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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour waits on Launch Pad 39B for launch on mission STS-97. Behind it are the orange external tank flanked by two solid rocket boosters. On either side of Endeavour’s tail are the tail service masts, which support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter’s liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft T-0 umbilicals. The masts also protect the ground half of those umbilicals from the harsh launch environment. At launch, the masts rotate backward, triggering a compressed-gas thruster and causing a protective hood to move into place and completely seal the structure from the main engine exhaust. At the end of the orbiter access arm, near the nose of Endeavour, is the White Room, an environmental chamber that provides both entrance to the orbiter and emergency egress, if needed. The arm remains extended until 7 minutes, 24 seconds before launch. The arm extends from the Fixed Service Structure. In the center of Endeavour are the payload bay doors. Endeavour is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at 10:06 p.m. EST KSC-00pp1731

Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134 (201104290010HQ)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the orbiter Atlantis is slowly lowered alongside the external tank and solid rocket boosters below. Also visible are the three main engine nozzles, each measuring 7.8 feet across and 9.4 feet high. The 122-foot-long orbiter is easily accommodated inside the 525-foot-tall, 518-foot-wide VAB. After being mated with the tank and solid rocket boosters stack, Atlantis will be transported to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-101 to the International Space Station, where its crew of seven will prepare the Station for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda. Atlantis is expected to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000 KSC00pp0364

Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134

The orbiter Discovery is finally vertical and hangs suspended in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building. It will next be moved into high bay 1 for mating with its solid rocket boosters and external tank. Discovery will be launched March 8 on mission STS-102, the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station. The Shuttle will carry the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the first of three pressurized modules provided by the Italian Space Agency to carry supplies and equipment to the Space Station and back to earth KSC01padig039

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39B reveals the Space Shuttle Discovery, scheduled to launch on mission STS-96 at 6:49 a.m. EDT on May 27. Above the top of the external tank is a vent hood, known as the "beanie cap," at the end of the external tank gaseous oxygen vent arm. STS-96 is a 10-day logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying about 4,000 pounds of supplies to be stored aboard the station, for use by future crews, including laptop computers, cameras, tools, spare parts, and clothing. The mission also includes such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-involved experiment. The mission will include a space walk to attach the cranes to the outside of the ISS for use in future construction. Space Shuttle Discovery is due to launch on May 27 at 6:49 a.m. EDT. Landing is expected at the SLF on June 6 about 1:58 a.m. EDT KSC-99pp0579

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Atlantis is revealed on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after the rotating service structure, or RSS, at left of the pad, has been rolled back. Movement of the RSS began at 7:27 p.m. EST. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for crew entry and servicing of payloads at the pad. Rollback of the pad's RSS is one of the milestones in preparation for the launch of mission STS-122, scheduled for 2:45 p.m. EST on Feb. 7. This will be the third launch attempt for Atlantis since December 2007 to carry the Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station. Beneath the shuttle is the mobile launcher platform which supports the shuttle until liftoff. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd0175

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A on NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery is fully revealed after rollback of the rotating service structure. Seen above the golden external tank is the vent hood (known as the "beanie cap") at the end of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, extending from the fixed service structure. Vapors are created as the liquid oxygen in the external tank boil off. The hood vents the gaseous oxygen vapors away from the space shuttle vehicle. Below it, also extending toward Discovery from the structure, is the orbiter access arm with the White Room at the end. The crew gains access into the orbiter through the White Room. Rollback of the RSS started at 3:34 p.m. EDT and was complete at 4:20 p.m. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. Rollback of the pad's RSS is one of the milestones in preparation for the launch of mission STS-120. Discovery is scheduled for liftoff at 11:38 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23. The mission will be the 23rd assembly flight to the International Space Station and the 34th flight for Discovery. Payload on the mission is the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The 14-day mission will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-07pd2922

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The orbiter access arm is positioned against Space Shuttle Endeavour after rollback of the rotating service structure, or RSS, on Launch Pad 39A. At the end of the arm is a clean room from which the astronauts enter the crew compartment of the orbiter for launch. Rollback started at 9 p.m. EDT Aug. 7 and was complete at 10:40 p.m. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. Rollback of the pad's RSS is one of the milestones in preparation for the launch of mission STS-118 at 6:36 p.m. EDT on Aug. 8. Space Shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission is the 22nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station. It will continue space station construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, and other payloads such as the SPACEHAB module and the external stowage platform 3. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-07pd2228

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Various vehicles escort space shuttle Atlantis as it crawls toward Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2540

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis passes through the gate and approaches the top of Launch Pad 39A after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2542

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis makes the slow journey up the incline to the top of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT and Atlantis was hard down on the pad at 3:52 p.m.. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2545

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space Space shuttle Atlantis curves toward Launch Pad 39A (at left) on the crawlerway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2543

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Viewed across the turn basin near the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis crawls toward Launch Pad 39A. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2536

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Rollout of space shuttle Atlantis is viewed from inside the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2533

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis approaches the top of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT and Atlantis was hard down on the pad at 3:52 p.m.. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2544

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis comes to a stop on the top of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after more than a 6-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT and Atlantis was hard down on the pad at 3:52 p.m. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2550

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis rolls along the crawlerway toward Launch pad 39A after leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd2534

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis approaches the top of Launch Pad 39A after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd2541

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis approaches the top of Launch Pad 39A after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hanna’s shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

The Space Shuttle program was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011, administered by NASA and officially beginning in 1972. The Space Shuttle system—composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid rocket boosters and a disposable external fuel tank— carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). When its mission was complete, the orbiter would re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and lands as a glider. Although the concept had been explored since the late 1960s, the program formally commenced in 1972 and was the focus of NASA's manned operations after the final Apollo and Skylab flights in the mid-1970s. It started with the launch of the first shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981, on STS-1. and finished with its last mission, STS-135 flown by Atlantis, in July 2011.

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kennedy space center cape canaveral atlantis approaches space shuttle atlantis approaches launch pad shuttle stack rocket boosters rocket boosters fuel fuel tank launcher platform launcher platform movement crawler transporter rollout rollout date hanna tropical storm hanna shift track sts hubble telescope service nasa hubble space telescope jack pfaller space shuttle space shuttle on launch pad high resolution tropical storm nasa
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04/09/2008
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label_outline Explore Rollout Date, Tropical Storm Hanna Shift, Shuttle Stack

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' main engines and solid rocket boosters ignite on Launch Pad 39A leaving behind a billow of steam as it lifts off on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis with its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, lifted off at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2011 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 is the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O'Connell KSC-2011-5422

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the VAB, orbiter Endeavour is lifted to a vertical position before being mated to the external tank (bottom of photo) and solid rocket boosters in high bay 1. Space Shuttle Endeavour is targeted for launch on mission STS-99 Jan. 13, 2000, at 1:11 p.m. EST. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation, or change. The SRTM hardware will consist of one radar antenna in the shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) out from the shuttle KSC-99pp1381

S132E007258 - STS-132 - ISS during STS-132 Approach

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ground support equipment technicians monitor the progress as crawler-transporter 1 begins its trek to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New jacking, equalizing and leveling, or JEL, hydraulic cylinders were installed on CT-1 and are being tested for increased load carrying capacity and reliability. The Vehicle Assembly Building is visible in the background. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy continues to upgrade the crawler-transporter as part of its general maintenance. CT-1 could be available to carry a variety of launch vehicles to the launch pad. Two crawler-transporters were used to carry the mobile launcher platform and space shuttle to Launch Complex 39 for space shuttle launches for 30 years. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2013-4203

S125E006920 - STS-125 - Hubble Space Telescope (HST) prior to grapple by STS-125 Shuttle Atlantis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the external tank for space shuttle Atlantis is lowered toward the solid rocket boosters (the nose cone of one of the boosters is seen here) for mating. The tank and boosters will be secured on the mobile launcher platform below. Atlantis' STS-125 mission is the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd2265

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After leaving the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, the orbiter Endeavour, atop its transporter, rolls toward the Vehicle Assembly Building. In the VAB, it will be stacked with the external tank and solid rocket boosters atop the mobile launcher platform for its launch on mission STS-118. The mission will be Endeavour's first flight in more than four years. The shuttle has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour also features new hardware, such as the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbiting lab. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 7. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-07pd1709

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, external fuel tank, ET-138, for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission, is lowered into high bay-1 for joining with the twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. Shuttle Atlantis' move, or "rollover," from Orbiter Processing Facility-1 to the VAB is targeted for May 10. Once there it will be mated with the external tank and boosters. Atlantis and its crew of four will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-3043

Space Shuttle Challenger, Transfer - STS-13 / 41C

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building transfer aisle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the overhead crane lifts space shuttle Atlantis from its transporter. Atlantis will be raised to vertical for transfer to high bay 3. There it will be stacked with its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A to prepare for launch on the STS-125 mission targeted for 1:34 a.m. EDT Oct. 8. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-08pd2487

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The high-fidelity space shuttle model which was on display at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida seems out of place when viewed across the water of Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 turn basin. The Vehicle Assembly Building across the street towers 525 feet above it. The shuttle was part of a display at the visitor complex that also included an external tank and two solid rocket boosters that were used to show visitors the size of actual space shuttle components. The full-scale shuttle model is being transferred from Kennedy to Space Center Houston, NASA Johnson Space Center's visitor center. The model will stay at the turn basin for a few months until it is ready to be transported to Texas via barge. The move also helps clear the way for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to begin construction of a new facility next year to display space shuttle Atlantis in 2013. For more information about Space Center Houston, visit http://www.spacecenter.org. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2011-8264

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload canister, at left, is lifted from its transporter toward the payload changeout room in the rotating service structure. The canister carries a cargo of four carriers holding various equipment for the STS-125 mission aboard space shuttle Atlantis to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis is seen at right, atop the mobile launcher platform. The two tail service masts flank the engines in front of the wings. At the pad, the cargo will be moved into the Payload Changeout Room. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into the shuttle’s payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-08pd2786

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kennedy space center cape canaveral atlantis approaches space shuttle atlantis approaches launch pad shuttle stack rocket boosters rocket boosters fuel fuel tank launcher platform launcher platform movement crawler transporter rollout rollout date hanna tropical storm hanna shift track sts hubble telescope service nasa hubble space telescope jack pfaller space shuttle space shuttle on launch pad high resolution tropical storm nasa