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At the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in 2013, an Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo spacecraft sat on Pad-0A in preparation for a demonstration cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Government Brief: Clarity Required for Commercial Space Launches

As the commercial space industry expands, clearer communication is needed about financial responsibilities for launch activities, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

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Project Management Improvement Accountability Act
From the APPEL Director: Program/Project Management Training Mandated

A new law, the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act, underscores the importance of program and project management training in the federal government. 

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Report Cover
Maximizing the Scientific Productivity of NASA Missions

Voyager. Hubble. Cassini. These and many other NASA missions made some of their greatest scientific discoveries long after their original goal was achieved.

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Artist's concept of the Lucy spacecraft flying past several of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, which are early remnants of planetary formation in the solar system.
New Missions to Explore Unique Asteroids

With the selection of two new Discovery missions, Lucy and Psyche, NASA is investing in a deeper understanding of the origins of the solar system.

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Artist’s conception of the CHIPSat, NASA’s first and only University-class Explorer mission.
This Month in NASA History: CHIPSat Surveyed the Interstellar Medium

On January 12, 2003, NASA’s first and only University-Class Explorer (UNEX) mission set out to investigate the extremely hot gas in the interstellar medium surrounding the solar system. 

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December 2016 APPEL News Digest Now Available!
December 2016 APPEL News Digest Now Available

A new edition of the APPEL News Digest has been released. We invite you to read it today on our website.

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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is now in the integration and test phase of development. In preparation for transport to testing areas, a clean tent is draped over the massive JWST primary mirror.
Government Brief: JWST Meets Cost and Schedule Commitments

According to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) completed its fifth consecutive year of being on budget and on schedule.

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Research mathematician Katherine Johnson, one of the “human computers” whose calculations helped send astronauts safely to the moon, at her desk at Langley Research Center in 1962.
NASA’s Hidden Figures Helped the Agency Make History

During the 1960s, African American “human computers”—women who performed critical mathematical calculations—at NASA helped the United States win the space race.

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One of the CYGNSS microsatellites undergoes environmental testing in a radio frequency anechoic chamber at the Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX. Photo Credit: Southwest Research Institute
CYGNSS Advances Space-Based Hurricane Intensity Prediction

Seeing inside the core of a hurricane from space to assess the storm’s intensity has been largely impossible—until now.

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