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Space shuttle STS-127 - LAUNCH - Public domain NASA photogrpaph

Space shuttle STS-127 - LAUNCH - Public domain NASA photogrpaph

Description: SEQUENTIAL STILL COVERAGE OF LIFTOFF. FRAME VEHICLE AND LAUNCHER PLUS ONE VEHICLE LENGTH. Item: DD083-39A Date Taken: 7/15/2009 Image Type: DIGITAL STILLS STS127 LAUNCH AND LANDING

MoonFest: From Apollo to LCROSS and Beyond public event at NASA'S Ames Researc Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The day included scientific talks, model rocket launches on the flight line, musical performances, family-friendly activities and more. ARC-2009-ACD09-0144-089

MoonFest: From Apollo to LCROSS and Beyond public event at NASA'S Ames...

MoonFest: From Apollo to LCROSS and Beyond public event at NASA'S Ames Researc Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The day included scientific talks, model rocket launches on the flight line, musical performances, fa... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane moves the Ares I-X crew module simulator toward a stand at right. Other Ares I-X segments are stacked around the floor of the bay. Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 327-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2009-1866

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane moves the Ares I-X crew module simulator toward a stand at right. Other Ares I-X segment... More

Early Rockets, NASA history collection

Early Rockets, NASA history collection

In 1696, Robert Anderson, an Englishman, published a two-part treatise on how to make rocket molds, prepare propellants, and perform the calculations.

Early Rockets, NASA history collection

Early Rockets, NASA history collection

During the 19th century, rocket enthusiasts and inventors began to appear in almost every country. Some people thought these early rocket pioneers were geniuses, and others thought they were crazy. Claude Ruggi... More

Early Rockets, NASA history collection

Early Rockets, NASA history collection

Sir William Congreve developed a rocket with a range of about 9,000 feet. The incendiary rocket used black powder, an iron case, and a 16-foot guide stick. In 1806, British used Congreve rockets to attack Napol... More

Early Rockets, NASA history collection

Early Rockets, NASA history collection

During the early introduction of rockets to Europe, they were used only as weapons. Enemy troops in India repulsed the British with rockets. Later, in Britain, Sir William Congreve developed a rocket that could... More

Dr. Goddard Transports Rocket, NASA history collection

Dr. Goddard Transports Rocket, NASA history collection

Dr. Robert H. Goddard tows his rocket to the launching tower behind a Model A Ford truck, 15 miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. 1930- 1932. Dr. Goddard has been recognized as the "Father of American Rocket... More

Dr. Robert Goddard, NASA history collection

Dr. Robert Goddard, NASA history collection

Description: (c. 1932) The Goddard Space Flight Center was named in honor of Dr. Robert Goddard, a pioneer in rocket development. Dr. Goddard received patents for a multi-stage rocket and liquid propellants in ... More

Robert Goddard with his Double Acting Engine Rocket in 1925

Robert Goddard with his Double Acting Engine Rocket in 1925

Full Description: Dr. Robert H. Goddard with his complete rocket with the double- acting engine in November 1925, following more than two years of pump development based on the idea of a separate pump for each ... More

Henry Sachs with Robert Goddard's Rocket in New Mexico

Henry Sachs with Robert Goddard's Rocket in New Mexico

Henry Sachs, machinist, is shown with Dr. Robert H. Goddard's rocket used in the first flight at Roswell, New Mexico on December 30, 1930. The rocket attained an altitude of about 2,000 feet and speed of about ... More

Close-up of Gyroscope for Goddard's Rocket

Close-up of Gyroscope for Goddard's Rocket

A close-up of Dr. Robert H. Goddard's gyroscope and associated parts used in the stabilization of the rocket tested April 19, 1932, in New Mexico. The rocket was also painted to show whether revolution about it... More

Early Rockets A-4 (Aggregate-4). Later renamed the V-2 (Vengeance Weapon-2)

Early Rockets A-4 (Aggregate-4). Later renamed the V-2 (Vengeance Wea...

This drawing illustrates the vital dimensions of the A-4 (Aggregate-4). Later renamed the V-2 (Vengeance Weapon-2), the rocket was developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the German rocket team at Peenemuende, G... More

JATO Flight Test Crew, NASA history collection

JATO Flight Test Crew, NASA history collection

(August 12, 1941) Flight test crew for the Jet Assisted Take-Off (JATO) experimental solid rocket booster. It was later refered to as RATO (Rocket Assisted Take-Off). From left to right are: F.S. Miller, J.W. P... More

Dr. Robert H. Goddard, NASA history collection

Dr. Robert H. Goddard, NASA history collection

Full Description: Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945). Dr. Goddard has been recognized as the father of American rocketry and as one of the pioneers in the theoretical exploration of space. Robert Hutching... More

Robert Goddard's Rocket After Flight

Robert Goddard's Rocket After Flight

Dr. Robert H. Goddard's rocket after flight in New Mexico on April 19, 1932. Those carrying the rocket are (left to right): Nils Ljungquist, machinist; most likely Charles Mansur, welder; Goddard's brother-in-l... More

Early Rockets: V-2 rocket takes flight at White Sands, New Mexico, in 1946.

Early Rockets: V-2 rocket takes flight at White Sands, New Mexico, in ...

A V-2 rocket takes flight at White Sands, New Mexico, in 1946. The German engineers and scientists who developed the V-2 came to the United States at the end of World War II and continued rocket testing under t... More

Early Rockets V2 static test. NASA public domain image colelction.

Early Rockets V2 static test. NASA public domain image colelction.

A V-2 rocket is hoisted into a static test facility at White Sands, New Mexico. The German engineers and scientists who developed the V-2 came to the United States at the end of World War II and continued rocke... More

Rocket Research Presentation at the NACA's 1947 Inspection

Rocket Research Presentation at the NACA's 1947 Inspection

Researcher John Sloop briefs visitors on his latest rocket engine research during the 1947 Inspection at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The NACA had b... More

Centaur Engine Display Installation, NASA Glenn Research Center

Centaur Engine Display Installation, NASA Glenn Research Center

The 6,600 pound Centaur test article is a rare artifact recently transported from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Alabama. Centaur, developed at NASA Glenn Research Center in the late 1950s, was the world'... More

Bumper V-2 Launch, NASA history collection

Bumper V-2 Launch, NASA history collection

(July 24, 1950) A new chapter in space flight began in July 1950 with the launch of the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida: the Bumper 8. Shown above, Bumper 8 was an ambitious two-stage rocket program t... More

Hermes A-1 Test Rockets. NASA public domain image colelction.

Hermes A-1 Test Rockets. NASA public domain image colelction.

Full Description: The first Hermes A-1 test rocket was fired at White Sand Proving Ground (WSPG). Hermes was a modified V-2 German rocket, utilizing the German aerodynamic configuration; however, internally it ... More

Mercury Project, NASA history collection

Mercury Project, NASA history collection

A Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle awaits test-firing in the Redstone Test Stand during the late 1950s. Between 1953 and 1960, the rocket team at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama performed hundreds of tes... More

Bill Kerslake Preparing a Test in the Rocket Laboratory

Bill Kerslake Preparing a Test in the Rocket Laboratory

William Kerslake, a combustion researcher at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, examines the setup of a transparent rocket in a Rocket Laboratory test cel... More

The First Redstone Rocket Firing

The First Redstone Rocket Firing

Full Description: (August 20, 1953) The first Redstone was fired at Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 20, 1953. Redstone was the first major rocket development program for United States by the Peenemuende group... More

The first Redstone was fired at Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 20, 1953. Redstone was the first major rocket development program for United States by the Peenemuende group led by Dr. Wernher von Braun. The Redstone launch photographed here, from November 17, 1954, was the fifth launch of a Redstone rocket. n/a

The first Redstone was fired at Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 20, ...

The first Redstone was fired at Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 20, 1953. Redstone was the first major rocket development program for United States by the Peenemuende group led by Dr. Wernher von Braun. The R... More

High-Energy Propellant Rocket Firing at the Rocket Lab

High-Energy Propellant Rocket Firing at the Rocket Lab

A rocket using high-energy propellant is fired from the Rocket Laboratory at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The Rocket Lab was a collection of ten one... More

Lieutenant Colonel John Stapp Demonstrates the Rocket Sled

Lieutenant Colonel John Stapp Demonstrates the Rocket Sled

Howard Hasbrook volunteers for a demonstration of a scaled-down version of Lieutenant Colonel John Stapp’s rocket sled set up in the hangar at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight... More

University of Maryland-Republic Terrapin Sounding Rocket H121-2681-I(Terrapin) Model on the Launcher

University of Maryland-Republic Terrapin Sounding Rocket H121-2681-I(...

LAL 95,647 University of Maryland-Republic Terrapin sounding rocket mounted on special launcher, September 21, 1956. Photograph published in A New Dimension Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen ... More

NASA Jupiter rocket - Early Rockets, Army ballistic missile agency

NASA Jupiter rocket - Early Rockets, Army ballistic missile agency

The Jupiter rocket was designed and developed by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA). ABMA launched the Jupiter-A at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 1, 1957. The Jupiter vehicle was a direct derivative o... More

Control Room at the NACA’s Rocket Engine Test Facility

Control Room at the NACA’s Rocket Engine Test Facility

Test engineers monitor an engine firing from the control room of the Rocket Engine Test Facility at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The Rocket Engine T... More

Rocket Propellant Talk at the 1957 NACA Lewis Inspection

Rocket Propellant Talk at the 1957 NACA Lewis Inspection

A researcher works a demonstration board in the Rocket Engine Test Facility during the 1957 Inspection of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland, ... More

Five Stage Missile Research Rocket, Wallops Island , 1957

Five Stage Missile Research Rocket, Wallops Island , 1957

**Note also copied and numbered as L90-3749. -- L57-4827 caption: Take off of a five-stage missile research rocket from Wallops Island in 1957. The first two stages propelled the model to about 100,000 feet ... More

McDonnell F4-H1 Airplane Rocket Model

McDonnell F4-H1 Airplane Rocket Model

L57-2809 Rocket model of McDonnell F4-H1 airplane on Terrier launcher with Nike booster, June 17, 1957. Photograph published in A New Dimension Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years by Jose... More

NASA Explorer 1 Launch, Army ballistic missile agency

NASA Explorer 1 Launch, Army ballistic missile agency

(January 31, 1958) Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much gr... More

Jupiter-C, the first American Satellite, Explorer 1 launcher

Jupiter-C, the first American Satellite, Explorer 1 launcher

Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much greater importance. A... More

Jupiter-C, the first American Satellite, Explorer 1 launcher

Jupiter-C, the first American Satellite, Explorer 1 launcher

Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much greater importance. A... More

NASA Engineer Examines the Design of a Regeneratively-Cooled Rocket Engine

NASA Engineer Examines the Design of a Regeneratively-Cooled Rocket En...

An engineer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center examines a drawing showing the assembly and details of a 20,000-pound thrust regeneratively cooled rocket engine. Th... More

Photograph of a Scientist Working at a Motherboard next to a Rocket Part at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia

Photograph of a Scientist Working at a Motherboard next to a Rocket Pa...

SCOUT (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test) Project Office Files Public domain photograph - NASA, space exploration, work of US government, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Little Joe Launch Vehicle, NASA Mercury project

Little Joe Launch Vehicle, NASA Mercury project

Launching of the Little Joe launch vehicle on November 4, 1959 took place at Wallops Island, Va. This was the first attempt to launch an instrumented capsule with a Little Joe booster. Only the LJ1A and the LJ6... More

Plum Brook Aerial View. NASA public domain image colelction.

Plum Brook Aerial View. NASA public domain image colelction.

Plum Brook Aerial View - E Site - Missile Stand.

Little Joe (LJ6) Launch, NASA Mercury project

Little Joe (LJ6) Launch, NASA Mercury project

Description: Launching of the LJ6 Little Joe on October 4, 1959 took place at Wallops Island, Va. This was the first attempt to launch an instrumented capsule with a Little Joe booster. Only the LJ1A and the L... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers off-load NASA's Genesis spacecraft which arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 3:30 a.m. aboard an Air Force C-17 aircraft.; Lockheed Martin Astronautics built the Genesis spacecraft for NASA in Denver, Colo.; The spacecraft will undergo final launch preparations in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility in KSC's industrial area. Genesis will capture samples of the ions and elements in the solar wind and return them to Earth for scientists to use to determine the exact composition of the Sun and the solar system's origin. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for July 30 at 12:36 p.m. EDT.; NASA's Genesis project in managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif KSC-01pp1049

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers off-load NASA's Genesis spacecra...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers off-load NASA's Genesis spacecraft which arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 3:30 a.m. aboard an Air Force C-17 aircraft.; Lockheed Martin Astronautics built the Gen... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank designated for Space Shuttle Discovery is lowered into high bay 3. There it will be stacked with the solid rocket boosters already in place on the mobile launcher platform. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-121 in July. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-06pd0725

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the e...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank designated for Space Shuttle Discovery is lowered into high bay 3. There it will be stacked with the solid rocket boosters alre... More

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, an overhead crane lifts the forward section of a solid rocket booster (SRB) to mate it with the components seen at lower left in the photo. The forward section of each booster, from nose cap to forward skirt contains avionics, a sequencer, forward separation motors, a nose cone separation system, drogue and main parachutes, a recovery beacon, a recovery light, a parachute camera on selected flights and a range safety system. Each SRB weighs approximately 1.3 million pounds at launch. The SRB is part of the stack for Space Shuttle Discovery and the STS-92 mission, scheduled for launch Oct. 5, from Launch Pad 39A, on the fifth flight to the International Space Station KSC-00pp0853

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, an overhead crane lifts the forw...

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, an overhead crane lifts the forward section of a solid rocket booster (SRB) to mate it with the components seen at lower left in the photo. The forward section of each boos... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ares IX upper stage segments’ ballast assemblies are positioned along the floor of high bay 4 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, part of the preparations for the test of the Ares IX rocket. These ballast assemblies will be installed in the upper stage 1 and 7 segments and will mimic the mass of the fuel. Their total weight is approximately 160,000 pounds. The test launch of the Ares IX in 2009 will be the first designed to determine the flight-worthiness of the Ares I rocket. Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low-Earth orbit. The Ares I first stage will be a five-segment solid rocket booster based on the four-segment design used for the space shuttle. Ares I’s fifth booster segment allows the launch vehicle to lift more weight and reach a higher altitude before the first stage separates from the upper stage, which ignites in midflight to propel the Orion spacecraft to Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd3248

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ares IX upper stage segments’ ballast assemblie...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ares IX upper stage segments’ ballast assemblies are positioned along the floor of high bay 4 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, part of the preparations for... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded from the C-5 aircraft. The hardware consists of a precisely machined, full-scale simulator crew module and launch abort system to form the tip of NASA's Ares I-X rocket. The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1405

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kenne...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, hardware that will be used in the launch of the Ares I-X rocket is being offloaded from the C-5 aircraft. The ha... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' main engines and solid rocket boosters ignite on Launch Pad 39A leaving behind a billow of steam as it lifts off on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis with its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, lifted off at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2011 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 is the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O'Connell KSC-2011-5421

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' main engines and solid rocket boosters ignite on Launch Pad 39A leaving behind a billow of steam as it lifts off on its... More

Photograph of a Rocket being Lifted onto the Launch Structure to be Prepared for Launch at the Wallops Island Launch Area in Virginia

Photograph of a Rocket being Lifted onto the Launch Structure to be Pr...

SCOUT (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test) Project Office Files Public domain photograph of NASA rocket launch, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) prepare the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them for electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0713

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-...

Workers in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) prepare the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) above them for electrical testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-129 Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik prepares to enter space shuttle Atlantis with the help of the closeout crew in the White Room. The six astronauts for space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-129 mission are participating in their launch dress rehearsal, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Additional training associated with the test was done last month, but the simulated countdown was postponed because of a scheduling conflict with the launch of NASA’s Ares I-X test rocket. Launch of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is set for Nov. 16. On STS-129, the crew will deliver to the station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. For information on the STS-129 crew and mission objectives, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-6065

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Cente...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-129 Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik prepares to enter space shuttle Atlantis with the help of the closeout crew in the Wh... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Hyster forklift moves NASA's Juno spacecraft into Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. to begin final testing and preparations for launch. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aug. 5. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller It will splash down into the Atlantic Ocean where the ship and its crew will recover it and tow it back through Port Canaveral for refurbishing for another launch. The STS-124 mission is the second of three flights launching components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. The shuttle crew will install Kibo's large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system, or RMS. Photo credit: USA/Jeff Suter KSC-2011-2818

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Hyster forklift moves NASA's Juno spacecraft...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Hyster forklift moves NASA's Juno spacecraft into Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. to begin final testing and preparations for launch. The solar-power... More

Photograph of Scientists preparing to Lift a Rocket onto the Launch Structure to be Prepared for Launch at the Wallops Island Launch Area in Virginia

Photograph of Scientists preparing to Lift a Rocket onto the Launch St...

SCOUT (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test) Project Office Files Public domain photograph of NASA rocket launch, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With more than 12 times the thrust produced by a Boeing 747 jet aircraft, the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and goes supersonic in 39 seconds. Liftoff of the 6-minute flight test was at 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 28. This was the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2009-5933

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With more than 12 times the thrust produced by ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With more than 12 times the thrust produced by a Boeing 747 jet aircraft, the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in F... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the number of new equipment cabinets increases as workers put the elements together. The firing room will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd1095

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Cen...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the number of new equipment cabinets increases as workers put the elements together. The firing room wi... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis, attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters atop a mobile launcher platform, makes its final debut outside the Vehicle Assembly Building. "Rollout," as it's called, to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida began at 8:42 p.m. EDT. It will take the crawler-transporter about six hours to carry the shuttle stack to its seaside launch pad. The milestone move paves the way for the launch of the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for July 8. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-4105

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis, attached to its extern...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis, attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters atop a mobile launcher platform, makes its final debut outside the Vehicle Assembly Building. "Rollou... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of spectators came out to watch space shuttle Atlantis' historic final journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion was at 8:42 p.m. EDT. It will take the crawler-transporter about six hours to carry the shuttle, attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, to the seaside launch pad. The milestone move paves the way for the launch of the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for July 8. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-4123

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of spectators came out to watch spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of spectators came out to watch space shuttle Atlantis' historic final journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. F... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a transportation canister is nearly closed around a Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine (SSME). This is the second of the 15 engines used during the Space Shuttle Program to be prepared for transfer to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engines will be stored at Stennis for future use on NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will carry NASA's new Orion spacecraft, cargo, equipment and science experiments to space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Gianni Woods KSC-2012-1026

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Fac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a transportation canister is nearly closed around a Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Solid Rocket Booster Retrieval Ship Freedom Star delivers a spent shuttle booster to workers at Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The booster was used during space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 launch from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A on Feb. 24. The shuttle’s two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered in the Atlantic Ocean after every launch by Freedom Star and Liberty Star. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be refurbished and stored, if needed. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky KSC-2011-1940

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Solid Rocket Booster Retrieval Ship Freedo...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Solid Rocket Booster Retrieval Ship Freedom Star delivers a spent shuttle booster to workers at Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The booster was used during ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad yard at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helium tank cars are lifted from their trucks onto flat cars in preparation for a journey to the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla., where the train’s tank cars will be transferred for delivery to the SpaceX engine test complex outside McGregor, Texas. The railroad cars were needed in support of the Space Shuttle Program but currently are not in use by NASA following the completion of the program in 2011. Originally, the tankers belonged to the U.S. Bureau of Mines. At the peak of the shuttle program, there were approximately 30 cars in the fleet. About half the cars were returned to the bureau as launch activity diminished. Five tank cars are being loaned to SpaceX and repurposed to support their engine tests in Texas. Eight cars previously were shipped to California on loan to support the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Launch Complex-4 on Vandenberg Air Force Base. SpaceX already has three helium tank cars previously used for the shuttle program at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-2888

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad yard at Kennedy Space Cent...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad yard at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helium tank cars are lifted from their trucks onto flat cars in preparation for a journey to the Florida East Coast Railway i... More

Photograph of a Rocket being Prepared for Launch at the Wallops Island Launch Area in Virginia

Photograph of a Rocket being Prepared for Launch at the Wallops Island...

SCOUT (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test) Project Office Files Public domain photograph of NASA rocket launch, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, external fuel tank, ET-138, for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission, is positioned between the twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform in high bay-1. Shuttle Atlantis' move, or "rollover," from Orbiter Processing Facility-1 to the VAB is targeted for May 10. Once there it will be mated with the external tank and boosters. Atlantis and its crew of four will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-3053

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA'...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, external fuel tank, ET-138, for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission, is positioned between the twin s... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The SRB Retrieval Ship Liberty Star tows a spent solid rocket booster toward Port Canaveral. The booster is from Space Shuttle Discovery, which launched on July 4. The space shuttle’s solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered at sea. The boosters impact the Atlantic Ocean approximately seven minutes after liftoff. The splashdown area is a square of about 6 by 9 nautical miles located about 140 nautical miles downrange from the launch pad. The retrieval ships are stationed approximately 8 to 10 nautical miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. As soon as the boosters enter the water, the ships accelerate to a speed of 15 knots and quickly close on the boosters. The pilot chutes and main parachutes are the first items to be brought on board. With the chutes and frustum recovered, attention turns to the boosters. The ship’s tow line is connected and the booster is returned to the Port and ,after transfer to a position alongside the ship, to Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There, the expended boosters are disassembled, refurbished and reloaded with solid propellant for reuse. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd1492

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The SRB Retrieval Ship Liberty Star to...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The SRB Retrieval Ship Liberty Star tows a spent solid rocket booster toward Port Canaveral. The booster is from Space Shuttle Discovery, which launched on July 4. The space shu... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour is firmly attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters in a high bay of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour is targeted to roll out to Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A for its final mission, STS-134, on March 9. Endeavour and the six-member crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. Endeavour's final launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT. For more information visit, http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-2041

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour is firmly attached to ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour is firmly attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters in a high bay of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. E... More

Photograph of a Scientist Working on a Rocket Part at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia

Photograph of a Scientist Working on a Rocket Part at the Langley Rese...

SCOUT (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test) Project Office Files Public domain photograph - NASA, space exploration, work of US government, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage ignited on NASA’s Ares I-X test rocket at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Oct. 28. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reaches a speed of 100 mph in eight seconds. This was the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell KSC-2009-5987

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage ignited on NASA’s Ares I-X test...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first stage ignited on NASA’s Ares I-X test rocket at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Oct. 28. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of... More

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' main engines and solid rocket boosters ignite on Launch Pad 39A leaving behind a billow of steam as it lifts off on its... More

Photograph of a Rocket Part at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia

Photograph of a Rocket Part at the Langley Research Center in Hampton,...

SCOUT (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test) Project Office Files Public domain photograph - NASA, space exploration, work of US government, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kenn...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the external tank for space shuttle Atlantis is lowered toward the solid rocket boosters (the nose cone of one of the boos... More

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. This HD video image depicts friction stir welding used in manufacturing aluminum panels that will fabricate the Ares I upper stage barrel. The aluminum panels are subjected to confidence panel tests during which the bent aluminum is stressed to breaking point and thoroughly examined. The panels are manufactured by AMRO Manufacturing located in El Monte, California. (Highest resolution available) n/a

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief...

Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation sy... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Workers at the Solid Rocket Booster Disassembly Facility at Hangar AF on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, inspect the left spent booster used during space shuttle Discovery's final launch, after it was lowered onto a tracked dolly for processing. The shuttle's two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered in the Atlantic Ocean after every launch by Freedom Star and Liberty Star. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be refurbished and stored, if needed. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2011-1920

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Workers at the Solid Rocket Booster Disassembl...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Workers at the Solid Rocket Booster Disassembly Facility at Hangar AF on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, inspect the left spent booster used during space shuttle Discovery's... More

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After leaving the Orbiter Processing Fa...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After leaving the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, the orbiter Endeavour, atop its transporter, rolls toward the Vehicle Assembly Building. In the VAB, it will be stacked with... More

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building transfer aisl...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building transfer aisle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the overhead crane lifts space shuttle Atlantis from its transporter. Atlantis will be raised to vertical... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Crews in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida remove space shuttle Discovery's right-hand inner heat shield from engine No. 1. The removal is part of Discovery's transition and retirement processing. Work performed on Discovery is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for future public display.Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-2396

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Crews in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA'...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Crews in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida remove space shuttle Discovery's right-hand inner heat shield from engine No. 1. The removal is part of Di... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Chickasaw Dance Troupe performs an Honor Dance during the Native American Ceremony at the Rocket Garden in the KSC Visitor Complex. The ceremony was part of several days' activities commemorating John B. Herrington as the first tribally enrolled Native American astronaut to fly on a Shuttle mission. Herrington is a Mission Specialist on STS-113. KSC-02pp1750

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Chickasaw Dance Troupe performs an H...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Chickasaw Dance Troupe performs an Honor Dance during the Native American Ceremony at the Rocket Garden in the KSC Visitor Complex. The ceremony was part of several days' activ... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a Lockheed Martin Atlas Centaur IIA (AC-144) rocket is lifted up the launch tower. The rocket will be used in the launch of TDRS-J, scheduled for Nov. 20. The third in a series of telemetry satellites, TDRS-J will help replenish the current constellation of geosynchronous TDRS satellites. The TDRS System is the primary source of space-to-ground voice, data and telemetry for the Space Shuttle. It also provides communications with the International Space Station and scientific spacecraft in low-Earth orbit such as the Hubble Space Telescope. This new advanced series of satellites will extend the availability of TDRS communications services until about 2017. KSC-02pd1525

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral A...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a Lockheed Martin Atlas Centaur IIA (AC-144) rocket is lifted up the launch tower. The rocket will be used in the launch o... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the external fuel tank for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission is moved out of the checkout cell. The tank will be lowered into high bay 3 onto the mobile launcher platform and attached to the solid rocket boosters already installed. Atlantis' STS-125 mission is the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for May 12. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-1166

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Ken...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the external fuel tank for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission is moved out of the checkout cell. The tan... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As night settles over Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, xenon lights reveal the Ares I-X rocket awaiting the approaching liftoff of its flight test. This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-5857

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As night settles over Launch Complex 39B at NAS...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As night settles over Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, xenon lights reveal the Ares I-X rocket awaiting the approaching liftoff of its flight test. This is... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery seems to be standing on the fiery columns erupting from the solid rocket boosters as it lifts off Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-116. Liftoff occurred at 8:47 p.m. EST. This was the second launch attempt for mission STS-116. The first launch attempt on Dec. 7 was postponed due a low cloud ceiling over Kennedy Space Center. This is Discovery's 33rd mission and the first night launch since 2002. The 20th shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-116 carries another truss segment, P5. It will serve as a spacer, mated to the P4 truss that was attached in September. After installing the P5, the crew will reconfigure and redistribute the power generated by two pairs of U.S. solar arrays. Landing is expected Dec. 21 at KSC. Photo credit: NASA/Regina Mitchell-Ryall & Tim Powers KSC-06pp2757

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery seems to be st...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery seems to be standing on the fiery columns erupting from the solid rocket boosters as it lifts off Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-116. Liftoff occurred at 8... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a crane lifts a frustum high above the transfer aisle. The solid rocket booster segment is being moved into a high bay where it will be added to the stack being prepared for space shuttle mission STS-122, targeted for launch in December. On this mission, Atlantis will carry the Columbus Laboratory, the European Space Agency's largest contribution to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, also called Harmony, to carry out experiments in materials science, fluid physics and biosciences, as well as to support a number of technological applications. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-07pd2847

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a crane lifts a frustum high above the transfer aisle. The solid rocket booster segment is being moved into a high... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad Yard at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way for the departure of a train made up of tank cars. The railroad’s track runs past Kennedy’s 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building in the background. The train is headed for the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla., where the train’s helium tank cars, a liquid oxygen tank car, and a liquid hydrogen dewar or tank car will be transferred for delivery to the SpaceX engine test complex outside McGregor, Texas. The railroad cars were needed in support of the Space Shuttle Program but currently are not in use by NASA following the completion of the program in 2011. Originally, the tankers belonged to the U.S. Bureau of Mines. At the peak of the shuttle program, there were approximately 30 cars in the fleet. About half the cars were returned to the bureau as launch activity diminished. Five tank cars are being loaned to SpaceX and repurposed to support their engine tests in Texas. Eight cars previously were shipped to California on loan to support the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Launch Complex-4 on Vandenberg Air Force Base. SpaceX already has three helium tank cars previously used for the shuttle program at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann KSC-2012-3033a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad Yard at NASA’s Kennedy Spa...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad Yard at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way for the departure of a train made up of tank cars. The railroad’s track runs past Kennedy’... More

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predominantly displayed on the fairing that will encapsulate the satellite for launch. The fairing is in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) where TDRS is undergoing testing. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0714

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predomi...

The logo for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is predominantly displayed on the fairing that will encapsulate the satellite for launch. The fairing is in KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulatio... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery rolls to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The first motion of the shuttle out from Orbiter Processing Facility 3 was at 7:22 a.m. EDT. In the VAB, Discovery will be lifted into High Bay 1 and mated to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already installed on the mobile launcher platform. The shuttle is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A the first week of August to prepare for the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery will carry the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module containing life support racks and science racks and the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier in its payload bay. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-4241

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery rolls to the Vehicle A...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery rolls to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The first motion of the shuttle out from Orbiter Processing Facility 3 was at 7:22 a.m... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The solid rocket booster retrieval ship Freedom Star is temporarily docked at Port Canaveral while the booster it was towing is moved alongside for the remainder of the trip upriver to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Freedom Star retrieved the booster after the launch of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission. The space shuttle's solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered at sea. The boosters impact the Atlantic Ocean approximately seven minutes after liftoff. The splashdown area is a square of about 6 by 9 nautical miles located about 140 nautical miles downrange from the launch pad. The retrieval ships are stationed approximately 8 to 10 nautical miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. As soon as the boosters enter the water, the ships accelerate to a speed of 15 knots and quickly close on the boosters. The pilot chutes and main parachutes are the first items to be brought on board. With the chutes and frustum recovered, attention turns to the boosters. The ship's tow line is connected and the booster is returned to the Port and, after transfer to a position alongside the ship, to Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There, the expended boosters are disassembled, refurbished and reloaded with solid propellant for reuse. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-08pd0262

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The solid rocket booster retrieval ship ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The solid rocket booster retrieval ship Freedom Star is temporarily docked at Port Canaveral while the booster it was towing is moved alongside for the remainder of the trip uprive... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After a perfect on-time launch on mission STS-106 at 8:45:47 a.m. EDT, Space Shuttle Atlantis rolls and displays its external tank and solid rocket boosters. On the 11-day mission to the International Space Station, the seven-member crew will perform support tasks on orbit, transfer supplies and prepare the living quarters in the newly arrived Zvezda Service Module. The first long-duration crew, dubbed “Expedition One,” is due to arrive at the Station in late fall. Landing of Atlantis is targeted for 4:45 a.m. EDT on Sept. 19 KSC00padig035

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After a perfect on-time launch on missio...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After a perfect on-time launch on mission STS-106 at 8:45:47 a.m. EDT, Space Shuttle Atlantis rolls and displays its external tank and solid rocket boosters. On the 11-day mission ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Outside the massive Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media (foreground) wait in the dark for the rollout of the Ares I-X to begin. The rocket will travel the 4.2 miles to Launch Pad 39B atop the crawler-transporter. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, along with the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 27. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2009-5534

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Outside the massive Vehicle Assembly Building a...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Outside the massive Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media (foreground) wait in the dark for the rollout of the Ares I-X to begin. ... More

Photograph of a Rocket being raised and Prepared for Launch on at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia

Photograph of a Rocket being raised and Prepared for Launch on at the ...

SCOUT (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test) Project Office Files Public domain photograph of NASA rocket launch, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The giant external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters attached to space shuttle Endeavour bask in the sunlight as the rotating service structure (RSS) moves away on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits lift off on the pad. RSS "rollback," as it's called, began at 11:44 a.m. EDT on May 15 and was completed at 12:24 p.m. STS-134 will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), Express Logistics Carrier-3, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the International Space Station. May 16 at 8:56 a.m. will be the second launch attempt for Endeavour. The first attempt on April 29 was scrubbed because of an issue associated with a faulty power distribution box called the aft load control assembly-2 (ALCA-2). STS-134 will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-3551

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The giant external fuel tank and twin solid roc...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The giant external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters attached to space shuttle Endeavour bask in the sunlight as the rotating service structure (RSS) moves away on Launch Pad 39A a... More

Leaving billowing clouds of steam and smoke behind, NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) shoots into the blue sky aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket from Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 8:56 a.m. EDT. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built by the Hughes Space and Communications Company, the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC-00pp0827

Leaving billowing clouds of steam and smoke behind, NASA’s Tracking an...

Leaving billowing clouds of steam and smoke behind, NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) shoots into the blue sky aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket from Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers move the Orbiter Transporter System (OTS) into Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OTS will be moved under shuttle Atlantis for its rollover to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Once inside the VAB, Atlantis will be joined to its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank on the mobile launcher platform. Later this month, Atlantis is scheduled to "rollout" to Launch Pad 39A on the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135, targeted to launch June 28, will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-3350

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers move the Orbiter Transporter System (OT...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers move the Orbiter Transporter System (OTS) into Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OTS will be moved under shuttle Atlantis for its rollov... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After moving out of high bay 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank-solid rocket booster stack, atop a mobile launcher platform, rolls into high bay 3. The move makes room in high bay 1 for the ET-SRB stack for space shuttle Endeavour. Atlantis is targeted for launch on the STS-125 mission on May 12 to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour will fly on the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station and bring the final segments for Japan's Kibo laboratory. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis KSC-2009-1525

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After moving out of high bay 1 in the Vehicle ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After moving out of high bay 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank-solid rocket booster stack, atop a mobile launc... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Freedom Star, one of NASA's solid rocket booster retrieval ships, and its crew are preparing to recover the left spent booster from the Atlantic Ocean. The round objects on deck are large pumping machines that will be attached to the booster by a hose that will blow out debris and water and then pump in air so the booster can float horizontally on the water's surface for towing back to Port Canaveral in Florida. The shuttle’s two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered in the Atlantic Ocean after every launch by Liberty Star and Freedom Star. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be refurbished and stored, if needed. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky KSC-2011-1836

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Freedom Star, one of NASA's solid rocket boost...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Freedom Star, one of NASA's solid rocket booster retrieval ships, and its crew are preparing to recover the left spent booster from the Atlantic Ocean. The round objects on deck are larg... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Endeavour is bathed in light. Twin solid rocket boosters flank the orange external tank behind Endeavour. Above the external tank is the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm that vents gaseous oxygen vapors away from the Shuttle. The vent hood assembly at the end is often referred to as the "beanie cap." Stretching to the crew hatch on the side of Endeavour is the Orbiter Access Arm with its environmentally controlled White Room at the end, through which the crew enters the vehicle. The Shuttle sits on the Mobile Launcher Platform with the two service tail masts on either side of the main engines. The tail masts support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft T-0 umbilicals. Each tail mast is 31 feet (9.4 meters) high, 15 feet (4.6 meters) long and 9 feet (3.1 meters) wide. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-108 Dec. 4 at 5:45 p.m. EST. On this 12th flight to the International Space Station, known as a Utilization Flight, Endeavour will carry a crew of four plus the Expedition 4 crew, who will replace Expedition 3 aboard the ISS. The payload includes the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies, equipment and experiments KSC01PD1763

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After rollback of the Rotating Service S...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Endeavour is bathed in light. Twin solid rocket boosters flank the orange external tank behind En... More

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at right sits while one-half of the fairing (left) is moved closer to it. After encapsulation in the fairing, TDRS will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system’s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit KSC00pp0749

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking an...

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) at right sits while one-half of the fairing (left) is moved closer to it. After encapsulation in the fairing... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians will modify 32 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges where they attach to the thrust panel area. The thrust panel is where the tank meets the two solid rocket boosters and sees the most stress during the flight into orbit. After the modifications and additional scans of the stringers are complete, foam insulation will be re-applied. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2011-1000

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's exter...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians will modify 32 support beams, c... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- As the sun sinks in the west, Space Shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A is silhouetted. Only one solid rocket booster and external tank is visible with the Rotating Service Structure still in place. The 80-foot-tall fiberglass mast on top of the Fixed Service Structure points to the sky. Endeavour waits for mission STS-99, known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), which will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the SRTM could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. The mission is expected to last 11days, with Endeavour landing at KSC Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 4:36 p.m. EST. This is the 97th Shuttle flight and 14th for Shuttle Endeavour KSC-00pp0218

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- As the sun sinks in the west, Space Shu...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- As the sun sinks in the west, Space Shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A is silhouetted. Only one solid rocket booster and external tank is visible with the Rotating Service Struct... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A C-17 aircraft arrives on the Shuttle Landing Facility parking apron at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft is delivering the MAVEN spacecraft for processing ahead of a launch later this year on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. MAVEN, short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, will orbit Mars to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs KSC-2013-3165

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A C-17 aircraft arrives on the Shuttle Landing ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A C-17 aircraft arrives on the Shuttle Landing Facility parking apron at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aircraft is delivering the MAVEN spacecraft for processing ahead of a ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media are briefed on the agency's Space Launch System SLS Program Todd May, program manager for Space Launch Systems SLS at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The briefing took place in the spaceport's Booster Fabrication Facility BFF. During the Space Shuttle Program, the facility was used for processing forward segments and aft skirts for the solid rocket boosters. The BFF will serve a similar role for the SLS. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2014-4616

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, memb...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media are briefed on the agency's Space Launch System SLS Program Todd May, program manager for Space Launch Systems SLS at ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis, attached to its external tank and solid rocket boosters atop a mobile launcher platform, arrives at Launch Complex 39A. First motion on the 3.4-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building, known as rollout, was at 6:38 a.m. EDT Oct. 14. The rollout took about six hours, and the shuttle was secure on the pad at 1:31 p.m. Liftoff of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 12. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-5438

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spac...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis, attached to its external tank and solid rocket boosters atop a mobile launcher platform, arrives at Launch Complex 39A. ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance Recovery Operations personnel pull a colorful main parachute for the Ares I-X rocket onto the deck of the solid rocket booster recovery ship Freedom Star following the launch of the flight test mission. Liftoff of the 6-minute flight test was at 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 28. This was the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: United Space Alliance KSC-2009-5999

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of NASA's K...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance Recovery Operations personnel pull a colorful main parachute for the Ares I-X rocket o... More

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