This day in history: Johnson Space Center gets new name
It helps to have friends in high places. As the nascent space program under NASA was coalescing, its leader was Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. A native Texan, Johnson took a special interest in the space race and positioned his home state as a beneficiary. Johnson served as chair of
Remembering those NASA lost
On Jan. 27, 1967, NASA lost astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Ed White in the Apollo 1 fire. On Jan. 28, 1986, tragedy struck again as NASA lost astronauts Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik, Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe as part of the
VIDEO: Thought Leader Series – International Space Station
In his State of the Union address on Jan. 25, 1984, President Ronald Reagan directed NASA to build an international space station within a decade. By 2000, ISS has its first permanent residents and has allowed human to live continuously in space ever since. On Jan. 24, 2019 Dr. Scott
This day in history: Independence Plaza opens
On a cold Jan. 23 morning in 2016, a new international landmark opened to the public. Time flies when you’re having fun, especially when you’re inside a Boeing 747 that used to fly the skies. Independence Plaza turns three this year. The monumental exhibit remains a cornerstone of the experience
Mission Apollo Minute – Apollo 1
Reaching the Moon took courage, tenacity and innovation. Tragically, it also claimed the lives of 8 brave souls, three of whom perished in the Apollo 1 fire. Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee all tragically perished when a spark ignited the oxygen inside the Apollo 1 capsule they were
Apollo 8: ‘Twas the night before Christmas
‘Twas the night before Christmas and from outer space, came a broadcast from the crew of Apollo 8: This holiday season we remember Apollo 8 and the three brave men that set out into deep space to explore a new world, only to discover our own. This Christmastime
Guest Post: Scientist-In-Residence on Apollo 8 Mission
Our next guest post comes from Space Center Houston’s scientist-in-residence Dr. John Charles. John was head of the Health and Human Performance Lab at NASA Johnson Space Center for years and worked on projects supporting things from Skylab to Scott Kelly’s Year in Space. John is also an amateur historian
Mission Apollo Minute – Apollo 17
One final time, an Apollo mission lifted off for a rendezvous with another celestial body. One final time, its command module splashed down in the ocean. In between, astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt made history, becoming the last two men to step foot on the moon. The two were
Apollo 17 Anniversary Infographic
Apollo 17 was NASA’s last mission to the Moon so far. It featured plenty of exciting firsts, including the first scientist to fly into space (Harrison Schmidt was a geologist). It also returned the most tonnage of Moon rocks of any Apollo mission. Mission commander Gene Cernan was an early
ZARYA: ISS gets its start
It might be hard to believe that the roughly 357-foot International Space Station (ISS) began with a 41.2 foot module that was sent into space in 1998. Its name? Zarya, which translates to “Sunrise” in English. It seems fitting then, that the first module of the ISS to be launched
