Spacecraft technicians stand by to assist during testing required to verify the spacecraft's readiness for launch.

At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., spacecraft technicians stand by to assist with the deployment of the communications antenna on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, during testing required to verify the spacecraft's readiness for launch.

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/Jim Grossmann