KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Italian-built module, U.S. Node 2, for the International Space Station is offloaded from a Beluga aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The second of three Station connectin More
At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-97 Mission Specialist Joseph Tanner (left) is greeted by Center Director Roy Bridges on his arrival at KSC from Johnson Space Center. Tanner and the rest of the crew have re More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop a mobile launch platform, passes by the turn basin in Launch Complex 39 toward Pad A as the sun rises on a balmy Florida morning. First motion out of t More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Endeavour is bathed in light. Twin solid rocket boosters flank the orange external tank behind En More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The blue cones of light, known as shock or mach diamonds, beneath Space Shuttle Discovery's main engines confirm its rapid rise into the night sky after liftoff on mission STS-116 More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The early morning sun falls on Launch Pad 39A and Space Shuttle Discovery, which is waiting for launch on mission STS-92 Oct. 5, 2000. Leading to the pad (from the foreground) is More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Students pause during their work on their experiments that will fly in SPACEHAB on Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107. SPACEHAB's complement of commercial experiments includ More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A vapor trail flows from Discovery's wing tip as it makes a speedy approach to Runway 15 at NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility, completing mission STS-121 to the International Spac More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A long-range tracking camera captures images of space shuttle Atlantis as it launches on mission STS-122 from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was on time a More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, a truck maneuvers its bed into place for the offloading of the remote manipulator system for the Japanese Experiment Module from the Antonov 1 More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Rawinsonde weather balloon sails into the sky after release from the Cape Canaveral forecast facility in Florida. The release was planned as part of a media tour prior to the More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Expedition 6 crew member Nikolai Budarin relaxes during fit check of his launch and entry suit, part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. He and the rest of the cre More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- As the sun sinks in the west, Space Shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A is silhouetted. Only one solid rocket booster and external tank is visible with the Rotating Service Struct More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - From the viewing area of the Operations and Support Building II, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney will be able to view the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121. Chen More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the payload canister atop its transporter rolls toward Launch Pad 39A. The canister contains the Columbus Lab module and integrated cargo carrier-li More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis is poised for flight at liftoff from Launch Pad 39A on mission STS-117 to the International Space Station. Liftoff was on-time at 7:38:04 p.m. EDT. The s More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Payload Changeout Room (part of the Rotation Service Structure at the launch pad), the doors of the payload canister open to reveal its cargo, the SPACEHAB module (bottom) a More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-111 startles a large bird to flight over nearby waters. Liftoff occurred at 5:22:49 p.m. EDT. This mission marks the 14th Shuttle More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis is revealed on pad 39B after rollback of the Rotating Service Structure prior to launch. The Shuttle is scheduled for launch Oct. 7 at 3:46 p.m. EDT on miss More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After rollback of the rotating service structure (RSS) on Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Discovery stands bathed in lights from the RSS and fixed service structure. The rollback w More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building, orbiter Discovery is in place on the mobile launcher platform after being lowered into high bay 3 for mating with its external tank and solid More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After a two-day trip from California, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger space shuttle Atlantis are ready to land on NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Lan More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis sits on launch Pad 39A waiting for the rotating service structure to be moved into place for final launch preparations. A small section of the fixed service More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Emerging from the billows of smoke and steam on Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Atlantis hurtles into space for a rendezvous with the International Space Station on mission STS-122. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 125 is raised off its transporter. The tank will be raised to a vertical position and then lifted into a More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour rests on Launch Pad 39A after rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle comprises the orbiter, in front, and the taller orange external tank More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers perform post-polishing inspection on Atlantis' flow liners. Following an extensive investigation into the cause of tiny cracks inside fuel lines of the four space shuttle More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis is lowered alongside the external tank and solid rocket boosters waiting below More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As the orbiter Discovery, sitting on an orbiter transporter, moves away from NASA's Orbiter Processing Facility toward the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), workers accompany the veh More
An STS-102 crew member reaches for the release lever for the slidewire basket, used for emergency egress from the orbiter and pad. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Clouds of smoke and steam seem to break away as Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off from Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-102. Liftoff occurred at 6:42:09 EST for this eighth flight to More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank designated for Space Shuttle Discovery is lowered into high bay 3. There it will be stacked with the solid rocket boosters alre More
Pilot Greg Johnson and Mission Specialist Mike Fincke of Space Shuttle Endeavour's final mission STS-134 come to Ames Research Center to share their experiences, answer questions and sign autographs during a af More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39B, the cargo in Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay is seen before the closing of the bay doors. The cargo is the 17-and-a-half-ton P3/P4 truss segment for the In More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The shuttle training aircraft, or STA, moves toward the runway on NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility. In the cockpit are STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy and Pilot George Zamka, who More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister arrives under the payload changeout room in the rotating service structure on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The canister holds the payloads More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As the ground fills with smoke and steam, Space Shuttle Discovery creates its own fireworks display, fitting for the first ever launch to be made on Independence Day. It was the More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery, on top of the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, reaches Launch Pad 39B for launch of mission STS-116. On the right edge of the photo can b More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-113 Commander James Wetherbee checks the cockpit window from inside Endeavour. The check is part of Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, which include familiarization w More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The flag at right identifies Space Shuttle Discovery on Launch Pad 39A after its rollout and before the Rotating Service Structure is moved around it. Scheduled to launch Oct. 5 at More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis rockets into the blue sky above Launch Pad 39A after liftoff. Beneath Atlantis' main engines are blue cones of light, known as shock or mach diamonds. T More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This is the cockpit of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, a modified Boeing 747, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The SCA will carry space shuttle Atlantis on its ferry flight More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 39B, both of Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay doors are closed for launch. Inside the payload bay, the cargo includes the multi-purpose logistics module Leonar More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers use an aircraft tug vehicle to back Atlantis away from the mate/demate device at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The orbiter will be towed to the Orbiter More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians unload the replacement wrist joint for the Space Station Remote Manipulator System before installing it in Space Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. The new wrist joint, c More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Huge clouds roll over Launch Pad 39B where Space Shuttle Atlantis still sits after the scrub of its launch on mission STS-115. Atlantis was originally scheduled to launch at 12: More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A large bird appears to chase Space Shuttle Discovery as it roars into space and emblazons the night sky. This was the second launch attempt of Discovery on mission STS-116. Lift More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A student displays an experiment that will fly in SPACEHAB on Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107. SPACEHAB's complement of commercial experiments includes six educational ex More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Clouds of smoke and steam roll across Launch Pad 39A as Space Shuttle Endeavour leaps free above them, beginning its journey on mission STS-118. Liftoff of Endeavour was on time More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Under the mate/demate device at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Atlantis is fitted with a sling to lift it for attachment to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, a modified Boeing More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is saluted by officers from Patrick Air Force Base as he boards Air Force Two for a More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, United Space Alliance shuttle technicians remove the hard cover from a window on Space Shuttle Discovery to enable More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Lockheed Martin external tank technician from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans inspects the foam modification on external tank 120 in the Vehicle Assembly Building. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The orbiter Discovery approaches touchdown on Runway 15 at NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility, completing mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery traveled 5. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Launch Control Center, Robbie Ashley, STS-115 payload manager, and Pat Lesley, with United Space Alliance, receive a special award from (at left) Shuttle Launch Directo More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Several remote cameras are positioned around the perimeter of Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the launch of mission STS-115 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. A lightning strike to t More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Robotic arm experts get ready for ultrasound testing on Endeavour's robotic arm. A scrape of the honeycomb shell around the arm occurred while work platforms were being installed More
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with orbiter Columbia on top is close to touchdown at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after leaving the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip. The ferry flight began in Calif More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After demate from the shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, Atlantis begins its trek from Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility to the Orbiter Processing Facility. The orbit More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Endeavour passes through the gate to Launch Pad 39B. To the right of the pad is a 290-foot tall water tower. To the left is More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-116 Commander Mark Polansky is ready to begin practice flights on the shuttle training aircraft (STA) three days before launch. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built G More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Bare branches frame the liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-106 to the International Space Station. Billows of smoke and steam are illuminated by the flames of the sol More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39A, workers wait to begin replace Shuttle Atlantis' Power Drive Unit (PDU), which is attached to the crane (center). The PDU controls the rudder/speed brake on the o More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Atlantis is towed back from the mate/demate device at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The orbiter will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility, where processi More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore (second from left) and Ralph Roe, (third from left), with the Orbiter Work Group, JSC, examine a piece of debris from Columbia. A Columbia R More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- With the Rotating Service Structure rolled back, Space Shuttle Discovery is revealed, poised for launch on mission STS-102 at 6:42 a.m. EST March 8. It sits on the Mobile Launcher More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sitting atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Atlantis inches its way to the launch pad. The Shuttle and MLP rest on top of the crawler-transporter beneath it, which mo More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Perched atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, Space Shuttle Endeavour passes through the gate to Launch Pad 39B. To the right of the pad is a 290-foot tall water tower. To the left is More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- External tank No. 125 is moved out of the Pegasus barge at the Launch Complex 39 Area turn basin. After offloading, the tank will be transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 crew receives instruction on emergency exit from the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A. From left are Pilot Alan Poindexter and Mission More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, with the orbiter Atlantis on its back is towed under the mate/demate device. The orbiter will be detach More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - External tank No. 123 is being transported from the Pegasus barge in the turn basin at the Launch Complex 39 Area to the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be lifted into a c More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After a night’s rest and a brief press conference at KSC, STS-97 Pilot Michael Bloomfield heads for the plane at the Shuttle Landing Facility. With him are his wife (right) and dau More
Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility gather with the crew of mission STS-97, who are holding the symbolic key representing the turnover of the P6 Integrated Truss Structure, part of the payload on t More
In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers help guide the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Donatello as it moves the length of the SSPF toward a workstand. In the SSPF, Donatello will undergo processing by More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At a media showcase in the Space Station Processing Facility, reporters and photographers get a close look at the S3/S4 integrated truss segment. The starboard 3/4 truss segment More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Air Force Two, carrying U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and his family, is ready for a return trip to Washington. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis is lowered toward the external tank and solid rocket boosters waiting below, a More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After rollback of the rotating service structure (RSS) on Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Discovery stands bathed in lights from the RSS and fixed service structure. The rollback w More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Moments after liftoff, the launch of space shuttle Atlantis casts a glow in the lagoon waters during launch from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Atlantis is racing More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Cameras are prepared to record the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis from Launch Pad 39A following sunrise on a cloudy Florida day. Rollback of the pad's rotating service structure, More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Access platforms at Launch Pad 39A are moved into position against Space Shuttle Discovery atop a mobile launch platform. Discovery arrived at its seaside launch pad around noon an More
STS-97 Mission Specialist Marc Garneau arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a T-38 jet aircraft. Garneau is with the Canadian Space Agency. He and the rest of the crew are at KSC to take part in Termi More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Two GetAway Special (GAS) experiments SEM-06 (left) and MARS (right), part of the payload on mission STS-101, are seen here in the payload bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis prior to do More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Under a feather-painted sky, Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform atop a crawler transporter, creeps up the ramp to Launch Pad 39A. This is the second roll More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Two bird detection radars have been set up near Launch Pad 39B to get ready for the July 1 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121. When birds, especially vultures, More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building, the U.S. Lab, named Destiny, is lowered into the rotation and handling fixture in preparation for testing in the altitude chamber. Destiny More
In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers help guide the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo as it moves toward the weight and balance scale. The Italian-built MPLM is one of three such pressurized More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- External tank No. 120 is suspended vertically above the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC. The tank will next be lifted into a checkout cell. ET-120 will be More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The nose of NASA's Super Guppy aircraft opens to reveal the kscpao/release/2000/78-00.htm">Joint Airlock Module</a> the gateway from which crew members aboard the International Spa More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the payload changeout room on Launch Pad 39B, STS-121 Mission Specialist Lisa Nowak takes a close look at part of the payload for the mission. She is dressed in a clean r More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane moves the external stowage platform 3 to the payload canister at right. The platform is part of the payload on missio More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, one of two Materials International Space Station Experiments, or MISSE, is lowered into space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay for installation. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crew of mission STS-115 arrives at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility to prepare for a second launch attempt on Sept. 6 to the International Space Station. See More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis is raised off its transporter. After raised to a vertical position, At More
Space Shuttle Endeavour finally rests on Launch Pad 39B after its rollout was stalled several hours to fix a broken cleat on the crawler-transporter. At the far left is the Rotating Service Structure. From the More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With the Rotating Service Structure rolled back, Space Shuttle Atlantis stands ready for launch on mission STS-110. The Orbiter Access Arm extends from the Fixed Service Structure More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed from Astronaut Rd., Space Shuttle Discovery breaks away from the cocoon of smoke below, blazing a trail into the dawn sky. Liftoff of Discovery on mission STS-102 occurred a More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Expedition 4 crew practice emergency exit from Space Shuttle Endeavour on the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure. Leading the way is astronaut Carl E. Walz, follo More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Following mission STS-105, the Crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV) is moved into place beside orbiter Discovery on KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15. Both the STS-105 and Expedition More