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Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts-Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders-held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. Said Lovell, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.
This Month in NASA History: Apollo 8 Turns 45
December 19, 2013 // by

Forty-five years have passed since the crew of Apollo 8 orbited the moon. 

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Several tiny CubeSat satellites are shown in this image photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station on 4 October 2012. The satellites were released outside the Kibo laboratory using a Small Satellite Orbital Deployer attached to the Japanese module's robotic arm. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, flight engineer, set up the satellite deployment gear inside the laboratory and placed it in the Kibo airlock. The Japanese robotic arm then grappled the deployment system and its satellites from the airlock for deployment. A portion of the station's solar array panels and a blue and white part of the earth provide the backdrop for the scene.
CubeSats: An Emerging Platform for Mass Collaboration
December 16, 2013 // by

By Glen A. Robertson, David T. Young, and John D. Sprague   Small satellites provide opportunities to pursue space exploration challenges through mass collaboration—enabling many minds to solve tough problems using small platforms.

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Propulsion systems engineer Greg Barnett prepares a rocket injector for a hot fire test at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
Research Brief: Novel Processes for Advanced Manufacturing
December 10, 2013 // by

Hurdles remain for next-generation manufacturing techniques such as three-dimensional (3D) printing before they go mainstream.

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Cover of “NASA’s First A: Aeronautics from 1958 – 2008.”
A Historical Perspective on NASA’s First A
December 6, 2013 // by

The golden age of aeronautics research is an institutional memory, and like all memories it can get a little fuzzy, cautions aviation and technology historian Dr. Robert Ferguson.

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Rocket U teams working together during the Lego planning exercise.
Glenn Research Center Launches Rocket University Pilot
November 25, 2013 // by

Glenn Research Center (GRC) welcomed 12 early-career engineers to its Rocket University pilot program.

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Co-principal investigator Steven Christe working on the targeting technology, called the Solar Aspect System. Developed at NASA Goddard, this sophisticated, new pointing technology will enable scientists to aim HEROES with a high degree of precision to target highly specific points on the sun.
Project HOPE and Phaeton Workshop Videos Released
November 22, 2013 // by

Early-career NASA employees from four hands-on development projects share their lessons learned in new online video modules.

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curriculum update: Skillsoft Launch
Academy Brief: Curriculum Update
November 18, 2013 // by

APPEL’s courses and virtual library get a boost with new online resources.

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The RACE team members in the lab at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. From left to right: Shannon Statham, I&T lead; Alex Kadesch, project manager; Joel Steinkraus, instrument cognizant engineer; and Max Bryk, electronics lead. Credit: NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory
HOPE Brief: Alex Kadesch on CHARM
November 14, 2013 // by

A first-time project manager is leading a team of young engineers to launch an innovative CubeSat mission.

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A 115-foot Solar Array Wing extends from the International Space Station as it orbits 220 miles above Earth. This photo shows a portion of the wing's 32,800 solar cells that produce 32 kilowatts of electricity - enough to power 16 homes.
Lessons from Solar Array Structures and Mechanisms
November 7, 2013 // by

Langley Research Center systems engineer Kevin “Vip” Vipavetz shared a compilation of lessons from developing solar array structures and mechanisms—a high-risk component for many missions after launch and on orbit.

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