KSC-2009-6830

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center rotate the bagged Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, secured to a Ransome table, into a vertical position. 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. For information on SDO, visit http://www.nasa.gov/sdo. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder