NASA History

20 Years Ago: NASA Selects its 19th Group of Astronauts

On May 6, 2004, NASA announced the selection of its 19th group of astronauts. The group comprised 11 candidates – two pilots, six mission specialists, and three educator mission specialists – and included two women, two Hispanic Americans, and one African American.

Posted May 8, 2024

NASA History

35 Years Ago: STS-30 Launches Magellan to Venus

On May 4, 1989, space shuttle Atlantis took off on its third flight, STS-30, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Its five-person crew of Commander David M. Walker, Pilot Ronald J. Grabe, and Mission Specialists Mark C. Lee, Norman E. Thagard, and Mary L. Cleave flew a four-day mission that deployed the Magellan […]

Posted May 2, 2024

NASA History

Asian-American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In honor of Asian-American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we recognize astronauts with Asian roots who have flown to the International Space Station and contributed to its assembly, operations and research activities. Other pioneers preceded them into space.

Posted May 1, 2024

NASA History

55 Years Ago: Three Months Until the Moon Landing

The rapid pace of preparations for the first Moon landing continued in April 1969. The successful Apollo 9 mission in March cleared the way for Apollo 10 to test all three components of the spacecraft in lunar orbit in May, in a dress rehearsal for the landing itself. Apollo 10 astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, John […]

Posted April 18, 2024

NASA History

45 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Enterprise Arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

Enterprise, the first space shuttle orbiter that NASA built, arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on April 10, 1979. Although not space worthy, as a pathfinder Enterprise carried out tasks critical to ensuring the success of the space shuttle program.

Posted April 12, 2024

Glenn Research Center

Glenn History

NASA History

Technology

Technology for Space Travel

NASA’s SERT II: ‘A Genuine Space Success Story’

“A genuine space success story,” is how Experiments Manager William Kerslake described NASA’s second Space Electric Rocket Test (SERT II), the first long-duration operation of ion thrusters in space.

Posted April 11, 2024

NASA History

60 Years Ago: Gemini 1 Flies a Successful Uncrewed Test Flight

On April 8, 1964, Gemini 1 successfully completed the first uncrewed test flight of the Gemini spacecraft and its Titan II booster. The three-orbit mission proved the structural integrity of the spacecraft and the launch vehicle, paving the way for a second uncrewed test flight and ultimately missions with astronauts.

Posted April 9, 2024

NASA History

Artemis 2

Astronauts

Becoming an Astronaut

Project Mercury

From NASA’s First Astronaut Class to Artemis II: The Importance of Military Jet Pilot Experience

The Mercury 7 On April 9, 1959, reporters and news media crammed into the ballroom of the Dolley Madison House in Washington—the location of NASA Headquarters at that time—to learn the names of the first American astronauts who came to be known as the Mercury 7. Public Information Director Walter Bonney kicked off the announcement […]

Posted April 9, 2024

NASA History

40 Years Ago: STS-41C, the Solar Max Repair Mission

On Apr. 6, 1984, space shuttle Challenger took off on its fifth flight, STS-41C. Its five-person crew of Commander Robert L. “Crip” Crippen, Pilot Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, and Mission Specialists Terry J. “TJ” Hart, James D. “Ox” Van Hoften, and George D. “Pinky Nelson flew a seven-day mission that expanded the shuttle’s capabilities. They […]

Posted April 5, 2024

NASA History

Eclipses Near and Far

On April 8, 2024, North America will witness its last total solar eclipse for more than twenty years. Other parts of the world will experience the rare celestial event in the coming decade. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and the Earth, blocking its disk from view but […]

Posted April 4, 2024