2009 Kennedy Space Center Visit

One of the Delta-II launch towers at LC-17, with a Delta stacked inside.

The launch pads at LC-17, both currently occupied (look closely) by Delta-II rockets

The payloads for the two rockets currently on the pads at LC-17.

The Delta-II pads at LC-17, both of which were occupied.

Along Rocket Row.

Along Rocket Row.

Along Rocket Row.

Leaving Cape Canaveral at sunset.

A servicing panel on Atlantis, with a fluid line attached.

Atlantis' payload bay, being reconfigured for its next flight. The red tubes on either side are the robot arm and the new extension boom used for on-orbit inspection of the thermal protection system. The silver trapezoidal shapes just below the arm/boom are sill plates, used for mounting payload latches. I saw Atlantis' payload bay twice (here, and in the depot in Palmdale during an overhaul), both times through plastic film like this.

The side hatch of Atlantis, from inside the OPF white room.

The empty space inside the glove section of Atlantis' port wing. The "glove" is the segment of the wing forward of the bend in the leading edge.

An external tank hanging in the transfer aisle of the VAB.

An external tank hanging thirty-odd feet above the floor in the cross-aisle.

The forward end of an SRB, containing its separation motors and parachutes.

Work platforms in the low bay left over from Saturn days (identifiable by the red paint) tethered in the up position. The low bay had a half-dozen or more of these cells, where a Saturn stage could be stood up for checkout prior to stacking/integration.

An external tank hanging thirty-odd feet above the floor in the cross-aisle. This is the only time that I ever saw a complete ET not on stands or a transport dolly.

The dummy spacecraft for the upcoming Ares-1X test flight. Note the boost protective cover (nosecone) on the front of the capsule no longer looks anything like this on the real vehicle, due to subsequent configuration changes.