This week in 2009, space shuttle Discovery, mission STS-128, launched to the International Space Station on the 30th mission dedicated to the assembly and maintenance of the orbiting lab. Discovery carried the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, a pressurized module that brought equipment, experiments, and supplies to and from the station. Here, astronaut Danny Olivas participates in the mission’s first spacewalk as construction and maintenance of the station continued. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center serves as “science central” for the space station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s science experiments. After 20 years of continuous human presence, the space station remains the sole space-based proving ground and stepping stone toward achieving the goals of the Artemis program. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)