40 Years Ago: STS-51C, the First Dedicated Department of Defense Shuttle Mission
On Jan. 24, 1985, space shuttle Discovery took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on STS-51C, the first space shuttle mission entirely dedicated to the Department of Defense (DOD). As such, many of the details of the flight remain classified. Discovery’s crew of Commander Thomas “T.K.” Mattingly, Pilot Loren Shriver, Mission Specialists [...]
Advanced Modeling Enhances Gateway’s Lunar Dust Defense
2 Min Read Advanced Modeling Enhances Gateway’s Lunar Dust Defense A sample holder in a vacuum chamber spins during a lunar dust adhesion test at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Credits: NASA/Josh Litofsky NASA’s Artemis campaign aims to return humans to the Moon, develop a sustainable presence there, and lay the groundwork for the first [...]
NASA Faces of Technology: Meet Lauren Best Ameen
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) If you tell Lauren Best Ameen something is hard and cannot be done, she will likely reply, “Watch me.” As deputy manager for the Cryogenic Fluid Management Portfolio Project Office at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ameen and her team look for innovative [...]
NASA Glenn Trains Instructors for After-School STEM Program
2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) During the 21st Century Community Learning Centers workshop, after-school educators learn to build the “Move It” student activity from NASA’s Build, Launch and Recover Student Activity Guide.Credit: Kristen Marlatt NASA and the U.S. Department of Education are teaming up to engage students in science, [...]
NASA Glenn Helps Bring Joy to Children in Need
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Glenn employees donated 11 boxes of new, unwrapped gifts to the Toys for Tots program. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna NASA’s Glenn Research Center continued a decades-long tradition of participating in the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program during the 2024 holiday season. On Dec. [...]
NASA Sets Sights on Mars Terrain with Revolutionary Tire Tech
4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A test rover with shape memory alloy spring tires traverses rocky, Martian-simulated terrain.Credit: NASA The mystique of Mars has been studied for centuries. The fourth planet from the Sun is reminiscent of a rich, red desert and features a rugged surface challenging to traverse. [...]
NASA Kennedy Ground Systems Prepping Hardware for Artemis II, Beyond
Teams with NASA are gaining momentum as work progresses toward future lunar missions for the benefit of humanity as numerous flight hardware shipments from across the world arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first crewed Artemis flight test and follow-on lunar missions. The skyline at Kennedy will soon see added [...]
Sustainable Business Model Challenge
Climate change presents one of the most urgent crises of our time, with increasing threats to life, infrastructure, economies, and ecosystems worldwide. Climate change is no longer a distant concern; its effects are being felt now and are projected to intensify if emissions continue unabated. The consequences are severe and irreversible for people today, [...]
35 Years Ago: NASA Selects its 13th Group of Astronauts
On Jan. 17, 1990, NASA announced the selection of its 13th group of astronaut candidates. The diverse group comprised 23 candidates – seven pilots and 16 mission specialists. The group included one African American, one Asian American, and five women including the first female pilot and the first Hispanic woman. Following one year of astronaut [...]








