Stellary Starry Universe

President Barack Obama greets the STS-132 Atlantis crew and International Space Station astronaut T.J. Creamer in the Oval Office, July 26, 2010. From left, STS-132 Commander Ken Ham; Expedition 22/23 Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer; STS-132 Mission Specialists Piers Sellers, Garret Reisman, and Steve Bowen; President Obama; STS-132 Mission Specialist Michael Good; and STS-132 Pilot Tony Antonelli. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

An Aerojet AJ26 rocket engine was delivered to NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center on July 15, 2010. This is the first of a series of Taurus II engines to be tested at Stennis to include acceptance testing of flight engines.

Stennis will provide propulsion system acceptance testing for the Taurus II space launch vehicle, which is being developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va. The first Taurus II mission will be flown in support of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services cargo demonstration to the International Space Station.

Orbital’s Taurus II design uses a pair of Aerojet AJ26 rocket engines to provide first stage propulsion for the new launch vehicle. Image Credit: NASA

Space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew launched at 2:38 p.m. EDT on July 4, 2006 to begin their journey to the International Space Station during the STS-121 mission. The shuttle made history as it was the first human-occupied spacecraft to launch on Independence Day.

During the 12-day mission, the crew tested new equipment and procedures that increase the safety of the orbiters. It also performed maintenance on the space station and delivered supplies, equipment and a new Expedition 13 crew member to the station.

This mission carried on analysis of safety improvements that debuted on the Return to Flight mission, STS-114, and built upon those tests. Image Credit: NASA