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GEMINI-IV - PRELAUNCH - KSC, NASA Gemini program

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The 227-foot-tall 69.2 meter) SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff with the SpaceX Dragon capsule aboard is set for 4:55 a.m. EDT on May 19. The launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the station’s Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-3721

Expedition 39 Soyuz Rollout (201403230026HQ)

The access tower around the Athena II rocket for the Lunar Prospector spacecraft, to be launched for NASA by Lockheed Martin, was rolled back today at Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Station for final prelaunch preparations. The small robotic spacecraft is designed to provide the first global maps of the Moon's surface compositional elements and its gravitational and magnetic fields. The launch of Lunar Prospector is currently scheduled for Jan. 5, 1998 at 8:31 p.m KSC-97PC1800

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Viewed from below, the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is lifted up the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The second stage will be moved into the tower and lowered for mating with the Delta's first stage. Phoenix is scheduled to launch 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. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-07pd1694

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the GOES-O and Delta IV upper stage stand erect after lowering of the lifting mechanism. GOES–O is one of a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The multi-mission GOES series N-P will be a vital contributor to weather, solar and space operations and science. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, are actively engaged in a cooperative program to expand the existing GOES system with the launch of the GOES N-P satellites. Launch of the GOES-O is targeted for no earlier than April 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-1882

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The payload canister is in place beneath the Rotating Service Structure's Payload Changeout Room on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the canister is the payload for space shuttle Discovery and the STS-128 mission, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo and the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch of Discovery on its STS-128 mission is targeted for August 25. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller. KSC-2009-4296

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2, is transferred into the clean room at the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. There it will be encapsulated into the Delta II payload fairing and mated with the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket inside the tower. Launch is scheduled for July 1. OCO-2 will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and provide scientists with a better idea of the chemical compound's impacts on climate change. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas. To learn more about OCO-2, visit http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin KSC-2014-2953

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – With the backdrop of a blue sky and the blue Atlantic Ocean, workers are constructing the lightning towers on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In the background, at left, is the liquid hydrogen tank that helps fuel a space shuttle for launch. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire centenary system. This improved lightning protection system also allows for the taller height of the Ares I compared to the space shuttle. Pad B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X which is scheduled for April 2009, as part of the Constellation Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-08pd1852

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A solid-fueled booster is lifted into Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida where a United Launch Alliance Delta II is being prepared for launch. The Delta II will carry NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft into lunar orbit. The GRAIL mission is a part of NASA's Discovery Program. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed. GRAIL is scheduled to launch September 8, 2011. For more information visit: http://science.nasa.gov/missions/grail/. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-3090

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A solid-fueled booster is lifted into Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida where a United Launch Alliance Delta II is being prepared for launch. The Delta II will carry NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft into lunar orbit. The GRAIL mission is a part of NASA's Discovery Program. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed. GRAIL is scheduled to launch September 8, 2011. For more information visit: http://science.nasa.gov/missions/grail/. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

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delta ii elv science exploration solar system goddard jpl kennedy space center cape canaveral booster launch launch complex station cape canaveral air force station delta launch alliance delta ii delta ii gravity gravity recovery interior laboratory interior laboratory grail spacecraft orbit grail mission discovery discovery program tandem tandem orbits moon months measure field gravity field answer questions scientists planets system information visit science jim grossmann air force high resolution recovery program rocket launch space launch complex nasa
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25/04/2011
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Cape Canaveral, FL
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NASA
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label_outline Explore Delta Ii Elv Science Exploration Solar System Goddard Jpl, Grail Mission, Discovery Program

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Spotlights illuminate the United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket that will launch NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:08:52 a.m. EDT Sept. 10. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future moon vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the moon’s surface. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/grail. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Don Kight KSC-2011-6907

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After being raised to a vertical position, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket is being moved into the Vertical Integration Facility to begin preparations for launch on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. KSC-05pd2268

Artist Concept of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment

A large cloud of smoke is rising into the sky. Rocket launch rocket take off, science technology.

A space shuttle lifts off into the sky. Rocket launch smoke rocket, science technology.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians enclose a transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft in an environmentally protective wrap for its move to the launch pad. SMAP will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/U.S. Air Force Photo Squadron KSC-2015-1090

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers maneuver the fifth and final solid rocket booster into place for mating to the Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket. Two of the other four rockets are seen at left. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft that will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon’s surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015. KSC-05pd2528

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Atlas V expendable launch vehicle with the New Horizons spacecraft rolls out of the Vertical Integration Facility on its way to the pad. The liftoff is scheduled for 1:24 p.m. EST Jan. 17. After its launch aboard the Atlas V, the compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe will get a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The New Horizons science payload, developed under direction of Southwest Research Institute, includes imaging infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, a multi-color camera, a long-range telescopic camera, two particle spectrometers, a space-dust detector and a radio science experiment. The dust counter was designed and built by students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A launch before Feb. 3 allows New Horizons to fly past Jupiter in early 2007 and use the planet’s gravity as a slingshot toward Pluto. The Jupiter flyby trims the trip to Pluto by as many as five years and provides opportunities to test the spacecraft’s instruments and flyby capabilities on the Jupiter system. New Horizons could reach the Pluto system as early as mid-2015, conducting a five-month-long study possible only from the close-up vantage of a spacecraft. KSC-06pd0067

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 17-B, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers attach a crane to NASA's Dawn spacecraft mated to the Delta II upper stage booster, in preparation for stacking with the Delta II launch vehicle. Launch is scheduled for July 7. 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-07pd1657

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 17-B, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers position NASA’s Dawn spacecraft to lower it toward the Delta II launch vehicle. Launch is scheduled for July 7. 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-07pd1662

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — Photographers and spectators watch NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, trailing fire and smoke from the Atlas V rocket that propels it, as it roars into the cloud-scattered sky. Liftoff was on time at 2 p.m. EST from Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This was the third launch attempt in as many days after scrubs due to weather concerns. The compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe will get a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The New Horizons science payload, developed under direction of Southwest Research Institute, includes imaging infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, a multi-color camera, a long-range telescopic camera, two particle spectrometers, a space-dust detector and a radio science experiment. The dust counter was designed and built by students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The launch at this time allows New Horizons to fly past Jupiter in early 2007 and use the planet’s gravity as a slingshot toward Pluto. The Jupiter flyby trims the trip to Pluto by as many as five years and provides opportunities to test the spacecraft’s instruments and flyby capabilities on the Jupiter system. New Horizons could reach the Pluto system as early as mid-2015, conducting a five-month-long study possible only from the close-up vantage of a spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd0089

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — Into a cloud-scattered blue sky, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft roars off the launch pad aboard an Atlas V rocket spewing flames and smoke. Liftoff was on time at 2 p.m. EST from Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This was the third launch attempt in as many days after scrubs due to weather concerns. The compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe will get a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The New Horizons science payload, developed under direction of Southwest Research Institute, includes imaging infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, a multi-color camera, a long-range telescopic camera, two particle spectrometers, a space-dust detector and a radio science experiment. The dust counter was designed and built by students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The launch at this time allows New Horizons to fly past Jupiter in early 2007 and use the planet’s gravity as a slingshot toward Pluto. The Jupiter flyby trims the trip to Pluto by as many as five years and provides opportunities to test the spacecraft’s instruments and flyby capabilities on the Jupiter system. New Horizons could reach the Pluto system as early as mid-2015, conducting a five-month-long study possible only from the close-up vantage of a spacecraft. KSC-06pd0098

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delta ii elv science exploration solar system goddard jpl kennedy space center cape canaveral booster launch launch complex station cape canaveral air force station delta launch alliance delta ii delta ii gravity gravity recovery interior laboratory interior laboratory grail spacecraft orbit grail mission discovery discovery program tandem tandem orbits moon months measure field gravity field answer questions scientists planets system information visit science jim grossmann air force high resolution recovery program rocket launch space launch complex nasa