KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians on the floor watch as a tray is extended from inside the Pressurized Module, or PM, part of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The PM provides a shirt-sleeve environment in which astronauts on the International Space Station can conduct microgravity experiments. There are a total of 23 racks, including 10 experiment racks, inside the PM providing a power supply, communications, air conditioning, hardware cooling, water control and experiment support functions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After removing its cover, technicians look over the Minus Eighty Lab Freezer for ISS (MELFI), provided as Laboratory Support Equipment by the European Space Agency for the International Space Station. The lab will provide cooling and storage for reagents, samples and perishable materials in four insulated containers called dewars with independently selectable temperatures of -80°C, -26°C, and +4°C. It also will be used to transport samples to and from the station. The MELFI is planned for launch on the ULF-1 mission.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in NASA Spacecraft Hangar AE remove sections of the transportation canister from around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), which has been returned to the hangar from the launch pad. SIRTF will remain in the clean room until it returns to the pad in early August. One of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched, SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-82 Mission Specialist Gregory J. Harbaugh, at top, inspects part of the Flight Support System during the Crew Equipment Integration Test (CEIT) at KSC's Vertical Processing Facility. Harbaugh and the other six STS-82 crew members will conduct the second Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Harbaugh will be one of four spacewalkers. Liftoff aboard Discovery is scheduled Feb. 11.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in NASA Spacecraft Hangar AE prepare to remove the canister from around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), which has been returned to the hangar from the launch pad. SIRTF will remain in the clean room until it returns to the pad in early August. One of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched, SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Following the memorial service for the crew of Columbia at the Space Memorial Mirror, a visitor leaves a rose bouquet behind. Feb. 1 is the one-year anniversary of the loss of the crew and orbiter Columbia in a tragic accident as the ship returned to Earth following mission STS-107. The public was invited to the memorial service, held in the KSC Visitor Complex, which included comments by Center Director Jim Kennedy and Executive Director of Florida Space Authority Winston Scott. Scott is a former astronaut who flew on Columbia in 1997.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Shuttle Discovery on its Mobile Launcher Platform makes its slow 3.4-mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A in preparation for the STS-82 mission. In the foreground is the U.S. flag at the Press Site area. A seven-member crew will perform the second servicing of the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during the 10-day STS-82 mission, which is targeted for a Feb. 11 liftoff.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly stop at the Space Station Processing Facility’s International Space Station observation room during their tour of KSC. The members are meeting in Orlando this year for their 49th annual gathering. They chose to visit KSC with their families during their one-day excursion break from meetings.

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