KSC-2009-5296

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., a crane prepares to lift the vertically positioned Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, onto a test stand during preparations for propulsion system testing and leak checks. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller