At Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville Fla. workers secure one of the fairing halves.

At Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers secure one of the fairing halves removed from around the GOES-N spacecraft onto a horizontal stand. Workers are using the stand to detach the fairing from around the spacecraft. Workers will use the stand to begin detaching the fairing from around the spacecraft. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. Removing the fairing will allow workers access to the spacecraft. GOES-N was demated from its Boeing Delta IV launch vehicle when the launch was postponed in August 2005 due to technical issues. Due to the extended length of time the spacecraft had been atop the Delta IV rocket without launching, the weather satellite was returned to Astrotech for some precautionary retesting and state of health checks. GOES-N is the latest in a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites for NOAA and NASA providing continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann