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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -  Mars Exploration Rover-1 is ready for prelaunch testing including deployment of the lander petals, the rover's solar arrays, camera mast and camera.  While at KSC, each of the rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0723

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Mars Exploration Rover-1 is ready for pr...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Mars Exploration Rover-1 is ready for prelaunch testing including deployment of the lander petals, the rover's solar arrays, camera mast and camera. While at KSC, each of the rove... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After bagging the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft, Boeing workers at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., place the first part of a transportation canister around the Delta II upper stage booster.  MESSENGER will be transferred to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.  Liftoff of MESSENGER aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket is scheduled for Aug. 2.  The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around the planet in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1486

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After bagging the MESSENGER (Mercury Surf...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After bagging the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft, Boeing workers at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., place the fi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., an overhead crane moves the upper canister (at left) toward the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft.  The canister will be attached to the lower protective panels around the Delta II  upper stage booster for the transportation of MESSENGER to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.  Liftoff of MESSENGER aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket is scheduled for Aug. 2.  The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around the planet in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1491

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvil...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., an overhead crane moves the upper canister (at left) toward the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ra... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the shrouded first half of the payload fairing for the STEREO spacecraft is lowered into a clean room.  It will later be installed around the spacecraft for protection during launch.  The fairing will be moved into the clean room in the tower and later installed around the spacecraft for protection during launch.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. STEREO, which stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, comprises two spacecraft.  The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket in August 2006.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-06pd1559

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the shrouded first half of the payload fairing for the STEREO spacecraft is lower... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -   At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers look at the Delta third stage, or upper stage booster.  In the background are the recently mated  STEREO observatories, which is the launch configuration. STEREO, which stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 31.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd1802

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusv...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers look at the Delta third stage, or upper stage booster. In the background are the recently mated STEREO observatories, ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, one segment of the fairing is lifted toward the STEREO spacecraft in the foreground.   The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  Designed and built by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) , the STEREO mission is being managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. APL will maintain command and control of the observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the science results. STEREO is expected to lift off Oct. 25. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2374

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, one segment of the fairing is lifted toward the STEREO spacecraft in the foreground. The f... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -   Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the two fairing segments close in around the STEREO spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  Designed and built by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) , the STEREO mission is being managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. APL will maintain command and control of the observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the science results. STEREO is expected to lift off Oct. 25. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2380

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Laun...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the two fairing segments close in around the STEREO spacecraft. The fairing is a molded str... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- One of the five THEMIS probes is being transported from Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., to the hazardous processing facility. There the probes will be placed on a stand in preparation for fueling operations. Once fueling is complete, each probe will be weighed and individually mated to the payload carrier before pyrotechnics are installed. The fully integrated THEMIS payload is then ready for spin-balance testing and weighing. The final milestone is mating THEMIS to its upper stage booster. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. These lights are the visible manifestations of invisible energy releases, called geomagnetic substorms, in near-Earth space. THEMIS will not only seek to answer where and when substorms start, but will also provide clues as to how and why these space storms create havoc on satellites, terrestrial power grids, and communication systems.  THEMIS will be transported to Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 1 for mating to the Delta II rocket.  Launch is scheduled for Feb. 15.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2817

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- One of the five THEMIS probes is being t...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- One of the five THEMIS probes is being transported from Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., to the hazardous processing facility. There the probes will be placed on a s... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., technicians release the overhead crane from the shipping container placed around one of the five THEMIS probes for its move to the hazardous processing facility.  There the probes will be placed on a stand in preparation for fueling operations.  Once fueling is complete, each probe will be weighed and individually mated to the payload carrier before pyrotechnics are installed. The fully integrated THEMIS payload is then ready for spin-balance testing and weighing. The final milestone is mating THEMIS to its upper stage booster. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. These lights are the visible manifestations of invisible energy releases, called geomagnetic substorms, in near-Earth space. THEMIS will not only seek to answer where and when substorms start, but will also provide clues as to how and why these space storms create havoc on satellites, terrestrial power grids, and communication systems.  THEMIS will be transported to Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 1 for mating to the Delta II rocket.  Launch is scheduled for Feb. 15.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2815

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., technicians release the overhead crane from the shipping container placed around one of the five THEMIS probes for its move to th... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians lower the THEMIS spacecraft onto the Delta II upper stage booster.  Once mated, the spacecraft will then be installed into its transportation canister and moved to Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating with the Delta II. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 Pad 17-B. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-07pd0191

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technici...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians lower the THEMIS spacecraft onto the Delta II upper stage booster. Once mated, the spacecraft will then be installed into its transport... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   In the high bay at Astrotech Space Operations, workers prepare to join the upper cylindrical canister to the lower panels already in place around the THEMIS spacecraft and upper stage booster.  When completely enclosed, THEMIS will be transported to Launch Complex 17-B for mating with its launch vehicle. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket managed by the United Launch Alliance.  Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-07pd0212

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the high bay at Astrotech Space Ope...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the high bay at Astrotech Space Operations, workers prepare to join the upper cylindrical canister to the lower panels already in place around the THEMIS spacecraft and upper ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  At Launch Pad 17-B, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers prepare NASA's Dawn spacecraft mated to the Delta II upper stage booster, for hoisting up into the mobile service tower.  Dawn will be mated with the Delta II launch vehicle.   Dawn is the ninth mission in NASA's Discovery Program. The spacecraft will be the first to orbit two planetary bodies, asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres,  during a single mission. Vesta and Ceres lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It is also NASA's first purely scientific mission powered by three solar electric ion propulsion engines. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder. KSC-07pd1658

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 17-B, at Cape Canaveral A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 17-B, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers prepare NASA's Dawn spacecraft mated to the Delta II upper stage booster, for hoisting up into the mobile service ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first half of the fairing moves toward NASA's Dawn spacecraft for encapsulation. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.  Launch is scheduled for July 8.  Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-07pd1717

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first half of the fairing moves toward NASA's Dawn spacecraft for encapsulation. The fairing is a molded st... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a worker oversees the movement of the first half of the fairing toward NASA's Dawn spacecraft for encapsulation. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.  Launch is scheduled for July 8.  Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-07pd1716

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a worker oversees the movement of the first half of the fairing toward NASA's Dawn spacecraft for encapsulation... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved closer to the Dawn spacecraft for installation.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.   Dawn is scheduled to launch between 7:25 and 7:54 a.m. on Sept. 26 aboard a Delta II rocket.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-07pd2512

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Lau...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved closer to the Dawn spacecraft for installation. Th... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --  Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is ready for encapsulation in the payload fairing. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. GLAST  is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth;  probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. The launch date is targeted no earlier than June 3. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-08pd1433

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is ready for encapsulation in the payload ... More

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. –  At Vandenberg Air Force Base, workers prepare to move NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft and upper stage booster (right) to mate it with the Pegasus XL aircraft (left).  The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space.  IBEX is the first mission designed to detect the edge of the Solar System. IBEX is targeted for launch from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, on Oct. 19. Photo credit: NASA/D. Kolkow, VAFB KSC-08pd3019

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base, wor...

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base, workers prepare to move NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft and upper stage booster (right) to mate it with the Pegasus ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility take a close look at the aeroshell and cruise stage of one of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). The upper portion is the heat shield on the aeroshell. The two rovers , aeroshell and lander will undergo a full mission simulation while at KSC.  All flight elements will then be integrated.  After spin balance testing, each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel it out of Earth orbit.  The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0596

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servici...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility take a close look at the aeroshell and cruise stage of one of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). The upper portion is the heat s... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - A technician in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility works on the cruise stage of one of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER).  MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation before being integrated. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the first rover is scheduled for May 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  The second will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0671

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - A technician in the Payload Hazardous Ser...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - A technician in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility works on the cruise stage of one of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will u... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -  More Mars hardware is moved into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, which already holds one of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and the aeroshells and landers for both rovers.  While at KSC, MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0713

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - More Mars hardware is moved into the Pay...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - More Mars hardware is moved into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, which already holds one of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and the aeroshells and landers for both rove... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -  In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers appear to adjust the platform holding the second Mars Exploration Rover, MER-1.  It will undergo prelaunch testing, including deployment of the lander petals, the rover's solar arrays, camera mast and camera.  While at KSC, each of the rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0719

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facil...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers appear to adjust the platform holding the second Mars Exploration Rover, MER-1. It will undergo prelaunch testing, including d... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing workers check the progress of the fairing as it is moved into place for installation around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch.  MESSENGER  is scheduled to launch Aug. 2 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1571

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing workers check the progress of the fairing as it is moved into place for installation around the MESSENGER (Mercury Sur... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers prepare to join the two fairing segments around the THEMIS spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. THEMIS is an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms.  THEMIS consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole.  This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket.  The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the tantalizing mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights.  The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color.  Launch of THEMIS is scheduled for Feb. 15 aboard a Delta II rocket, with the launch service being conducted by the United Launch Alliance.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd0344

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers prepare to join the two fairing segments around the THEMIS spacecraft. The fairing is a molde... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft is ready for spin-balance testing.  After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft transportation canister for the trip to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the Delta II rocket at Launch Pad 17-B. The Dawn spacecraft will employ ion propulsion to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail these largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations. Ceres and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-07pd1508

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft is r...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft is ready for spin-balance testing. After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft transportati... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  Technicians at Astrotech prepare the Dawn spacecraft for spin-balance testing. After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft transportation canister for the trip to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the Delta II rocket at Launch Pad 17-B. The Dawn spacecraft will employ ion propulsion to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail these largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations. Ceres and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-07pd1505

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians at Astrotech prepare the Da...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians at Astrotech prepare the Dawn spacecraft for spin-balance testing. After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft tran... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the upper stage booster waits at right for mating to the Dawn spacecraft at left.  Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.  They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.   Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd1608

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the upper stage booster wa...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the upper stage booster waits at right for mating to the Dawn spacecraft at left. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Statio... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --    At Astrotech, technicians move the first segment of the lower canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft.  When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt.  The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.  They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.  Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7.    Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd1638

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move the fi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move the first segment of the lower canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be tra... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.  --  In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers prepare the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft for rotation.  After rotation, the Phoenix will be mated with the upper stage booster. Targeted for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 3, Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.  NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-07pd1900

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Fac...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers prepare the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft for rotation. After rotation, the Phoenix will be mated with the upper stage boos... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers check the fitting on the lower transportation canister segments in place around the upper stage booster beneath the Dawn spacecraft.  The canister will protect the spacecraft and booster during transfer to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS).  During its nearly decade-long mission, the Dawn mission will study the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, celestial bodies believed to have accreted early in the history of the solar system. To carry out its scientific mission, the Dawn spacecraft will carry a visible camera, a visible and infrared mapping spectrometer, and a gamma ray and neutron spectrometer, whose data will be used in combination to characterize these bodies.  In addition to the three instruments, radiometric and optical navigation data will provide data relating to the gravity field and thus bulk properties and internal structure of the two bodies. Data returned from the Dawn spacecraft could provide opportunities for significant breakthroughs in our knowledge of how the solar system formed. Launch via a Delta II rocket is scheduled in a window from 7:25 to 7:54 a.m. Sept. 26 from CCAFS.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-07pd2404

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers check the fitting on the lower transportation canister segments in place around the upper stage booster beneath the Dawn ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, technicians secure both halves of the fairing around the Dawn spacecraft to the upper stage booster of the Delta II rocket below. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.   Dawn is scheduled to launch between 7:25 and 7:54 a.m. on Sept. 26 aboard a Delta II rocket.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-07pd2517

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, technicians secure both halves of the fairing around the Dawn spacecraft to the upper stage ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --  Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers help guide one section of the payload fairing into place around NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. GLAST  is a powerful space observatory that will explore the Universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth;  probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our Universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. The launch date is targeted no earlier than June 3. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-08pd1437

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers help guide one section of the payload fairing into place around NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Ar... More

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is removed from the Air Force C-17 cargo airplane that brought it from Denver, Colo.., location of the Lockheed Martin plant where the spacecraft was built. Mars Odyssey will be moved on a transport trailer from KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2) located in the KSC Industrial Area. In the SAEF it will undergo final assembly and checkout. This includes installation of two of the three science instruments, integration of the three-panel solar array, and a spacecraft functional test. It will be fueled and then mated to an upper stage booster, the final activities before going to the launch pad. Launch is planned for April 7, 2001 the first day of a 21-day planetary window. Mars Odyssey will be inserted into an interplanetary trajectory by a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle from Pad A at Complex 17 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars on Oct. 20, 2001, for insertion into an initial elliptical capture orbit. Its final operational altitude will be a 250-mile-high, Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Mars Odyssey will spend two years mapping the planet's surface and measuring its environment KSC01pp0033

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is removed from the Air Force C-17 cargo a...

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is removed from the Air Force C-17 cargo airplane that brought it from Denver, Colo.., location of the Lockheed Martin plant where the spacecraft was built. Mars Odyssey will be move... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility looks closely at the Mars Exploration Rover-2. Each rover , aeroshell and lander will undergo a full mission simulation while at KSC.  All flight elements will then be integrated.  After spin balance testing, each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel it out of Earth orbit.  The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0597

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility looks closely at the Mars Exploration Rover-2. Each rover , aeroshell and lander will undergo a full mission simulation while ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -  In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers, MER-2, undergoes testing.  MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation before being integrated. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the first rover is scheduled for May 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  The second will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0662

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facil...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers, MER-2, undergoes testing. MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility pauses during checkout of one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers, MER-2.  MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation before being integrated. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the first rover is scheduled for May 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  The second will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0661

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicin...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility pauses during checkout of one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers, MER-2. MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will unde... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  The second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-1) enters Kennedy Space Center.  MER-2 and other hardware have already arrived at KSC for processing.  While at KSC, each of the rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0708

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-1) enters Kennedy Space Center. MER-2 and other hardware have already arrived at KSC for processing. While at KSC, each of the rovers, the... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -  Outside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the open door of the transport shows the shipping container with the second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-1) inside.  MER-2 and other hardware have already arrived at KSC for processing.  While at KSC, each of the rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0710

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Outside the Payload Hazardous Servicing ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Outside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the open door of the transport shows the shipping container with the second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-1) inside. MER-2 and othe... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Shrouded with a protective cover, half of the payload fairing for the STEREO spacecraft arrives on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.  The payload fairing will be lifted into the clean room in the mobile service tower and later installed around the spacecraft for protection during launch.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. STEREO, which stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, comprises two spacecraft.  The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket in August 2006.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-06pd1555

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shrouded with a protective cover, half o...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shrouded with a protective cover, half of the payload fairing for the STEREO spacecraft arrives on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The payload fair... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -   At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the STEREO payload is ready for mating to the upper stage booster. Here, a crane is being attached to the spacecraft to lift it.  After the mating, all will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for integration with the Delta II already on the pad. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and comprises two spacecraft.  The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off Aug. 31.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd1869

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusv...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the STEREO payload is ready for mating to the upper stage booster. Here, a crane is being attached to the spacecraft to lift it.... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers maneuver the second half of the fairing into place around the STEREO spacecraft.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  Designed and built by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) , the STEREO mission is being managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. APL will maintain command and control of the observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the science results. STEREO is expected to lift off Oct. 25. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2379

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers maneuver the second half of the fairing into place around the STEREO spacecraft. Th... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -   Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check the placement of the first half of the fairing around the STEREO spacecraft.   The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  Designed and built by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) , the STEREO mission is being managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. APL will maintain command and control of the observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the science results. STEREO is expected to lift off Oct. 25. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2378

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Laun...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check the placement of the first half of the fairing around the STEREO spacecraft. ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help lower the THEMIS spacecraft toward the Delta II upper stage booster.  Once mated, the spacecraft will then be installed into its transportation canister and moved to Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating with the Delta II.  THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 Pad 17-B. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-07pd0188

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technici...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help lower the THEMIS spacecraft toward the Delta II upper stage booster. Once mated, the spacecraft will then be installed into its tr... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help guide the overhead crane carrying the THEMIS spacecraft toward the Delta II upper stage booster at right.  Once mated, the spacecraft will then be installed into its transportation canister and moved to Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating with the Delta II. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 Pad 17-B. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-07pd0187

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technic...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help guide the overhead crane carrying the THEMIS spacecraft toward the Delta II upper stage booster at right. Once mated, the spacecr... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  In the high bay at Astrotech Space Operations, workers guide the upper canister toward the THEMIS spacecraft and upper stage booster below.  The upper canister will be joined to the lower panels already in place.  Then, THEMIS will be transported to Launch Complex 17-B for mating with its launch vehicle. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket managed by the United Launch Alliance.  Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-07pd0211

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the high bay at Astrotech Space Oper...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the high bay at Astrotech Space Operations, workers guide the upper canister toward the THEMIS spacecraft and upper stage booster below. The upper canister will be joined to t... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the two fairing segments come together around the THEMIS spacecraft.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.  THEMIS is an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms.  THEMIS consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole.  This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket.  The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the tantalizing mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights.  The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color.  Launch of THEMIS is scheduled for Feb. 15 aboard a Delta II rocket, with the launch service being conducted by the United Launch Alliance.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd0345

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the two fairing segments come together around the THEMIS spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structur... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   Technicians at Astrotech check the Dawn spacecraft before spin-balance testing.  After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft transportation canister for the trip to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the Delta II rocket at Launch Pad 17-B.The Dawn spacecraft will employ ion propulsion to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail these largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations. Ceres and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7.  Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-07pd1507

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians at Astrotech check the Daw...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians at Astrotech check the Dawn spacecraft before spin-balance testing. After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft t... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, an overhead crane lifts the Dawn spacecraft from its stand to move it and mate it to the upper stage booster for launch.  Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.  They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.   Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd1606

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, an overhead crane lifts th...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, an overhead crane lifts the Dawn spacecraft from its stand to move it and mate it to the upper stage booster for launch. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.  --  In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers guide the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft onto the upper stage booster.  The spacecraft and booster will be mated for launch. Targeted for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 3, Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.  NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-07pd1908

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Fac...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers guide the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft onto the upper stage booster. The spacecraft and booster will be mated for launch. ... More

Workers push the crated 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft toward the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2) located in the KSC Industrial Area. The spacecraft arrived at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo airplane that brought it from Denver, Colo.., location of the Lockheed Martin plant where the spacecraft was built. In the SAEF, Odyssey will undergo final assembly and checkout. This includes installation of two of the three science instruments, integration of the three-panel solar array, and a spacecraft functional test. It will be fueled and then mated to an upper stage booster, the final activities before going to the launch pad. Launch is planned for April 7, 2001 the first day of a 21-day planetary window. Mars Odyssey will be inserted into an interplanetary trajectory by a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle from Pad A at Complex 17 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars on Oct. 20, 2001, for insertion into an initial elliptical capture orbit. Its final operational altitude will be a 250-mile-high, Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Mars Odyssey will spend two years mapping the planet's surface and measuring its environment KSC01pp0038

Workers push the crated 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft toward the Spacec...

Workers push the crated 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft toward the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2) located in the KSC Industrial Area. The spacecraft arrived at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Faci... More

The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft arrives at the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2) located in the KSC Industrial Area. The spacecraft arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo airplane that brought it from Denver, Colo.., location of the Lockheed Martin plant where the spacecraft was built. In the SAEF, Odyssey will undergo final assembly and checkout. This includes installation of two of the three science instruments, integration of the three-panel solar array, and a spacecraft functional test. It will be fueled and then mated to an upper stage booster, the final activities before going to the launch pad. Launch is planned for April 7, 2001 the first day of a 21-day planetary window. Mars Odyssey will be inserted into an interplanetary trajectory by a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle from Pad A at Complex 17 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars on Oct. 20, 2001, for insertion into an initial elliptical capture orbit. Its final operational altitude will be a 250-mile-high, Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Mars Odyssey will spend two years mapping the planet's surface and measuring its environment KSC01pp0037

The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft arrives at the Spacecraft Assembly an...

The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft arrives at the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2) located in the KSC Industrial Area. The spacecraft arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard an A... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The cruise stage, aeroshell and lander for the Mars Exploration Rover-1 mission and the MER-2 rover arrive at KSC's Multi-Payload Processing Facility. The same flight hardware for the MER-2 rover arrived Jan. 27; however, the MER-2 rover is scheduled to arrive at KSC in March. While at KSC, each of the two rovers, the aeroshells and the landers will undergo a full mission simulation. All of these flight elements will then be integrated together. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0537

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The cruise stage, aeroshell and lander f...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The cruise stage, aeroshell and lander for the Mars Exploration Rover-1 mission and the MER-2 rover arrive at KSC's Multi-Payload Processing Facility. The same flight hardware for ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Boeing workers at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., secure the first part of a transportation canister around the Delta II upper stage booster on the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft.  MESSENGER will be transferred to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.  Liftoff of MESSENGER aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket is scheduled for Aug. 2.  The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around the planet in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1488

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Boeing workers at Astrotech Space Operati...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Boeing workers at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., secure the first part of a transportation canister around the Delta II upper stage booster on the MESSENGER (Mercur... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing workers secure the first half of the fairing installed around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch.  MESSENGER  is scheduled to launch Aug. 2 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1572

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing workers secure the first half of the fairing installed around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geoch... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, part of the fairing for the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft is moved into place for installation.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch.  MESSENGER  is scheduled to launch Aug. 2 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1568

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, part of the fairing for the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft is moved into... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing workers complete the installation of the fairing around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch.  MESSENGER  is scheduled to launch Aug. 2 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1575

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing workers complete the installation of the fairing around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistr... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the shrouded fairing sections rest side by side.  Both halves will later be installed around the spacecraft for protection during launch. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. STEREO, which stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, comprises two spacecraft that will be launched as one.  The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket in August 2006.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-06pd1562

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the shrouded fairing sections rest side by side. Both halves will later be insta... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -   At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers guide the lifting of the STEREO payload to move it for mating to the upper stage booster. After the mating, all will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for integration with the Delta II already on the pad. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and comprises two spacecraft.  The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off Aug. 31.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd1870

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusv...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers guide the lifting of the STEREO payload to move it for mating to the upper stage booster. After the mating, all will be ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -   At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers guide the STEREO spacecraft toward the upper stage booster in the background.  The spacecraft will be mated to the upper stage and then transported to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for integration with the Delta II already on the pad.  STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and comprises two spacecraft.  The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off Aug. 31.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd1871

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusv...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers guide the STEREO spacecraft toward the upper stage booster in the background. The spacecraft will be mated to the upper... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers prepare the twin observatories known as STEREO for encapsulation in the fairing. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  Designed and built by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) , the STEREO mission is being managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. APL will maintain command and control of the observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the science results. STEREO is expected to lift off Oct. 25. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2371

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers prepare the twin observatories known as STEREO for encapsulation in the fairing. The... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- One of the five THEMIS probes arrives at the hazardous processing facility after leaving Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla.  At the facility, the probes will be placed on a stand in preparation for fueling operations. Once fueling is complete, each probe will be weighed and individually mated to the payload carrier before pyrotechnics are installed. The fully integrated THEMIS payload is then ready for spin-balance testing and weighing. The final milestone is mating THEMIS to its upper stage booster. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. These lights are the visible manifestations of invisible energy releases, called geomagnetic substorms, in near-Earth space. THEMIS will not only seek to answer where and when substorms start, but will also provide clues as to how and why these space storms create havoc on satellites, terrestrial power grids, and communication systems.  THEMIS will be transported to Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 1 for mating to the Delta II rocket.  Launch is scheduled for Feb. 15.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2818

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- One of the five THEMIS probes arrives at...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- One of the five THEMIS probes arrives at the hazardous processing facility after leaving Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla. At the facility, the probes will be placed ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help lower the THEMIS spacecraft onto the Delta II upper stage booster.  Once mated, the spacecraft will then be installed into its transportation canister and moved to Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating with the Delta II.  THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 Pad 17-B. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-07pd0189

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technici...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help lower the THEMIS spacecraft onto the Delta II upper stage booster. Once mated, the spacecraft will then be installed into its tran... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, workers check the movement of the Dawn spacecraft, at left, toward the upper stage booster at right.  The two elements will be mated for launch.   Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.  They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.   Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd1609

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, workers check the movement...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, workers check the movement of the Dawn spacecraft, at left, toward the upper stage booster at right. The two elements will be mated for launch. Dawn's goal is to c... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --    At Astrotech, technicians move the first segment of the lower canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft.  When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle.  The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt.  The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.  They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.  Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7.    Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd1639

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move the fi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move the first segment of the lower canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be tra... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --     At Astrotech, technicians place another segment of the canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft.  When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt.  The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.  They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.  Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7.    Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd1641

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians place anot...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians place another segment of the canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transport... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers supervise the movement of the first half of the fairing toward NASA's Dawn spacecraft for encapsulation. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.  Launch is scheduled for July 8.  Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-07pd1718

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers supervise the movement of the first half of the fairing toward NASA's Dawn spacecraft for encapsulation... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --    On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second half of the fairing (in the foreground) moves toward the Phoenix Mars Lander for installation.  Phoenix is targeted for launch on Aug. 3 aboard a Delta II rocket.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.  Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.  NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd2116

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second half of the fairing (in the foreground) moves toward the Phoenix Mars Lander for installation. Phoenix is tar... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a technician helps guide the second half of the fairing for installation around the Dawn spacecraft.  The first half is already in place.The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.   Dawn is scheduled to launch between 7:25 and 7:54 a.m. on Sept. 26 aboard a Delta II rocket.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-07pd2515

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launc...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a technician helps guide the second half of the fairing for installation around the Dawn spa... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Wrapped in a protective covering, the Mars Climate Orbiter with its upper stage booster is lowered in preparation for mating to the second stage of a Boeing Delta II (7425) rocket at Launch Complex 17, Pad A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 10, 1998, the orbiter will be the first spacecraft to be launched in the pair of Mars ’98 missions. After its arrival at the red planet, the Mars Climate Orbiter will be used primarily to support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet’s surface on a daily basis for one Martian year, the equivalent of about two Earth years. The spacecraft will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, and characterize seasonal changes on the planet’s surface KSC-98pc1767

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Wrapped in a protective covering, the Ma...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Wrapped in a protective covering, the Mars Climate Orbiter with its upper stage booster is lowered in preparation for mating to the second stage of a Boeing Delta II (7425) rocket ... More

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is maneuvered for removal from the Air Force C-17 cargo airplane that brought it from Denver, Colo.., location of the Lockheed Martin plant where the spacecraft was built. Mars Odyssey will be moved on a transport trailer from KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2) located in the KSC Industrial Area. In the SAEF it will undergo final assembly and checkout. This includes installation of two of the three science instruments, integration of the three-panel solar array, and a spacecraft functional test. It will be fueled and then mated to an upper stage booster, the final activities before going to the launch pad. Launch is planned for April 7, 2001 the first day of a 21-day planetary window. Mars Odyssey will be inserted into an interplanetary trajectory by a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle from Pad A at Complex 17 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars on Oct. 20, 2001, for insertion into an initial elliptical capture orbit. Its final operational altitude will be a 250-mile-high, Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Mars Odyssey will spend two years mapping the planet's surface and measuring its environment KSC01pp0032

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is maneuvered for removal from the Air For...

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is maneuvered for removal from the Air Force C-17 cargo airplane that brought it from Denver, Colo.., location of the Lockheed Martin plant where the spacecraft was built. Mars Odyss... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The aeroshell for the Mars Exploration Rover-1 mission is moved into KSC's Multi-Payload Processing Facility.  While at KSC, the rovers, aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. All of these flight elements will then be integrated together. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0539

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The aeroshell for the Mars Exploration R...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The aeroshell for the Mars Exploration Rover-1 mission is moved into KSC's Multi-Payload Processing Facility. While at KSC, the rovers, aeroshells and landers will undergo a full ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  Another component of the Mars Exploration Rover-1 mission is offloaded at KSC's Multi-Payload Processing Facility.  While at KSC, the rovers, aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. All of these flight elements will then be integrated together. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0540

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Another component of the Mars Explorati...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Another component of the Mars Exploration Rover-1 mission is offloaded at KSC's Multi-Payload Processing Facility. While at KSC, the rovers, aeroshells and landers will undergo a... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -  The second Mars Exploration Rover, MER-1, sits revealed on a platform in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility after being unwrapped .  MER-2 and other hardware have already arrived at KSC for processing.  MER-1 will undergo prelaunch testing, including deployment of the lander petals, the rover's solar arrays, camera mast and camera.  While at KSC, each of the rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0716

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The second Mars Exploration Rover, MER-1...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The second Mars Exploration Rover, MER-1, sits revealed on a platform in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility after being unwrapped . MER-2 and other hardware have already arr... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -  The second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-1) arrives at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility.  MER-2 and other hardware have already arrived at KSC for processing.  While at KSC, each of the rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0709

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-1...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The second Mars Exploration Rover (MER-1) arrives at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. MER-2 and other hardware have already arrived at KSC for processing. While at KSC, ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft is prepared for installation of the fairing, a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch.  Seen at right is one of the solar panels on the spacecraft.  MESSENGER  is scheduled to launch Aug. 2 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1565

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft is prepared for installation of the f... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers begin to install the lower portion of the transportation canister around the upper stage booster attached to the STEREO spacecraft (above).  The entire configuration will be encased for the move to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and comprises two spacecraft.  The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off Aug. 31.  Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1879

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers begin to install the lower portion of the transportation canister around the upper stage booster attached to the STEREO s... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   At Astrotech Space Operations, the THEMIS spacecraft (background) is being lifted to move it to the Delta II upper stage booster (foreground) for mating.  The spacecraft will then be installed into its transportation canister and moved to Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating with the Delta II. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 Pad 17-B. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-07pd0186

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, the THE...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, the THEMIS spacecraft (background) is being lifted to move it to the Delta II upper stage booster (foreground) for mating. The spacecraft will the... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help lower the THEMIS spacecraft the last few inches onto the Delta II upper stage booster.  Once mated, the spacecraft will then be installed into its transportation canister and moved to Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating with the Delta II. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 Pad 17-B. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-07pd0190

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technici...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help lower the THEMIS spacecraft the last few inches onto the Delta II upper stage booster. Once mated, the spacecraft will then be ins... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved into place around the THEMIS spacecraft.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.  THEMIS is an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms.  THEMIS consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole.  This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket.  The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the tantalizing mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights.  The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color.  Launch of THEMIS is scheduled for Feb. 15 aboard a Delta II rocket, with the launch service being conducted by the United Launch Alliance.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd0340

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved into place around the THEMIS spacecraft. The fairing is a mold... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.  --  In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers help guide the suspended Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft being lowered toward the upper stage booster.  The spacecraft and booster will be mated for launch. Targeted for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 3, Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.  NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-07pd1907

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Fac...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers help guide the suspended Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft being lowered toward the upper stage booster. The spacecraft and boo... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --    On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved into place around the Phoenix Mars Lander for installation.  Phoenix is targeted for launch on Aug. 3 aboard a Delta II rocket.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.  Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.  NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd2115

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved into place around the Phoenix Mars Lander for installation. Phoenix is targeted f... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers place another segment of the transportation canister around the upper stage booster beneath the Dawn spacecraft. The canister will protect the spacecraft and booster during transfer to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS).  During its nearly decade-long mission, the Dawn mission will study the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, celestial bodies believed to have accreted early in the history of the solar system. To carry out its scientific mission, the Dawn spacecraft will carry a visible camera, a visible and infrared mapping spectrometer, and a gamma ray and neutron spectrometer, whose data will be used in combination to characterize these bodies.  In addition to the three instruments, radiometric and optical navigation data will provide data relating to the gravity field and thus bulk properties and internal structure of the two bodies. Data returned from the Dawn spacecraft could provide opportunities for significant breakthroughs in our knowledge of how the solar system formed. Launch via a Delta II rocket is scheduled in a window from 7:25 to 7:54 a.m. Sept. 26 from CCAFS.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-07pd2403

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., workers place another segment of the transportation canister around the upper stage booster beneath the Dawn spacecraft. The cani... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the  Dawn spacecraft is ready for installation of the fairing. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.   Dawn is scheduled to launch between 7:25 and 7:54 a.m. on Sept. 26 aboard a Delta II rocket.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-07pd2510

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Lau...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Dawn spacecraft is ready for installation of the fairing. The fairing is a molded str... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –   In the mobile service tower on Space Launch Complex 2, the first half of the fairing moves into place behind the Ocean Surface Topography Mission, or OSTM/Jason 2, spacecraft for encapsulation. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The launch of the OSTM/Jason-2 is scheduled for June 20 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch window extends from 12:46 a.m. to 12:55 a.m. PDT. The satellite will be placed in an 830-mile-high orbit at an inclination of 66 degrees after separating from the Delta II 55 minutes after liftoff.  The five primary science instruments of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission aboard the Jason 2 spacecraft are dedicated to measuring the height of the ocean surface. These measurements will be used to evaluate and forecast climate changes and improve weather forecasting. The results also are expected to help forecasters better predict hurricane intensity. KSC-08pd1791

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the mobile service tower on S...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the mobile service tower on Space Launch Complex 2, the first half of the fairing moves into place behind the Ocean Surface Topography Mission, or OSTM/Jason 2, spacecra... More

NASA Space Science. NASA public domain image colelction.

NASA Space Science. NASA public domain image colelction.

Workers at the Jet Propulsion Research Lab (JPL) in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) prepare the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft for transfer to the launch pad by placing it in a protective canis... More

Mars Global Surveyor Spacecraft - NASA Mars images

Mars Global Surveyor Spacecraft - NASA Mars images

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) prepare the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft for transfer to the launch pad by placing it in a protective canister. The ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Wrapped in a protective covering, the Mars Climate Orbiter with its upper stage booster is lifted up at Launch Complex 17, Pad A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in preparation for mating to the second stage of a Boeing Delta II (7425) rocket. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 10, 1998, the orbiter will be the first spacecraft to be launched in the pair of Mars ’98 missions. After its arrival at the red planet, the Mars Climate Orbiter will be used primarily to support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet’s surface on a daily basis for one Martian year, the equivalent of about two Earth years. The spacecraft will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, and characterize seasonal changes on the planet’s surface KSC-98pc1766

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Wrapped in a protective covering, the Ma...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Wrapped in a protective covering, the Mars Climate Orbiter with its upper stage booster is lifted up at Launch Complex 17, Pad A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in preparation for mat... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --  With the shipping container lifted, the aeroshell and cruise stage of Mars Exploration Rover-1 are revealed in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility.  The upper portion is the heat shield on the aeroshell. Each rover , aeroshell and lander will undergo a full mission simulation while at KSC.  All flight elements will then be integrated.  After spin balance testing, each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel it out of Earth orbit.  The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers will be identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0593

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the shipping container lifted, the...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the shipping container lifted, the aeroshell and cruise stage of Mars Exploration Rover-1 are revealed in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The upper portion is the ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility technicians work on one of the aeroshell assemblies for the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER).  MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation before being integrated. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the first rover is scheduled for May 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  The second will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0672

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facili...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility technicians work on one of the aeroshell assemblies for the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2) undergoes testing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility.   MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation before being integrated. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the first rover is scheduled for May 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  The second will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0670

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2) unde...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2) undergoes testing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simul... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility look over one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers, MER-2.  MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation before being integrated. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, but will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the first rover is scheduled for May 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  The second will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0660

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicin...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility look over one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers, MER-2. MER-1 and MER-2, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full missi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -  In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers check out the Mars Exploration Rover-1 (background).  In the foreground is part of the lander.  While at KSC, each of the two rovers, their aeroshells and landers will undergo a full mission simulation. After spin balance testing,  each spacecraft will be mated to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. Approximately 10 days before launch they will be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing Delta II rockets. The rovers will serve as robotic geologists to seek answers about the evolution of Mars, particularly  for a history of water. The rovers are identical to each other, and will land at different regions of Mars.  Launch of the MER-1 is scheduled for May 30.  MER-2 will follow June 25. KSC-03pd0727

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facil...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers check out the Mars Exploration Rover-1 (background). In the foreground is part of the lander. While at KSC, each of the two r... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., Boeing workers make final adjustments to the mating of the upper canister around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft with the lower protective panels around the Delta II  upper stage booster for the transportation of MESSENGER to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.  Liftoff of MESSENGER aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket is scheduled for Aug. 2.  The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around the planet in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1495

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvil...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., Boeing workers make final adjustments to the mating of the upper canister around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the upper canister is lowered around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft.  The canister will be attached to the lower protective panels around the Delta II  upper stage booster for the transportation of MESSENGER to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.  Liftoff of MESSENGER aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket is scheduled for Aug. 2.  The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around the planet in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1494

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvil...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the upper canister is lowered around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft. The... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft is seen atop the Delta II upper stage booster (middle) and the Delta II launch vehicle below.  The spacecraft is ready for installation of the fairing, a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth joint, protecting the spacecraft during launch.  Seen on the right is one of the solar panels on the spacecraft.  On the left is the heat-resistant, ceramic-cloth sunshade that will protect the spacecraft’s instruments as MESSENGER orbits the Mercury where the surface reaches a high temperature near 840 degrees Fahrenheit and the solar intensity can be 11 times greater than on Earth. MESSENGER  is scheduled to launch Aug. 2 and is expected to enter Mercury orbit in March 2011.  MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1567

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft is seen atop the Delta II upper stage... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  Shrouded with a protective cover, half of the payload fairing (far left) for the STEREO spacecraft is lifted up alongside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At right, on the other side of the tower, can be seen the Boeing Delta II rocket with its solid rocket boosters in place.   The fairing will be moved into the clean room in the tower and later installed around the spacecraft for protection during launch.  The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. STEREO, which stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, comprises two spacecraft.  The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth.  STEREO is expected to lift off aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket in August 2006.  Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-06pd1558

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shrouded with a protective cover, half o...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shrouded with a protective cover, half of the payload fairing (far left) for the STEREO spacecraft is lifted up alongside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canave... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., one of the five THEMIS probes is ready to be covered for its move to the hazardous processing facility. There it will be placed on a stand in preparation for fueling operations. Once fueling is complete, each probe will be weighed and individually mated to the payload carrier before pyrotechnics are installed. The fully integrated THEMIS payload is then ready for spin-balance testing and weighing. The final milestone is mating THEMIS to its upper stage booster. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. These lights are the visible manifestations of invisible energy releases, called geomagnetic substorms, in near-Earth space. THEMIS will not only seek to answer where and when substorms start, but will also provide clues as to how and why these space storms create havoc on satellites, terrestrial power grids, and communication systems.  THEMIS will be transported to Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 1 for mating to the Delta II rocket.  Launch is scheduled for Feb. 15.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2813

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., one of the five THEMIS probes is ready to be covered for its move to the hazardous processing facility. There it will be placed o... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., one of the five THEMIS probes is moved out of the facility and will be transported to the hazardous processing facility.  There the probes will be placed on a stand in preparation for fueling operations.  Once fueling is complete, each probe will be weighed and individually mated to the payload carrier before pyrotechnics are installed. The fully integrated THEMIS payload is then ready for spin-balance testing and weighing. The final milestone is mating THEMIS to its upper stage booster. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. These lights are the visible manifestations of invisible energy releases, called geomagnetic substorms, in near-Earth space. THEMIS will not only seek to answer where and when substorms start, but will also provide clues as to how and why these space storms create havoc on satellites, terrestrial power grids, and communication systems.  THEMIS will be transported to Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 1 for mating to the Delta II rocket.  Launch is scheduled for Feb. 15.  Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2816

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusvi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., one of the five THEMIS probes is moved out of the facility and will be transported to the hazardous processing facility. There t... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   A worker inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station examines the Delta II upper stage booster mated to the THEMIS spacecraft above.  THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission is to investigate what causes auroras in the Earth's atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of color. Discovering what causes auroras to change will provide scientists with important details on how the planet's magnetosphere works and the important Sun-Earth connection.  THEMIS is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta II rocket on Feb. 15 during a window extending from 6:08 to 6:27 p.m.  Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-07pd0259

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A worker inside the mobile service tow...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A worker inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station examines the Delta II upper stage booster mated to the THEMIS spacecraft above. T... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, an overhead crane moves the Dawn spacecraft across the floor toward the upper stage booster for mating.  Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.  They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.   Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-07pd1607

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, an overhead crane moves th...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, an overhead crane moves the Dawn spacecraft across the floor toward the upper stage booster for mating. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7 from Pad 17-B on Cape Cana... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --   On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers supervise the movement of the first half of the fairing toward NASA's Dawn spacecraft for encapsulation. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.  Launch is scheduled for July 8.  Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-07pd1719

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers supervise the movement of the first half of the fairing toward NASA's Dawn spacecraft for encapsulation... More

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