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NASA History

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The Space Shuttle Discovery launches on its first flight, STS-41-D, on August 30, 1984, 37 years ago this month. The crew deployed three satellites and heard knocking at the payload bay doors. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Discovery’s First Launch
August 5, 2021 // by

Crew deploys record number of satellites, hears knocking at the door.

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Apollo 15 Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin works at the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the first Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular. The folding “manned spacecraft on wheels” was a game changer for the Apollo Program, freeing astronauts to explore larger swaths of the lunar surface. This photograph was taken by Mission Commander David Scott. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Unfolding a Car on the Moon
July 8, 2021 // by

Team develops ‘manned spacecraft on wheels’ on tight deadline.

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The Space Life Science-1 (SLS-1), modular lab in the cargo bay of Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-40 in 1991. It was the first Spacelab mission dedicated solely to life sciences research. Research focused on the mechanisms and magnitudes of physiological changes during space flight. Credit: NASA/MSFC
This Month in NASA History: STS-40 Carries Spacelab
June 7, 2021 // by

Crew of accomplished professionals researches life science in space.

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The James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror, segments of which are seen here prepared for cryogenic testing in 2011, has unfolded for the last time on Earth as the team anticipates a launch this fall. Credit: NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham
First Research for James Webb Space Telescope Set
May 24, 2021 // by

Team anticipates launch of largest, most powerful space telescope ever built.

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The crew of STS-30 deploys the Magellan probe to Venus, the first planetary spacecraft to be launched from the space shuttle. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Atlantis Deploys Magellan
May 11, 2021 // by

Crew of STS-30 sends probe to map volcanic surface of Venus.

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This timed exposure taken on March 5, 1981, shows the preparation work at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad A, Complex 39, to prepare Columbia for the first launch of the space shuttle program, STS-1. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: STS-1 Begins New Era
April 16, 2021 // by

A veteran astronaut and a rookie team up on a test pilot’s dream. 

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NASA astronaut Shannon W. Lucid communicates with the ground support team inside the Core Module of the Russian Mir Space Station in 1996. Lucid, who holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry, spent six months on Mir performing experiments, setting a record for longest female space flight. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Lucid Arrives at Mir
March 3, 2021 // by

Record-setting stay spotlights growing cooperation in space. 

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The Russian space station Mir as Space Shuttle Discovery pulls closer for the first rendezvous in a program that would eventually include nine docking missions. Credit: NASA/JSC
This Month in NASA History: Discovery Arrives at Mir
February 3, 2021 // by

Mission improved communications and set stage for docking missions to come. 

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The Space Shuttle Columbia launches before dawn on January 12, 1986 with a tight-knit crew that deployed a key communications satellite. Credit: NASA
This Month in NASA History: Columbia Launches on STS-61-C
January 7, 2021 // by

Tight-knit crew deploys a key communications satellite and performs science missions.

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