STS-127 - LAUNCH
Description: SEQUENTIAL STILL COVERAGE OF LIFTOFF. FRAME VEHICLE AND LAUNCHER PLUS ONE VEHICLE LENGTH. Item: DD083-39A Date Taken: 7/15/2009 Image Type: DIGITAL STILLS STS127 LAUNCH AND LANDING
ISS042E135486 (01/10/2015) --- Just another sunny day in the Caribbean...
ISS042E135486 (01/10/2015) --- Just another sunny day in the Caribbean sea as viewed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. This image was tweeted out by NASA astronaut Terry Virts as he captured... more
Boarding Gemini VIII
Description (March 16, 1966) Commander Neil Armstrong (right) and pilot David R. Scott prepare to board the Gemini-Titan VIII. Gemini VIII successfully launched at 11:41 a.m. EST, March 16, 1966. The mission co... more
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
X-1-3 Being Mated To EB-50A Superfortress
(November 9, 1951) The third X-1 (46-064), known as "Queenie," is mated to the EB-50A (46- 006) at Edwards AFB, California. Following a captive flight on November 9, 1951, both aircraft were destroyed by fire d... more
The Mercury 7
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
Rendezvous Docking Simulator
(February 7, 1964) Multiple exposure of Rendezvous Docking Simulator. The Gemini spacecraft was supported in a gimbal system by an overhead crane and gantry arrangement which provided 6 degrees of freedom - rol... more
Astronaut Edward White Ready For Gemini IV Liftoff
(June 3, 1965) Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot for NASA's Gemini IV mission is shown in the crew's ready room at Launch Complex 16, suited and ready to ride the van to Launch Complex 19 for insertion in the... more
ASTRONAUT JAMES A. LOVELL, JR.
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., pilot for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Gemini-7 spaceflight, walks to the elevator at Pad 19 one hour and 40 minutes before launch of the spacecraft. Moments ... more
Photographs of President Richard Nixon Greeting the Apollo 11 Astronau...
Original caption: NASA/APOLLO. ABOARD THE USS HORNET - President Richard M. Nixon appears to be holding the Presidential Seal which is attached to the door of the Mobile Quarantine Facility during his greeting... more
Cernan Jump Salutes Flag
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
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
STS102-368-019 - STS-102 - Empty orbiter payload bay as seen from U.S....
The original finding aid described this as: Description: View of the empty orbiter payload bay as seen from the U.S. Laboratory/Destiny module window. Subject Terms: STS-102, DISCOVERY (ORBITER), PAYLOAD BAY,... more
STS-135 Launch
(July 8, 2011) Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission launched from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on July 8, 2011. STS-135 was the last Space Shuttle mission. The crew of four delivered supplies to th... more
X-15 #2 just after launch
Description: The X-15 #2 (56-6671) launches away from the B-52 mothership with its rocket engine ignited. The white patches near the middle of the ship are frost from the liquid oxygen used in the propulsion sy... more
Lifting Bodies on Lakebed
(November 30, 1968) The wingless lifting body aircraft sitting on Rogers Dry Lake at what is now NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. From left to right are the X-24A, M2-F3 and the HL-10.... more
Brick Moon Space Station Concept
This is an artist's impression of the Brick Moon. The Brick Moon was the title of an article published in the Atlantic Monthly by Edward Everett Hale in 1869. This piece was the first known proposal for an Eart... more
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
Coop Project: Federal National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History
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
The Wright Brothers' First Heavier-than-air Flight
Description (December 17, 1903) On December 17, 1903, at 10:30am at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, this airplane arose for a few seconds to make the first powered, heavier-than-air controlled flight in history. Th... more
The Langley Aerodrome
Description: L90-4341: "The Langley Aerodrome, brainchild of a group led by Samuel Langley. Shortly after this photo was taken, the December 8, 1903, manned tests of the Aerodrome ended abruptly in failure, as ... more
Orville Wright in the Wright Flyer
This photo commemorates the first successful sustained powered flight by Orville Wright on December 17, 1903, in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Orville was at the controls and his brother, Wilbur, was runnin... more
Samuel Pierpont Langley and Charles M. Manly
Full Description: (c. 1903) Samuel Pierpont Langley (1834-1906) with chief mechanic and pilot, Charles M. Manly...Image # L-1990-04340
Wilber and Orville Wright with Flyer II at Huffman Prairie
(May 1, 1904) Wilbur and Orville Wright with the Flyer II at Huffman Prairie, outside of Dayton, Ohio, on May 1, 1904. ..The Wrights had a much more difficult time testing their aircraft at Huffman Prairie than... more
Wright Flyer Test Flights at Fort Myer, VA
(September 3, 1908) The Wright Flyer demonstrations at Fort Myer, Virginia on September 3, 1908. In January 1908 the Wright Brothers submitted a bid to the U.S. War Department to design a plane for $25,000. Thi... more
Dr. Goddar Observes Launch Site
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 unsatisfactory. Firing, rel... more
Orville Wrights Test His Glider at Kitty Hawk, NC
(October 24, 1911) This photograph of Orville Wright in his glider at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, was taken on October 24, 1911. His new glider broke all the previous gliding records by actually soaring and sta... more
First meeting of NACA in 1915
Description: The first meeting of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in the Office of The Secretary Of War April 23, 1915. Brig. Gen. George P. Scriven was elected as the temporary Chairman ... more
Goddard with Vacuum Tube Device
Full Description: (c. 1916) Robert H. Goddard with vacuum tube apparatus he built in 1916 to research rocket efficiency. Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard is commonly referred to as the father of American rocketry. ... more
George Lewis, NACA Director of Research
Description: George W. Lewis, director of research for the NACA from 1919 to 1947"in Engineer in Charge p 26. ..Identifier NIX-EL-1997-00143
NACA 1 and NACA 3
Description: In the spring of 1919, these two Curtiss JN-4H Jennies, which served as NACA 1 and NACA 3 (foreground), prepare to take off from Langley Field. Many of these early flights were done to collect basi... more
Double the pilots, double the trouble
Description: (1920) Goggles at the ready, this Langley test pilot and engineer conducted research business high above the ground. In the early years, the flight research team was usually made up of a test pilot... more
Dr. Robert H. Goddard
Full Description: Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945). Dr. Goddard has been recognized as the father of American rocketry and as one of the pioneers in the theoretical exploration of space. Robert Hutching... more
Langley First Wind Tunnel
The honeycombed, screened center of this open-circuit air intake for Langley's first wind tunnel insured a steady, nonturbulent flow of air. Two mechanics pose near the entrance end of the actual tunnel, where ... more
Joseph Ames
Dr. Joseph Sweetman Ames at his desk at the NACA headquarters. Dr. Ames was a founding member of NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), appointed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ames took on N... more
The NACA's First Wind Tunnel
Description (April 1, 1921) The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)'s first wind tunnel, located at Langley Field in Hampton, VA, was an open-circuit wind tunnel completed in 1920. Essentially a ... more
Atmospheric Wind Tunnel #1
(May 22, 1921) Test section and balance for Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT) #1. The 5 foot diameter circular test section and control room of NACA Tunnel No. 1. A Curtiss "Jenny" model can be seen mounted in the ... 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
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Meeting
Description: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in session at Washington to discuss plans to place America foremost in the development of aviation. A report was heard from Dr. Ames, chairman of the... more
Variable Density Tunnel
Description (February 3, 1922) The Variable Density Tunnel arrives by rail from the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The Tunnel was installed at Langley...Center: LARC .Image # : L-1990-04352
Hangar construction
Description (August 1, 1922) Hangar construction at Langley in 1922...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00339
John F. Victory
(c. 1922) John F. Victory (1892-1974) was the NACA's first employee and the only executive secretary it ever had...Image # : L-1990-03731
Patternmakers
(June 1, 1922) Workmen in the patternmakers' shop manufacture a wing skeleton for a Thomas-Morse MB-3 airplane for pressure distribution studies in flight, June 1922...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00184
Mr. Carroll in SPAD
Description: Tom Carroll was a NACA research pilot and the SPAD was a French bi-plane fighter aircraft during WWI.
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
Robert Goddard with his Double Acting Engine Rocket in 1925
Full Description: Dr. Robert H. Goddard with his complete rocket with the double- acting engine in November 1925, following more than two years of pump development based on the idea of a separate pump for each ... more
Paul King and the Vought VE-7
Description: (October 17, 1925) Clad in a fur lined leather flying suit with oxygen facepiece, NACA test pilot Paul King prepares to take to the air in a Vought VE-7...Center: LARC .Image # : L-01118
Boeing NB-1
Description (October 12, 1926) Boeing NB-1: Designed as a primary trainer for the U. S. Navy, the Boeing NB-1 was used by the NACA at Langley starting in October 1926. The float-quipped example used by the NACA... more
First Flight of a Liquid Propellant Rocket
Dr. Robert H. Goddard and a liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket in the frame from which it was fired on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts. From 1930 to 1941, Dr. Goddard made substantial progress in the develo... more
Max M. Munk
Description: (June 1, 1926) Michael Max Munk served as the NACA's Chief of Aerodynamics at what is now Langley Research Center. During his time at the NACA, Munk made a number of contributions to the field of a... more
Propeller Research Tunnel
This test fuselage (circa 1926) is fitted with Cowl No. 10, the prototype for the first commercial installations. Developed in the PRT to reduce air resistance around a radial engine, the NACA Cowl proved to b... more
Early Rockets - Dr. Goddard's 1926 rocket configuration
Dr. Goddard's 1926 rocket configuration. Dr. Goddard's liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket was fired on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts. It flew for only 2.5 seconds, climbed 41 feet, and landed 184 feet awa... more
Early Rockets. Dr. Robert H. Goddard and liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket...
Dr. Robert H. Goddard and liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket in the frame from which it was fired on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Mass. It flew for only 2.5 seconds, climbed 41 feet, and landed 184 feet away in a cabb... more
Sperry M-1 Messenger
Description (1927) A Langley researcher ponders the future, in mid-1927, of the Sperry M-1 Messenger, the first full-scale airplane tested in the Propeller Research Tunnel. Standing in the exit cone is Elton W.... more
Weick, Lindbergh, and Hamilton
(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
NACA Langely Administrative Office
Description: (1927) Langley administrative office in. Note the blueprints on the table at right lower corner, and rubber stamp tree on the man's desk in left foreground...Image # : L-02204
NASA Electronics Research Center
Original caption: NASA-Electronics Research Center. Cambridge, Mass. Construction Project Photographs
Wright WF3W-1 Apache
Description (May 19, 1927) Wright WF3W-1 Apache: In its seaplane configuration, an NACA crew prepares the Wright XF3W-1 Apache for take off from the Little Back River. The Apache was used for engine and cowling... more
Curtiss Hawk
Description (1928) Curtiss Hawk with NACA Cowling in 1928...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03018
Making airplanes
Description: (1928) Langley metal workers fabricated NACA cowlings for early test installations. Cowlings reduced drag and increased aircraft performance...Center: LARC.Image # : L-03412
Curtiss Racer
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
NACA Cowling #10
Description (September 1, 1928) Drag can present a major problem for aircraft and many of Langley's early research was focused upon reducing aircraft drag. One method was to place a cowling or covering over the... more
Henry Reid at his desk
Description: (April 1928) The youthful engineer-in-charge Henry J.E. Reid sits at his desk, April 1928...Center: LARC .Image # : L-02357
Metal shop
Description: (1928) At work in the metal shop making engine cowlings. The cowlings smoothed airflow over the engine and reduced drag. This increased speed and fuel efficiency...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03332
Vought O2U-1 Corsair
Description (August 2, 1928) Vought O2U-1 Corsair: Suspended from the roof of the NACA's hangar at Langley Field, this Vought O2U-1 Corsair retains its float undercarriage, a contrast to other O2Us flown by the... more
Curtiss Hawk
Description (October 12, 1928) Army Curtiss Hawk with NACA cowling. This Curtiss AT-5A is equipped to test a NACA cowling, November 1928. It was the work done on the NACA cowling which brought Langley the Colli... more
Amelia Earhart Visits NACA (And Gets Her Coat Caught in a Wind Tunnel!...
Description (November 5, 1928) Group photo on steps of Langley Research Building in 1928. front row, left to right: E.A. Meyers, Elton Miller, Amelia Earhart, Henry Reid, and Lt. Col. Jacob W.S. Wuest. Back row... more
Variable Density Wind Tunnel
Description (February 14, 1928) View of the interior of the exit cone of the Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT) during its brief period of operation as an open throat design. After the fire, the VDT section engineer... more
Curtiss AT-5a with NACA Cowling
Description (October 12, 1928) The NACA cowling as applied to a Curtiss AT-5A at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, October 1928...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03019
Wright Apache
(1928) Originally the Wright Apache had a propeller spinner over the hub and a metal jacket covering the crankcase and inner portions of its engine cylinders. An LMAL test pilot prepares to fly the Apache to hi... more
Variable Density Wind Tunnel
Description: (March 15, 1929) Left to right: Eastman Jacobs, Shorty Defoe, Malvern Powell, and Harold Turner. In this photo taken on March 15, 1929, a quartet of NACA staff conduct tests on airfoils in the Vari... more
Fourth Flight of a Liquid Propellant Rocket
Dr. Robert H. Goddard's rocket is in the tower, ready for the July 17, 1929, test at Auburn, Massachusetts. This was the fourth flight of a liquid-propellant rocket. Rocks were piled on pipes directly under the... more
Metal workers
Description: (1929) Metal workers welding pipe pause for the camera in this 1929 view...Center: LARC .Image # : L-01136
Fokker Trimotor, 1929
Description (1929) The Langley flight crew installs an experimental low-drag cowling on the Fokker trimotor, 1929. Such cowlings increased fuel efficiency and overall performance...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03333
Collier Trophy presentation 1929
Description: (April 10, 1929) President Herbert Hoover presents the Collier Trophy to Joseph Ames, chairman of the NACA in 1929. Three years later, as part of his plan to increase efficiency in government, Hoov... more
Full Scale Tunnel (FST) and Seaplane Tow Channel
Description: Aerial and ground views of the overall construction of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) and the Seaplane Tow Channel. In November 1929, Smith DeFrance submitted his recommendations for the general design of... more
Pearl I. Young
Description (March 29, 1929) Pearl I. Young, the NACA's first female professional, at work in the instrument research laboratory circa 1929. Photograph published in Winds of Change, 75th Anniversary NASA publi... more
Langley Laboratory Annual Picnic, Buckroe Beach
Description: (July 1, 1929) Langley Laboratory Annual Picnic, Buckroe Beach -- On the barrel to the left is Edward R. Ray Sharp, a future engineer in charge of the NACA's Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in ... more
Noordung's Three-Unit Space Station Concept
This 1929 Hermann Noordung image depicts a three-unit space station as seen from a space ship. Hermann Potocnik (1892-1929), also known as Herman Noordung, created the first detailed technical drawings of a spa... more
Hermann Noordung
Hermann Potocnik (1892-1929), also known as Herman Noordung, was an engineer in the Austrian army. Noordung wrote Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums (The Problem of Space Travel:The Rocket Motor) (1929), a... more
Noordung's Space Station Habitat Wheel
1929 Hermann Noordung depiction of a space station habitat wheel. Hermann Potocnik (1892-1929), also known as Herman Noordung, created the first detailed technical drawings of a space station. Power was generat... more
Tow Tank #1
Description: Digging the channel for the Tow Tank. In the late 1920s, the NACA decided to investigate the aero/hydro dynamics of floats for seaplanes. A Hydrodynamics Branch was established in 1929 and special ... more
The NASA Ames 40x80 Foot Wind Tunnel
As tall as a 10 story building, this towering bank of vanes turns the air smoothly around one of the four corners of the world's largest wind tunnel. This tunnel which has a test section 40 feet high and 80 fee... more
Dr. Goddard Transports Rocket
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
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Armstrong Count...
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Armstrong County
Construction of the 30 x 60 Foot Wind Tunnel at Langley
Full Description: This photograph from 1930 shows the 30 x 60 Foot Tunnel during construction. Smith J. de France, a NACA engineer, was in charge of the design team for the new tunnel. Planning involved the con... more
Navy NAS Sunnyvale, Mt View, California prior to construction 1930 Mt ...
Navy NAS Sunnyvale, Mt View, California prior to construction 1930 Mt View, California farm lands. Property outline in white.
5-Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel
Description (September 18, 1930) Construction of 5-Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel. The 5-Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel was built to study spinning characteristics of aircraft. It was an open throat tunnel capable of a m... more