NASA History

Flashback to Feb 1981 when NASA was preparing to launch the world's first reusable space vehicle.

Space Shuttle Columbia stands at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the evening prior to the Flight Readiness Firing of the orbiter's main engines.

STS-1, completed on Apr 14, 1981, marked the beginning of a brand new chapter in human spaceflight that would span 30 years.

On the 21st day of its mission in Mars's north polar region, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander used its scoop OTD in 2008 to reveal lumps of white ice under the surface of the rusty soil.

Scientists watched how the ice sublimed over 4 days, concluding that it was likely water ice.

On its final approach to Saturn, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured our first closeup of Phoebe OTD in 2004 at a distance of just 2,068 km.

Phoebe is unlike Saturn's other moons: It orbits Saturn at a distance almost four times greater than its nearest neighbor, has an inclined, retrograde orbit, and is very dark compared to other Saturnian moons. Scientists suspect that Phoebe is a captured centaur that originated in the Kuiper belt.

The Spirit rover (Mars Exploration Rover A) left our planet to begin the journey to its new home OTD in 2003. This view captured 20 years ago at the beginning of 2006 shows rippled sand deposits of the "El Dorado" ripple field in Gusev Crater on Mars.

Designed for a 90-day mission, Spirit operated for more than 6 years on Mars. It's twin, Opportunity, operated for almost 15 years.

Congratulations to the newly announced crew for Artemis III: Andre Douglas, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik, and Frank Rubio (left to right)! We are thrilled that these four distinguished astronauts will be “carrying the fire” for this next mission toward establishing a long-term human presence on the surface of the Moon.

Happy birthday to the first astronaut to drive on the Moon, David Scott! 🥳

Scott flew on the Gemini VIII and Apollo 9 missions before landing on the Moon in 1971 for Apollo 15.

⬇️ 60 years ago in March 1966, Scott before the Gemini VIII launch

60 years ago today, NASA took a pivotal step toward mastering spacewalking. After Ed White’s groundbreaking spacewalk in 1965, NASA's next attempt pushed the limits of human endurance.

On June 5, 1966, Gene Cernan undertook America’s ambitious second spacewalk, battling a stiff suit, limited maneuverability, and extreme heat. Though the EVA was cut short, the challenges he faced helped shape the future of spacewalk design and safety.

Before Neil Armstrong could take his historic first steps on the Moon, NASA first had to master the techniques that would let an astronaut safely exit a spacecraft in space.

On this day in 1965, Gemini IV pilot Ed White made that first step with the first American spacewalk.

After a number of setbacks, astronauts Tom Stafford (left) and Gene Cernan strapped into their Gemini spacecraft for the third time OTD 60 years ago, ready to begin the Gemini IX-A mission.

In this photo, they are seen in the two-person Gemini spacecraft as technicians prepare to close the hatches before launch.

The Gemini IX backup crew, Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin, left a poem taped on their spacecraft (seen in the foreground) with a little extra incentive to successfully launch.

The mission lifted off at 8:39 am on June 3, 1966. Their next task: rendezvous with an "angry alligator."

60 years ago today, Surveyor I made a three-point soft landing on the Moon—the first soft landing for America's space program—AND accomplished on its first try. Over the next 6 weeks it returned more than 11,000 images of the lunar surface including this one featuring its shadow.

The mission was one of the great successes of NASA's early lunar program.