The Expedition 26 crew member aboard the International Space Station who snapped this photograph of the Ariane 5 rocket, barely visible in the far background, just after lift ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- On Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Taurus XL rocket is in its launch configuration. The upper stack, consisting of Stages 1, 2 and 3, as well as the encapsulated Glory spacecraft, is attached to an interstage and Stage 0 at the launch pad. The umbilical tower attached to the upper stack will fall away from the spacecraft during liftoff. The Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket will launch Glory into low Earth orbit. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 5:09 a.m. EST Feb. 23. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2011-1557

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- On Space Launch Complex 576-E at ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- On Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Taurus XL rocket is in its launch configuration. The upper stack, consisting of Stages 1, 2 and... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden addresses the audience during a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch site of the first U.S. manned spaceflight May 5, 1961, to mark the 50th anniversary of the flight. Fifty years ago, astronaut Alan Shepard lifted off inside the Mercury capsule, "Freedom 7," atop an 82-foot-tall Mercury-Redstone rocket at 9:34 a.m. EST, sending him on a remarkably successful, 15-minute suborbital flight. The event was attended by more than 200 workers from the original Mercury program and included a re-creation of Shepard's flight and recovery, as well as a tribute to his contributions as a moonwalker on the Apollo 14 lunar mission. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/topics/history/milestones/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-3328

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden addresses th...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden addresses the audience during a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch sit... More

Apollo Landing Rocket System - drop II at MSC

Apollo Landing Rocket System - drop II at MSC

Apollo Landing Rocket System - drop II at MSC NASA Identifier: S65-27434

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, secured inside its payload transportation canister, has been delivered to NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. There, the spacecraft will be integrated to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for the targeted June liftoff. Aquarius, the NASA-built instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft, will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB KSC-2011-3858

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, se...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, secured inside its payload transportation canister, has been delivered to NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base i... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, secured inside its payload transportation canister, is being transferred to NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. There, the spacecraft will be integrated to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for the targeted June liftoff. Aquarius, the NASA-built instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft, will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB KSC-2011-3854

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, se...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, secured inside its payload transportation canister, is being transferred to NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers are loading the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Juno spacecraft onto a transporter. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-3979

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers are loading the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Juno spacecraft... More

Expedition 28 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 28 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

The upper stage of the Soyuz TMA-02M rocket, in which the crew capsule is located, is pictured here at the launch pad on Sunday, June 5, 2011 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The TMA-02M spacecraft wil... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The mobile service tower at NASA's Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has moved away from the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft atop in preparation for launch. Liftoff is slated for 7:20 PDT/10:20 EDT today. Aquarius, the NASA-built instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission. For more information visit: www.nasa.gov/aquarius. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB KSC-2011-4354

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The mobile service tower at NASA'...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The mobile service tower at NASA's Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has moved away from the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with the Aquari... More

J-2X engine installation. NASA public domain image colelction.

J-2X engine installation. NASA public domain image colelction.

A J-2X next-generation rocket engine is lifted onto the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center. Testing of the engine began the following month. The engine is being developed for NASA by Pratt & Whitney Rocketd... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the first stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for transport from its hangar at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center to Launch Complex 41. NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information visit: www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-4368

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the first stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for transport from its hangar at the Atlas Spaceflight Operatio... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the first stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to be lifted into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information visit: www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-4375

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the first stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to be lifted into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch C... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the fifth and final solid rocket booster for lifting into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. It then will be lifted into position and attached to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster stage, already at the pad. NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information visit: www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-4760

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the fifth and final solid rocket booster for lifting into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. It then ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the fifth and final solid rocket booster for lifting into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. It then will be lifted into position and attached to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster stage, already at the pad. NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aug. 5.The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information visit: www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-4758

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare the fifth and final solid rocket booster for lifting into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. It then ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Juno spacecraft, enclosed in an Atlas payload fairing, outside the Astrotech Space Operations' payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., is ready for transport to Space Launch Complex 41. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent and will be jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere. Juno is scheduled to launch Aug. 5 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2011-6040

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Juno spacecraft, enclosed in an Atlas payl...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Juno spacecraft, enclosed in an Atlas payload fairing, outside the Astrotech Space Operations' payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., is ready for transport to Space Launch... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite is hoisted up at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti KSC-2011-6569

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in C...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Atlas V first stage (left) and Centaur upper stage to support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission approach the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-6072

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Atlas V first stage (left) and Centaur upp...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Atlas V first stage (left) and Centaur upper stage to support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission approach the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force S... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A driver backs the Atlas V first stage to support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission into position in the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-6081

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A driver backs the Atlas V first stage to supp...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A driver backs the Atlas V first stage to support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission into position in the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station i... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Centaur upper stage to support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission approaches the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-6073

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Centaur upper stage to support the Mars Sc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Centaur upper stage to support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission approaches the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. MSL's c... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A view from above at NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, as a crane lifts a solid rocket motor into position for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti KSC-2011-6588

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A view from above at NASA’s Space...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A view from above at NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, as a crane lifts a solid rocket motor into position for the United Launch Alli... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a crane is used to hoist up a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti KSC-2011-6584

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in C...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a crane is used to hoist up a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-or... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a solid rocket motor is lifted by crane for attachment to the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is lifted by crane. The Delta II will carry NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Mark Mackley KSC-2011-6599

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a solid rocket motor is lifted by crane for attachment to th... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians assist as a crane lifts a solid rocket motor closer to the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. The Delta II will carry NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Mark Mackley KSC-2011-6607

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians assist as a crane lifts a solid rocket motor closer to the United Launch Alliance De... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as solid rocket motors are lifted and attached to the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. The Delta II will carry NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Mark Mackley KSC-2011-6595

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 ...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as solid rocket motors are lifted and attached to the United L... More

Atlas V Rocket Ready for Juno Mission

Atlas V Rocket Ready for Juno Mission

An Atlas V rocket with NASA's Juno spacecraft payload is seen the evening before it's planned launch at Space Launch Complex 41 of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Thursday, August 4, 2011. Th... More

Atlas V Rocket Launches with Juno Spacecraft

Atlas V Rocket Launches with Juno Spacecraft

An Atlas V rocket launches with the Juno spacecraft payload from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Friday, August 5, 2011. The Juno spacecraft will make a five-year, 400-... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch vehicle sending NASA's Juno planetary probe on its five-year journey to Jupiter is off to a roaring start from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff was at 12:25 p.m. EDT Aug. 5. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/George Roberts and Rusty Backer KSC-2011-6288

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch vehicle sending NASA's Juno planetary probe on its five-year journey to Jupiter is off to a roaring start from Space Launch Complex 41 on Ca... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Press Site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, about 150 followers of the agency’s Twitter account view the launch of NASA's Juno planetary probe atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 rocket. The tweeters, in turn, will share their experiences with followers through the social networking site Twitter. Liftoff was at 12:25 p.m. EDT Aug. 5 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Fletcher Hildreth KSC-2011-6257

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Press Site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Cent...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Press Site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, about 150 followers of the agency’s Twitter account view the launch of NASA's Juno planetary probe atop a United Launch Allia... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Rising from fire and smoke, NASA's Juno planetary probe, enclosed in its payload fairing, launches atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Leaving from Space Launch Complex 41 and its four lightning protection system towers on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the spacecraft will embark on a five-year journey to Jupiter. Liftoff was at 12:25 p.m. EDT Aug. 5. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Don Kight KSC-2011-6304

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Rising from fire and smoke, NASA's Juno planet...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Rising from fire and smoke, NASA's Juno planetary probe, enclosed in its payload fairing, launches atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Leaving from Space Launch Complex 41 and ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch vehicle carrying NASA's Juno planetary probe is off to a roaring start on its five-year journey to Jupiter from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff was at 12:25 p.m. EDT Aug. 5. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Kenny Allen KSC-2011-6270

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch vehicle carrying NASA's Juno planetary probe is off to a roaring start on its five-year journey to Jupiter from Space Launch Complex 41 on C... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Backdropped by the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by its four-tower lightning protection system, NASA's Juno planetary probe, enclosed in its payload fairing, is seconds away from liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Leaving from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the spacecraft will embark on a five-year journey to Jupiter. Liftoff was at 12:25 p.m. EDT Aug. 5. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers KSC-2011-6297

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Backdropped by the Atlantic Ocean and surround...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Backdropped by the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by its four-tower lightning protection system, NASA's Juno planetary probe, enclosed in its payload fairing, is seconds away from liftoff... More

A-3 Test Stand. NASA public domain image colelction.

A-3 Test Stand. NASA public domain image colelction.

The A-3 Test Stand under construction at Stennis Space Center is set for completion and activation in 2013. It will allow operators to conduct simulated high-altitude testing on the next-generation J-2X rocket engine.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket that will launch NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission towers over the U.S. flag painted on the pad's structure. The mobile service tower has been rolled away from the vehicle for launch. The "rollback" began at about 11:20 p.m. EDT Sept. 7. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future lunar vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the moon’s surface. Launch is scheduled for 8:37:06 a.m. EDT Sept. 8. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/grail. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-6782

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket that will launch NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission tower... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Early morning finds workers accompanying the first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission on its move from the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to the launch pad. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiosity’s 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2011-6826

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Early morning finds workers accompanying the f...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Early morning finds workers accompanying the first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission on its move from the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center o... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission is suspended over the concrete surface outside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiosity’s 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2011-6834

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of the Atlas V rocket for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission is suspended over the concrete surface outside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Co... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Surrounded by an early morning sky, the United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket sits on Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as it waits to launch NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to the moon. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future moon vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the moon’s surface. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/grail. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-6867

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Surrounded by an early morning sky, the United ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Surrounded by an early morning sky, the United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket sits on Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as it waits to launch ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A U.S. Air Force helicopter flies overhead as the United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket sits on Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida waiting to launch NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to the moon. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future moon vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the moon’s surface. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/grail. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-6870

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A U.S. Air Force helicopter flies overhead as t...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A U.S. Air Force helicopter flies overhead as the United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket sits on Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida waiting to l... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a crane positions the final solid rocket motor (SRM) for mating to the first stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The Atlas V will carry NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission into space. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-6994

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a crane positions the final solid rocket motor (SRM) for mating to the ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, technicians guide the final solid rocket motor (SRM) off a trailer. The motor will be mated to a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket which will carry NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-6988

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Vertical Integration Facility at Space L...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, technicians guide the final solid rocket motor (SRM) off a trailer. The mot... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-2 in California, technicians make final inspections of the clamshell-shaped Delta payload fairing for NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft after encapsulation. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent and will be jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/Mark P. Mackley, VAFB KSC-2011-7520

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base's Spa...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-2 in California, technicians make final inspections of the clamshell-shaped Delta payload fairing for NASA’s National Pola... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 41, the payload fairing containing NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft rises from the transporter below as it is lifted up the side of the Vertical Integration Facility. The fairing, which protects the payload during launch, will be attached to the Atlas V rocket already stacked inside the facility. MSL was prepared for launch in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-7664

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 41, the payload fairin...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 41, the payload fairing containing NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft rises from the transporter below as it is lifted up the side of the Vertical In... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an aerial view shows the mobile launcher (ML) as it rolls out aboard the crawler-transporter moving from next to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, a distance of 4.2 miles. Data on the ML will be collected from structural and functional engineering tests and used for the next phases of construction. In the distance is Launch Pad 39A. The 355-foot-tall ML structure, which took about two years to construct, is being modified to support NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the heavy-lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. SLS will also create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2011-7806

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an aerial view shows the mobile launcher (ML) as it rolls out aboard the crawler-transporter moving from next to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Buil... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, spacecraft technicians in the Vertical Integration Facility prepare to install the multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG) for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission on the Curiosity rover. The MMRTG is enclosed in a protective mesh container, known as the "gorilla cage," which protects it during transport and allows any excess heat generated to dissipate into the air. The MMRTG will generate the power needed for the mission from the natural decay of plutonium-238, a non-weapons-grade form of the radioisotope. Heat given off by this natural decay will provide constant power through the day and night during all seasons. Curiosity, MSL's car-sized rover, has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source. Waste heat from the MMRTG will be circulated throughout the rover system to keep instruments, computers, mechanical devices and communications systems within their operating temperature ranges. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: Department of Energy/Idaho National Laboratory KSC-2011-7894

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral A...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, spacecraft technicians in the Vertical Integration Facility prepare to install the multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectr... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft sealed inside its payload fairing, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rides a pillar of smoke and flames as it lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:02 a.m. EST Nov. 26. MSL's components include a car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley KSC-2011-8039

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft sealed inside its payload fairing, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rides a pillar of smoke and flames as it lifts off from ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft sealed inside its payload fairing, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rides smoke and flames as it rises from the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:02 a.m. EST Nov. 26. MSL's components include a car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Courtesy: Scott Andrews/Canon KSC-2011-8035

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft sealed inside its payload fairing, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rides smoke and flames as it rises from the launch pad a... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crawler-transporter rolling toward the mobile launcher, or ML, will provide the ML a lift back to the park site near the Vehicle Assembly Building. Data on the ML collected from structural and functional engineering tests during its two-week stay on the pad will be used in the next phases of construction. The 355-foot-tall ML structure, which took about two years to construct, will be modified by NASA’s 21st Century Ground Systems Program to support NASA’s Space Launch System, the heavy-lift rocket that will launch astronauts into deep space on future exploration missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-8108

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Cente...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crawler-transporter rolling toward the mobile launcher, or ML, will provide the ML a lift back to the park site near the V... More

J-2X engine test. NASA public domain image colelction.

J-2X engine test. NASA public domain image colelction.

NASA conducted a key stability test firing of the J-2X rocket engine on the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center on Dec. 1, marking another step forward in development of the upper-stage engine that will carr... More

Expedition 30 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 30 Soyuz Rollout. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft is seen at the launch pad after being raised into vertical position on Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedi... More

Expedition 30 Preflight. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 30 Preflight. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft is seen at dusk an hour before launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. The crew of Expedition 30, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit, Soyuz Commande... More

Expedition 30 Preflight. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 30 Preflight. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft is obscured by the venting of liquid oxygen on it's launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011 just hours before its launch to send the crew of Ex... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket that will carry NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) into space awaits integration with the spacecraft in the clean room of processing facility 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California. The spacecraft arrived at 7:52 a.m. PST after a cross-country trip which began Jan. 24 from Orbital Sciences' manufacturing plant in Dulles, Va. The spacecraft will be removed from the shipping container in the airlock and transferred into the processing hangar, joining the Pegasus XL rocket that is set to carry it to space. After checkout and other processing activities are complete, the spacecraft will be integrated with the Pegasus in mid-February and encapsulation in the vehicle fairing will follow. The rocket and spacecraft then will be flown on Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at the Pacific Ocean's Kwajalein Atoll for launch in March. The high-energy x-ray telescope will conduct a census for black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/nustar. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2012-1149

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL r...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket that will carry NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) into space awaits integration with the spacecraft in the clean r... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Evaluation of a Dragon capsule is under way on Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida following a wet dress rehearsal on March 1, which included loading the rocket with its propellants and a simulated countdown. The rocket sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The new rocket and capsule were designed and manufactured by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, for the company’s upcoming demonstration test flight for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two private companies to develop the capability to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. During the flight, SpaceX's Dragon capsule will conduct a series of checkout procedures that will test and prove its systems. These tests include rendezvous and berthing with the space station and are intended to lead to regular resupply missions to the station. Liftoff is targeted for April 30 at 12:22 p.m. EDT pending official approval at the Flight Readiness Review on April 16. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/spacex_index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2012-1618

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Evaluation of a Dragon capsule is under way on ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Evaluation of a Dragon capsule is under way on Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida following a wet dress rehearsal on March 1, which included loading th... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lightning catenary masts stand ready to protect a Falcon 9 rocket if a storm should develop over Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida following a wet dress rehearsal on March 1, which included loading the rocket with its propellants and a simulated countdown. Atop the rocket is a Dragon capsule. The new rocket and capsule were designed and manufactured by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, for the company’s upcoming demonstration test flight for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two private companies to develop the capability to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. During the flight, SpaceX's Dragon capsule will conduct a series of checkout procedures that will test and prove its systems. These tests include rendezvous and berthing with the space station and are intended to lead to regular resupply missions to the station. Liftoff is targeted for April 30 at 12:22 p.m. EDT pending official approval at the Flight Readiness Review on April 16. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/spacex_index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-2012-1620

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lightning catenary masts stand ready to protect...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lightning catenary masts stand ready to protect a Falcon 9 rocket if a storm should develop over Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida following a wet dre... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, preparations to launch NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, are nearly complete. The spacecraft has been mated with its Pegasus XL rocket and enclosed in the Pegasus payload fairing. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during the rocket’s ascent to orbit. After processing of the rocket and spacecraft are complete, they will be flown on Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Ocean’s Kwajalein Atoll for launch in March. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/nustar. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2012-1667

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences proces...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, preparations to launch NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, ar... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, preparations to launch NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, are nearly complete. The spacecraft has been mated with its Pegasus XL rocket and enclosed in the Pegasus payload fairing. Cool, dry air is being pumped into the fairing through a purge line to maintain the proper environment for the spacecraft in the confined space. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during the rocket’s ascent to orbit. After processing of the rocket and spacecraft are complete, they will be flown on Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Ocean’s Kwajalein Atoll for launch in March. The high-energy x-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/nustar. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2012-1697

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences proces...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, preparations to launch NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, ar... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Orbital’s Pegasus XL rocket awaits launch. The rocket has been mated with NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, and the spacecraft enclosed in the Pegasus payload fairing on the forward end of the rocket, at right. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during the rocket’s ascent to orbit. After processing of the rocket and spacecraft are complete, they will be flown on Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Ocean’s Kwajalein Atoll for launch in March. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/nustar. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2012-1669

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences proces...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Inside the Orbital Sciences processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Orbital’s Pegasus XL rocket awaits launch. The rocket has been mated with NASA's N... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a transporter is moved underneath the Orbital Science’s Pegasus XL inside Orbital’s hanger. The rocket is mated to NASA’s encapsulated Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, spacecraft. The transporter will move them to the runway ramp where they will be attached to the underside of Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft. The aircraft will fly the pair from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Ocean’s Kwajalein Atoll for launch. A revised launch date is expected to be set at the Flight Readiness Review. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/nustar. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2012-1801

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Ca...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a transporter is moved underneath the Orbital Science’s Pegasus XL inside Orbital’s hanger. Th... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a transporter is moved toward the Orbital Science’s Pegasus XL inside Orbital’s hanger. The rocket is mated to NASA’s encapsulated Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, out of sight inside the hangar. The transporter will move them to the runway ramp where they will be attached to the underside of Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft. The aircraft will fly the pair from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Ocean’s Kwajalein Atoll for launch. A revised launch date is expected to be set at the Flight Readiness Review. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/nustar. Photo credit: NASA/Mark Mackiey KSC-2012-1789

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base in Ca...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a transporter is moved toward the Orbital Science’s Pegasus XL inside Orbital’s hanger. The rocket is mated to NASA’s encapsulated... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Cheryl Hurst, NASA Kennedy Space Center's director of External Relations and Education, addresses students and teachers involved with the NASA OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Video Contest in the Rocket Garden of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The contest challenged students in grades three through 12 to study NASA spinoff technologies and produce short, creative videos promoting their favorites. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Innovative Partnerships Office in Greenbelt, Md., designed the contest to help students see the benefits of NASA technology here on Earth. NASA collaborated with Hasbro in using the OPTIMUS PRIME character. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-2038

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Cheryl Hurst, NASA Kennedy Space Center's direc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Cheryl Hurst, NASA Kennedy Space Center's director of External Relations and Education, addresses students and teachers involved with the NASA OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Video Contest in the R... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The 227-foot-tall 69.2 meter) SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff with the SpaceX Dragon capsule aboard is set for 4:55 a.m. EDT on May 19. The launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-3713

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The 227-foot-tall 69.2 meter) SpaceX Falcon 9 r...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The 227-foot-tall 69.2 meter) SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff with the SpaceX Dragon capsule aboard is se... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Partially hidden behind a flame and exhaust deflector, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff with the SpaceX Dragon capsule aboard is set for 4:55 a.m. EDT on May 19. The launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-3718

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Partially hidden behind a flame and exhaust def...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Partially hidden behind a flame and exhaust deflector, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff with the SpaceX... More

Expedition 31 Soyuz Rocket Rollout

Expedition 31 Soyuz Rocket Rollout

The Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft is seen in silhouette after being rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Sunday, May 13, 2012. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expe... More

Expedition 31 Soyuz Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 31 Soyuz Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.

Members of the media photograph the Soyuz TMA-04M rocket launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Heading to the International Space Station onboard the soyuz are Expedition ... More

Expedition 31 Soyuz Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.

Expedition 31 Soyuz Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.

The Soyuz TMA-04M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 carrying Expedition 31 Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka, NASA Flight Engineer Joseph Acaba and Flight Enginee... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is nestled between the lightning masts protecting the pad at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The vehicle rolled out to the pad on the evening of May 17. Liftoff with the Dragon capsule on top is set for 4:55 a.m. EDT on May 19. The launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley KSC-2012-2860

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is nestled between t...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is nestled between the lightning masts protecting the pad at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The vehicle rolled out to ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A photographer sets up his remote camera at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. In the background, final preparations are under way to launch the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff with the Dragon capsule on top is set for 4:55 a.m. EDT on May 19. The launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley KSC-2012-2862

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A photographer sets up his remote camera at Spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A photographer sets up his remote camera at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. In the background, final preparations are under way to launch the Spac... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Dragon capsule, powered by nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9 rocket, soars into orbit at 3:44 a.m. EDT, leaving Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida behind. The launch is the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, Program. During the flight, the Dragon will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex. Photo credit: NASA/Alan Ault KSC-2012-2899

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Dragon capsule, powered by nine Merl...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Dragon capsule, powered by nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9 rocket, soars into orbit at 3:44 a.m. EDT, leaving Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Nine Merlin engines ignite under the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 3:44 a.m. EDT at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch is the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, Program. During the flight, the Dragon capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex. Photo credit: NASA/Rick Wetherington, Tim Powers and Tim Terry KSC-2012-2936

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Nine Merlin engines ignite under the SpaceX Fal...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Nine Merlin engines ignite under the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 3:44 a.m. EDT at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch is the company's seco... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Frost and ice breaks away from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket following ignition of its nine Merlin engines at 3:44 a.m. EDT at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch is the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, Program. During the flight, the Dragon capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex. Photo credit: NASA/Rick Wetherington, Tim Powers and Tim Terry KSC-2012-2928

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Frost and ice breaks away from the SpaceX Falco...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Frost and ice breaks away from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket following ignition of its nine Merlin engines at 3:44 a.m. EDT at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars into space from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:44 a.m. EDT, carrying the Dragon capsule to orbit. The launch is the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, Program. During the flight, the Dragon will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex. Photo credit: NASA/Alan Ault ksc-2012-2897

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars into space fro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars into space from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:44 a.m. EDT, carrying the Dragon capsule to orbit. The launch ... More

Expedition 31 Soyuz Rocket Rollout (201205130006HQ)

Expedition 31 Soyuz Rocket Rollout (201205130006HQ)

The Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft is rolled out by train o the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Sunday, May 13, 2012. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 31 Soyuz Commander Gennad... More

Expedition 32 Soyuz Rocket Rollout

Expedition 32 Soyuz Rocket Rollout

A russian space engineer waves hello as the Soyuz TMA-05M is rolled to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Thursday, July 12, 2012. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 32 So... More

Expedition 32 Soyuz Rocket Rollout

Expedition 32 Soyuz Rocket Rollout

The Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft is raised into position at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Thursday, July 12, 2012. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 32 Soyuz Commander Y... More

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