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Dr. Nancy Grace Roman records data from a computer display at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, circa 1972. In 1959, she became the first female executive and the first Chief of Astronomy at NASA. Photo Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: A Pioneer Begins

Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief of astronomy, blazes a trail for the Hubble Space Telescope decades before launch. 

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This detailed, all-sky picture of the infant universe was created from nine years of data gathered by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. The image reveals 13.77 billion year old temperature fluctuations (shown as color differences) that correspond to the seeds that grew to become the galaxies. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: A Turning Point in Cosmology

WMAP mission releases stunning map of the Cosmic Microwave Background, a “baby picture” of the Universe.

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This Month in NASA History: Opportunity’s Hole in One

Rover quickly finds stunning evidence that Mars was once a warmer planet shaped by significant amounts of surface water.

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Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, commander (left); William Anders, Lunar Module Pilot (right); and James Lovell, Command Module Pilot (center) safely returned to Earth on December 27, 1968, after successfully orbiting the Moon on the second crewed Apollo mission. Photo Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: NASA’s Bold Decision

Apollo 8 spaceflight to the Moon was a gamechanger.

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Gemini XII astronaut James A. Lovell, Jr. (left), command pilot, and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. (right), pilot, eat a piece of cake presented to the two astronauts by crew members of the prime recovery ship, USS Wasp. Gemini XII splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean at 2:21 p.m. (EST), Nov. 15, 1966, to conclude a four-day mission in space. Photo Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Project Gemini Ends

Aldrin pioneers under water training for EVAs.

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Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., then a senator from Ohio, prepares to fly aboard STS-95, adjusting a video camera during training at Cape Canaveral. Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski looks on at right. Glenn’s two spaceflights were 36 years apart. Photo Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: An Icon’s Return to Space

‘The John Glenn factor’ draws large crowds to launch of STS-95.

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Global images of Mars taken by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) during summer in the planet’s northern hemisphere. Between 1997 and 2006, MGS looked at Mars in unprecedented detail, building upon the successful Viking missions before it. Credits: NASA/USGS
This Month in NASA History: A Closer Look at Mars

Mars Global Surveyor examines the Red Planet in unprecedented detail.

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Workers in the White Room at Launch Pad 19 help L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., left, and Charles “Pete” Conrad strap in to Gemini V. The two would share the record for longest spaceflight for about four months. Photo Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Gemini V Launches

Record-setting mission carries new technologies.

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Within days of the launch, Landsat 1 acquired an image of an astounding 81,000-acre fire burning in isolated, central Alaska. For the first time ever, scientists and resource management officials were able to see the full extent of damage from a fire in a single image while it was still burning. Photo Credit: NASA/USGS
This Month in NASA History: A Closer Look at Earth

Landsat 1 demonstrated the value of multispectral scanner technology.

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