NASA History

30 Years Ago: Clementine Changes Our View of the Moon

In 1994, a joint NASA and Department of Defense (DOD) mission called Clementine dramatically changed our view of the Moon. As the first U.S. mission to the Moon in more than two decades, Clementine’s primary objectives involved technology demonstrations to test lightweight component and sensor performance.

Posted February 16, 2024

NASA History

Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Goddard’s Beginnings in Project Vanguard

In the dawn of the Space Age, a group of scientists and engineers from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) had their eye on a new frontier: the uncharted expanse of space. Project Vanguard, initiated in 1955, aimed to launch the first American satellite into Earth orbit as part of the International Geophysical Year (July 1957 […]

Posted February 16, 2024

NASA History

Apollo

55 Years Ago: President Nixon Establishes Space Task Group to Chart Post-Apollo Plans

In early 1969, the goal set by President John F. Kennedy to land a man on the Moon seemed within reach. A new president, Richard M. Nixon, now sat in the White House and needed to chart America’s course in space in the post-Apollo era. President Nixon directed his science advisor to evaluate proposals for […]

Posted February 13, 2024

NASA History

Skylab

50 Years Ago: Skylab 4 Astronauts Return From Record-Breaking Spaceflight

The longest spaceflight up to that time ended on Feb. 8, 1974, when Skylab 4 astronauts Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after their 84-day mission aboard Skylab, America’s first space station.

Posted February 7, 2024

NASA History

STS-41B

40 Years Ago: STS-41B, the First Flight of the Manned Maneuvering Unit

On Feb. 3, 1984, space shuttle Challenger took off on its fourth flight, STS-41B. Its five-person crew of Commander Vance D. Brand, Pilot Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson, and Mission Specialists Ronald E. McNair, Robert L. Stewart, and Bruce McCandless flew an eight-day mission ending with the first return to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in […]

Posted February 6, 2024

NASA History

Bruce McCandless

Humans in Space

Robert L. Gibson

STS-41B

The Iconic Photos from STS-41B: Documenting the First Untethered Spacewalk

As astronaut Bruce McCandless II flew the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) out of the space shuttle Challenger’s payload bay for the first time on February 7, 1984, many in the agency were fearful about the use of a self-propelled and untethered backpack in space. (Previous spacewalkers remained connected to the vehicle with tethers.

Posted February 3, 2024

NASA History

30 Years Ago: STS-60, the First Shuttle-Mir Mission

On Feb. 3, 1994, space shuttle Discovery took off on its 18th flight, STS-60. Its six-person crew of Commander Charles F. Bolden, Pilot Kenneth S. Reightler, and Mission Specialists N. Jan Davis, Ronald M. Sega, Franklin R. Chang-Díaz, who served as payload commander, and Sergei K. Krikalev of the Russian Space Agency, now Roscosmos, flew […]

Posted February 2, 2024

NASA History

Honoring Black Astronauts During Black History Month 2024

In honor of Black History Month, we recognize the contributions of Black astronauts to our nation’s space programs.

Posted February 1, 2024

NASA History

40 Years Ago: President Reagan Directs NASA to Build a Space Station

On Jan. 25, 1984, President Ronald W. Reagan directed NASA to build a permanently inhabited Earth orbiting space station within a decade. The President’s announcement turned years of NASA studies into a real program.

Posted January 25, 2024

General

Glenn History

Glenn Research Center

NASA History

NASA Glenn Established in Cleveland in 1941

On January 23, 1941, local authorities, military representatives, and agency officials assembled in Cleveland to initiate construction of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) new research laboratory.

Posted January 23, 2024