spacex engine test

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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

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, left, and the twin bays of the Orbiter Processing Facility, right, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The train is on its way to 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-2012-3038a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 52...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, left, and the twin bays of the Orbiter Processing Facility, right, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad yard at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helium tank cars have been removed from their trucks and loaded 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-2012-2890

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 have been removed from their trucks and loaded onto flat cars in preparation for a journey to the Florida Ea... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the NASA Railroad yard at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, cranes are enlisted to lift helium tank cars 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 yard is located in Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 near the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, in the background.    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-2012-2889

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, cranes are enlisted to lift helium tank cars from their trucks onto flat cars in preparation for a journey to the Florida Eas... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to 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-2012-3053

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Ja...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to the Florida East Coas... 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 train will pass by 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-2012-3032a

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 train will pass by Kennedy’s 525-fo... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Preparations are under way at the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the passage of the NASA Railroad train on its way to 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 permanent configuration of the drawbridge span is open, but the span will be lowered for a train to cross.    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-2012-3047

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Preparations are under way at the NASA Railroad...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Preparations are under way at the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the passage of the NASA Railroad train o... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to 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-2012-3050

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Ja...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to the Florida East Coas... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A dolphin swims in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The dolphin was spotted by a cameraman on hand to photograph a NASA Railroad train on its way to 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-2012-3042

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A dolphin swims in the Indian River near the NA...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A dolphin swims in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The dolphin was spotted by a ca... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 delivers tank cars from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla.  The locomotive is one of three NASA Railroad locomotives built for the Toledo, Peoria and Western, or TP&W, between 1968 and 1970.  It is a GM Electromotive Division SW-1500 switcher.  The locomotive was acquired by NASA from the TP&W in 1984 and painted in the NASA Railroad paint scheme.  The power plant was completely overhauled in 2009.  The locomotive will pull the train to the interchange in Titusville, 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-2012-3049

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 delivers tank ca...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 delivers tank cars from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla. The locomotive is one of t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Manatees relax in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The manatees were spotted by a cameraman on hand to photograph a NASA Railroad train on its way to 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-2012-3045

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Manatees relax in the Indian River near the NAS...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Manatees relax in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The manatees were spotted by a c... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee relaxes in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The manatee was spotted by a cameraman on hand to photograph a NASA Railroad train on its way to 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-2012-3044

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee relaxes in the Indian River near the ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee relaxes in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The manatee was spotted by a ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Bubbles form around a dolphin splashing in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The dolphin was spotted by a cameraman on hand to photograph a NASA Railroad train on its way to 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-2012-3040a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Bubbles form around a dolphin splashing in the ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Bubbles form around a dolphin splashing in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The dol... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train has crossed the Indian River on the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to 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-2012-3056

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train has crossed the Indian Ri...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train has crossed the Indian River on the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 is enlisted to deliver tank cars from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla.  The locomotive is one of three NASA Railroad locomotives built for the Toledo, Peoria and Western, or TP&W, between 1968 and 1970.  It is a GM Electromotive Division SW-1500 switcher.  The locomotive was acquired by NASA from the TP&W in 1984 and painted in the NASA Railroad paint scheme.  The power plant was completely overhauled in 2009.  The locomotive will pull the train to the interchange in Titusville, 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-2012-3031a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 is enlisted to d...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 is enlisted to deliver tank cars from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla. The locomoti... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee swims in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The manatee was spotted by a cameraman on hand to photograph a NASA Railroad train on its way to 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-2012-3043

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee swims in the Indian River near the NA...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee swims in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The manatee was spotted by a ca... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, left, and the twin bays of the Orbiter Processing Facility, right, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The train is on its way to 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-2012-3037a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 52...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, left, and the twin bays of the Orbiter Processing Facility, right, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to 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-2012-3051

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Ja...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to the Florida East Coas... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Engineers board a NASA Railroad train in preparation for its departure from the NASA Railroad Yard at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 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-2012-3034a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Engineers board a NASA Railroad train in prepar...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Engineers board a NASA Railroad train in preparation for its departure from the NASA Railroad Yard at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is headed for the Florida East Coas... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee relaxes in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The manatee was spotted by a cameraman on hand to photograph a NASA Railroad train on its way to 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-2012-3046

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee relaxes in the Indian River near the ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A manatee relaxes in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The manatee was spotted by a ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to 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-2012-3052

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Ja...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to the Florida East Coas... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to 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 helium tank cars are positioned in the front and rear of the train.  The long, thin tank car in the middle was used for liquid hydrogen, followed by a much larger tank car used for liquid oxygen.    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-2012-3055

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Ja...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to the Florida East Coas... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the twin bays of the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The train is on its way to 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-2012-3036a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the tw...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the twin bays of the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to the Florida East Coast Rai... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to 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 helium tank cars are positioned in the front and rear of the train.  The long, thin tank car in the middle was used for liquid hydrogen, followed by a much larger tank car used for liquid oxygen.    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-2012-3054

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Ja...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train crosses the railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to the Florida East Coas... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  At the far right is the Orbiter Processing Facility. The train is on its way to 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-2012-3039a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 52...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At the far right is the Orbiter Processing Facility. The t... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the twin bays of the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The train is on its way to 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-2012-3035a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the tw...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA Railroad train passes in front of the twin bays of the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The train is on its way to the Florida East Coast Rai... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A dolphin plays in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The dolphin was spotted by a cameraman on hand to photograph a NASA Railroad train on its way to 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-2012-3041a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A dolphin plays in the Indian River near the NA...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A dolphin plays in the Indian River near the NASA Railroad’s Jay Jay Railroad Bridge north of Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The dolphin was spotted by a ca... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 delivers tank cars from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla.  The locomotive is one of three NASA Railroad locomotives built for the Toledo, Peoria and Western, or TP&W, between 1968 and 1970.  It is a GM Electromotive Division SW-1500 switcher.  The locomotive was acquired by NASA from the TP&W in 1984 and painted in the NASA Railroad paint scheme.  The power plant was completely overhauled in 2009.  The locomotive will pull the train to the interchange in Titusville, 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-2012-3048

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 delivers tank ca...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Railroad locomotive No. 3 delivers tank cars from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Florida East Coast Railway interchange in Titusville, Fla. The locomotive is one of t... More