Category: Space & Astronomy

For more than 100 years, wind tunnels at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, have helped shape the future of flight.   Now, two of NASA’s longest-serving facilities — the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel and the 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel — will pass the torch to the Flight Dynamics Research Facility (FDRF), the first major NASA wind tunnel built in more than 40 years.   “The FDRF…

A mission to raise the orbit of NASA’s Swift observatory is poised for launch June 30.

NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will sign a memorandum of agreement during a ceremony at 1 p.m. EDT, Monday, June 29, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The agreement will create a new interagency initiative that directly responds to President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy and supports the growth of the American space…

NASA has selected Sean Gallagher as the agency’s chief information officer (CIO). In this role, he is responsible for the agency’s entire portfolio of Information Technology products and services. Gallagher has been serving in an acting capacity since January and his permanent role is effective immediately. “Sean Gallagher’s leadership has been instrumental in strengthening NASA’s…

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is scheduled to launch a sounding rocket carrying student-developed experiments for the agency’s RockSatX and RockOn programs Wednesday, June 24, between 5:30 and 9:30 a.m. EDT, with a backup day on Thursday, June 25. The RockSat and RockOn programs provide technical training and hands-on experiences that prepare and equip…

At NASA, remaining a global leader in exploration and innovation includes having a skilledand dedicated workforce. Technicians play a critical role in advancing the agency’sresearch and missions, applying hands-on expertise across engineering, fabrication,electronics, and countless other technical fields. To help cultivate the next generation of technical talent, NASA’s Office of STEM Engagementhosted Career Technical Education…

A powerful but mostly unseen water system at work during rocket engine tests at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, underwent an upgrade in May. Crews brought the High Pressure Industrial Water Facility’s 66-million-gallon reservoir to its lowest level since construction in the 1960s by pumping out about 40 million gallons of…

Media are invited to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Wednesday, June 17, to view Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, carrying a Katalyst robotic spacecraft that will attempt to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Katalyst’s robotic servicing spacecraft, called LINK, will launch on Pegasus in June to rendezvous with Swift…

To facilitate discussion and information sharing on activities at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, a public information session is being held 4–6 p.m., Wednesday, May 13, at the NASA Wallops Visitor Center.  During the event, NASA will have information booths on the status on the causeway bridge construction, updates on beach replenishment, and a representative from the GLOBE program. Federal and state health experts will…

Commercial launch providers continue to advance propulsion technology with a renewed focus on liquid oxygen and methane propelled rockets and spacecraft. As systems grow in scale, carrying millions of pounds of propellant, so too does the responsibility to fully understand the safety profile. Engineers at NASA, with decades of cryogenic and test operations expertise, are…