NASA History

The contributions of NASA and Kennedy Space Center were stitched into the fabric of one of the nation’s most recognizable symbols, when flags from Florida’s Spaceport were sewn into an American Flag recovered near ground zero following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In this image, the National 9/11 Flag was raised over the Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex after Florida’s contribution was added. The flag is now a part of the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center site. Learn more: NASA Remembers Sept. 11 Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett 美国国家航空航天局（NASA）和肯尼迪航天中心的贡献被缝进了美国最知名的标志之一，2001年9月11日的恐怖袭击发生后，佛罗里达州航天中心的国旗被缝在世贸中心遗址附近的一面美国国旗上。 在这张图片中，在佛罗里达州的贡献被加入之后，9/11美国国旗在肯尼迪航天中心游客中心的火箭花园升起。这面旗帜现在是世贸中心遗址的国家9.11纪念博物馆的永久收藏品的一部分。 了解更多：NASA纪念9月11日 图片来源：NASA/Kim Shiflett

Mary W. Jackson grew up in Hampton, Virginia and attended the historically black college Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), earning bachelor of science degrees in mathematics and physical science. Each year, we celebrate National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Week under the leadership of the White House Initiative on HBCUs and with input from the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs and its conference sponsors. It provides a forum to exchange information and share innovations among and between institutions. This year HBCU Week runs Sept. 7-10. After graduating from Hampton, Jackson took a rather circuitous route to becoming a celebrated NASA engineer – from school teacher to ‘human computer’ in the now famous, Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory’s segregated West Area Computing section in 1951….

Gene Roddenberry would have been 100 years old on Aug. 19, 2021, and we at NASA celebrate his legacy. As creator of the legendary Star Trek saga, Roddenberry’s vision continues to resonate. In the documentary “NASA on the Edge of Forever: Science in Space,” host NASA astronaut Victor Glover stated, “Science and Star Trek go hand-in-hand.” The film explores how for the past 55 years, Star Trek has influenced scientists, engineers, and even astronauts to reach beyond. While the International Space Station doesn’t speed through the galaxy like the Starship Enterprise, much of the research conducted aboard the orbiting facility is making the fiction of Star Trek come a little closer to reality. In this image, the then Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong) hosted…

Apollo 15 Commander David Scott drives the lunar roving vehicle on the surface of the Moon, the first time the rover was used. Apollo 15 launched on July 26 and landed on the lunar surface 50 years ago on July 30, 1971. During the mission, Scott and lunar module pilot James Irwin collected 170 pounds of lunar material during their more than 18 hours on the Moon’s surface. Image Credit: NASA 阿波罗15号指挥官大卫·斯科特在月球表面驾驶着月球车，这是月球车第一次被使用。 阿波罗15号于7月26日发射，并于50年前的1971年7月30日登陆月球表面。在执行任务期间，斯科特和登月舱飞行员詹姆斯·欧文在月球表面停留了18个多小时，收集了170磅的月球物质。 图片来源: NASA

This image from May 11, 1971, is a high angle view showing the Apollo 15 spacecraft on the way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad A, Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center. The Saturn V stack and its mobile launch tower are atop a huge crawler-transporter. Apollo 15 was the fourth scheduled crewed lunar landing mission and was commanded by David Scott. Al Worden served as command module pilot and Jim Irwin as lunar module pilot. The mission successfully launched on July 26, 1971. Image Credit: NASA 这张摄于1971年5月11日的高角度照片显示了阿波罗15号宇宙飞船从飞行器装配大楼到肯尼迪航天中心39号发射中心A发射台的途中。土星5号发射塔和它的移动发射塔位于一个巨大的履带运输机之上。阿波罗15号是第四次预定的载人登月任务，由大卫·斯科特指挥。阿尔·沃登担任指挥舱飞行员，吉姆·欧文担任登月舱飞行员。 该任务于1971年7月26日成功发射。 图片来源:美国国家航空航天局

On Monday, June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom. That day of liberation became known as Juneteenth, when the Emancipation Proclamation was announced by Union troops in Galveston, Texas. On Thursday, June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law legislation making Juneteenth, “a federal holiday, recognizing that (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future; and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. This nighttime image, taken by the Expedition 36 crew aboard the International Space Station in 2013, shows most of the metropolitan areas of Texas,…

June 14 of each year is celebrated as Flag Day in the U.S. According to the Library of Congress’s online site, “on May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14. The day commemorates the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States.” All NASA spacecraft include a United States flag. Through the decades, our nation’s flag has been placed on the Moon, headed into interstellar space, accompanied rovers on Mars, and been featured on spacesuits. In this iconic image, Mission Commander John Young salutes the flag while jumping! The Apollo 16 Lunar Module Orion and the Lunar Roving Vehicle are in the background. Feature: Flag Day – Flying High:…