Back to Top

INSIGHT

Read More

Subscribe to INSIGHT

Expanding perspectives every month.

Subscribe
Podcast
Explore

This Month in NASA History

Home/INSIGHT/This Month in NASA History
A Mercury capsule is mounted inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel for a test of its escape tower rockets at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: The X-Plane that Became a Capsule
March 14, 2025 // by

Maxime Faget built on groundbreaking work by H. Julian Allen to shape the future of NASA space exploration.  

Read More
NASA Astronaut Bruce McCandless II reaches a maximum distance of about 100 yards from the Space Shuttle Challenger before reversing direction in his manned maneuvering unit (MMU) and returning to the spacecraft again and again during the nearly seven-hour untethered spacewalk. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Untethered Spacewalk Becomes a Reality
February 13, 2025 // by

Long envisioned in science fiction, NASA’s Manned Maneuvering Unit was built to support critical tasks during the shuttle era.

Read More
On Jan. 5, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, discussed the proposed Space Shuttle vehicle in San Clemente, Calif. The President announced that day that the United States should proceed at once with the development of an entirely new type of space transportation system. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Nixon OKs Shuttle Program
January 13, 2025 // by

The nation chooses to reduce spending after Apollo, focusing on a versatile, reuseable spacecraft for low-Earth orbit.

Read More
This Month in NASA History: Mariner 2 Arrives at Venus
December 6, 2024 // by

Team met technical challenges to gather first data from another planet.

Read More
Commander John W. Young (left), and Payload Specialist Ulf Merbold, enjoy a meal in the middeck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-9. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: The First Spacelab Mission
November 13, 2024 // by

The shuttle program’s first crew of 6 works around the clock in a mission of firsts, then overcome daunting challenges to return safely.  

Read More
In January 1961, engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center prepared the massive first stage of the Saturn I rocket for checkout. The booster was designed with eight clustered H-1 engines capable of producing as much as 1.5 million pounds of thrust. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: The First Saturn Rocket Launch
October 16, 2024 // by

Saturn I-A was the bold first step in a giant technological leap.

Read More
The surface of the Moon captured by Lunar Orbiter 3. The Lunar Orbiter program took more than 3,000 images of the Moon, which helped NASA program managers, scientists, and mission managers identify the landing sites for Apollo lunar landings. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: The Lunar Orbiter Missions
August 8, 2024 // by

A young geologist catalogs thousands of photos of the lunar surface and helps to identify key landing zones for the Apollo program.

Read More
Apollo 11 CapCom Charles M. Duke, Jr., left, with astronauts James A. Lovell, Jr., center, and Fred W. Haise, Jr. during the first human lunar landing on July 20, 1969. Photo Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: CapCom for Apollo 11
July 9, 2024 // by

Duke talks Armstrong and Aldrin through communications issues, alarms, and a dwindling fuel supply to help them reach the lunar surface.

Read More
In June of 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin prepare to practice spacewalk techniques, walking over a simulated lunar surface in a facility at what is now NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Photo Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: The ‘Third One Down’
June 11, 2024 // by

In June 1969, NASA charges Apollo 11 with a single, straightforward objective — Perform a manned lunar landing and return.

Read More