Many of Langley Laboratory's early experiments focused on ways to reduce aircraft drag. One method was to place a cowling or covering over the engine cylinder heads, much like the hood over the engine of a car. More
In 1929, President Herbert Hoover presented the Collier Trophy to Joseph Ames, chairman of the NACA, for the development of low-drag cowling for radial air-cooled aircraft engines. The Collier has been awarded More
In this photo taken on March 15, 1929, a quartet of NACA staff conduct tests on airfoils in the Variable Density Tunnel, which, in 1985, was declared a National Historic Landmark. l to r Eastman Jacobs, Shorty More
Among the famous visitors to NACA facilities: Fred E. Weick, head of the Propeller Research Tunnel section from 1925-1929, in the rear cockpit; aviator Charles Lindbergh, in front cockpit; and Tom Hamilton, avi More
Amelia Earhart front row, center on the steps of Langley Research Building in 1928 before a tour. Legend has it that, during the tour, part of her raccoon fur coat was sucked into a high speed wind tunnel. Imag More
In 1946, the Collier Trophy was awarded to Lewis A. Rodert of Ames Aeronautical Laboratory for the development of an efficient wing deicing system. This Consolidated B-24 Liberator (pictured) was modified by th More
The historical evolution of airfoil sections from 1908-1944. The last two shapes are low-drag sections designed to have laminar, uninterrupted flow over 60 to 70 percent of chord on both the upper and lower sur More
Boeing B-29 long range bomber model was tested for ditching characteristics in the Langley Tank No. 2 early in 1946. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001253
In 1947, the Collier Trophy was awarded to John Stack of Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory for research to determine the physical laws affecting supersonic flight. Lawrence D. Bell and Chuck Yeager also More
In 1951, the Collier Trophy was awarded again to John Stack and associates at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory for the development and use of the slotted-throat wind tunnel. Stack, head of Compressi More
Kitty Joyner, an electrical engineer for the NACA, at work in 1952. Image Credit: NACA NASA Identifier: 430746main_naca_kittyjoyner
In 1954, the fifth and final of the NACA's Colliers was awarded to Richard Travis Whitcomb of Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory for the development of the Whitcomb area rule—a ''powerful, simple, and use More
A rare photo showing artillery Colonel Georgiy Tyulin (left) and Sergey Korolev, the father of the Soviet space program, in Germany in 1946 during the A-4 missile recovery operations. Tyulin would rise swiftly More
This 1964 NASA Flight Reserch Center photograph shows the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) Number 1 in flight at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA wa More
NASA successfully completed its first rendezvous mission with two Gemini spacecraft-Gemini VII and Gemini VI-in December 1965. This photograph, taken by Gemini VII crewmembers Frank Lovell and Frank Borman, sho More
This photograph of the Gemini 7 spacecraft was taken from the hatch window of the Gemini 6 spacecraft during rendezvous and station-keeping maneuvers at an altitude of approximately 160 miles above the Earth. T More
On June 3, 1965 Edward H. White II became the first American to step outside his spacecraft and let go, effectively setting himself adrift in the zero gravity of space. For 23 minutes White floated and maneuver More
This photograph of the Gemini 7 spacecraft was taken from Gemini 6 during rendezvous and station keeping maneuvers at an altitude of approximately 160 miles above the Earth. Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 launched on De More
This photograph taken on December 15, 1965 shows the Gemini 7 spacecraft as it was observed from the hatch window of the Gemini 6 spacecraft during rendezvous manuevers and station keeping at a distance of appr More
Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot of the Gemini-Titan 4 flight, floats in space while performing America?s first spacewalk on June 3, 1965. White spent 23 minutes maneuvering around his spacecraft as Jim McDi More
Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot for the Gemini-Titan 4 space flight, floats in space during America?s first spacewalk. The extravehicular activity (EVA) was performed during the Gemini 4 mission on June 3, More
The Communication Technology Satellite was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 17, 1976 and operated until October 1979. This high-powered spacecraft was the result of a five- year ef More
A pensive Yuri Gagarin is in the bus on the way to the launch pad on the morning of April 12, 1961. Behind him, seated, is his backup, German Titov. Standing are cosmonauts Grigoriy Nelyubov and Andrian Nikolay More
Charles Conrad Jr., Apollo 12 Commander, examines the unmanned Surveyor III spacecraft during the second extravehicular activity (EVA-2). The Lunar Module (LM) "Intrepid" is in the right background. This pictur More
The Apollo 8 crew stands in the doorway of a recovery helicopter after arriving aboard the carrier U.S.S. Yorktown, recovery vessel for the historic initial manned lunar orbital mission. In left foreground is a More
Jacqueline Cochran, first woman aviator to break the sound barrier,is sworn in as a consultant by NASA Administrator James E. Webb in 1961. Publication information: Please note that the image number assigned to More
President Richard M. Nixon was in the central Pacific recovery area to welcome the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the U.S.S. Hornet, prime recovery ship for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Already co More
This oblique view of the Moon's surface was photographed by the Apollo 10 astronauts in May of 1969. Center point coordinates are located at 16 degrees, 2 minutes east longitude and 0 degrees, 3 minutes north l More
A Navy helicopter arrivies to recover the Apollo 10 astronauts, seen entering a life raft, as the Command Module "Charlie Brown" floats in the South Pacific. U.S. Navy underwater demolition team swimmers assist More
Apollo 12 astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad stands beside the United States flag after is was unfurled on the lunar surface during the first extravehicular activity (EVA-1), on November 19, 1969. Several footprin More
The Apollo 11 crew conducting a crew compartment fit and functional check, of the equipment and storage locations, in their command module. Peering from the hatch are from left, Neil Armstrong, commander; Micha More
This oblique view featuring International Astronomical Union (IAU) Crater 302 on the Moon surface was photographed by the Apollo 10 astronauts in May of 1969. Note the terraced walls of the crater and central c More
The Apollo 11 crew await pickup by a helicopter from the USS Hornet, prime recovery ship for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. The fourth man in the life raft is a United States Navy underwater demo More
H. Julian Allen is best known for his "Blunt Body Theory" of aerodynamics, a design technique for alleviating the severe re-entry heating problem which was then delaying the development of ballistic missiles. H More
Soyuz 4 Commander Vladimir Shatalov displays how Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 docked in Earth orbit on January 16, 1969. It was the first time that two piloted spacecraft docked to each other in space. Publication infor More
A high forward oblique view of Rima Ariadaeus on the Moon, as photographed by the Apollo 10 astronauts in May of 1969. Center point coordinates are located at 17 degrees, 5 minutes east longitude and 5 degrees, More
This oblique view of the Moon's surface was photographed by the Apollo 10 astronauts in May of 1969. Center point coordinates are located at 13 degrees, 3 minutes east longitude and 7 degrees, 1 minute north la More
The Apollo 10 (Spacecraft 106/Lunar Module 4/Saturn 505) space vehicle is launched from Pad B, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center at 12:49 p.m., May 18, 1969. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001502
The Lunar Module ?Spider,? remains attached to the Saturn IVB stage in earth orbit prior to docking with Apollo 9?s Command/Service Module, ?Gumdrop.? The photo was taken following separation of the CSM from th More
Crewmen aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission, hoist the Command Module aboard ship. The Apollo 13 crewmen were already aboard the Iwo Jima when this photograph was taken. Th More
A perilous space flight comes to a smooth ending with the safe splashdown of the Apollo 13 Command Module (CM) in the south Pacific Ocean, only four miles from the prime recovery ship, the U.S.S. Iwo Jima. The More
Astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, photographed this sweeping view showing fellow Moon-explorer astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., mission commander, and the Apollo 14 Lunar Module (LM). A small clust More
The Apollo 15 Command Module "Kitty Hawk", with Astronauts David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden and James B. Irwin aboard, nears a safe touchdown in the mid-Pacific Ocean to end their lunar landing mission. Althoug More
The Apollo 16 command module, with astronauts John W. Young, Thomas K. Mattingly II and Charles M. Duke Jr. aboard, nears splashdown in the central Pacific Ocean to successfully conclude a lunar landing mission More
In this photo, the Apollo 16 Command and Service Module (CSM) "Casper" approaches the Lunar Module (LM). The two spacecraft were about to make their final rendezvous of the mission, on April 23, 1972. Astronaut More
NASA research pilot John A. Manke is seen here in front of the M2-F3 lifting body. Manke was hired by NASA on May 25, 1962, as a flight research engineer. He was later assigned to the pilot's office and flew va More
A sail like sunshade for possible use as a sunscreen for the Skylab Orbital Workshop (OWS) is shown being fabricated in the GE Building across the street from Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas. Three people h More
Two seamstresses stitch together a sun-shade for the Skylab Orbital Workshop, the first United States Experimental space station in orbit, which lost its thermal protection shield during the launch on May 14, 1 More
The X-24B is seen here on the lakebed at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The X-24B was the last aircraft to fly in Dryden's Lifting Body program. Lifting bodies were wingless vehicl More
An overhead view of the Skylab Orbital Workshop in Earth orbit as photographed from the Skylab 4 Command and Service Modules (CSM) during the final fly-around by the CSM before returning home. The space station More
The mission profile for Yuri Gagarin?s pioneering flight into space. The flight took place on April 12, 1961 in the Vostok spaceship. Publication information: Image under copyright by R.F. Gibbons. Image and ca More
This scene was photographed with a handheld 70mm camera from a rendezvous window of the American Apollo spacecraft in Earth orbit during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission. It shows the Soviet Soyuz s More
An unofficial sustained American aviation altitude record for women was set July 1, 1979, by astronaut candidate Kathryn D. Sullivan in a NASA WB-57F reconnaissance aircraft. The record altitude of 63,300 feet More
Voyager 1 took this picture of Callisto during Voyager's approach to Jupiter's outer large satellite in 1979. Both Galileo and Marius discovered Callisto in 1610. In Greek mythology, Callisto was a nymph loved More
This Voyager 2 view, focusing on Saturn's C-ring (and to a lesser extent, the B- ring at top and left) was compiled from three separate images taken through ultraviolet, clear and green filters. On August 23, 1 More
View of the Shuttle Challenger atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), NASA-905, during its return to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and flyover of the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the Houston skyline on Saturda More
Previously unseen details of a mysterious, complex structure within the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) are revealed by this image of the "Keyhole Nebula," obtained with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The picture is a More
In its first glimpse of the heavens following the successful December 1999 servicing mission, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a majestic view of a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a dying, Sun-li More
In this stunning picture of the giant galactic nebula NGC 3603, the crisp resolution of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures various stages of the life cycle of stars in one single view. To the upper left of More
NASA's Galileo spacecraft acquired its highest resolution images of Jupiter's moon Io on July 3, 1999 during its closest pass to Io since orbit insertion in late 1995. This color mosaic uses the near-infrared, More
Just weeks after NASA astronauts repaired the Hubble Space Telescope in December 1999, the Hubble Heritage Project snapped this picture of NGC 1999, a nebula in the constellation Orion. The Heritage astronomers More
Astronomers, using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in October and November 1997 and April 1999, imaged the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) with unprecedented clarity. For the f More
1929 Hermann Noordung depiction of a space station habitat wheel. Hermann Potocnik (1892-1929), also known as Herman Noordung, created the first detailed technical drawings of a space station. Power was generat More
These eerie, dark pillar-like structures are columns of cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust that are also incubators for new stars. The pillars protrude from the interior wall of a dark molecular cloud like More
An unusual view of the Gemini 9 spacecraft taken by Eugene Cernan during his Extravehicular Activity (EVA). His umbilical and spacecraft are visible though he is not. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001495
The Lunar Rendezvous Simulator at Langley. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001736
The Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA) as seen from the Gemini 9 spacecraft. The docking adapter protective cover failed to fully separate on the ATDA and prevented the docking of the two spacecraft. The A More
A profile view of the Agena Docking Target Vehicle as seen from the Gemini 8 spacecraft during rendezvous in space. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001345
An aerial view of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California and the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001980
Shock waves festoon a small scale model of the X-15 in Langley's 4 x 4 Supersonic Pressure Tunnel. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001272
The M2-F1 lifting body is seen here being towed behind a C-47 at the Flight Research Center (later redesignated the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California. The wingless, lifting body aircraft desig More
Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and David R. Scott sit with their spacecraft hatches open while awaiting the arrival of the recovery ship, the USS Leonard F. Mason after the successful completion of their Gemini V More
Elliot See and Ed White talking and drinking coffee with Nurse Dee O'Hara in Aero Med, Hangar S. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-000999
Edward H. White II, pilot of the Gemini 4 spacecraft, floats in the zero gravity of space with an earth limb backdrop. The extravehicular activity was performed during the third revolution of the Gemini 4 space More
Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, pilot of the Gemini 9A mission is photographed inside the spacecraft by the command pilot, astronaut Thomas P. Stafford during flight. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001051
The first Hermes A-1 test rocket was fired at White Sand Proving Ground (WSPG). Hermes was a modified V-2 German rocket, utilizing the German aerodynamic configuration; however, internally it was a completely n More
Test inflation of a PAGEOS satellite in a blimp hangar at Weeksville, North Carolina. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001896
First designed in 1959, this NASA seal has commonly been known as the "meatball" logo. After an official seal was designed, this emblem proposed by James Modarelli, the head of Lewis? Research Reports Division, More
Photograph of the 16 Foot High Speed Tunnel at Langley with Building 1146 in foreground. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001931
Melba Roy heads the group of NASA mathematicians, known as "computers," who track the Echo satellites. Roy's computations help produce the orbital element timetables by which millions can view the satellite fro More
NASAs first six women astronauts pose with a mockup of a personal rescue enclosure (PRE) or "rescue ball" in the crew systems laboratory at the Johnson Space Center. The PRE was created as a possible means of t More
The Agena Target Vehicle as seen from the Gemini 8 spacecraft during rendezvous. This was the first time two spacecraft successfully docked, which was a critical milestone if a mission to the Moon was to become More
The Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA) as seen from the Gemini 9 spacecraft during one of their three rendezvous in space. The ATDA and Gemini 9 spacecraft are 66.5 ft. apart. Failure of the docking adapte More
Waves of clouds along the east flanks of the Andes Mountains cast off an orange glow by the low angle of the sun in the West. The dark area to the left is the Earth's terminator. This view was photographed by a More
A view of the Skylab 1 space station Orbital Workshop showing the micrometeoroid shield missing. A parasol solar shield was later deployed to shade this exposed area. This picture was taken from the Skylab 2 Co More
Astronaut David R. Scott, mission commander, with tongs and gnomon in hand, studies a boulder on the slope of Hadley Delta during the Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity. The Lunar Roving Vehicle (L More
NASA Administrator Richard H. Truly addresses the audience in attendance at the rollout ceremonies of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour which occured on April 25, 1991, at the Rockwell International facility, More
Orbiter Discovery performs a flyaround of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) after redeployment on the second servicing mission designated HST SM-02. The silvery telescope, with its aperture door open, is sharply More
EVA Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, is using a special power tool to conduct an experiment. His feet are anchored in the mobile foot restraints, which are connected to the Remote Manipulator System's (RMS) End E More
Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, STS-41B mission specialist, tests a Mobile Foot Restraint (MFR) attached to the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. McCandless appears to be walki More
Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., pilot of the Gemini 12 spacecraft performs extravehicular activity (EVA) during the second day of the four day mission in space. Aldrin is positioned next to the Agena work station. NASA Id More
Mission Specialist (MS) Peter J.K. Wisoff (bottom), wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), works with the antenna on the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) while Payload Commander (PLC) G. David Low, More
View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the Moon. This translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica South polar ice cap. This is the first time More
Mission Specialist Bruce McCandless II ventured further away from the confines and safety of his ship than any previous astronaut ever has. This space first was made possible by the Manned Manuevering Unit or M More
Mounted under the fuselage of a modified Lockheed L-1011, the Orbital Sciences X-34 technology demonstrator is taken aloft for its first captive carry flight. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-000187
This is how the Earth looked as photographed from a point near the Moon by the Apollo 8 astronauts. The Earth fills less than one percent of the frame exposed through 80mm lens. North is approximately vertical. More
Astronaut Guion S. Bluford and Aviation Safety Officer Charles F. Hayes got a unique perspective of their environment during a zero gravity flight. They are aboard a KC-135 aircraft, also known as the vomit com More
A NASA Hubble Space Telescope "family portrait" of young, ultra-bright stars nested in their embryonic cloud of glowing gases. The celestial maternity ward, called N81, is located 200,000 light-years away in th More
Aerial view of the STS-2 Columbia launch from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, taken by astronaut John Young aboard NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA). NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001358