Program's photos on Flickr

#TBT: 1st Full-Thrust, Long-Duration F-1 Engine Test -- May 26, 1962 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1962, the first full-thrust, long-duration F-1 engine test was successfully conducted. The F-1 engine was developed by Rocketdyne under the direction of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and was propelled by a mixture of RP-1, a type of kerosene, and liquid oxygen. The engine was used in a cluster of five engines to propel the Saturn V rocket’s first stage, the S-IC stage. Each engine produced 1.5 million pounds of thrust. Here, the F-1 engine is test-fired at Test Stand 1-C at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Now through December 2022, NASA will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program that landed a dozen astronauts on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972, and the first U.S. crewed mission -- Apollo 8 -- that circumnavigated the Moon in December 1968. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA's remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA 's activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA's history, visit the Marshall History Program's webpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: HEAO-1 Launches – Aug. 12, 1977 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1977, the High Energy Astronomy Observatory-1 launched aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and developed by TRW, HEAO-1 was the first in a series of three spacecraft in the HEAO Program and was designed to survey the sky for additional X-ray and gamma-ray sources and to pinpoint their positions. The mission lasted 17 months. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: STS-109 Lands – March 12, 2002 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 2002, the space shuttle Columbia, mission STS-109, landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following a successful 10-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Over the course of five Extra Vehicular Activities, the crew replaced Hubble’s solar panels and installed the Advanced Camera for Surveys, which took the place of Hubble’s Faint Object Camera, the telescope’s last original instrument. Here, Hubble is in orbit following its release after a week of servicing. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for the design, development and construction of the telescope. Hubble was designed with these types of on-orbit servicing missions in mind as a way of extending the telescope’s lifespan. Today, Marshall is responsible for mirror technology development and environmental research on the James Webb Space Telescope -- the world's next-generation space observatory and successor to Hubble. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: First Saturn I Stage Test Firing – March 28, 1960 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1960, NASA conducted the first of two tests of the first stage engines of the Saturn I rocket. The first test, SA-T, lasted approximately eight seconds. The Saturn I booster stage was powered by eight H-1 engines, which were capable of producing a combined 1.5 million pounds of thrust. Here, a Saturn I booster stage equipped with eight H-1 engines is successfully test-fired at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in February 1961. Today, Marshall is playing a vital role in the Artemis Program by developing the Space Launch System, the backbone of NASA’s exploration plans and the only rocket capable of sending humans to the Moon and Mars. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

Apollo 17 on the pad 39A 1972_a by Greg Reed

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Nikkormat FTn w/Vivitar 85-205mm f 3.8 Zoom w/2x teleconverter.

Apollo 17Pad 39A

Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the eleventh and final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the sixth and most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on the Moon, while Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans orbited above. Schmitt was the only professional geologist to land on the Moon; he was selected in place of Joe Engle, as NASA had been under pressure to send a scientist to the Moon. The mission's heavy emphasis on science meant the inclusion of a number of new experiments, including a biological experiment containing five mice that was carried in the command module.

Mission planners had two primary goals in deciding on the landing site: to sample lunar highland material older than that at Mare Imbrium and to investigate the possibility of relatively recent volcanic activity. They therefore selected Taurus–Littrow, where formations that had been viewed and pictured from orbit were thought to be volcanic in nature. Since all three crew members had backed up previous Apollo lunar missions, they were familiar with the Apollo spacecraft and had more time for geology training.

Launched at 12:33 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on December 7, 1972, following the only launch-pad delay in the course of the whole Apollo program that was caused by a hardware problem, Apollo 17 was a "J-type" mission that included three days on the lunar surface, expanded scientific capability, and the use of the third Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). Cernan and Schmitt landed in the Taurus–Littrow valley, completed three moonwalks, took lunar samples and deployed scientific instruments. Orange soil was discovered at Shorty crater; it proved to be volcanic in origin, although from early in the Moon's history. Evans remained in lunar orbit in the command and service module (CSM), taking scientific measurements and photographs. The spacecraft returned to Earth on December 19.

The mission broke several records for crewed spaceflight, including the longest crewed lunar landing mission (12 days, 14 hours),[7] greatest distance from a spacecraft during an extravehicular activity of any type (7.6 kilometers or 4.7 miles), longest time on the lunar surface (75 hours), longest total duration of lunar-surface extravehicular activities (22 hours, 4 minutes),[8] largest lunar-sample return (approximately 115 kg or 254 lb), longest time in lunar orbit (6 days, 4 hours),[7] and greatest number of lunar orbits (75).[9]

Crew and key Mission Control personnel

Position[10] Astronaut

Commander Eugene A. Cernan

Third and last spaceflight

Command Module Pilot (CMP) Ronald E. Evans

Only spaceflight

Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) Harrison H. Schmitt

Only spaceflight

In 1969, NASA announced[11] that the backup crew of Apollo 14 would be Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and former X-15 pilot Joe Engle.[12][13] This put them in line to be the prime crew of Apollo 17, because the Apollo program's crew rotation generally meant that a backup crew would fly as prime crew three missions later. Harrison Schmitt, who was a professional geologist as well as an astronaut, had served on the backup crew of Apollo 15, and thus, because of the rotation, would have been due to fly as lunar module pilot on Apollo 18.[14]

In September 1970, the plan to launch Apollo 18 was cancelled. The scientific community pressed NASA to assign a geologist, rather than a pilot with non-professional geological training, to an Apollo landing. NASA subsequently assigned Schmitt to Apollo 17 as the lunar module pilot. After that, NASA's director of flight crew operations, Deke Slayton, was left with the question of who would fill the two other Apollo 17 slots: the rest of the Apollo 15 backup crew (Dick Gordon and Vance Brand), or Cernan and Evans from the Apollo 14 backup crew. Slayton ultimately chose Cernan and Evans.[11] Support at NASA for assigning Cernan was not unanimous. Cernan had crashed a Bell 47G helicopter into the Indian River near Cape Kennedy during a training exercise in January 1971; the accident was later attributed to pilot error, as Cernan had misjudged his altitude before crashing into the water. Jim McDivitt, who was manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office at the time, objected to Cernan's selection because of this accident, but Slayton dismissed the concern. After Cernan was offered command of the mission, he advocated for Engle to fly with him on the mission, but it was made clear to him that Schmitt would be assigned instead, with or without Cernan, so he acquiesced.[15][16] The prime crew of Apollo 17 was publicly announced on August 13, 1971.[17]

When assigned to Apollo 17, Cernan was a 38-year-old captain in the United States Navy; he had been selected in the third group of astronauts in 1963, and flown as pilot of Gemini 9A in 1966 and as lunar module pilot of Apollo 10 in 1969 before he served on Apollo 14's backup crew. Evans, 39 years old when assigned to Apollo 17, had been selected as part of the fifth group of astronauts in 1966, and had been a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy. Schmitt, a civilian, was 37 years old when assigned Apollo 17, had a doctorate in geology from Harvard University, and had been selected in the fourth group of astronauts in 1965. Both Evans and Schmitt were making their first spaceflights.[18]

For the backup crews of Apollo 16 and 17, the final Apollo lunar missions, NASA selected astronauts who had already flown Apollo lunar missions, to take advantage of their experience, and avoid investing time and money in training rookies who would be unlikely to ever fly an Apollo mission.[19][20] The original backup crew for Apollo 17, announced at the same time as the prime crew,[17] was the crew of Apollo 15: David Scott as commander, Alfred Worden as CMP and James Irwin as LMP, but in May 1972 they were removed from the backup crew because of their roles in the Apollo 15 postal covers incident.[21] They were replaced with the landing crew of Apollo 16: John W. Young as backup crew commander, Charles Duke as LMP, and Apollo 14's CMP, Stuart Roosa.[18][22][23] Originally, Apollo 16's CMP, Ken Mattingly, was to be assigned along with his crewmates, but he declined so he could spend more time with his family, his son having just been born, and instead took an assignment to the Space Shuttle program.[24] Roosa had also served as backup CMP for Apollo 16.[25]

For the Apollo program, in addition to the prime and backup crews that had been used in the Mercury and Gemini programs, NASA assigned a third crew of astronauts, known as the support crew. Their role was to provide any assistance in preparing for the missions that the missions director assigned then. Preparations took place in meetings at facilities across the US and sometimes needed a member of the flight crew to attend them. Because McDivitt was concerned that problems could be created if a prime or backup crew member was unable to attend a meeting, Slayton created the support crews to ensure that someone would be able to attend in their stead.[26] Usually low in seniority, they also assembled the mission's rules, flight plan and checklists, and kept them updated;[27][28] for Apollo 17, they were Robert F. Overmyer, Robert A. Parker and C. Gordon Fullerton.[29]

Flight directors were Gerry Griffin, first shift, Gene Kranz and Neil B. Hutchinson, second shift, and Pete Frank and Charles R. Lewis, third shift.[30] According to Kranz, flight directors during the program Apollo had a one-sentence job description, "The flight director may take any actions necessary for crew safety and mission success."[31] Capsule communicators (CAPCOMs) were Fullerton, Parker, Young, Duke, Mattingly, Roosa, Alan Shepard and Joseph P. Allen.[32]

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17

#TBT: Apollo 11 Splashes Down - July 24, 1969 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1969, the Apollo 11 crew successfully returned to Earth following their eight-day mission to the lunar surface. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, 13 miles from the recovery ship USS Hornet. Donning biological isolation garments before leaving the spacecraft, the crew went directly into the Mobile Quarantine Facility on the aircraft carrier, their home for the following 21 days. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective of landing men on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth was accomplished. This July, in a series of special events, NASA is marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program -- the historic effort that sent the first U.S. astronauts into orbit around the Moon in 1968, and landed a dozen astronauts on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. For more pictures, and to connect to NASA’s remarkable history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

Bald Eagles of the Jersey Shore | 2018 - 77 by RGL Photography

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NEW JERSEY 2017 BALD EAGLE PROJECT REPORT

ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE YEAR FOR NJ’S EAGLES

by Larissa Smith, CWF Wildlife Biologist

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ in partnership with the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program has released the 2017 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report. In 2017, 178 eagle nests were monitored during the nesting season. Of these nests 153 were active (with eggs) and 25 were territorial or housekeeping pairs. One hundred and ninety young were fledged.

In 2017 the number of active nests was three more than in 2016, but the number young fledged decreased by 27 from a record high of 216 fledged in 2016. The productivity rate this season of 1.25 young/active nest is still above the required range of 0.0 to 1.1 for population maintenance. Productivity could be lower this season for many reasons including weather, predation and disturbance to the nesting area. In 2017 nest monitors reported several instances of “intruder” eagles at nests which did disrupt the nesting attempts of several pairs. One of these “eagle dramas” unfolded at the Duke Farms eagle cam watched by millions of people. An intruder female attempted to replace the current female. This harassment interrupted the pairs bonding and copulation and no eggs were laid.

This year’s report includes a section on Resightings of banded eagles. Resightings of NJ (green) banded eagles have increased over the years, as well as eagles seen in NJ that were banded in other states. These resightings are important, as they help us to understand eagle movements during the years between fledging and settling into a territory, as well as adult birds at a nest site.

For more info: www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/2017/12/06/new-jersey-201...

New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report | 2017 may be downloaded here: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/eglrpt17.pdf

#TBT: MESSENGER Launches – August 3, 2004 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 2004, the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, Geochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Designed and built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, MESSENGER was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. Protected from the intense heat of the Sun by an innovative ceramic-cloth sunshade, MESSENGER provided the first images of the entire planet and collected information on the composition and structure of Mercury's crust, geologic history, atmosphere, magnetosphere, and the makeup of its core and polar materials. The spacecraft arrived at Mercury on March 17, 2011, and impacted the planet's surface April 30, 2015. MESSENGER was part of the Discovery program, managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA's remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA's activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA's history, visit the Marshall History Program's webpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: STS-37 Lands – April 11, 1991 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1991, space shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-37, landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California following a successful five-day mission. The primary payload -- the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory -- was deployed on the third day of its mission, following an unscheduled spacewalk to manually deploy the observatory’s high-gain antenna. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center designed and managed the Burst and Transient Source Experiment, one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. Compton was part of the Great Observatories program, which also included the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Today, Marshall manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

NASP Drum by VenturaMermaid

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One of the drums used by the Native American Student Program's music group to play fantastic tribal music furing the UC Riverside open house 2015.

#TBT: Launch of Spacelab-1 – Nov. 28, 1983 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1983, space shuttle Columbia, mission STS-9, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying Spacelab-1. Here, the Spacelab-1 module and access tunnel are being installed in the cargo bay of Columbia. The orbiting laboratory, built by the European Space Agency, was capable of supporting many types of scientific research best performed in space. The overall goal of the mission was to verify Spacelab performance through scientific experiments focused on astronomy and solar physics, Earth observations, space plasma physics, materials sciences, atmospheric physics and life sciences. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for managing the Spacelab missions. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: Michoud Selected as Production Site for Saturn Rockets - Sept. 7, 1961 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1961, Michoud Assembly Facility was selected as the production site for Saturn rockets. Here, in one of the initial assembly steps for the first stage of the Saturn IB rocket, Michoud workers position a “Spider Beam” to the central liquid-oxygen tank of the S-IB stage. Designed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and built by Chrysler Corp. at Michoud, the S-IB stage used eight H-1 engines to produce a combined thrust of 1.6 million pounds. Today, NASA’s Space Launch System rockets and Orion spacecraft for the first three Artemis missions are being built at Michoud. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: Saturn S-IC-6 Arrives at the Mississippi Test Facility – March 1, 1968 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1968, the Saturn S-IC-6 arrived at the Mississippi Test Facility -- today’s NASA Stennis Space Center -- from the Michoud Assembly Facility. The S-IC, or first, stage of the Saturn rocket was powered by five F-1 engines, each producing 1.5 million pounds of thrust. The S-IC-6 was employed on the Apollo 11 Saturn V launch vehicle. Here, the S-IC-6 booster was lifted onto its mobile launcher in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. Now through December 2022, NASA will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program that landed a dozen astronauts on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972, and the first U.S. crewed mission -- Apollo 8 -- that circumnavigated the Moon in December 1968. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA's remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA 's activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA's history, visit the Marshall History Program's webpage.

Image credit: NASA

Bald Eagles of the Jersey Shore | 2018 - 72 [EXPLORED] by RGL Photography

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NEW JERSEY 2017 BALD EAGLE PROJECT REPORT

ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE YEAR FOR NJ’S EAGLES

by Larissa Smith, CWF Wildlife Biologist

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ in partnership with the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program has released the 2017 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report. In 2017, 178 eagle nests were monitored during the nesting season. Of these nests 153 were active (with eggs) and 25 were territorial or housekeeping pairs. One hundred and ninety young were fledged.

In 2017 the number of active nests was three more than in 2016, but the number young fledged decreased by 27 from a record high of 216 fledged in 2016. The productivity rate this season of 1.25 young/active nest is still above the required range of 0.0 to 1.1 for population maintenance. Productivity could be lower this season for many reasons including weather, predation and disturbance to the nesting area. In 2017 nest monitors reported several instances of “intruder” eagles at nests which did disrupt the nesting attempts of several pairs. One of these “eagle dramas” unfolded at the Duke Farms eagle cam watched by millions of people. An intruder female attempted to replace the current female. This harassment interrupted the pairs bonding and copulation and no eggs were laid.

This year’s report includes a section on Resightings of banded eagles. Resightings of NJ (green) banded eagles have increased over the years, as well as eagles seen in NJ that were banded in other states. These resightings are important, as they help us to understand eagle movements during the years between fledging and settling into a territory, as well as adult birds at a nest site.

For more info: www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/2017/12/06/new-jersey-201...

New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report | 2017 may be downloaded here: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/eglrpt17.pdf

#TBT: Spacelab-1 Launches – Nov. 28, 1983 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1983, STS-9 launched aboard the space shuttle Columbia from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying the first Spacelab mission. Spacelab-1 was a cooperative venture between NASA and the European Space Agency. Scientists from Canada, Japan, the United States and 11 different European countries provided instruments and experimental procedures for more than 70 different investigations in five research disciplines: astronomy and solar physics, space plasma physics, atmospheric physics and Earth observations, life sciences and materials science. Here, the Spacelab-1 module is visible in the orbiter’s cargo bay. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall serves as "science central" for the space station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory's scientific experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant_Home

NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, MSFC, Kennedy Space Center, KSC, Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-9, International Space Station, ISS, Spacelab,

Ulysses S. Grant's Home In Galena, Illinois. GH1 by Dan

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The Ulysses S. Grant Home in Galena, Illinois is the former home of Ulysses S. Grant, the Civil War general and later 18th President of the United States. The home was designed by William Dennison[3] and constructed in 1859 - 1860.[2] The home was given to Grant by residents of Galena in 1865 as thanks for his war service, and has been maintained as a memorial to Grant since 1904.

The house was designed in the Italianate style by William Dennison. Typical of buildings done in that style, the home featured well defined rectangular shapes, a roof with a low pitch, balustraded balconies extending out over covered porches, and projecting eaves.[3]

Located on Bouthillier Street, the U.S. Grant Home State Historic Site is owned by the state of Illinois and managed by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency[2] as a historic house museum with rooms furnished to represent a mid-1860s appearance. Many of the furnishings belonged to the Grant family. Information is given about Grant's activities during the Civil War up through his presidency. An adjacent building houses exhibits about Grant and the history of the home.

The Grant Home was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, upon that program's inception.[1][4] The Grant House also lies within the Galena Historic District, designated in 1969. The district has more than 1,000 contributing properties.[5]

More info on the Grant home here,

<a href="http://granthome.com/" rel="noreferrer

#TBT: S-IVB-504 Factory Checkout Ends – Dec. 9, 1966 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1966, S-IVB contractor McDonnell Douglas completed factory checkout of the S-IVB-504 flight stage -- used on Apollo 9 -- in Huntington Beach, California. The S-IVB stage was developed under the direction of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and was powered by one J-2 engine capable of producing 225,000 pounds of thrust. Here, the S-IVB-505 and S-IVB-211 are shown in the McDonnell Douglas S-IVB Assembly and Checkout Tower. Apollo 8 was the first manned flight of the Saturn V vehicle and the first manned lunar orbit mission. Now through December 2022, NASA will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program that landed a dozen astronauts on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972, and the first U.S. crewed mission -- Apollo 8 -- that circumnavigated the Moon in December 1968.The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/4054766770/

Detail: Bow Shock During Ares I-X Rocket Launch (NASA, 10/28/09) by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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A bow shock forms around the Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X test rocket traveling at supersonic speed. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and goes supersonic in 39 seconds. Liftoff of the 6-minute flight test from Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida was at 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 28. This was the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals.

Image credit: Scott Andrews, Canon

This is a detail of this image, also posted in Flickr:

Editor's note: Are you wondering "What's a bow shock?" I was. Here's what I found, courtesy of Wikipedia:

"A bow shock, also called a detached shock, is a curved, stationary shock wave that is found in supersonic flow past a finite body. Unlike an oblique shock, the bow shock is not necessarily attached to the tip of the body. Oblique shock angles are limited in formation based on the corner angle and upstream Mach number. When these limitations are exceeded, a bow shock occurs instead of the oblique shock. Therefore, bow shocks are often seen forming around blunt objects. In other words, when the needed rotation of the fluid exceeds the maximum achievable with an oblique attached shock, the shock detaches from the body; hence beyond the shock the flow-field is subsonic so the boundary condition can be respected at the stagnation point.

The bow shock significantly increases the drag in a vehicle traveling at a supersonic speed. This property was utilized in the design of the return capsules during space missions such as the Apollo program, which need a high amount of drag in order to slow down during atmospheric reentry."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_shock_(aerodynamics)

Original image: mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=43954

More about Ares I-X: www.nasa.gov/aresIX

p.s. You can see all of the Ares photos in the Ares Group in Flickr at: www.flickr.com/groups/ares/ We'd love to have you as a member!

#TBT: S-IC-T Arrives at Marshall – April 9, 1967 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1967, the S-IC-T arrived at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The S-IC, or first, stage test article was stored in the Materials and Engineering Lab to await use in research and development testing. When completely assembled, the Saturn V S-IC stage was 138 feet tall, 33 feet in diameter and capable of delivering 7.5 million pounds of thrust from its five engines. Here, the forward end of the S-IC-T is seen on a transporter in Building 4705 at Marshall. The Saturn V rocket was designed at Marshall. Now through December 2022, NASA will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program that landed a dozen astronauts on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972, and the first U.S. crewed mission -- Apollo 8 -- that circumnavigated the Moon in December 1968. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA's remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA 's activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA's history, visit the Marshall History Program's webpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: HEAO-3 launches – Sept. 20, 1979 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1979, the third and final High Energy Astronomy Observatory, HEAO-C, was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket. Here, HEAO-C undergoes encapsulation. HEAO-C, known as HEAO-3 after insertion into orbit, continued the program’s mission of probing the electromagnetic spectrum, performing a sky survey of gamma rays and cosmic rays in a manner similar to HEAO-1. Together, the three HEAO missions propelled the emerging field of high energy astrophysics forward. Designed and developed by TRW Inc., the HEAO-3 project was managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

1885 Cavaille-Coll organ of Notre Dame d'Auteuil, Paris, France, one of the featured instruments in this week's Pipedreams broadcast by Green Valley Boys

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Click here pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/2020/2014/

for the program listing and listening link.

The music is a rebroadcast from the program's archive of music for Easter.

#TBT: Saturn V Fuel Tank Assembly by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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At the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the fuel tank assembly for the Saturn V S-IC-T (static test stage) fuel tank assembly is mated to the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank in building 4705. This stage underwent numerous static firings at the newly-built S-IC Static Test Stand at the MSFC west test area. The S-IC (first) stage used five F-1 engines that produced a total thrust of 7,500,000 pounds as each engine produced 1,500,000 pounds of thrust. The S-IC stage lifted the Saturn V vehicle and Apollo spacecraft from the launch pad. This July, in a series of special events, NASA is marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program – the historic effort that sent the first U.S. astronauts into orbit around the Moon in 1968, and landed a dozen astronauts on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. For more pictures, and to connect to NASA’s remarkable history, visit the Marshall History Program’swebpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: Discovery Becomes First Space Shuttle to Dock With International Space Station -- May 29, 1999 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1999, the STS-96 crew aboard space shuttle Discovery became the first to dock with the International Space Station. Using the Integrated Cargo Carrier, Discovery delivered the Russian cargo crane, STRELA; the SPACEHAB Oceaneering Space System Box; and the American crane, ORU Transfer Device, to the space station. STS-96 was the Space Shuttle Program’s second ISS mission. The first, STS-88, delivered the first American module, Unity, in December 1998. In total, 34 shuttle missions were flown during construction of the space station.

The International Space Station serves as the world’s leading laboratory where researchers conduct cutting-edge research and technology development that will enable human and robotic exploration of destinations beyond low-Earth orbit, including asteroids and Mars. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Payload Operations and Integrations Center serves as the agency’s command center for all science operations on the space station.

The NASA History Program documents and preserves NASA’s remarkable history through a variety of products -- photos, press kits, press releases, mission transcripts and administrators' speeches. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the History Program’s web page.

For more fun throwbacks, check out Marshall's History Album by clicking here.

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These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. The photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement by NASA. All Images used must be credited. For information on usage rights please visit: www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelin...

#TBT: Apollo 11 Launches -- July 16, 1969 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1969, Apollo 11 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Here, the Instrument Unit is lowered into place atop the third stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy. Designed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the Instrument Unit served as the "nerve center" for the Saturn V, providing guidance and control, command and sequence of vehicle functions, telemetry and environmental control. Marshall designed, developed and managed the production of the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the moon. Today, Marshall is developing NASA's Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built that will be capable of sending astronauts deeper into space than ever before, including to Mars. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA's history, visit the Marshall History Program's webpage. (NASA)

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: SUMI Launches – July 30, 2010 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 2010, the Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation, or SUMI, was launched aboard a sounding rocket from White Sands Missile Range. The mission was designed to determine the strength and direction of magnetic fields in a region of the Sun where magnetic fields had never been measured. SUMI successfully targeted a sun spot in the transition region and took the first measurements of the solar magnetic field in the transition region, a turbulent layer of the Sun’s atmosphere that lies between its surface and outermost level. Solar flares that erupt in this region can blast toward Earth, shorting out ground circuits and impacting humanity’s ability to expand into space. SUMI was designed and developed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Here, Marshall scientist Ed West assembles the optical system of the SUMI telescope. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA

#TBT: Life and Microgravity Spacelab Launches to Space Station – June 20, 1996 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

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This week in 1996, space shuttle Columbia, mission STS-78, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The mission’s primary payload, the Life and Microgravity Spacelab, was managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Here, the spacelab module is loaded into Columbia’s cargo bay. During 17 days of flight, researchers from the United States and Europe shared resources, such as crew time and equipment, to conduct experiments in life science and microgravity investigations. Five space agencies -- NASA, the European Space Agency, the French Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency -- along with research scientists from 10 other countries worked together on the design, development and construction of the Life and Microgravity Spacelab. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

Image credit: NASA