Whether just getting the basics or diving into your research, we invite you to connect with our ever-expanding collection of mission profiles, biographies, articles, e-books, chronologies, and source documents spanning the history of the NACA and NASA.
From 1981 to 2011, 135 missions with the reusable shuttle vehicles were carried out to perform research and deliver crew and cargo to and from low-Earth orbit.
From early 1994 into 1998, the Shuttle-Mir Program prepared the way for the International Space Station and began an era of cooperation and exploration, rarely seen in human history.
On December 6, 1998, the crew of space shuttle mission STS-88 began attached the U.S.-built Unity node and the Russian-built Zarya module together in orbit. Learn more about the beginnings of this 25-year international venture.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and 2 brought us our first close-up views of the outer planets of our solar system and continue their missions today in interstellar space!
From 2007 to 2018, Dawn became the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial destinations, Vesta and Ceres, both in our solar system's main asteroid belt.
Learn about NASA’s History from the People Who Made It
Oral History Interviews
Oral histories ensure that the words of aerospace pioneers live on to tell future generations about the excitement and lessons of space exploration. Search our collection of interviews.
From Hidden to Modern Figures
Learn more about the African-American women who were essential to the success of early spaceflight and how their legacy continues today in NASA's commitment to a diverse workforce.
Former Astronauts
Get biographies of NASA's former astronauts.
Historic Personnel
This timeline of NASA's Administrators, Deputy Administrators, and Center Directors, provides biographies of NASA's key personnel since 1958.
NASA's precursor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was established by Congress in 1915 to advance the United States' standing in flight. Over its 40-some years in existence, it pushed the frontiers of air technology through groundbreaking aeronautics research, preparing the country for its venturing steps into space.
Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard is considered the father of modern rocket propulsion. A physicist of great insight, Goddard also had a unique genius for invention.
What do solar sails, a deep space atomic clock, and human exploration telerobotics have in common? These are a few of the projects NASA has tested to advance space exploration technology!
Successfully deployed from the space shuttle Challenger during the February 1984 STS-41B mission, the Westar 6 and Palapa B2 communications…
Vignettes from NASA's History
Drawing from oral history interviews with the people who were there, read about the significant highlights and turning points of NASA missions and programs like Apollo, Opportunity, Hubble, and more.