NACA-A Look Back, NASA history collection
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
NACA-A Look Back, NASA history collection
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
Highest Honors for Game-Changing Innovation
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
NACA-A Look Back, NASA history collection
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
1946, NASA history collection. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
NACA-A Look Back, NASA history collection
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
1946, NASA history collection. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Highest Honors for Game-Changing Innovation
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
Highest Honors for Game-Changing Innovation
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
NACA-A Look Back - Public domain dedication image
Kitty Joyner, an electrical engineer for the NACA, at work in 1952. Image Credit: NACA NASA Identifier: 430746main_naca_kittyjoyner
Tyulin and Korolev During A-4 Missile Recovery Operations
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
Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in Flight
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
Ed White in space, NASA Gemini program
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
Ed White performs first U.S. spacewalk
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
Gemini 6 Views Gemini 7. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Communication Technology Satellite
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
Conrad and Surveyor on the Slope of a Crater
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
Apollo 8 recovery, NASA Apollo program
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
Apollo 11 Crew in Raft before Recovery
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 with Blunt Body Theory
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
Apollo 10 launch, NASA Apollo program
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
Apollo 11 Crew Conduct Checks in the Command Module
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
Apollo 10 Helicopter Recovery. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Conrad Unfurls Flag, NASA Apollo program
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
Odyssey On Deck. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Apollo 16 Recovery, NASA Apollo program
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
Test Pilot John A. Manke and M2-F3 Lifting Body
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
Mission Profile for April 12, 1961 Vostok Flight
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
Kathryn Sullivan Sets Altitude Record
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 View of Callisto. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Saturn's Rings. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Challenger Ferry Flight Flyover
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
Life Cycle of Stars. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Hubble Reopens Eye on the Universe
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
Light and Shadow in the Carina Nebula
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
Gemini 9 and Earth Limb. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Lunar Rendezvous Simulator. NASA public domain image colelction.
The Lunar Rendezvous Simulator at Langley. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001736
Profile of Agena Docking Target
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
Aerial View of JPL. NASA public domain image colelction.
An aerial view of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California and the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001980
PAGEOS Satellite. NASA public domain image colelction.
Test inflation of a PAGEOS satellite in a blimp hangar at Weeksville, North Carolina. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001896
NASA "Meatball" Logo. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
16 Foot High Speed Tunnel. NASA public domain image colelction.
Photograph of the 16 Foot High Speed Tunnel at Langley with Building 1146 in foreground. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001931
Hermes A-1 Test Rockets. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
White Earth Limb, NASA Gemini program
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
Cernan Photographed Inside Gemini 9A
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 "Angry Alligator, NASA Gemini program
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
Andes Mountains as seen from Gemini 7
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
Peering into the Heart of the Crab Nebula
In the year 1054 A.D., Chinese astronomers were startled by the appearance of a new star, so bright that it was visible in broad daylight for several weeks. Today, the Crab Nebula is visible at the site of the ... More
Merging Galaxies, Cosmic Collisions
Exciting Hubble Space Telescope images of more than a dozen very distant colliding galaxies indicate that, at least in some cases, big massive galaxies form through collisions between smaller ones, in a generat... More
Young, NASA Apollo program. NASA public domain image colelction.
Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, jumps up from the lunar surface as he salutes the U.S. Flag at the Descartes landing site during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular act... More
Cernan Driving the Rover, NASA Apollo program
Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, Apollo 17 mission commander, makes a short checkout of the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the early part of the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Taurus-Littrow lan... More
Young and Rover on the Descartes
Astronaut John W. Young, Commander of the Apollo 16 mission, replaces tools in the hand tool carrier at the aft end of the "Rover" Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) during the second Apollo 16 extravehicular activity ... More
Hole in the Ozone Layer Over Antarctica
In 1985, a British scientist working in Antarctica discovered a 40 percent loss in the ozone layer over the continent. When Goddard Space Flight Center researchers reviewed their data, they confirmed the ozone ... More
Hubble First Servicing EVA. NASA public domain image colelction.
Astronaut F. Story Musgrave, anchored on the end of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm, prepares to be elevated to the top of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to install protective covers on the magnetomet... More
Aerial View of the NASA Ames Research Center
Aerial view of the NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001560
Robot Arm Over Earth with Sunburst
View of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) end effector over an Earth limb with a solar starburst pattern behind it. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001097
Apollo 16 Astronauts Inspect Lunar Rover
Apollo 16 Commander, John Young, center; and Lunar Module Pilot Charles Duke, foreground, inspect the Lunar Roving Vehicle they will use for transportation on the Moon during a Deployment Test in the Manned Spa... More
Challenger as seen from SPAS. NASA public domain image colelction.
Full view of Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger in space, taken by the Space Pallet Satellite (SPAS). A heavily cloud-covered portion of the earth forms the backdrop for this scene of Challenger. Visible in the p... More
Scott on Slope of Hadley Delta. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Hubble Redeployed After Second Servicing
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
McCandless with Space Screw Gun
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
McCandless on Arm in Aft Payload Bay
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
Low and Wisoff at Work. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
Full Earth. NASA public domain image colelction.
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
16 Foot Transonic Tunnel Rehabilitation
Transonic tunnel fan blades, with light reflections. Grady McCoy is shown standing next to the fan blades. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001300
Neptune Full Disk View. NASA public domain image colelction.
This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken through the green and orange filters on the Voyager 2 narrow angle camera. The images were taken at a range of 4.4 million miles from... More
Shepard Plants Flag, NASA Apollo program
Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., Apollo 14 Commander, stands by the U.S. flag on the lunar Fra Mauro Highlands during the early moments of the first extravehicular activity (EVA-1) of the mission. Shadows of the ... More
Structures in Space. NASA orbital flight public domain image.
Astronaut Jerry L. Ross, anchored to the foot restraint on the Remote Manipulator System (RMS), approaches the tower-like Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures (ACCESS) device. The str... More
Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. flag on the Moon
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on the lunar surface... More
Giant Twisters in the Lagoon Nebula
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image reveals a pair of one-half light-year long interstellar "twisters," eerie funnels and twisted-rope structures in the heart of the Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8) which lie... More
Apollo 14 Crew Training, NASA Apollo program
Apollo 14 flight crew during lunar EVA training. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-000962
STS-51-L Recovered Debris (Left Sidewall)
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger and her seven-member crew were lost when a ruptured O-ring in the right Solid Rocket Booster caused an explosion soon after launch. Search and recovery teams lo... More
Space Shuttle Columbia, Columbia On Final Approach
The underside of Columbia as it makes its final approach before landing on the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The Shuttle was piloted by Richard Truly who would go on to become NASA's... More
Test Firing of Linear Aerospike Engine
Linear Aerospike engine to be used for propulsion for the X-33 Reusable Launch vehicle (RLV). A testing of three thrust cells of Linear Aerospike engines was conducted to investigate injectors, chambers, and Ae... More
The Shuttle Enterprise. NASA public domain image colelction.
The Shuttle Enterprise rolls out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities with Star Trek television cast members. From left to right they are: Dr. James D. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, DeForest Kelley (Dr. "Bo... More
Miranda as seen by Voyager 2. NASA public domain image colelction.
Flying by in early 1986, Voyager 2 captured this picture of Miranda, which enabled scientists to study this moon of Uranus in much greater detail than ever before. Discovered in 1948 by Gerard Peter Kuiper, Mir... More
Apollo 16 Moon Plaque Installation
Working inside the Apollo 16 Saturn V space vehicle at the launch pad, Grumman Aerospace Corporation technician Ken Crow attaches a plaque bearing the names and signatures of the Apollo 16 crew to the front leg... More
Wisoff on the Arm. NASA public domain image colelction.
Against the blackness of space, Mission Specialist Peter J.K. Wisoff, wearing an extravehicular mobility unit, stands on a Portable Foot Restraint (PFR), Manipulator Foot Restrait (MFR) attached to the End Effe... More
3-D Perspective Pasadena, California
This perspective view shows the western part of the city of Pasadena, California, looking north towards the San Gabriel Mountains. Portions of the cities of Altadena and La Canada, Flintridge are also shown. Th... More
Canberra Deep Dish Communications Complex
View of Canberra 70m (230 ft.) antenna with flags from the three Deep Space Network sites. The Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, located outside Canberra, Australia, is one of the three complexes whic... More
Apollo desert survival training
Three astronauts participating in Apollo desert survival training in Washington state pose with Air Force Col. Chester Bohart (second from right). Standing from left to right are Charles M. Duke, Jr., Thomas K ... More
The Cat's Eye Nebula. NASA public domain image colelction.
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows one of the most complex planetary nebulae ever seen, NGC 6543, nicknamed the "Cat's Eye Nebula." Hubble reveals surprisingly intricate structures including concentri... More
Gernhardt on Robot Arm. NASA public domain image colelction.
The pale blue Earth serves as backdrop for astronaut Michael Gernhardt during his Extravehicular Activity (EVA). He is standing on a Manipulator Foot Restraint (MFR) attached to the Remote Manipulator System (R... More
Aerial View of the Johnson Space Center
An aerial view of the complete Johnson Space Center facility in Houston, Texas. A portion of Clear Lake can be seen at the top of the view. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001112
Galileo Images the Moon. NASA public domain image colelction.
This view of the Moon's north pole is a mosaic assembled from 18 images taken by Galileo's imaging system through a green filter as the spacecraft flew by on December 7, 1992. The left part of the Moon is visib... More
Quintuplet Cluster. NASA public domain image colelction.
Penetrating 25,000 light-years of obscuring dust and myriad stars, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided the clearest view yet of one of the largest young clusters of stars inside our Milky Way galaxy, loc... More
Irwin Loads-up the Rover. NASA public domain image colelction.
Apollo 15 Lunar Module pilot James B. Irwin loads-up the "Rover", Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) with tools and equipment in preparation for the first lunar extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Hadley-Apennine la... More
Gumdrop Meets Spider, NASA Apollo program
Apollo 9 Command/Service Modules (CSM) nicknamed "Gumdrop" and Lunar Module (LM), nicknamed "Spider" are shown docked together as Command Module pilot David R. Scott stands in the open hatch. Astronaut Russell ... More
Ride on the Flight Deck. NASA public domain image colelction.
Astronaut Sally K. Ride, mission specialist on STS-7, monitors control panels from the pilot's chair on the Flight Deck. Floating in front of her is a flight procedures notebook. NASA Identifier: GPN-2000-001083
Antares" on the Frau Mauro Highlands
A front view of the Apollo 14 Lunar Module "Antares", which reflects a circular flare caused by the brilliant sun. The unusual ball of light was said by the astronauts to have a jewel-like appearance. At extrem... More
The Crew Compartment Trainer. NASA public domain image colelction.
STS-93 crew emergency egress training in the Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT). The five crewmembers of STS-93 in the middeck mock-up are from left to right: Mission Specialist Michel Tognini, Mission Specialist C... More
Testing Pioneer F Spacecraft. NASA public domain image colelction.
Technicians prepare Pioneer F spacecraft for testing in the Space Simulation Chamber at TRW Systems, Redondo Beach, California. The chamber subjects the spacecraft to the heat, cold, vacuum and simulated radiat... More
An Ancient Storm in the Jovian Atmosphere
When 17th-century astronomers first turned their telescopes to Jupiter, they noted a conspicuous reddish spot on the giant planet. This Great Red Spot is still present in Jupiter's atmosphere, more than 300 yea... More
STS-51-L Recovered Debris (Forward Skirt)
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger and her seven-member crew were lost when a ruptured O-ring in the right Solid Rocket Booster caused an explosion soon after launch. Using submarines and sonar, ... More
Scott Gives Salute, NASA Apollo program
Astronaut David R. Scott, commander, gives a military salute while standing beside the deployed U.S. flag during the Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. Th... More
Duke on the Craters Edge. NASA public domain image colelction.
Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., Lunar Module pilot of the Apollo 16 mission, is photographed collecting lunar samples at Station no. 1 during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity at the Descartes landing ... More
STS-51-L Recovered Debris (TDRS)
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger and her seven-member crew were lost when a ruptured O-ring in the right Solid Rocket Booster caused an explosion soon after launch. On this mission, the Space S... More
Lunar Roving Vehicle, NASA Apollo program
The Lunar Roving Vehicle is photographed alone against the lunar background during the Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. This view is looking north. The ... More
Irwin next to Rover, NASA Apollo program
Astronaut James B. Irwin, Lunar Module pilot, works at the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the first Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. The shadow of the Lu... More
Visit of Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to Johnson Space Center
Deng Xiaoping, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China state council, and his wife are briefed by Johnson Space Center director Dr. Christopher C. Kraft. A complete review of NASA's manned space program ... More