Space Exploration Events

Images of professionals participating in significant space exploration agreements and launches, highlighting collaboration in space initiatives.

George Smoot,George Fitzgerald Smoot III (born February 20, 1945) is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his work on COBE with John C. Mather.

U. S. and Japan Space Agreement Signing. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks before U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and Japans Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hayashi Yoshimasa, sign an agreement that builds on a long history of collaboration in space exploration between the U.S. and Japan, Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The Framework Agreement Between the Government of Japan and the Government of the United States of America for Cooperation in Space Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, For Peaceful Purposes covers joint activities including space science, Earth science, space operations and exploration, aeronautical science and technology, space technology, space transportation, and safety and mission assurance, among others.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Ken Schwer, NPP project manager, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., participates in the prelaunch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for NASAs National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft.NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

Chris Cianciola, Deputy Manager, SLS Program, participates in a prelaunch media briefing following completion of NASAs Flight Readiness Review for Artemis I on Aug. 22, 2022, at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Artemis I is scheduled to launch at 8:33 a.m. EDT on Aug. 29, 2022, from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Dr. Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters, participates in a post-launch news conference in NASA's Press Site TV auditorium following the successful launch of NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft.Launch was on schedule at 1:28 p.m. EST Nov. 18 at the opening of a two-hour launch window. After a 10-month journey to the Red Planet, MAVEN will study its upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail from orbit above the planet. Built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo., MAVEN will arrive at Mars in September 2014 and will be inserted into an elliptical orbit with a high point of 3,900 miles, swooping down to as close as 93 miles above the planet's surface.

George Smoot,George Fitzgerald Smoot III (born February 20, 1945) is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his work on COBE with John C. Mather.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin delivers remarks during a NASA Update program atNASA Headquarters, Thursday, April 14, 2005, in Washington after being sworn in earlier that morning as NASA's 11th Administrator.

Paul Galloway, program manager for an Earth imaging platform called the Multiple User System for Earth Sensing, or MUSES, speaks to members of social media in the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on experiments and instruments to be delivered to the International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-11. A Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to be launched from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A on June 1 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the company's 11th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

NASA Associate Administrator for Space Technology, Mike Gazarik, Ph.D, listens to a question from the audience during the Asteroid Initiative Industry and Partner Day at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 in Washington. During the event NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and other senior NASA officials discussed the progress being made on NASA's mission to capture, redirect, and explore an asteroid. NASA also announced an Asteroid Grand Challenge focused on finding all asteroid threats to human populations and knowing what to do about them.

JSC2011-E-060439 (30 June 2011) --- NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson, STS-135 commander, responds to a question from a reporter during a preflight press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives keynote remarks at the Humans to Mars Summit, Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden answers questions from the audience after giving the opening keynote address at the Humans to Mars Summit on April 22, 2014 at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Administrator Bolden spoke of NASA's path to the human exploration of Mars during his remarks.

James L. Green, Director for Planetary Science in NASA's Science Mission Directorate, helps kick off the "Seeking Signs of Life" Symposium, celebrating 50 Years of Exobiology and Astrobiology at NASA, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010, at the Lockheed Martin Global Vision Center in Arlington, Va. NASA has been researching life in the universe since 1959, asking three fundamental questions: "How does life begin and evolve"‚ "Is there life beyond Earth and, if so, how can we detect it" and "What is the future of life on Earth and in the universe"

David Lehman, GRAIL project manager, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., speaks at a press conference about the upcoming launch to the moon of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011 in Washington. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. The mission will place two spacecraft into the same orbit around the moon which will gather information about the its gravitational field enabling scientists to create a high-resolution map.

NASA Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate Dr. Edward J. Weiler discusses newly released images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The images were from four of the telescopes' six operating science instruments.

Garry Marty, principal product engineer for Delta Faucet, addresses NASA Social participants during a Whats on Board science briefing at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 5, 2020. The briefing provided a closer look at some of the payloads launching on SpaceXs 20th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-20) mission to the International Space Station. The companys Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:50 p.m. EST on March 6, 2020.

John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, discusses the upcoming launch of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission, at a press conference at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Monday, Oct. 28th, 2013. MAVEN is the agency's next mission to Mars and the first devoted to understanding the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet. (

Jim Green, director, Planetary Division, NASA's Science Mission Directorate, speaks at a public event at NASA Headquarters observing the first anniversary of the Curiosity rover's landing on Mars, Tuesday, August 6th, 2013 in Washington. The Mars Science Laboratory mission successfully placed the one-ton Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars on Aug. 6, 2012, about 1 mile from the center of its 12-mile-long target area. Within the first eight months of a planned 23-months primary mission, Curiosity met its major science objective of finding evidence of a past environment well-suited to support microbial life.

U.S. State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary, Mark Wells, speaks before Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister, Marta Lucía Ramírez, signs the Artemis Accords, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Colombia is the nineteenth country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASAs Artemis program.

NASA James Webb Space Telescope systems engineer Mike Menzel, participates in a panel discussion titled "The Big Picture", Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin talks with employees during a NASA Update program atNASA Headquarters, Tuesday, June 28, 2005, in Washington.

RETIRED ASTRONAUT AND BRIGADIER GENERAL ROBERT STEWART SPEAKS ABOUT SPACE SHUTTLE DESIGN DURING SHARED EXPERIENCES FORUM, 4/28/2016

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine asks commercial companies to help get the agency back to the Moon as quickly as possible during an industry day', Tuesday, May 8, 2018 held at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA is calling for commercial proposals for delivering instruments, experiments, and other small payloads to the surface of the Moon as early as next year. This solicitation is part of a broader Exploration Campaign that will pave the way for a human return to the Moon.

Apollo 13 astronaut and Biloxi native Fred Haise Jr. smiles during a Dec. 2 ceremony at Gorenflo Elementary School in Biloxi honoring his space career. During the ceremony, Haise was presented with NASA's Ambassador of Exploration Award (an encased moon rock). He subsequently presented the moon rock to Gorenflo officials for display at the school. Haise is best known as one of three astronauts who nursed a crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft back to Earth during a perilous 1970 mission. Although he was unable to walk on the moon as planned for that mission, Haise ended his astronaut career having logged 142 hours and 54 minutes in space. During the ceremony, he praised all those who contributed to the space program.

NASA Associate Administrator Science John Grunsfeld, Ph.D, talks during the Asteroid Initiative Industry and Partner Day at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 in Washington. During the event NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and other senior NASA officials discussed the progress being made on NASA's mission to capture, redirect, and explore an asteroid. NASA also announced an Asteroid Grand Challenge focused on finding all asteroid threats to human populations and knowing what to do about them.

Jack Lissauer, a planetary scientist and a Kepler science team member at NASA's Ames Research Center, speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2010, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Scientists using NASA's Kepler, a space telescope, recently discovered six planets made of a mix of rock and gases orbiting a single sun-like star, known as Kepler-11, which is located approximately 2,000 light years from Earth."Its amazingly compact, its amazingly flat, theres an amazingly large number of big planets orbiting close to their star - we didnt know such systems could even exist."

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) Director Kenneth Sembach gives remarks during a briefing, Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore. The briefing focused on the status of NASAs James Webb Space Telescope in its final weeks of preparing for its science mission, as well as overviews of planned science for Webbs first year of operations.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden speaks during an Exploration Forum showcasing NASA's human exploration path to Mars in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, April 29, 2014.

Former Gemini and Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford speaks during the opening of the tribute exhibition to the Apollo 1 astronauts who perished in a fire at the launch pad on Jan. 27, 1967, during training for the mission. The tribute highlights the lives and careers of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White II and Roger Chaffee who were lost during the fire. The tribute at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center opened Jan. 27, 2017, 50 years after the crew of three was lost. It features numerous items recalling the lives of the three astronauts. The tribute also includes the three-part hatch to the spacecraft itself, the first time any part of the Apollo 1 spacecraft has been displayed publicly. A version of the hatch after it was redesigned is also showcased as an example of improvements NASA made throughout the agency and to the Apollo spacecraft that would later carry astronauts to the moon.

NASA Kennedy Space Center Public Affairs Officer George Diller, moderates a briefing ahead of the planned launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), Sunday, June 29, 2014, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 is set to launch on July 1, 2014 at 2:59 a.m. PDT.

jsc2019e036680 (June 28, 2019) - NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks to grand opening visitors in NASA Johnson Space Centers Teague Auditorium as Johnson Space Center Director Mark Geyer looks on. NASAs Johnson Space Center reopened the fully restored Apollo Mission Control Center with a grand opening and ribbon cutting event with Bridenstine on June 28. The room now is reconfigured to its Apollo-era condition. Many of the items in the restored room are original pieces from 1969 that were found or donated, and the missing items were replicated to ensure walking into the viewing room would feel like taking a step back in time. The restoration team used old photographs, footage, documents and interviews and discussions with Apollo veterans to set everything in its proper place, including coffee mugs, clothing articles and ashtrays. Beginning July 1, the Apollo Mission Control Center will become part of daily tours at Johnson hosted by Space Center Houston.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives keynote remarks at the Humans to Mars Summit, Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington.

Artemis Human Landing System Announcement. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson gives remarks during an event announcing Blue Origin as the company selected to develop a sustainable human landing system for the Artemis V Moon mission, Friday, May 19, 2023 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The human landing system will take astronauts to and from Gateway in lunar orbit to the surface and back to the lunar space station as part of NASAs return to the Moon for science, exploration, and inspiration.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives remarks on the agencys Artemis program, Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Through Artemis NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.

Media Invited to Rare View of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Mirrors

Thomas Magner, Manager, Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), speaks during a session titled, Europa Clipper: Making a Mission to Understand Our Place in the Universe” at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.

NASA James Webb Space Telescope Program Scientist and Astrophysics Division Chief Scientist Eric Smith delivers opening remarks during a briefing following the release of the first full-color images from NASAs James Webb Space Telescope, Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The first full-color images and spectroscopic data from the James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), are a demonstration of the power of Webb as the telescope begins its science mission to unfold the infrared universe.

Chris Wolverton, Ph.D., professor of botany/microbiology at Ohio Wesleyan University, speaks on the Plant Gravity Perception experiment with members of social media in the Kennedy Space Centers Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on research planned for launch to the International Space Station. The scientific materials and supplies will be aboard a Dragon spacecraft scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:46 a.m. EST, on Dec. 12, 2017. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company's 13th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, William Gerstenmaier, talks during the Asteroid Initiative Industry and Partner Day at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 in Washington. During the event NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and other senior NASA officials discussed the progress being made on NASA's mission to capture, redirect, and explore an asteroid. NASA also announced an Asteroid Grand Challenge focused on finding all asteroid threats to human populations and knowing what to do about them.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Tim Dunn, NASA launch director for the agencys Launch Services Program, participates in the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) prelaunch news conference in the NASA Press Site auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. GRAIL is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future moon vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on t

Brian Muirhead, Pre-project Manager of Mars Sample Return at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory is seen during a keynote titled “Mars Sample Return Mission Concept Status” at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Mike Miller, senior vice president, Science and Environmental Satellite Programs, Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group, participates in a post-launch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California following the successful launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2. Orbital Sciences built the satellite for NASA.Liftoff of OCO-2 from Space Launch Complex 2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket was on schedule at 5:56 a.m. EDT on July 2 following the repair of the pad's water suppression system, which failed on the first launch attempt July 1. OCO-2 is NASAs first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. The observatory will measure

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives an update on the agencys Artemis program and the critical role international partnerships have in returning astronauts to the Moon and going on to Mars at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, in Washington.

Dr. Michael A'Hearn, Principal Investigator, EPOXI Comet Encounter Mission, speaks during a symposium commemorating a quarter-century of comet discoveries, Friday, Sept. 10, 2010, in the Knight studio at the Newseum in Washington. The International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3) spacecraft flew past the comet Giacobini-Zinner on Sept. 11, 1985 which established a foundation of discoveries that continue today.

NASA Discusses Latest Global Temperature Data. Carlos Del Castillo, chief of the Ocean Ecology Laboratory at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, speaks during a news conference to discuss the latest global temperature data, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington.

NASA Administrator Charles Boldin speaks during an unveiling ceremony of two USPS stamps that commemorate and celebrate 50 years of US Spaceflight and the MESSENGER program during an event, Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. One stamp commemorates NASAs Project Mercury, Americas first manned spaceflight program, and NASA astronaut Alan Shepards historic flight on May 5, 1961, aboard spacecraft Freedom 7. The other stamp draws attention to NASAs unmanned MESSENGER mission, a scientific investigation of the planet Mercury. On March 17, 2011, MESSENGER became the first spacecraft to enter into orbit around Mercury.

Robert Pappalardo, Europa Clipper Project Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) speaks during a session titled, Europa Clipper: Making a Mission to Understand Our Place in the Universe” at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.

Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist, right, speaks on a panel with Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, left, at an event to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the launch of the Voyager 1 and 2 missions, Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington. Voyager 1 was launched September 5, 1977, with a mission to study Jupiter and Saturn, but now the twin Voyager spacecrafts are on a journey into interstellar space to search for the heliopause, a region never reached by any other spacecraft.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator of NASAs Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, right, talks about Mars InSight during a pre-landing briefing, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a Mars lander designed to study the "inner space" of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core. InSight is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet at approximately noon PST (3 p.m. EST) on Nov. 26.

NASA Chief Technologist Douglas Terrier gives opening remarks during a Mars celebration Friday, May 31, 2019, in Mars, Pennsylvania. NASA is in the small town to celebrate Mars exploration and share the agencys excitement about landing astronauts on the Moon in five years. The celebration includes a weekend of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) activities.

JWST Stamp Issuance Ceremony. NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center Webb Optical Telescope Element Manager, Lee Feinberg, provides remarks at the first-day-of-issue event for the United States Postal Services new stamp celebrating NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, at the Smithsonians National Postal Museum in Washington. The stamp, which features an illustration of the observatory, honors Webbs mission to explore the unknown in our universe - solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden spoke at the Orion exhibit at the USA Science and Engineering Festival on April 25, 2014. The event was held to announce the winner of the Exploration Design Challenge. The goal of the Exploration Design Challenge was for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation.The USA Science and Engineering Festival is taking place at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on April 26 and 27, 2014.

Steve Payne, launch integration manager, NASAs Commercial Crew Program Ground and Mission Operations Office, speaks to members of the media Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Kennedy Space Centers Mission Briefing Room of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. The briefing focused on launch of the SpaceX Demo-1 Commercial Crew Program mission to the International Space Station. The inaugural flight of the Crew Dragon, known as Demo-1, will be uncrewed, lifting off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Saturday, March 2, at 2:49 a.m. EST. The mission is designed to validate end-to-end systems and capabilities, leading to certification to fly crew. NASA has worked with SpaceX and Boeing in developing the CCP spacecraft to facilitate new human spaceflight systems launching from U.S. soil with the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit destinations such as the space station.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks ahead of the release of the first images from NASAs James Webb Space Telescope, Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The first full-color images and spectroscopic data from the James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), are a demonstration of the power of Webb as the telescope begins its science mission to unfold the infrared universe.

Dr. William R. Lucas served as Marshall Space Flight Center Director from June 15, 1974 until July 3, 1986, when he retired after thirty-four years of civil service. Prior to the appointment, Lucas served as Center Deputy Director (1971-1974), Program Development Director (1968-1971), Astronautics Laboratory Director (1966-1968), and Propulsion and Vehicle Laboratory Director (1960-1966).

Nuclear Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2022 Conference

David Folta, a Flight Dynamics Engineer at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, is seen during a keynote titled “Astrodynamics of Lunar and Cis-Lunar Missions” at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden speaks to students who attended the NASA sponsored Earth Day event April 22, 2014 at Union Station in Washington, DC. NASA sponsored the Earth Day event as part of its "Earth Right Now" campaign, celebrating the launch of five Earth-observing missions in 2014.

NASA Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen gives remarks after the 2022 John L. Jack” Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration was presented to the OSIRIS-REx team by the Space Foundation during the 37th Space Symposium, Monday, April 4, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The John L. Jack” Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration recognizes extraordinary accomplishments by a company, space agency, or consortium of organizations in the realm of space exploration and discovery. The award honors the memory of astronaut John L. Jack” Swigert, Jr., one of the inspirations for the creation of Space Foundation.

Founding head of MC2 STEM High School Jeffrey McClellan talks during the NASA Future Forum Inspiration and Education Panel at The Ohio State University on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. The NASA Future Forum features panel discussions on the importance of education to our nation's future in space, the benefit of commercialized space technology to our economy and lives here on Earth, and the shifting roles for the public, commercial and international communities in space.

The Orion team visits United Launch Alliance in Denver, Colorado on July 14, 2015 to recognize their efforts in making Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) a success. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

JWST Stamp Issuance Ceremony. NASA Associate Administrator and former astronaut Bob Cabana provides remarks at the first-day-of-issue event for the United States Postal Services new stamp celebrating NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, at the Smithsonians National Postal Museum in Washington. The stamp, which features an illustration of the observatory, honors Webbs mission to explore the unknown in our universe - solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.

Nuclear Emerging Technologies for Space, NETS 2022 Conference

Jeff Spaulding, Artemis I senior NASA test director, participates in a prelaunch media briefing on the status of the Artemis countdown is held on Aug. 28, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Artemis I is scheduled to launch Aug. 29, at 8:33 a.m. EDT from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

New Horizons project scientist Hal Weaver of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory gives a talk titled "Pluto Flyby; Summer 2015", Monday, Dec. 31, 2018 at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson speaks during a NASA briefing on the Artemis I Moon mission, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. NASAs Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Monday, Aug. 29.

NASA Public Affairs Officer for Heliophysics Karen Fox, left, interviews, Apollo 11 astronaut Mike Collins, and NASA astronaut candidate Zena Cardman during NASA’s Giant Leaps: Past and Future," a live television program on Friday, July 19, 2019 from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. NASA and the world are recognizing the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, in which astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin crewed the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The International Space Station Science and Technology Briefing was held in the Press Site auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to media about the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) is Saul Gonzales, AMS program manager from the U.S. Department of Energy. Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for April 29 at 3 47 p.m. EDT. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

George Ricker, TESS principal investigator, MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, discusses the upcoming launch of NASAs next planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shuttle Program Manager Bill Parsons praises the Discovery processing team for their successful power-up of the vehicle after Orbiter Major Modifications (OMM). The OMM work ranged from wiring, control panels and black boxes to gaseous and fluid systems tubing and components. These systems were deserviced, disassembled, inspected, modified, reassembled, checked out and reserviced, as were most other systems onboard. The work included the installation of the Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS) - a state-of-the-art glass cockpit.”

NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen, answers questions during an event where nine U.S. companies where named as eligible to bid on NASA delivery services to the lunar surface through Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The companies will be able to bid on delivering science and technology payloads for NASA, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA expects to be one of many customers that will use these commercial landing services.

New Horizons project scientist Hal Weaver of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is seen during a press conference after the team received confirmation from the New Horizons spacecraft that it has completed the flyby of Ultima Thule, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019 at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

Jim Fanson, Kepler project manager, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. talks about the Kepler mission during a media briefing, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2008, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Kepler, the first mission with the ability to find planets like earth, is scheduled to launch on March 5, 2009 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. aboard a Delta II rocket.

UAP Media Briefing. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson provides remarks during a media briefing to discuss the findings from an unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) independent study team, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The UAP independent study team, commissioned in 2022, is a counsel of 16 community experts across diverse areas on matters relevant to potential methods of study for unidentified anomalous phenomena. NASA published the teams full report online, which aims to inform about what possible data could be collected in the future to shed light on the nature and origin of UAP.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden delivers opening remarks during a panel discussion on the search for life beyond Earth in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Monday, July 14, 2014 in Washington, DC. The panel discussed how NASA's space-based observatories are making new discoveries and how the agency's new telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, will continue this path of discovery after its schedule launch in 2018.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives an update on the agencys Artemis program and the critical role international partnerships have in returning astronauts to the Moon and going on to Mars at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, in Washington.

Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist, speaks at an event to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the launch of the Voyager 1 and 2 missions, Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Voyager 1 was launched September 5, 1977, with a mission to study Jupiter and Saturn, but now the twin Voyager spacecrafts are on a journey into interstellar space to search for the heliopause, a region never reached by any other spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announces during a National Tribute to Sally Ride that NASA is recognizing Ride, first American woman in space, by renaming a camera aboard the International Space Station the Sally Ride EarthKAM and that President Obama will award a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dr. Sally Ride at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Monday, May 20, 2013 in Washington.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ed Weiler, NASA associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, participates in the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) prelaunch news conference in the NASA Press Site auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. GRAIL is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future moon vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the

The inaugural Glenn Symposium focused on advancements in aerospace technology including power and propulsion, autonomy and communications, low boom supersonics, hypersonics, and more. Discussion also encompassed humans returning to the moon, including challenges associated with the 2024 mission.

Philippe Laudet, SEIS Project Manager, French National Space Agency (CNES) talks about Mars InSight during a social media briefing, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a Mars lander designed to study the "inner space" of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core. InSight is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet at approximately noon PST (3 p.m. EST) on Nov. 26.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson speaks during a NASA briefing on the Artemis I Moon mission, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. NASAs Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Monday, Aug. 29.

Director of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Ralph Semmel delivers remarks, Monday, Dec. 31, 2018 at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

U.S. President George W. Bush proclaims the first veto of a Congressional bill, killing research on embyonic stem cells

Bill Nye, Chief Executive Officer, The Planetary Society, speaks during a session titled, Europa Clipper: Making a Mission to Understand Our Place in the Universe” at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.

2010 ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Elwood Agasid, deputy program manager for Small Spacecraft Technology at Ames Research Center and Space Technology Hall of Fame inductee speaks at Small Satellites, Big Missions: Pathfinding CubeSats Exploring the Moon and Beyond,” a news conference during the 37th Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gives remarks during an event were Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit was unveiled for the first time in 13 years, Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. The unveiling of the crowd funded spacesuit conservation marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Apollo 11 mission.

Dr. J. Wayne Littles served as director of the Marshall Space Flight Center from February 3, 1996 until his retirement from NASA, January 3, 1998. Prior to his appointment as Center Director, Littles served as NASA Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Flight (1994-1996). Littles began his NASA career in 1967 when he worked as an engineer in Marshall's former Propulsion and Vehicle Engineering Directorate. He worked in various capacities at the Marshall Center, including Science Engineering Director (1988-1989) and Center Deputy Director (1989-1994) before transferring to NASA Headquarters in 1994.

INNOVATION IS NOT OPTIONAL,” SAYS DOUGLAS TERRIER, NASA CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST, DURING A TALK ABOUT INNOVATION AT THE AGENCY DEC. 3 IN MORRIS AUDITORIUM AT NASA’S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER. TERRIER SAID THAT NASA MUST CONTINUE TO BE INNOVATIVE TO ACHIEVE THE AGENCY’S MISSIONS AND GOALS FOR THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS, INCLUDING THE 2024 ARTEMIS II MOON LANDING.

Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 project manager, JPL, discusses the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), NASAs first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, during a press briefing, Sunday, June 29, 2014, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 is set to launch on July 1, 2014 at 2:59 a.m. PDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Rocket Garden at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, NASA's Deputy Director for Planetary Science, Jim Adams speaks to the audience in attendance for the United States Postal Service unveiling of two new stamps that commemorates the 50th anniversary of human spaceflight.One stamp commemorates NASA's Project Mercury and Alan Shepard's historic launch on May 5, 1961, aboard the spacecraft Freedom 7. The second stamp honors NASA's MESSENGER, which reached Mercury in March to become the first spacecraft to orbit the planet. The two missions frame a remarkable 50-year period in which America advanced space exploration through more than 1,500 crewed and uncrewed flights.

Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 project manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses the successful launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), NASAs first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, during a press briefing, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate.

Roger Ly speaks about DEVELOP's Santa Monica Mountains Ecological Forecasting III project during the 2019 Annual Earth Science Applications Showcase, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Every summer students and young professionals from NASAs Applied Sciences DEVELOP National Program come to NASA Headquarters and present their research projects. DEVELOP is a training and development program where students work on Earth science research projects, mentored by science advisers from NASA and partner agencies, and extend research results to local communities.

William Borucki, principal investigator for Kepler Science at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., talks about the Kepler mission during a media briefing, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2008, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Kepler, the first mission with the ability to find planets like earth, is scheduled to launch on March 5, 2009 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. aboard a Delta II rocket.

NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, Steve Clarke speaks at the "Future of Space" STEM event, Monday, April 29, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, where college students were able to ask panelists, Clarke, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, Bill Gerstenmaier questions as well as speak with two astronauts currently on the International Space Station, Nick Hague and Christina Koch. NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson moderated the panel discussion.

NASA Earth Science Division Director Michael Freilich shows meteorologists an AERONET sun photometer, right, and a model of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory during a media event for the release of the Third U.S. National Climate Assessment, South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. NASA Earth-observing satellite observations and analysis by the NASA-supported research community underlie many of the findings in the new climate change assessment.

Regions - Images Relating to the Discover-AQ Program - images and video clips relating to the Discover-AQ Program. Discover-AQ stands for Deriving Information on Surface conditions from COlumn and VERtically resolved observations relevant to Air Quality , Environmental Protection Agency

Gary Flandro, Voyager mission grand tour creator, speaks at an event to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the launch of the Voyager 1 and 2 missions, Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Voyager 1 was launched September 5, 1977, with a mission to study Jupiter and Saturn, but now the twin Voyager spacecrafts are on a journey into interstellar space to search for the heliopause, a region never reached by any other spacecraft.

Tim Dunn, Launch Director, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, is seen during a NASA Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) prelaunch briefing, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The ICESat-2 mission will measure the changing height of Earth's ice.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participates in a news conference Sept. 3, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after launch of Artemis I was waived off from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B. Teams encountered a liquid hydrogen leak while loading propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

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