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Lockheed JF-104A (AF56-745A Tail No. 60745) Starfighter airplane piloted by Fred Drinkwater conducted flight testing that demonstrated steep approaches that were ultimately used by the space shuttle. Steep descent testing, including power-off landing approaches and demonstration of minimum lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) landings came out of the interest in the use of low L/D lifting bodies for recovery to landing from space. Note: Used in publication in Flight Research at Ames; 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology NASA SP-1998-3300 fig 93 ARC-1959-A-24953

Lockheed JF-104A (AF56-745A Tail No. 60745) Starfighter airplane pilot...

Lockheed JF-104A (AF56-745A Tail No. 60745) Starfighter airplane piloted by Fred Drinkwater conducted flight testing that demonstrated steep approaches that were ultimately used by the space shuttle. Steep de... 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 will begin landing practice on the runway. A modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet, the STA simulates an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Melroy and other crew members are at Kennedy Space Center to take part in the terminal countdown demonstration test, which also includes a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-07pd2693

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The shuttle training aircraft, or STA, ...

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Project Morpheus prototype lander’s engine begins to fire during a tether test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility. During the test, the lander is lifted 20 feet by crane, and will ascend another 10 feet, maneuver backwards 10 feet, and then fly forward and descend to its original position, landing at the end of the tether onto a transportable launch platform. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2013-4285

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Project Morpheus prototype lander’s engine begins to fire during a tether test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility. During the ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seated in the cockpit of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy is eager to begin landing practice on NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility runway. A modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet, the STA simulates an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Melroy and other crew members are at Kennedy Space Center to take part in the terminal countdown demonstration test, which also includes a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-07pd2691

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seated in the cockpit of the shuttle tr...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seated in the cockpit of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy is eager to begin landing practice on NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility runway. A mod... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Steady progress is made on the construction of the hazard field for the Project Morpheus lander near the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free flight. The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3659

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Steady progress is made on the construction of ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Steady progress is made on the construction of the hazard field for the Project Morpheus lander near the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Te... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- One of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, flies over NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility during landing practice. The commander and pilot of the STS-124 mission, Mark Kelly and Ken Ham, are making the practice landings. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the aircraft duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to lift off on the STS-124 mission at 5:02 p.m. May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd1473

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- One of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA,...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- One of the shuttle training aircraft, or STA, flies over NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility during landing practice. The commander and pilot of the STS-124 mission, M... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – From left, Chirold Epp, the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT, project manager, and Jon Olansen, Morpheus project manager, speak to members of the media near the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Media also viewed Morpheus inside a facility near the landing facility. Project Morpheus tests NASA’s ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov/. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2014-2644

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – From left, Chirold Epp, the Autonomous Landing ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – From left, Chirold Epp, the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT, project manager, and Jon Olansen, Morpheus project manager, speak to members of the media near th... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The hazard field for the Project Morpheus lander is conveniently located near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the distance is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free flight. The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3360

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The hazard field for the Project Morpheus lande...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The hazard field for the Project Morpheus lander is conveniently located near the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the distance is the 525-foot-tall... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Steady progress is made to prepare equipment for construction of the launch platform for the Project Morpheus lander at the midfield of the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for its first free flight. The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2012-3747

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Steady progress is made to prepare equipment fo...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Steady progress is made to prepare equipment for construction of the launch platform for the Project Morpheus lander at the midfield of the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, at NASA’s Ken... 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 Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-116 is scheduled for 9:35 p.m. Dec. 7. On the mission, the STS-116 crew will deliver truss segment, P5, to the International Space Station and begin the intricate process of reconfiguring and redistributing the power generated by two pairs of U.S. solar arrays. The P5 will be mated to the P4 truss that was delivered and attached during the STS-115 mission in September. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd2649

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-116 Commander Mark Polansky is read...

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-126 commander, Chris Ferguson, exits the Shuttle Training Aircraft, or STA. Ferguson flew the STA to practice landing the shuttle on the runway. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate a shuttle’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the aircraft duplicates the shuttle’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Ferguson previously served as pilot on the STS-115 mission, which flew in September 2006. The STS-126 mission to the International Space Station is targeted to launch Nov. 16. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston KSC-08pd2995

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-126 commander, Chris Ferguson, exits the Shuttle Training Aircraft, or STA. Ferg... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A technician prepares the Project Morpheus prototype lander for a second free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. Project Morpheus integrates NASA’s automated landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, with an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces. The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2013-4368

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A technician prepares the Project Morpheus pro...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A technician prepares the Project Morpheus prototype lander for a second free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Test... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-116 Commander Mark Polansky is getting a suit fit-check after practicing landing the orbiter at the controls of the shuttle training aircraft. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-116 is scheduled for 9:35 p.m. Dec. 7. On the mission, the STS-116 crew will deliver truss segment, P5, to the International Space Station and begin the intricate process of reconfiguring and redistributing the power generated by two pairs of U.S. solar arrays. The P5 will be mated to the P4 truss that was delivered and attached during the STS-115 mission in September. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd2655

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-116 Commander Mark Polansky is ge...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-116 Commander Mark Polansky is getting a suit fit-check after practicing landing the orbiter at the controls of the shuttle training aircraft. The STA is a Grumman American ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first free-flight test of NASA's Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 10:02 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet. The vehicle, with its autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander then descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the test field. Project Morpheus tests NASA’s ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov/. Photo credit: NASA/Mike Chambers KSC-2014-2707

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first free-flight test of NASA's Morpheus ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first free-flight test of NASA's Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 10:02 ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander performed a free-flight test from a launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 97-second test began at 2:30 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet. The vehicle, with its recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, sensors surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASA’s ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-2665

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander perform...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander performed a free-flight test from a launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 97-s... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Back at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-124 Commander Mark Kelly happily crosses the parking area after the successful space shuttle landing practice aboard NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft, or STA. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. The crew for space shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. Providing astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, TCDT includes equipment familiarization and emergency training. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd1162

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Back at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Shuttle...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Back at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-124 Commander Mark Kelly happily crosses the parking area after the successful space shuttle landing practice aboard ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians work on the buildup of a movable launch platform for the Project Morpheus lander at the midfield of the Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF. Testing of the prototype lander has been ongoing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for free flight. The SLF will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is one of 20 small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2013-3109

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, tech...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians work on the buildup of a movable launch platform for the Project Morpheus lander at the midfield of the Shuttle Landing Facility, or... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, smoke fills the air as the Project Morpheus prototype lander’s engine fires during a tether test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility. During the test, the lander was lifted 20 feet by crane, and then ascended another 10 feet, maneuvered backwards 10 feet, and then flew forward. It will descend to its original position, landing at the end of the tether onto a transportable launch platform. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus utilizes an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, payload that will allow it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2013-4289

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, smok...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, smoke fills the air as the Project Morpheus prototype lander’s engine fires during a tether test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facilit... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Smoke fills the air as the engine fires and the Morpheus lander launched from the ground over a flame trench. During the 54-second test, it ascended approximately 50 feet, and hovered for about 15 seconds. The lander then flew forward and landed on its pad about 23 feet from the launch point. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. Project Morpheus integrates NASA’s automated landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, with an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to asteroids and other planetary surfaces. The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2013-4325

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first free flight of the Project Morpheus p...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Smoke fills the air as the engine f... More

Bell X-14A VTOL. Experimental NASA aircraft photograph.

Bell X-14A VTOL. Experimental NASA aircraft photograph.

(December 7, 1962) A landing on the lunar surface is simulated by the NASA Ames Research Center's Bell X-14A Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. Photographed by a Fairchild flight data analyzer camer... More

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in Flight

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in Flight

(1965) In this 1965 NASA Flight Research Center photograph the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) is shown at near maximum altitude over the south base at Edwards Air Force Base. Built of tubular aluminum li... More

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) in flight

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) in flight

(1965) In this 1965 NASA Flight Research Center photograph the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) is shown at near maximum altitude over the south base at Edwards Air Force Base. Built of tubular aluminum li... More

Apollo 11 - Saturn Apollo Program

Apollo 11 - Saturn Apollo Program

Carrying astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., the Lunar Module (LM) “Eagle” was the first crewed vehicle to land on the Moon. The LM landed on the moon’s surface on July 20, 1969 in the region... More

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS - Man's first landing on the Moon was accomplished at 4:17 p.m. today as Lunar Module "Eagle" touched down gently on the Sea of Tranquility on the east side of the Moon. Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module Pilot, removes scientific experiment packages from a stowage area in the Lunar Module's descent stage. Left behind on the lunar surface by Aldrin and Neil A. Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, were a Passive Seismic Experiments Package and a Laser-Ranging Retro-Reflector. KSC-as11-40-5927

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS - Man's first landing on the Moo...

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS - Man's first landing on the Moon was accomplished at 4:17 p.m. today as Lunar Module "Eagle" touched down gently on the Sea of Tranquility on the east side of the Moon. A... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Smoke fills the air as the engine fires and the Morpheus lander launched from the ground over a flame trench. During the 54-second test, it ascended approximately 50 feet, and hovered for about 15 seconds. The lander then flew forward and landed on its pad about 23 feet from the launch point. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. Project Morpheus integrates NASA’s automated landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, with an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to asteroids and other planetary surfaces. The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2013-4324

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first free flight of the Project Morpheus p...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Smoke fills the air as the engine f... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-123 Commander Dominic Gorie , left, and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson head for crew quarters following a practice session of space shuttle landings aboard NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft, or STAs. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. The crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd0491

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle L...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-123 Commander Dominic Gorie , left, and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson head for crew quarters following a practice session of... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-115 Commander Brent Jett settles in the cockpit of the Shuttle Training Aircraft to practice landing the shuttle. STA practice is part of launch preparations. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Mission STS-115 is scheduled to lift off about 12:29 p.m. Sept. 6. Mission managers cancelled Atlantis' first launch campaign due to a lightning strike at the pad and the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto along Florida's east coast. The mission will deliver and install the 17-and-a-half-ton P3/P4 truss segment to the port side of the integrated truss system on the orbital outpost. The truss includes a new set of photovoltaic solar arrays. When unfurled to their full length of 240 feet, the arrays will provide additional power for the station in preparation for the delivery of international science modules over the next two years. STS-115 is expected to last 11 days and includes three scheduled spacewalks. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd2027

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-115 Commander Brent Jett settles in t...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-115 Commander Brent Jett settles in the cockpit of the Shuttle Training Aircraft to practice landing the shuttle. STA practice is part of launch preparations. The STA is a Grumm... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Engineers and technicians prepare the Project Morpheus prototype lander for a second free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. Project Morpheus integrates NASA’s automated landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, with an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces. The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2013-4369

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Engineers and technicians prepare the Project ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Engineers and technicians prepare the Project Morpheus prototype lander for a second free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in F... More

AS15-88-11884 - Apollo 15 - Apollo 15 Mission image - View of a contamination sample from the Lunar Module (LM) Descent Engine

AS15-88-11884 - Apollo 15 - Apollo 15 Mission image - View of a contam...

The original database describes this as: Description: View of a contamination sample from the Lunar Module (LM) Descent Engine. Image was taken during the third Extravehicular Activity (EVA 3) of the Apollo 15... More

AS15-88-11882 - Apollo 15 - Apollo 15 Mission image - Closeup view of the Lunar Module (LM) Descent Engine

AS15-88-11882 - Apollo 15 - Apollo 15 Mission image - Closeup view of ...

The original database describes this as: Description: Closeup view of the Lunar Module (LM) Descent Engine. Image was taken during the third Extravehicular Activity (EVA 3) of the Apollo 15 mission. Original f... More

Guidance and Navaigation: CV-990 Shuttle simulation - descent at Edwards Airforce Base, Dryden Flight Research Center, CA (Shuttle un-powered descent and landing diagram) ARC-1972-AC72-2695

Guidance and Navaigation: CV-990 Shuttle simulation - descent at Edwar...

Guidance and Navaigation: CV-990 Shuttle simulation - descent at Edwards Airforce Base, Dryden Flight Research Center, CA (Shuttle un-powered descent and landing diagram)

Guidance and Navaigation: CV-990 Shuttle simulation - descent at Edwards Airforce Base, Dryden Flight Research Center, CA ARC-1972-AC72-2696

Guidance and Navaigation: CV-990 Shuttle simulation - descent at Edwar...

Guidance and Navaigation: CV-990 Shuttle simulation - descent at Edwards Airforce Base, Dryden Flight Research Center, CA

United Airlines DC-8 (N8099U) Two Segment Evaluation. In-Flight Thrust Reversing, Steep Approach Research. The thrust reversing concept was applied to the DC-8 Commercial transport to achieve the rapid descent capability required for FAA certificaiton. Note: Used in publication in Flight Research at Ames; 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology NASA SP-1998-3300 fig 96 ARC-1969-AC74-1058-29

United Airlines DC-8 (N8099U) Two Segment Evaluation. In-Flight Thru...

United Airlines DC-8 (N8099U) Two Segment Evaluation. In-Flight Thrust Reversing, Steep Approach Research. The thrust reversing concept was applied to the DC-8 Commercial transport to achieve the rapid desce... More

Close-up view of descent vehicle of Soyuz spacecraft training mock-up

Close-up view of descent vehicle of Soyuz spacecraft training mock-up

S74-24677 (June 1974) --- A close-up view of the descent vehicle of the Soyuz spacecraft training mock-up on display at the Cosmonuat Training Center (Star City) near Moscow. The open hatch reveals the interior... More

Spirit Descent to Mars-1983. NASA public domain image colelction.

Spirit Descent to Mars-1983. NASA public domain image colelction.

Spirit Descent to Mars-1983 NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Galileo Probe Descent module and deceleration module aeroshell (heat shield) ARC-1984-AC84-0228-3

Galileo Probe Descent module and deceleration module aeroshell (heat s...

Galileo Probe Descent module and deceleration module aeroshell (heat shield)

Artist: unknown Jupiter Mission: Pioneer Galileo Entry Probe Artwork (descent and separation) ARC-1989-AC89-0146-2

Artist: unknown Jupiter Mission: Pioneer Galileo Entry Probe Artwork (...

Artist: unknown Jupiter Mission: Pioneer Galileo Entry Probe Artwork (descent and separation)

S35-515-001 - STS-035 - STS-35 Pilot Gardner with descent checklist on OV-102's forward flight deck

S35-515-001 - STS-035 - STS-35 Pilot Gardner with descent checklist on...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-35 Pilot Guy S. Gardner, wearing his launch and entry suit (LES), reviews descent checklist while at the pilot's station on the forward flight deck ... More

S35-515-003 - STS-035 - STS-35 Pilot Gardner with descent checklist on OV-102's forward flight deck

S35-515-003 - STS-035 - STS-35 Pilot Gardner with descent checklist on...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-35 Pilot Guy S. Gardner, wearing his launch and entry suit (LES), reviews descent checklist while at the pilot's station on the forward flight deck ... More

S35-515-002 - STS-035 - STS-35 Pilot Gardner with descent checklist on OV-102's forward flight deck

S35-515-002 - STS-035 - STS-35 Pilot Gardner with descent checklist on...

The original finding aid described this as: Description: STS-35 Pilot Guy S. Gardner, wearing his launch and entry suit (LES), reviews descent checklist while at the pilot's station on the forward flight deck ... More

STS-35 Pilot Gardner with descent checklist on OV-102's forward flight deck

STS-35 Pilot Gardner with descent checklist on OV-102's forward flight...

STS035-515-003 (2-10 Dec 1990) --- STS-35 Pilot Guy S. Gardner, wearing his launch and entry suit (LES), reviews descent checklist while at the pilots station on the forward flight deck of Columbia, Orbiter Veh... More

The descent module of the Titan-bound Huygens probe undergoes preflight processing on a support structure in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF). The probe will study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn's moon, Titan, as part of the Cassini mission to the Saturnian system. The cylinders on the top of the probe contain antennas; the small square box has a parachute. The probe will detach from the Cassini orbiter after arrival at Saturn in 2004 to slowly descend through Titan's atmosphere to the surface of the Saturn moon. The Cassini launch on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle is scheduled for October 6 from Cape Canaveral Air Station KSC-97pc652

The descent module of the Titan-bound Huygens probe undergoes prefligh...

The descent module of the Titan-bound Huygens probe undergoes preflight processing on a support structure in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF). The probe will study the clouds, atmosphere and surf... More

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff prepare to remove the lift fixture used to install the back cover on the Huygens probe, the conical structure in the white workstand, in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC. Instruments mounted on the probe, which was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), will receive atmospheric and surface data on Saturn’s main moon, Titan, to send back to Earth as part of the Cassini mission. The back cover, yet to be attached to the Cassini orbiter, will protect the probe during descent onto Titan. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, Cassini is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Aerospatiale is the prime contractor for ESA KSC-97PC1021

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff prepare to remove the lift fixture used ...

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff prepare to remove the lift fixture used to install the back cover on the Huygens probe, the conical structure in the white workstand, in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility a... More

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff install the back cover on the Huygens probe in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. Instruments mounted on the probe, which was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), will receive atmospheric and surface data on Saturn’s main moon, Titan, to send back to Earth as part of the Cassini mission. The back cover, yet to be attached to the Cassini orbiter, will protect the probe during descent onto Titan. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Aerospatiale is the prime contractor for ESA KSC-97PC1022

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff install the back cover on the Huygens pr...

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff install the back cover on the Huygens probe in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. Instruments mounted on the probe, which was developed by the European Space... More

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff install the back cover on the Huygens probe in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. Instruments mounted on the probe, which was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), will receive atmospheric and surface data on Saturn’s main moon, Titan, to send back to Earth as part of the Cassini mission. The back cover, yet to be attached to the Cassini orbiter, will protect the probe during descent onto Titan. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Aerospatiale is the prime contractor for ESA KSC-97PC1023

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff install the back cover on the Huygens pr...

Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff install the back cover on the Huygens probe in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. Instruments mounted on the probe, which was developed by the European Space... More

A Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff member inspects the heat shield of the Huygens probe after the shield was installed in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. Instruments mounted on the probe, which is owned by the European Space Agency, will receive atmospheric and surface data on Saturn’s main moon, Titan, to send back to Earth as part of the Cassini mission. The back cover, yet to be attached to the Cassini orbiter, will protect the probe during descent onto Titan. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Aerospatiale is the prime contractor for ESA KSC-97PC1025

A Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff member inspects the heat shield of the...

A Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff member inspects the heat shield of the Huygens probe after the shield was installed in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. Instruments mounted on the probe,... More

A Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff member installs thermal blanket insulation on the back cover of the Huygens probe in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. Instruments mounted on the probe, which is owned by the European Space Agency (ESA), will receive atmospheric and surface data on Saturn’s main moon, Titan, to send back to Earth as part of the Cassini mission. The back cover, yet to be attached to the Cassini orbiter, will protect the probe during descent onto Titan. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Aerospatiale is the prime contractor for ESA KSC-97PC1024

A Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff member installs thermal blanket insula...

A Daimler-Benz Aerospace staff member installs thermal blanket insulation on the back cover of the Huygens probe in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. Instruments mounted on the probe, w... More

A spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is lifted in a hoisting slip in the Hangar AF area at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Hangar AF is a building originally used for Project Mercury, the first U.S. manned space program. The SRBs are the largest solid propellant motors ever flown and the first designed for reuse. After a Shuttle is launched, the SRBs are jettisoned at two minutes, seven seconds into the flight. At six minutes and 44 seconds after liftoff, the spent SRBs, weighing about 165,000 lb., have slowed their descent speed to about 62 mph and splashdown takes place in a predetermined area. They are retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean by special recovery vessels and returned for refurbishment and eventual reuse on future Shuttle flights. Once at Hangar AF, the SRBs are unloaded onto a hoisting slip and mobile gantry cranes lift them onto tracked dollies where they are safed and undergo their first washing KSC-97PC1728

A spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 i...

A spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is lifted in a hoisting slip in the Hangar AF area at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Hangar AF is a building originally used for Project Mercury... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seen carrying a spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is the solid rocket booster recovery ship Liberty Star as it reenters the Hangar AF area at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Hangar AF is a building originally used for Project Mercury, the first U.S. manned space program. The SRBs are the largest solid propellant motors ever flown and the first designed for reuse. After a Shuttle is launched, the SRBs are jettisoned at two minutes, seven seconds into the flight. At six minutes and 44 seconds after liftoff, the spent SRBs, weighing about 165,000 lb., have slowed their descent speed to about 62 mph and splashdown takes place in a predetermined area. They are retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean by special recovery vessels and returned for refurbishment and eventual reuse on future Shuttle flights. Once at Hangar AF, the SRBs are unloaded onto a hoisting slip and mobile gantry cranes lift them onto tracked dollies where they are safed and undergo their first washing KSC-97PC1727

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seen carrying a spent solid rocket boost...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seen carrying a spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is the solid rocket booster recovery ship Liberty Star as it reenters the Hangar AF area at Cape ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The frustum of a forward skirt assembly of a spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is transported into the Hangar AF area at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Hangar AF is a building originally used for Project Mercury, the first U.S. manned space program. The SRBs are the largest solid propellant motors ever flown and the first designed for reuse. After a Shuttle is launched, the SRBs are jettisoned at two minutes, seven seconds into the flight. At six minutes and 44 seconds after liftoff, the spent SRBs, weighing about 165,000 lb., have slowed their descent speed to about 62 mph and splashdown takes place in a predetermined area. They are retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean by special recovery vessels and returned for refurbishment and eventual reuse on future Shuttle flights. Once at Hangar AF, the SRBs are unloaded onto a hoisting slip and mobile gantry cranes lift them onto tracked dollies where they are safed and undergo their first washing KSC-97PC1729

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The frustum of a forward skirt assembly ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The frustum of a forward skirt assembly of a spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is transported into the Hangar AF area at Cape Canaveral Air Station... More

A spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is lifted in a hoisting slip in the Hangar AF area at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Hangar AF is a building originally used for Project Mercury, the first U.S. manned space program. The SRBs are the largest solid propellant motors ever flown and the first designed for reuse. After a Shuttle is launched, the SRBs are jettisoned at two minutes, seven seconds into the flight. At six minutes and 44 seconds after liftoff, the spent SRBs, weighing about 165,000 lb., have slowed their descent speed to about 62 mph and splashdown takes place in a predetermined area. They are retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean by special recovery vessels and returned for refurbishment and eventual reuse on future Shuttle flights. Once at Hangar AF, the SRBs are unloaded onto a hoisting slip and mobile gantry cranes lift them onto tracked dollies where they are safed and undergo their first washing KSC-97PC1726

A spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 i...

A spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is lifted in a hoisting slip in the Hangar AF area at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Hangar AF is a building originally used for Project Mercury... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seen carrying a spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is the solid rocket booster recovery ship Liberty Star as it reenters the Hangar AF area at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Hangar AF is a building originally used for Project Mercury, the first U.S. manned space program. The SRBs are the largest solid propellant motors ever flown and the first designed for reuse. After a Shuttle is launched, the SRBs are jettisoned at two minutes, seven seconds into the flight. At six minutes and 44 seconds after liftoff, the spent SRBs, weighing about 165,000 lb., have slowed their descent speed to about 62 mph and splashdown takes place in a predetermined area. They are retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean by special recovery vessels and returned for refurbishment and eventual reuse on future Shuttle flights. Once at Hangar AF, the SRBs are unloaded onto a hoisting slip and mobile gantry cranes lift them onto tracked dollies where they are safed and undergo their first washing KSC-97PC1725

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seen carrying a spent solid rocket boost...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seen carrying a spent solid rocket booster (SRB) from the STS-87 launch on Nov. 19 is the solid rocket booster recovery ship Liberty Star as it reenters the Hangar AF area at Cape ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle lifts off with NASA's Mars Polar Lander into a cloud-covered sky at 3:21:10 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south polar cap, which consists of carbon dioxide ice. The lander will study the polar water cycle, frosts, water vapor, condensates and dust in the Martian atmosphere. It is equipped with a robotic arm to dig beneath the layered terrain at the polar cap. In addition, Deep Space 2 microprobes, developed by NASA's New Millennium Program, are installed on the lander's cruise stage. After crashing into the planet's surface, they will conduct two days of soil and water experiments up to 1 meter (3 feet) below the Martian surface, testing new technologies for future planetary descent probes. The lander is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 11, 1998. KSC-99pc03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehi...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle lifts off with NASA's Mars Polar Lander into a cloud-covered sky at 3:21:10 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Amid clouds of exhaust, a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle with NASA's Mars Polar Lander clears Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, after launch at 3:21:10 p.m. EST. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south polar cap, which consists of carbon dioxide ice. The lander will study the polar water cycle, frosts, water vapor, condensates and dust in the Martian atmosphere. It is equipped with a robotic arm to dig beneath the layered terrain at the polar cap. In addition, Deep Space 2 microprobes, developed by NASA's New Millennium Program, are installed on the lander's cruise stage. After crashing into the planet's surface, they will conduct two days of soil and water experiments up to 1 meter (3 feet) below the Martian surface, testing new technologies for future planetary descent probes. The lander is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 11, 1998. KSC-99pc05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Amid clouds of exhaust, a Boeing Delta I...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Amid clouds of exhaust, a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle with NASA's Mars Polar Lander clears Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, after launch at 3:21:10 p.m... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Amid clouds of exhaust and into a gray-clouded sky , a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle lifts off with NASA's Mars Polar Lander at 3:21:10 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south polar cap, which consists of carbon dioxide ice. The lander will study the polar water cycle, frosts, water vapor, condensates and dust in the Martian atmosphere. It is equipped with a robotic arm to dig beneath the layered terrain at the polar cap. In addition, Deep Space 2 microprobes, developed by NASA's New Millennium Program, are installed on the lander's cruise stage. After crashing into the planet's surface, they will conduct two days of soil and water experiments up to 1 meter (3 feet) below the Martian surface, testing new technologies for future planetary descent probes. The lander is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 11, 1998. KSC-99pc04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Amid clouds of exhaust and into a gray-c...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Amid clouds of exhaust and into a gray-clouded sky , a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle lifts off with NASA's Mars Polar Lander at 3:21:10 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 17B... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Looking like a Roman candle, the exhaust from the Boeing Delta II rocket with the Mars Polar Lander aboard lights up the clouds as it hurtles skyward. The rocket was launched at 3:21:10 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south polar cap, which consists of carbon dioxide ice. The lander will study the polar water cycle, frosts, water vapor, condensates and dust in the Martian atmosphere. It is equipped with a robotic arm to dig beneath the layered terrain. In addition, Deep Space 2 microprobes, developed by NASA's New Millennium Program, are installed on the lander's cruise stage. After crashing into the planet's surface, they will conduct two days of soil and water experiments up to 1 meter (3 feet) below the Martian surface, testing new technologies for future planetary descent probes. The lander is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 11, 1998. KSC-99pc07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Looking like a Roman candle, the exhaust...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Looking like a Roman candle, the exhaust from the Boeing Delta II rocket with the Mars Polar Lander aboard lights up the clouds as it hurtles skyward. The rocket was launched at 3:... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Silhouetted against the gray sky, a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle with NASA's Mars Polar Lander lifts off from Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, at 3:21:10 p.m. EST. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south polar cap, which consists of carbon dioxide ice. The lander will study the polar water cycle, frosts, water vapor, condensates and dust in the Martian atmosphere. It is equipped with a robotic arm to dig beneath the layered terrain at the polar cap. In addition, Deep Space 2 microprobes, developed by NASA's New Millennium Program, are installed on the lander's cruise stage. After crashing into the planet's surface, they will conduct two days of soil and water experiments up to 1 meter (3 feet) below the Martian surface, testing new technologies for future planetary descent probes. The lander is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 11, 1998. KSC-99pc06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Silhouetted against the gray sky, a Boei...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Silhouetted against the gray sky, a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle with NASA's Mars Polar Lander lifts off from Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, at 3:21:1... More

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, workers at each end of a workstand watch as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) begins its descent onto it. The SRTM, which is the primary payload on mission STS-99, consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission scheduled for launch in September 1999. The objective of this radar system is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth. It will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. SRTM will be making use of a technique called 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. To get two radar images taken from different locations, 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-99pp0523

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, workers at each end of a...

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, workers at each end of a workstand watch as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) begins its descent onto it. The SRTM, which is the primary payload on missio... More

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. It is used by Shuttle flight crews to practice landing the orbiter. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. The orbiter differs in at least one major aspect from conventional aircraft; it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time there is no go-around capability. The orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226 miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour. There are two STAs, based in Houston KSC-00pp0604

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's...

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate a... More

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. It is used by Shuttle flight crews to practice landing the orbiter. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. The orbiter differs in at least one major aspect from conventional aircraft; it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time there is no go-around capability. The orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226 miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour. There are two STAs, based in Houston KSC00pp0604

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's...

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate a... More

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. It is used by Shuttle flight crews to practice landing the orbiter. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. The orbiter differs in at least one major aspect from conventional aircraft; it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time there is no go-around capability. The orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226 miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour. There are two STAs, based in Houston KSC-00pp0603

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's...

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate a... More

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis down the runway at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. It is used by Shuttle flight crews to practice landing the orbiter. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. The orbiter differs in at least one major aspect from conventional aircraft; it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time there is no go-around capability. The orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226 miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour. There are two STAs, based in Houston KSC00pp0602

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis down the runway at KSC's Shutt...

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis down the runway at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbi... More

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) soars into the blue sky above Kennedy Space Center. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. It is used by Shuttle flight crews to practice landing the orbiter. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. The orbiter differs in at least one major aspect from conventional aircraft; it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time there is no go-around capability. The orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226 miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour. There are two STAs, based in Houston KSC00pp0601

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) soars into the blue sky above Kenned...

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) soars into the blue sky above Kennedy Space Center. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's... More

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis down the runway at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. It is used by Shuttle flight crews to practice landing the orbiter. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. The orbiter differs in at least one major aspect from conventional aircraft; it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time there is no go-around capability. The orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226 miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour. There are two STAs, based in Houston KSC-00pp0602

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis down the runway at KSC's Shutt...

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis down the runway at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbi... More

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) soars into the blue sky above Kennedy Space Center. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. It is used by Shuttle flight crews to practice landing the orbiter. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. The orbiter differs in at least one major aspect from conventional aircraft; it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time there is no go-around capability. The orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226 miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour. There are two STAs, based in Houston KSC-00pp0601

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) soars into the blue sky above Kenned...

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) soars into the blue sky above Kennedy Space Center. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's... More

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter's cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. It is used by Shuttle flight crews to practice landing the orbiter. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter's atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. The orbiter differs in at least one major aspect from conventional aircraft; it is unpowered during re-entry and landing so its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time there is no go-around capability. The orbiter touchdown speed is 213 to 226 miles (343 to 364 kilometers) per hour. There are two STAs, based in Houston KSC00pp0603

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's...

A Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis into the parking area of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulfstream II executive jet that was modified to simulate a... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker at the bottom of the payload canister checks the descent of the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. The MPLM is the primary payload on mission STS-105, the 11th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Leonardo, fitted with supplies and equipment for the crew and the Station, will be transported to Launch Pad 39A and installed into Discovery’s payload bay. Launch is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9 KSC-01pp1325

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker at the bottom of the payload canister checks the descent of the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. The MPLM is the primary ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility begin raising an overhead crane that will be used to lift the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The descent and landing vehicle will be moved to a rotation table for a spin stabilization test. v Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The first rover, MER-A, is scheduled to launch June 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The second is scheduled for launch June 25. KSC-03pd1364

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility begin raising an overhead crane that will be used to lift the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The desce... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This is a closeup of the the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The descent and landing vehicle is being moved to a rotation table for a spin stabilization test. There are two identical rovers that will land at different regions of Mars and are designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The first rover, MER-A, is scheduled to launch June 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The second is scheduled for launch June 25. KSC-03pd1367

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This is a closeup of the the aeroshell e...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This is a closeup of the the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The descent and landing vehicle is being moved to a rotation table for a spin stabilization t... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility position an overhead crane over the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The descent and landing vehicle will be moved to a rotation table for a spin stabilization test. There are two identical rovers that will land at different regions of Mars and are designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The first rover, MER-A, is scheduled to launch June 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The second is scheduled for launch June 25. KSC-03pd1365

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility position an overhead crane over the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The descent and landing vehicle wil... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility prepare an overhead crane to lift the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The descent and landing vehicle will be moved to a rotation table for a spin stabilization test. There are two identical rovers that will land at different regions of Mars and are designed to cover roughly 110 yards each Martian day over various terrain. Each rover will carry five scientific instruments that will allow it to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The first rover, MER-A, is scheduled to launch June 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The second is scheduled for launch June 25. KSC-03pd1363

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility prepare an overhead crane to lift the aeroshell enclosing Mars Exploration Rover 2 and lander. The descent and landing vehicle ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Joel Smith prepares an area on the orbiter Discovery for blanket installation. The blankets are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Joel Smith prepares an area on the orbiter Discovery for blanket installation. The blankets are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protec... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Duane Williams prepares the blanket insulation to be installed on the body flap on orbiter Discovery. The blankets are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Duane Williams prepares the blanket insulation to be installed on the body flap on orbiter Discovery. The blankets are part of the... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Chris Moore repairs tile on the forward area of the orbiter Discovery. The vehicle has undergone Orbiter Major Modifications in the past year, which includes tile check and repair. The tiles are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Chris Moore repairs tile on the forward area of the orbiter Discovery. The vehicle has undergone Orbiter Major Modifications in the... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Joel Smith prepares an area on the orbiter Discovery for blanket installation. The blankets are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Joel Smith prepares an area on the orbiter Discovery for blanket installation. The blankets are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protec... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Duane Williams prepares the blanket insulation to be installed on the body flap on orbiter Discovery. The blankets are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Duane Williams prepares the blanket insulation to be installed on the body flap on orbiter Discovery. The blankets are part of the... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Nadine Phillips prepares an area on the orbiter Discovery for blanket installation. The blankets are part of the Orbiter Thermal Protection System, thermal shields to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit, which are produced during descent for landing. Discovery is scheduled to fly on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, KSC employee Nadine Phillips prepares an area on the orbiter Discovery for blanket installation. The blankets are part of the Orbiter Thermal P... More

Spirit Descent to Mars-1706. NASA public domain image colelction.

Spirit Descent to Mars-1706. NASA public domain image colelction.

Spirit Descent to Mars-1706 NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Spirit Descent to Mars-1433. NASA public domain image colelction.

Spirit Descent to Mars-1433. NASA public domain image colelction.

Spirit Descent to Mars-1433 NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Mars Global Surveyor View of Gusev Crater During Spirit Entry, Descent, and Landing

Mars Global Surveyor View of Gusev Crater During Spirit Entry, Descent...

Mars Global Surveyor View of Gusev Crater During Spirit Entry, Descent, and Landing NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

A Flyby Tour of Spirit Descent-2

A Flyby Tour of Spirit Descent-2

A Flyby Tour of Spirit Descent-2 NASA/JPL/Analytical Mechanics Associates

A Flyby Tour of Spirit Descent. NASA public domain image colelction.

A Flyby Tour of Spirit Descent. NASA public domain image colelction.

A Flyby Tour of Spirit Descent NASA/JPL/Langley

Foale, Kaleri and Kuipers during descent training exercise in the Soyuz module at conclusion of Expedition 8

Foale, Kaleri and Kuipers during descent training exercise in the Soyu...

ISS008-E-22361 (27 April 2004) --- Astronaut C. Michael Foale (left), Expedition 8 commander and NASA ISS science officer; cosmonaut Alexander Y. Kaleri, flight engineer (FE) representing Russia’s Federal Space... More

Composite of Titan Surface Seen During Descent

Composite of Titan Surface Seen During Descent

Composite of Titan Surface Seen During Descent NASA/JPL/ESA/University of Arizona

Descent Through Clouds to Surface

Descent Through Clouds to Surface

This frame from an animation is made up from a sequence of images taken by the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) instrument on board ESA's Huygens probe, during its successful descent to Titan on Jan. 1... More

Titan Descent - NASA Titan images

Titan Descent - NASA Titan images

Titan Descent NASA/JPL/ESA/University of Arizona

Huygens Descent Sequence Artist Concept

Huygens Descent Sequence Artist Concept

Huygens Descent Sequence Artist Concept ESA-?D. Ducros Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Descent from the Summit of Husband Hill

Descent from the Summit of Husband Hill

Descent from the Summit of Husband Hill NASA/JPL/Cornell Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Descent from the Summit of Husband Hill False Color

Descent from the Summit of Husband Hill False Color

Descent from the Summit of Husband Hill False Color NASA/JPL/Cornell

Entry, Descent, Landing Animation Animation

Entry, Descent, Landing Animation Animation

This animation illustrates the path the Stardust return capsule will follow once it enters Earth atmosphere. NASA/JPL

Titan Descent Data Movie with Bells and Whistles

Titan Descent Data Movie with Bells and Whistles

Titan Descent Data Movie with Bells and Whistles ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis to the runway with the STS-121 pilot and commander in the cockpit for practice flights. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch July 1 on mission STS-121. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1073

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Shut...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) taxis to the runway with the STS-121 pilot and commander in the cockpit for practice flights. The STA is a modi... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-121 Commander Steven Lindsey gets ready for a training flight in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA). He will be practicing landing the orbiter using the STA, which is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch July 1 on mission STS-121. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1071

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-121 ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-121 Commander Steven Lindsey gets ready for a training flight in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA). He will be practicing landing the orbiter u... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) waits for the STS-121 pilot and commander to begin their practice flights. The STA is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch July 1 on mission STS-121. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1072

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Shut...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) waits for the STS-121 pilot and commander to begin their practice flights. The STA is a modified Grumman Americ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly gets ready for a training flight in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA). He will be practicing landing the orbiter using the STA, which is a modified Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch July 1 on mission STS-121. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1070

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-121 ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly gets ready for a training flight in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA). He will be practicing landing the orbiter using the... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the cockpit of the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), STS-121 Commander Steven Lindsey is ready for takeoff from the Shuttle Landing Facility. Lindsey and Pilot Mark Kelly will be making practice landings in preparation for the July 1 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1262

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the cockpit of the Shuttle Training A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the cockpit of the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), STS-121 Commander Steven Lindsey is ready for takeoff from the Shuttle Landing Facility. Lindsey and Pilot Mark Kelly will ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As dawn washes the sky in pink, STS-121 Commander Steven Lindsey is ready for his first flight in the Shuttle Training Aircraft today to practice landing a shuttle in preparation for the July 1 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1263

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As dawn washes the sky in pink, STS-121 ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As dawn washes the sky in pink, STS-121 Commander Steven Lindsey is ready for his first flight in the Shuttle Training Aircraft today to practice landing a shuttle in preparation f... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the pre-dawn hours, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly (left) and Commander Steven Lindsey look at the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) they will be flying to practice landings in preparation for the July 1 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1258

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the pre-dawn hours, STS-121 Pilot M...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the pre-dawn hours, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly (left) and Commander Steven Lindsey look at the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) they will be flying to practice landings in prepar... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the early dawn, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly is ready for takeoff from the Shuttle Training Facility to practice landing a shuttle in preparation for the July 1 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1264

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the early dawn, STS-121 Pilot Mark Ke...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the early dawn, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly is ready for takeoff from the Shuttle Training Facility to practice landing a shuttle in preparation for the July 1 launch of Space Shut... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the cockpit of the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly is ready for takeoff from the Shuttle Landing Facility. Kelly and Commander Steven Lindsey will be making practice landings in preparation for the July 1 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. The STA is a Grumman American Aviation-built Gulf Stream II jet that was modified to simulate an orbiter’s cockpit, motion and visual cues, and handling qualities. In flight, the STA duplicates the orbiter’s atmospheric descent trajectory from approximately 35,000 feet altitude to landing on a runway. Because the orbiter is unpowered during re-entry and landing, its high-speed glide must be perfectly executed the first time. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-06pd1261

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the cockpit of the Shuttle Training A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the cockpit of the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly is ready for takeoff from the Shuttle Landing Facility. Kelly and Commander Steven Lindsey will be ... More

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