Photos: Atlas 5 rocket aims for International Space Station

In parallel with an on-going failure investigation, SpaceX is readying downstream Crew Dragon spacecraft for flight in hopes that corrective actions can be implemented in time to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station before the end of the year, a senior NASA manager said Tuesday.

Giving every opportunity for the storm clouds to blow clear after a four-hour hold, the United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket counts down Thursday afternoon at Cape Canaveral until the clocks had to be halted for the day.

A collection of pad photos from the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flight to deploy the GPS 2F-12 satellite for use by the U.S. military and billions of civilians around the world.