Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-51 G Launch
(June 17, 1985) On June 17, 1985, Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-51 G mission launched on a Comsat deployment mission. It deployed three communication satellites. The mission lasted a little over seven days. ..I... More
The Mercury 7, NASA Mercury project
On April 9, 1959, NASA introduced its first astronaut class, the Mercury 7. Front row, left to right: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, John H. Glenn, Jr., and M. Scott Carpenter; back row, Alan... More
Dr. Goddard Transports Rocket, NASA history collection
Dr. Robert H. Goddard tows his rocket to the launching tower behind a Model A Ford truck, 15 miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. 1930- 1932. Dr. Goddard has been recognized as the "Father of American Rocket... More
Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" Aircraft With Model Wing Suspended
Description (June 22, 1921) Active aircraft biplane, NACA 29-38131, with model wing suspended during flight...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00130
Dr. Robert Goddard at Clark University
Full Description: Dr. Robert H. Goddard at a blackboard at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1924. Goddard began teaching physics in 1914 at Clark and in 1923 was named the Director of the Physic... More
9-Inch Supersonic Tunnel, NASA history collection
(L-53778): This 3-inch long Bell XS-2 is typical of the models tested in the 9-Inch SWT.
X-4 with Female Computer. NASA public domain image colelction.
(March 24, 1952) X-4 program with what Langley engineers euphemistically called "Female Computer" support personnel...Image # : L-74768
F-86 in Full Scale Wind Tunnel at Ames
This F-86 aircraft is mounted in the 40 x 80 Foot Full Scale Wind Tunnel at the NACA Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, Moffett Field California.
Joseph (Joe) A. Walker NASA history collection
Description: (1956) In March 1945 Joseph A. Walker joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory, Cleveland, Ohio, (later NASA's Lewis Research Center, now the Glen... More
Three-Radial-Module Space Station Concept
This three-radial-module space station concept was intended to utilize Apollo hardware to deploy the station and to transfer crews to and from orbit...Image # : S-64-3704
Nuclear Rocket Engine Being Transported to Test Stand
The first ground experimental nuclear rocket engine (XE) assembly, (left), is shown here in "cold flow" configuration, as it makes a late evening arrival at Engine Test Stand No. 1 at the Nuclear Rocket Develop... More
Mercury-Atlas 1 Launch, NASA Mercury project
(July 29, 1960) The uncrewed Mercury-Atlas 1 spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral on July 29, 1960. MA-1 was the first attempt to launch the Mercury capsule. The mission failed just under a minute after laun... More
Vent Flowing Cold Gas and T/C Rake
(September 6, 1963) Vent flowing cryogenic fuel and T/C Rake mounted on a 1/10 scale model Centaur in the l0 x l0 Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The fuel being used is liquid hydrogen. The point of the test is to... More
Site for the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston prior to ground break...
Description: Site for the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston prior to ground breaking. The area was grazing land for cattle, such as those in the view. Photo is labeled at the bottom "MSC Site January 1962"...... More
Profile of Agena Docking Target
A profile view of the Agena Docking Target Vehicle as seen from the Gemini 8 spacecraft during rendezvous in space...Image # : S66-25782
Four NASA Barges at Michoud Assembly Facility
Description This image shows an aerial view of NASA Dock at Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) with four barges, (left to right) Paleamon, Promise, Poseidon, and Orion. The barges ferried Saturn IB and Saturn V st... More
Apollo 1 Fire. NASA public domain image colelction.
(January 28, 1967) Officially designated Apollo/Saturn 204, but more commonly known as Apollo 1, this close-up view of the interior of the Command Module shows the effects of the intense heat of the flash fire ... More
Apollo 4 liftoff, Apollo program Saturn V rocket images
The Apollo 4 unmanned mission lifts off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. This would be the first flight for the enormous Saturn V rocket that would eventually take humans to the Moon...Image # : s67-50903
Apollo 8 Reentry, NASA Moon program
(December 27, 1968) This Apollo 8 reentry photograph was taken by a U.S. Air Force ALOTS (Airborne Lightweight Optical Tracking System) camera mounted on a KC-135A aircraft flown at 40,000 ft altitude. Apollo 8... More
Apollo 11 Launch, NASA Apollo program
(July 16, 1969) The Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle lifts off with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., at 9:32 a.m. EDT July 16, 1969, from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Com... More
Swearing in of George M. Low as Deputy Administrator of NASA
Swearing in of George M. Low as Deputy Administrator of NASA. The 43-year-old veteran of NASAs Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned flight programs was administered the oath of Office by Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA... More
Apollo 11 Mission Image - Earth view over Central and North America
Description: Earth view over Central and North America. Image taken during the transluner phase of the Apollo 11 Mission. Original film magazine was labeled N; Film type: S0-368 Color; 250mm lens...Identifier: ... More
Bernal Model. NASA public domain image colelction.
Model of a Bernal Sphere. Population: 10,000. The Bernal Sphere is a point design with a spherical living area. ..Credit: NASA Ames Research Center..NASA ID AC76-0852
Astronaut John Swigert with "Mailbox"
Description: (April 17, 1970) Astronaut John L. Swigert, Jr., Apollo 13 Command Module Pilot, holds the "mailbox" a jerry-rigged arrangement which the Apollo 13 astronauts built to use the Command Module lithiu... More
QUIET ENGINE SONIC INLET. NASA public domain image colelction.
UID: SPD-GLENN-C-1974-255 Public domain photograph of NASA experimental aircraft development, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Saturn IB. NASA public domain image colelction.
(July 15, 1975) On July 15, 1975, a Saturn IB made the last launch of an Saturn vehicle when it carried astronauts in an Apollo vehicle as part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The capsule docked two days late... More
Ophir Chasma. NASA public domain image colelction.
Description: (1976) During its examination of Mars, the Viking 1 spacecraft returned images of Valles Marineris, a huge canyon system 5,000 km long, up to 240 km wide, and 6.5 km deep, whose connected chasma or... More
Sullivan and Ride Show Sleep Restraints
Description (October 6, 1984) Astronauts Kathryn D. Sullivan, left, and Sally K. Ride display a "bag of worms." The "bag" is a sleep restraint and the majority of the "worms" are springs and clips used with the... More
Puma Robotic Arm - NASA Ames Research Center
(April 2, 1990) The Puma Robotic Sensor Arm for use in Virtual Reality development and studies at the NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California...Image # : AC90-0187-1
Astronaut Mae Jemison Working in Spacelab-J
Description (October 22, 1992) Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-47) onboard photo of Astronaut Mae Jemison working in Spacelab-J module. Spacelab-J is a combined National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) a... More
F-18 Chase Aircraft. NASA public domain image colelction.
(November 26, 1996) An F-18B aircraft in flight used as a chase and support aircraft on Dryden research missions...Image # : EC96-43830-12
Robot Arm Over Earth with Sunburst
(June 1, 1996) View of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) end effector over an Earth limb with a solar starburst pattern behind it..Image # : STS077-702-039
Shuttle Atlantis returning to Kennedy Space Center
(September 1998) The Space Shuttle Atlantis atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) returns to the Kennedy Space Center after a ten month refurbishment. ..Image # : EC-98-44740-2
Stars in the Tarantula Nebula. NASA public domain image colelction.
(March 31, 1999) In the most active starburst region in the local universe lies a cluster of brilliant, massive stars, known to astronomers as Hodge 301. Hodge 301, seen in the lower right hand corner of this i... More
Space Shuttle Discovery: Space shuttle STS-121
Launched: July 4, 2006, 2:37:55 p.m. EDT.Landing: July 17, 2006, 9:15:49 a.m. EDT, Kennedy Space Center, Fla .Space Shuttle: Discovery. .Crew: Commander Steven W. Lindsey, Pilot Mark E. Kelly, Mission Specialis... More
Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-121 Landing
(July 17, 2006) Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-121 mission landed at the Kennedy Space Center on July 17, 2006. Launched on July 4, 2006, The mission delivered supplies to the ISS and tested new equipment and pr... More
Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Joh...
Public domain photograph related to NASA Space Program, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
NASA Langley Research Center, 8-Foot High Speed Wind Tunnel, 641 Thorn...
Significance: The facility was authorized in July 1933 and built by the Public Works Administration for $26,000. It tested complete models of aircraft and aircraft components in a high-speed airstream approach... More
1902 Wright Brothers' Glider Tests
(October 10, 1902) Historic photo of the Wright brothers' third test glider being launched at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, on October 10, 1902. Wilbur Wright is at the controls, Orville Wright is at left, ... More
Curtiss Racer, NASA history collection
Description: (February 1928) James H. Doolittle, the NACA's last chairman, visited Langley in February 1928 in his Curtiss Racer, the plane in which he won the 1925 Schneider Trophy Race. Photograph published ... More
Weick, Lindbergh, and Hamilton, NASA history collection
(June 1, 1927) Fred E. Weick, head of the Propeller Research Tunnel section, 1925-1929, in rear cockpit. Charles Lindbergh in front. Tom Hamilton is standing. ..Center: LARC .Image # : L-1990-03736
Construction of Hangar One at NAS Sunnyvale circa 1931 - 1934
Description: .Construction of Hangar One at NAS Sunnyvale circa 1931 - 1934..Photo ID#: AILS-A93-0074-23
1- x 3-Foot Supersonic Tunnel No. 1
(A-11807): This cut-away drawing shows a sting mount penetrating a model Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star with strain gauges inside the fuselage to measure aerodynamic forces. The two 1- x 3-foot supersonic tunnels... More
Analog Computing Machine in Fuel Systems Building
(September 28, 1949) Analog Computing Machine in the Fuel Systems Building. This is an early version of the modern computer. The device is located in the Engine Research Building at the Lewis Flight Propulsion ... More
Early NACA Human Computers at Work
Description (November 1949) The women of the Computer Department at NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station are shown busy with test flight calculations. The "computers" under the direction of Roxanah Yancey we... More
Pilot Joe Walker and the X-1A. Experimental NASA aircraft photograph.
Description: (1955) Cowboy Joe (NACA High-Speed Flight Station test pilot Joseph Walker) and his steed (Bell Aircraft Corporation X-1A). A happy Joe was photographed in 1955 at Edwards, California. The X-1A was... More
Pioneer I on the Launch Pad. NASA public domain image. Kennedy space c...
Thor-Able I with the Pioneer I spacecraft atop, prior to launch at Eastern Test Range at what is now Kennedy Space Center. Pioneer I launched on October 11, 1958, the first spacecraft launched by the 11 day old... More
Pioneer III Probe, JPL/NASA images
Looking more like surgeons, these technicians wearing cleanroom attire inspect the Pioneer III probe before shipping it to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Pioneer III was launched on December 6, 1958 aboard a Juno II ... More
Astronaut Walter M. Schirra, NASA Mercury project
Full Description: Astronaut Walter M. Wally Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MA-8 (Mercury-Atlas) mission with Sigma 7 spacecraft was the... More
Echo - A Passive Communications Satellite
Echo, NASA's first communications satellite, was a passive spacecraft based on a balloon design created by an engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center. Made of Mylar, the satellite measured 100 feet (30 meter... More
Pilot Neil Armstrong with X-15 #1
(1960) NASA test pilot Neil Armstrong is seen here next to the X-15 ship #1 (56-6670) after a research flight. The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 feet long with a wingspan of 22 feet. It was a missile- s... More
Vacuum Instrumentation Research, NASA Glenn Research Center
(December 31, 1960) Vacuum Instrumentation Research at Lewis Research Center, now John H. Glenn Research Center...Image # : C1960-55184
Aerial View of JPL, JPL/NASA images
An aerial view of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California and the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains...Image # : p39727cc
ECHO Horn Antenna. NASA public domain image colelction.
(June 1961) The Horn reflector antenna at Bell Telephone Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey was built in 1959 for pioneering work in communication satellites for the NASA ECHO I. The antenna was 50 feet in len... More
Inflatable Station Concept. NASA public domain image colelction.
Unlike many other early space station concepts, this design actually made it out of the concept phase and into production, though no models were ever flown. This particular station was 30-feet and expandable. I... More
Launch of Friendship 7, NASA Mercury project
Full Description: (February 20, 1962) Launch of Friendship 7, the first American manned orbital space flight. Astronaut John Glenn aboard, the Mercury-Atlas rocket is launched from Pad 14...Image # : 62PC-0011
Friendship 7, NASA Mercury project
(February 20, 1962) On February 20, 1962 at 9:47 am EST, John Glenn launched from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14 to become the first American to orbit the Earth. In this image, Glenn enters his Friendship 7... More
John Glenn OK, NASA Mercury project
Astronaut John Glenn and technicians inspect artwork that will be painted on the outside of his Mercury spacecraft. John Glenn nicknamed his capsule "Friendship 7". On February 20, 1962 astronaut John H. Glenn ... More
X-15 Model in Supersonic Tunnel
(March 22, 1962) Shock waves festoon a small scale model of the X-15 in Langley's 4 x 4 Supersonic Pressure Tunnel...Image # : L-1962-02577
Gemini Capsule, NASA Gemini program
(November 7, 1962) Gemini capsule being tested in Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel..Image # : L-1962-08679
Aerial View of Launch Complex 14
Aerial view of Launch Complex 14 with Missile Row visible to the right. Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9), visible on Pad 14, is scheduled to carry astronaut Gordon Cooper for the fourth manned orbital mission...Image # :... More
Dr. Robert H. Goddard at His Launch Control Shack
Full Description: Dr. Robert H. Goddard observes the launch site from his launch control shack while standing by the firing control panel. From here he can fire, release, or stop testing if firing was unsatisfa... More
Desert Survival Training. NASA public domain image colelction.
Description (Aug. 13, 1964) Astronaut John Young, Frank Borman and Neil Armstrong with Deke Slayton are shown during desert survival training, Reno, Nevada STEAD AFB, Reno, NV..Image # S64-14507
President Johnson Congratulates Astronauts, NASA Gemini program
(June 14, 1965) President Lyndon Johnson shows off photos of astronaut Edward H. White II during his historic "space walk" extravehicular activity (EVA) on the Gemini 4 flight. Major participants from left to r... More
Mariner Diagram, NASA Mercury project
Description: (1965) A diagram of the Mariner series of spacecraft and launch vehicle. Mariner spacecraft explored Mercury, Venus and Mars.
Earth observation. Apollo 7, NASA Moon program.
Apollo 7 Hasselblad image from film magazine 7/S - Earth Orbit
Earth observation. Apollo 7, NASA Moon program.
Apollo 7 Hasselblad image from film magazine 7/S - Earth Orbit
Apollo 11. NASA public domain image colelction.
Launch- July 16, 1969 .Landing- July 24, 1969.Astronauts- Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” E. Aldrin Jr. and Michael Collins.Apollo 11 carried three astronauts to the moon with a mission of landing on the moon. Thi... More
Exterior View of Toroidal Colony
Exterior view. Art work: Don Davis. ..Credit: NASA Ames Research Center..NASA ID AC76-0525
Bernal Exterior. NASA public domain image colelction.
Exterior view. Art work: Rick Guidice. ..Credit: NASA Ames Research Center.. NASA ID AC76-0965
Memorial Plaque for Yuri Gagarin
(January 21, 1971) Dr. George M. Low, acting administrator of NASA, presented to the USSR on January 21, 1971, a plaque in memory of Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who made the first flight into space on April 1... More
Apollo 15: Irwin Scoops up Soil
Description: (August 2, 1971) Astronaut James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot, uses a scoop in making a trench in the lunar soil during Apollo 15 extravehicular activity (EVA). Mount Hadley rises approximately 14,... More
Space shuttle Too Close for Comfort
Date August 10, 1973 .Description: Scientist-Astronaut Edward G. Gibson, seated, and Astronaut William R. Pogue discuss a mission procedure at the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) display and control panel mockup i... More
First Titan-Centaur Launch Test
(February 11, 1974) The first Titan/Centaur lifted off from Complex 41 at Cape Kennedy Air Force Station at 9:48 AM EDT. The Titan stages burned as programmed, but when the Centaur stage failed to ignite, the R... More
Shuttle Test Using Electron Beam
A space shuttle model undergoes a wind tunnel test in 1975. This test is simulating the ionized gasses that surround a shuttle as it reenters the atmosphere...Center Number: L-1975-02972
The Sounds of Earth Record Cover
This gold aluminum cover was designed to protect the Voyager 1 and 2 Sounds of Earth gold-plated records from micrometeorite bombardment, but also serves a double purpose in providing the finder a key to playin... More
Pioneer 11 Image of Saturn and its Moon Titan
Description: (August 26, 1979) NASA's Pioneer 11 image of Saturn and its moon Titan at the upper left. The irregularities in ring silhouette and shadow are due to technical anomalies in the preliminary data lat... More
Cylinder Eclipse. NASA public domain image colelction.
Eclipse of the sun with view of clouds and vegetation. Art work: Don Davis. ..Credit: NASA Ames Research Center..NASA ID AC75-1920
Saturn's Rings, Voyager Program, NASA/JPL Photo
(August 23, 1981) This Voyager 2 view, focusing on Saturn's C-ring (and to a lesser extent, the B- ring at top and left) was compiled from three separate images taken through ultraviolet, clear and green filter... More
Payload Specialist Scully-Power in full flight suit with helmet
(September 4, 1984) Specialist Paul Scully-Power gives a thumbs up after training in full flight suit with helmet. He is in the mockup and integration laboratory where the shuttle mission simulator is housed...... More
Voyager Tour Montage, Voyager Program, NASA/JPL Photo
This montage of images of the planets visited by Voyager 2 was prepared from an assemblage of images taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. The Voyager Project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ... More
NASA Neptune from Voyager 2, Voyager Project
Description: This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken through the green and orange filters on the Voyager 2 narrow angle camera. The images were taken at a range of 4.4 milli... More
40 x 80 Foot Data Acquisition System
(February 16, 1990) The 40 x 80 Foot Data Acquisition System at the Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California...Image # : AC90-0085-2
Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE)
(October 31, 1997) A NASA SR-71 successfully completed its first flight October 31, 1997 as part of the NASA/Rocketdyne/Lockheed Martin Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research... More
The Ring Nebula. NASA public domain image colelction.
(October 1, 1998) The NASA Hubble Space Telescope has captured the sharpest view yet of the most famous of all planetary nebulae, the Ring Nebula (M57). In this October 1998 image, the telescope has looked down... More
Torus Construction. NASA public domain image colelction.
Construction along the torus rim. Art work: Don Davis. ..Credit: NASA Ames Research Center..NASA ID AC75-1886
The gift of Apollo : draft essay
A draft essay commemorating the Apollo missions. Written for Parade magazine, a version of this piece reappears as a section in Sagan's book Pale blue dot : a vision of the human future in space. The essay mixe... More
Cernan Jump Salutes Flag, NASA Moon program
Eugene A. Cernan, Commander, Apollo 17 salutes the flag on the lunar surface during extravehicular activity (EVA) on NASA's final lunar landing mission. The Lunar Module "Challenger" is in the left background b... More
Space Shuttle Columbia, Shuttle Enterprise Free Flight
(1977) The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free after being released from NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) over Rogers Dry Lakebed during the second of five free flights carried out at the Dry... More
Amelia Earhart, NASA history collection
(Unknown) Amelia Earhart standing in front of the Lockheed Electra in which she disappeared in July 1937. Born in Atchison, Kansas in 1897, Amelia Earhart did not begin flying until after her move to California... More
First JATO assisted Flight, NASA history collection
Full Description: Take-off of America's first "rocket-assisted" airplane, an Ercoupe fitted with a GALCIT developed solid propellent 28 pound thrust JATO (Jet Assisted Take-Off) booster. The Ercoupe took off fr... More
19 foot Pressure Wind Tunnel - NASA wind tunnel. Public domain image.
Description (March 15, 1950) Guide vanes in the 19 foot Pressure Wind Tunnel at Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, form an ellipse 33 feet high and 47 feet wide. The 2... More
Theodore von Karman, NASA history collection
Full Description: (c. 1950)Dr. Theodore von Karman, co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Pasadena, California was an aeronautical theoretician. He was the first winner of the prestigious U.S. Medal... More
X-3 Stiletto on Ramp - View from Side
Description (April 1, 1954) This NACA High-Speed Flight Station photograph shows a side-view of the X-3 Stiletto research aircraft on the ramp at Edwards Air Force Base in 1954. The X-3 Stiletto was a single-pl... More
Swinging Valve for Supersonic Wind Tunnel
Description (May 17, 1956) 24 foot diameter swinging valve at various stages of opening and closing in the 10ft x 10ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel.
IBM Electronic Data Processing Machine
(March 21, 1957) Man and woman shown working with IBM type 704 electronic data processing machine used for making computations for aeronautical research...Image # : L-1957-00989
Engineers Check Body Revolution Model
Description (July 31, 1957) Engineers making a check on body of a model of a supersonic aircraft before a test run in the 10ft x 10ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel test section...Image # : C1957-45670
Jerrie Cobb Poses beside Mercury Capsule
Jerrie Cobb poses next to a Mercury spaceship capsule. Although she never flew in space, Cobb, along with twenty-four other women, underwent physical tests similar to those taken by the Mercury astronauts with ... More
XB-70A landing with drag chutes deployed
(1960's) This photo shows the XB-70A #1 rolling out after landing, employing drag chutes to slow down. In the photo, the outer wing panels are slightly raised. When the XB-70 was flying at high speed, the panel... More
Chimpanzee Enos, NASA Mercury project
Date December 18, 1961.Description: Chimpanzee Enos pictured wearing a space suit and wrist tethers...Enos became the first chimp to orbit the earth on November 29, 1961, aboard a Mercury Atlas rocket. Althoug... More