Historical Space Missions

Archival footage from various space missions, showcasing astronauts, technology used, and significant events in space exploration from the 1960s to the 1980s.

1960s - A montage shows some of NASA's space exploration accomplishments across the decade, predating the moon landing (narrated in 1968).
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Field biologist Darlyne Murawski (summer 1996) attracts moths and other insects to a sheet lit by a mercury vapor lamp. Santa Rita Mountains, southern Arizona, USA.
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Scientist observing virus reflection in glasses in a dark setting
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New summer of ISU exhibits at the NASA Ames Exploration Center )designed by Planners Collaborative, Inc.)
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The Saturn V vehicle, carrying the unmarned orbital workshop for the Skylab-1 mission, lifted off successfully and all systems performed normally. Sixty-three seconds into flight, engineers in the operation support and control center saw an unexpected telemetry indication that signalled that damages occurred on one solar array and the micrometeoroid shield during the launch. The micrometeoroid shield, a thin protective cylinder surrounding the workshop protecting it from tiny space particles and the sun's scorching heat, ripped loose from its position around the workshop. This caused the loss of one solar wing and jammed the other. Still unoccupied, the Skylab was stricken with the loss of the heat shield and sunlight beat mercilessly on the lab's sensitive skin. Internal temperatures soared, rendering the the station uninhabitable, threatening foods, medicines, films, and experiments. This image shows the sun-ravaged skin of the Orbital Workshop, bared by the missing heat shield, with
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Jeff Thon, an SRB mechanic with United Space Alliance, is lowered into a mockup of a segment of a solid rocket booster. He is testing a technique for vertical SRB propellant grain inspection. The inspection of segments is required as part of safety analysis.
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3D rendering of a damaged DNA Strand.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Several Apollo program astronauts, along with their family members and friends, watch a simulation of an Apollo/Saturn V launch in a replica of a Launch Control Center firing room in the new Apollo/Saturn V Center (ASVC) at KSC prior to the gala grand opening ceremony for the facility that was held Jan. 8, 1997. The astronauts were invited to participate in the event, which also featured NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and KSC Director Jay Honeycutt. The ASVC also features several other Apollo program spacecraft component displays and multimedia presentations. The facility will be a part of the KSC bus tour that embarks from the KSC Visitor Center
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Astrobiology Conference 2002
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Life Beyond Earth by S.O.M. (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy. Architect: various, 2021.
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Spaceman exploring nature, examining plants in forest
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Apollo 8 astronaut Jim Lovell points to the lines from Genesis in his flight plan that were read during a television broadcast by him, Frank Borman, and William Anders as they orbited the Moon on Christmas Eve in 1968, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Lovell's flight plan, which is usually displayed at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, was one of the artifacts from the mission that were on display during the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Spirit of Apollo event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8. Apollo 8 was humanity's first journey to another world, taking astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders to the Moon and back in December of 1968.
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Astronaut Scott Kelly initiated VEG-01 B, the second crop of lettuce, on July, 8, 2015, and both Kelly and Astronaut Kjell Lindgren cared for the plants. The crop grew for 33 days. VEG-01 B included one set of six plant pillows planted with red romaine lettuce seeds. On Aug. 10, 2015, the crew harvested and consumed leaves from each plant. This was the first crop grown and consumed in NASA hardware. They harvested the rest of the plant tissue and froze it in the stations Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for return to Earth for further study including microbial analysis, antioxidant capacity, mineral analysis and anthocyanin concentration.
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TIFFANY LOCKETT OVERSEES THE HALF SCALE (36 SQUARE METERS) ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT UNIT (EDU) SOLAR SAIL DEPLOYMENT DEMONSTRATION IN PREPARATION FOR FULL SCALE EDU (86 SQUARE METERS) DEPLOYMENT IN APRIL, 2016
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American astronomer, Carl Sagan.
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A United Space Alliance technician carefully checks the thermal tiles on the underside of Space Shuttle Endeavour for nicks and dings following its landing at Edwards Air Force Base to conclude mission STS-126.
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Project scientist Mark Clampin is reflected in the flight mirrors of the Webb Space Telescope at Marshall Space Flight Center. Portions of the Webb telescope are being built at NASA Goddard.
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Photograph of the Elliott-Automation's new gas laser for teaching and research purposes, is also suitable for a wide range of applications in new communications systems. Dated 20th Century
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How to reach the North Pole, balloons, the Arctic Expedition, illustration from the magazine The Graphic, volume XIV, no 367, December 9, 1876. Digitally colorized image.
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Anatomical model showing the brain during a human rest or sleeping state.
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Robert Koch (1843 - 1910). German physician and pioneering microbiologist. Engraving published in Spain, 1890. Later colouration.
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S85-26475 (1 February 1985) --- Astronaut David Griggs, 51-D mission specialist, monitors the behavior of a pink plastic flipping toy, nicknamed Rat Stuff. The small toy is part of the Toys in Space project for NASA's 51-D mission.
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New summer of ISU exhibits at the NASA Ames Exploration Center )designed by Planners Collaborative, Inc.)
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Young female student scientist looking through a microscope while doing some research in the laboratory
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Image closure in preparationSpring-metabolism
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In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), a Digital Video Disk (DVD) bearing 616,400 digitized signatures of people from nations around the world is attached to the Cassini spacecraft and will soon to be on its way to Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft is scheduled for launch on an Air Force Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle on Oct. 6, 1997, and is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004.
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Bob Ballard Exploration
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Diplodocus Skeleton in Natural History Museum, London, England, UK
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Working in near-darkness inside the high bay clean room at the Astrotech payload processing facility, two technicians use black lights to inspect of one of NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes. Black light inspection uses UVA fluorescence to detect possible microcontamination, small cracks or fluid leaks.The Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earth's Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
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Telescope
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Crime scene, photography and investigator with evidence outdoor for analysis and investigation in forest or nature. People, detective or forensic photographer at night inspection with tape in woods
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers begin adhering a decal of the U.S. flag on one of the Ares I-X upper stage simulator segments. The upper stage simulator will be used in the test flight identified as Ares I-X in 2009. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations.
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An aerographer launches a weather balloon from the fantail of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69). Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)
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BEN FOSTER in PANDORUM (2009), directed by CHRISTIAN ALVART. Copyright: Editorial use only. No merchandising or book covers. This is a publicly distributed handout. Access rights only, no license of copyright provided. Only to be reproduced in conjunction with promotion of this film.
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Experimental recording by Arthur von Hübl of a color table using color plates to study visual effects.
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Signatures of astronauts, and cosmonauts from various countries can be seen on a door of a room in the Cosmonaut Hotel, Wednesday, June 6, 2018 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 56 crewmembers Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA, Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos, and Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) will follow the traditional and sign the door ahead of their launch onboard a Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft. Auñón-Chancellor, Prokopyev, and Gerst launched aboard the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft at 7:12am EDT (5:12pm Baikonur time) on June 6 to begin their journey to the International Space Station.
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The Empire State Building is illuminated in red to celebrate this Thursday's scheduled landing on Mars of NASA's Perseverance rover, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021 in New York City. A key objective for Perseverances mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planets geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.
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The Coronavirus, COVID-19 A Global Pandemic.
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