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In this image, workers wearing blue coveralls (called 'bunny suits'), white hair bonnets and face masks work on the immense Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in a large, white cleanroom at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. On the left side of the image the technicians and engineers are removing one of the large solar panels, about the size of a billboard. On the right side of the image is the spacecraft itself, a large portion of which is covered in protective gold and black thermal blanketing. Multiple cords, used for power and testing, hang from the massive spacecraft bus.

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Getting Closer to Countdown: Spacecraft Undergoes Readiness Tests

It's no easy task getting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ready for launch. Workers stabilize the crane holding one of the enormous billboard-sized solar panels temporarily removed from the spacecraft prior to rigorous testing. This test is one of many "checkups" the spacecraft must undergo to verify its readiness for launch.

Credit: NASA/KSC

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