The components of NASA's instrument rest side after removal of their shipping cover inside Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility.

The components of NASA's International Space Station-RapidScat scatterometer instrument rest side by side after removal of their shipping cover inside Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility.

ISS-RapidScat is the first scientific Earth-observing instrument designed to operate from the exterior of the space station. It will measure Earth's ocean surface wind speed and direction, providing data to be used in weather and marine forecasting. Built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ISS-RapidScat is slated to fly on the SpaceX-4 commercial cargo resupply flight in 2014. For more information, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/iss-rapidscat. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis