NASA History News & Notes

NASA’s Aeronautics Research Continues to Generate Lift

NASA History News & Notes’ Summer 2023 edition focuses on NASA’s aeronautics research history and how lessons from the past still guide NASA’s work today. Topics explored include the beamed power for aircraft propulsion, the chase crews for the first Shuttle missions, jet engine research in the 1940s and ’50s, the evolution of NASA’s sustainable flight portfolio, the history of the ban on supersonic flight over land, traffic management in air and space, coaxial rotor system research, and much more!

The 20th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster

Historians discuss the repercussions of the STS-107 tragedy and how it continues to shape NASA today. Reflections on other aerospace disasters and the safety and leadership lessons that were learned are also included.

Apollo 17’s 50th Anniversary

Topics include the orange soil at Shorty Crater, Engineering Support for the Apollo 17 mission at Johnson Space Center, the mission’s science investigations, the crew’s visits to Plum Brook Station and Langley Research Center, and more!

The History Behind the Artemis Program

Read about the Deep Space Network’s role in the Apollo and Artemis Programs, contributions by Glenn and Langley Research Centers, the history of evidence for water on the Moon, plus a look at how Apollo 17 astronauts Ron Evans and Gene Cernan created keepsakes of their flight to the Moon for their families.