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NASA History

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Surveyor 1's shadow against the lunar surface. Credit: NASA/JPL
This Month in NASA History: Surveyor 1 Lands Softly
June 13, 2011 // by

June 14, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 4   Forty-five years ago this month, scientists let out a sigh of relief when Surveyor 1 didn’t sink into the moon’s dusty surface.

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The Gemini VII spacecraft. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: 1965 “Rapid Fire” Gemini Flights
December 20, 2010 // by

December 29, 2010 Vol. 3, Issue 12   This month marks the 45th anniversary of the Gemini VI and Gemini VII flights, which performed the first manned space rendezvous.

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Frank “Bill” Burcham’s napkin sketch for the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft (PCA) system. (Click image for close-up) Photo Credit: NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center (Dennis Taylor)
This Month in NASA History: First Thrust-Only Airliner Landings at Dryden
November 19, 2010 // by

November 30, 2010 Vol. 3, Issue 11   This month marks the 15th anniversary of modified thrust-only airliner landing tests at Drydena good idea that started on a napkin.

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Echo 1 fully inflated. The balloon could be seen from the ground with the naked eye as it passed overhead. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: The “Satelloon” Takes to the Sky
August 12, 2010 // by

July 30, 2010 Vol. 3, Issue 7   August 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Echo 1 communication balloon.

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Lunar Orbit Rendezvous explained by John Houbolt. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: The Lunar Orbiter Rendezvous Decision
June 18, 2010 // by

June 30, 2010 Vol. 3, Issue 6   On June 7, 1962, Dr. Wernher von Braun tipped the scales in a heated debate of how to put men on the moon.

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Perched on the robotic arm, Andrew Feustel takes a close-up photo of John Grunsfeld. Credit: STScI/NASA
This Month in NASA History: 20th Anniversary of Hubble Launch
April 20, 2010 // by

April 26, 2010 Vol. 3, Issue 4   Former astronaut John Grunsfeld reflects on what the Hubble Space Telescope has taught us over the past 20 years.

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This Month in NASA History: Tenth Anniversary of Terra
March 3, 2010 // by

December 24, 2009 Vol. 2, Issue 12   On December 18, 1999, the Terra satellite lofted into orbit to study the interactions between humans and the lands, oceans, and atmosphere.

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This Week in NASA History — Intelsat I: The “Early Bird” of Satellites
February 25, 2010 // by

ASK OCE — April 4, 2006 — Vol. 1, 1 Issue 7   On April 6, 1965, NASA launched the world’s first commercial communications satellite Intelsat I (a.k.a. Early Bird) into a geosynchronous orbit above earth.

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