Space Shuttle Photos – The Space Shuttle Atlantis atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) returns to the Kennedy Space Center after a ten month refurbishment.
keywords: NASA, STS, Atlantis, Shuttle carrier
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Space Shuttle Atlantis at Sunrise
Space Shuttle Photos – As the sun rises the morning of April 2, it casts a rosy glow over a steller performer, the orbiter Atlantis parked on Runway 33 of the Shuttle Landing Facility. Atlantis touched down at 6:23:6 a.m. EST, completing a highly successful flight that was extended by a day to further the scientific research being performed on the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-1 (ATLAS-1) payload. On board OV-104 for Mission STS-45 was a crew of seven.
keywords: NASA images, Space Shuttle, Atlantis, Parked Space Shuttle, Edwards Air Force Base
Space Shuttle Endeavour Arrives at Ksc for First Time
Space Shuttle Photos – The newest addition to the Space Shuttle orbiter fleet, Endeavour, arrives at KSC atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft on May 7. OV-105 will be demated from the Boeing aircraft, and towed to the Vehicle Assembly Building for installation of several major flight components. Next step will be a lengthy stay in the Orbiter Processing Facility for a rigorous series of first flow tests. Endeavour is scheduled to lift off on its maiden space flight in 1992.
keywords: NASA images, Space Shuttle Endeavour arrival at KSC, Kennedy, space shuttle on top of a plane
Flock of Birds Near the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle Photos – A flock of birds take flight shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis arrives at Pad 39B after being rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building approximately six hours before. Atlantis is scheduled to be launched in late November 1988 on Space Shuttle mission STS-27, a Department of Defense dedicated mission. This will be Atlantis’ third mission in space.
keywords: NASA, STS, Atlantis, Birds
First Launch of a Space Shuttle (columbia)
Space Shuttle Photos – The Space Shuttle rises majestically above Launch Complex 39′s Pad A on the first leg of its maiden journey into space. On board for the historic flight are astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen, scheduled to spend nearly 54 hours in space on this first shakedown test of Americas’s new reusable Space Transportation System (STS). The Sunday morning liftoff came a few seconds after 7:00 a.m.
keywords: NASA, STS-1, Space Shuttle Maiden Voyage, Pride in America, technology, first launch
Miranda as Seen by Voyager 2 (moon of Uranus)
NASA Stock Photos – Flying by in early 1986, Voyager 2 captured this picture of Miranda, which enabled scientists to study this moon of Uranus in much greater detail than ever before. Discovered in 1948 by Gerard Peter Kuiper, Miranda is named for the daughter of the wily Prospero in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” It is the eleventh known satellite of Uranus and the innermost large moon of Uranus It was necessary that Voyager 2 passed by Miranda, not for scientific reasons, but simply for the gravity assist it needed to go on to Neptune. Due to the position of the entire Solar System, Miranda provided the energy to throw Voyager 2 to Neptune. Before Voyager, Miranda was largely ignored as it is not the largest moon and did not seem to have any other outstanding qualities. Fortunately, however, Voyager passed close enough to Miranda to provide scientists with fascinating photographs that captivated astronomers. About half ice and half rock, Miranda’s surface has terraced layers that indicate both older and new surfaces coexisting. Since the mixing of ancient and recent surfaces is rare in planetary geology, scientists have postulated two explanations for the different ages of the numerous valleys and cliffs on Miranda. One theory is that Miranda could have shattered as many as five times and was then reassembled. Another hypothesis is that partly melted ice upwells forced new surfaces to emerge.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
NASA Stock Photos – As Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter, it captured this photo of the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot is an anti-cyclonic (high- pressure) storm on Jupiter that can be likened to the worst hurricanes on Earth. An ancient storm, it is so large that three Earths could fit inside it. This photo, and others of Jupiter, allowed scientists to see different colors in clouds around the Great Red Spot which imply that the clouds swirl around the spot (going counter-clockwise) at varying altitudes. The Great Red Spot had been observed from Earth for hundreds of years, yet never before with this clarity and closeness (objects as small as six hundred kilometers can be seen). The Voyager mission has been managed by NASA’s Office of Space Science and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
keywords: Jupiter, red spot, space images
Neptune Full Disk View
NASA Stock Photos – This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken through the green and orange filters on the Voyager 2 narrow angle camera. The images were taken at a range of 4.4 million miles from the planet, 4 days and 20 hours before closest approach. The picture shows the Great Dark Spot and its companion bright smudge; on the west limb the fast moving bright feature called Scooter and the little dark spot are visible. These clouds were seen to persist for as long as Voyager’s cameras could resolve them. North of these, a bright cloud band similar to the south polar streak may be seen. Years later, when the Hubble telescope was focused on the planet, these atmospheric features had changed, indicating that Neptune’s atmosphere is dynamic. The Voyager Mission is conducted by JPL for NASA’s Office of Space Science and Applications, Washington, DC.
keywords: Neptune, space photos
Neptune and Tritron
NASA Stock Photos – This image was returned by the Voyager 2 spacecraft on July 3, 1989, when it was 76 million kilometers (47 million miles) from Neptune. The planet and its largest satellite, Triton, are captured in the field of view of Voyager’s narrow-angle camera through violet, clear and orange filters. Triton appears in the lower right corner at about 5 o’clock relative to Neptune. Measurements from Voyager images show Triton to be between 1,400 and 1,800 kilometers (about 870 to 1,100 miles) in radius with a surface that is about as bright as freshly fallen snow. Because Triton is barely resolved in current narrow-angle images, it is too early to see features on its surface. Scientists believe Triton has at least a small atmosphere of methane and possibly other gases. During its closest approach to Triton on August 25, 1989, Voyager provided high-resolution views of the moon’s icy surface and reveal whether Triton’s atmosphere has clouds. JPL manages the Voyager Project for NASA’s Office of Space Science and Applications, Washington, DC.
keywords: Neptune, Tritron, moon
Planetary Montage
NASA Stock Photos – This montage of images of the planets visited by Voyager 2 was prepared from an assemblage of images taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. The Voyager Project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
keywords: planets