NASA History

30 Years Ago: STS-61, the First Hubble Servicing Mission

“Trying to do stellar observations from Earth is like trying to do birdwatching from the bottom of a lake.” James B. Odom, Hubble Program Manager 1983-1990. The discovery after its launch that the Hubble Space Telescope’s primary mirror suffered from a flaw disappointed scientists who could not obtain the sharp images they had expected. But […]

Posted December 4, 2023

NASA History

Space Shuttle

STS-9

40 Years Ago: STS-9, the First Spacelab Science Mission

On Nov. 28, 1983, space shuttle Columbia took to the skies for its sixth trip into space on the first dedicated science mission using the Spacelab module provided by the European Space Agency (ESA). The longest shuttle mission at the time also included many other firsts. Aboard Columbia to conduct dozens of science experiments, the […]

Posted November 28, 2023

NASA History

Brewster H. Shaw Jr.

Byron K. Lichtenberg

John W. Young

Owen K. Garriott

Robert A. R. Parker

STS-9

Spacelab 1: A Model for International Cooperation

Forty years ago, in 1983, the Space Shuttle Columbia flew its first international spaceflight, STS-9. The mission included—for the first time—the European Space Agency’s Spacelab pressurized module and featured more than 70 experiments from American, Canadian, European, and Japanese scientists.

Posted November 27, 2023

NASA History

Skylab

50 Years Ago: Launch of Skylab 4, The Final Mission to Skylab

The third and final crewed mission to the Skylab space station, Skylab 4, got underway on Nov. 16, 1973, with a thunderous launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Docking eight hours later, astronauts Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue began a planned 56-day mission that program managers extended […]

Posted November 17, 2023

NASA History

55 Years Ago: Eight Months Before the Moon Landing

November 1968 proved pivotal to achieving the goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. The highly successful Apollo 7 mission that returned American astronauts to space provided the confidence for NASA to decide to send the next flight, Apollo 8, on a trip to orbit the Moon in […]

Posted November 17, 2023

NASA History

Worm Designer Receives NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal

NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana presented an award to Richard Danne Monday for his outstanding achievement in creating the NASA worm logotype and inspiring the world through the medium of design for the benefit of humanity.

Posted November 6, 2023

NASA History

65 Years Ago: NASA Formally Establishes The Space Task Group

On Oct. 1, 1958, NASA, the newly established agency to lead America’s civilian space program, officially began operations, with T. Keith Glennan and Hugh L. Dryden as administrator and deputy administrator, respectively.

Posted November 6, 2023

NASA History

Astronauts

Former Astronauts

NASA Administrator Remembers Apollo Astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the passing of former NASA astronaut Rear Adm. (ret.) Thomas K. (TK) Mattingly II. “We lost one of our country’s heroes on Oct. 31. NASA astronaut TK Mattingly was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his shining personality will ensure he […]

Posted November 2, 2023

NASA History

25 Years Ago: STS-95, John Glenn Returns to Space

On Oct. 29, 1998, NASA astronaut John H. Glenn made history again when he returned to space aboard space shuttle Discovery’s STS-95 mission, nearly 37 years after becoming the first American in orbit during his February 1962 Friendship 7 mission. The seven-member STS-95 crew consisted of Commander Curtis L. Brown, Pilot Steven W.

Posted October 30, 2023

NASA History

Join NASA to Celebrate Worm Design, Influence with Original Designer

Media are invited to hear a discussion on the design and cultural significance of the worm logotype with NASA and its creator Richard Danne at 11:30 a.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 6, at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. The logotype, a simple, red unique type style of the word NASA, replaced the agency’s official logo […]

Posted October 27, 2023