NASA Astronaut Engagement Events

Events featuring NASA astronauts discussing missions and engaging with audiences, highlighting teamwork and advancements in space exploration.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-3 Employee Engagement Event. NASAs SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts, from left to right, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, Tom Marshburn, and Mark Vande Hei participate in an employee engagement event, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters Building in Washington.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks via satellite with NASA astronaut Stan Love from NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston during an event where it was announced that nine U.S. companies are eligible to bid on NASA delivery services to the lunar surface through Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The companies will be able to bid on delivering science and technology payloads for NASA, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA expects to be one of many customers that will use these commercial landing services.

Artemis II Crew Senate Meet and Greet. NASA astronaut Victor Glover gives remarks as Sen. Ben Cardin, D-MD., left, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA Astronaut Christina Hammock Koch, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) President Lisa Campbell, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman look on, during a meet and greet, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. Glover along with Wiseman, Hammock Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann participates in a NASA Social Facebook Live briefing inside the Press Site auditorium on May 26, 2020, at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 launch, slated for Wednesday, May 27. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station. This will mark the first launch of astronauts from U.S. soil to the space station since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program, this will be SpaceXs final flight test, paving the way for NASA to certify the crew transportation system for regular, crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:33 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA astronaut Ron Garan addresses participants of the STS-133 Tweetup. NASA is hosting about 150 of its Twitter followers from around the world and several dozen states and providing them with a behind-the-scenes perspective to share with their own followers on the social networking service.The "Tweeps," as NASA calls them, will have a chance to tour Kennedy and meet with shuttle technicians, managers, engineers and astronauts. They also will receive a demonstration of Robonaut, a human-like robot similar to the one that will be delivered to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Space shuttle Discovery and its STS-133 crew are scheduled to launch Nov. 3 at 3:52 p.m. EDT.

Artemis II Crew Canadian Embassy Reception. From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch participate in a media gather, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, outside of the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

JSC2001-E-19296 (25 June 2001) --- Astronauts James F. Reilly (left), Janet L. Kavandi, Michael L. Gernhardt, all STS-104 mission specialists; along with Charles O. Hobaugh and Steven W. Lindsey, pilot and mission commander, respectively, are photographed during a pre-flight press conference at Johnson Space Center (JSC).

Attendees of the National Symphony Orchestras performance of Gustav Holsts “The Planets” take pictures in a model of a spacesuit, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, at The Anthem in Washington, DC.

JSC2001-E-25815 (23 August 2001) --- The Expedition Two crew consisting of James S. Voss (left) and Susan J. Helms, flight engineers, and cosmonaut Yury V. Usachev, mission commander, field questions at the podium in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the STS-105 and Expedition Two crew return ceremonies. Voss, Helms and Usachev spent five months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA astronaut Jack Fischer speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during Expeditions 51/52, Friday, Nov. 3, 2017 at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. During Expedition 52, Fischer completed hundreds of scientific experiments and two spacewalks, and concluded his 136-day mission when he landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan in September 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio recounts his experiences conducting the Slosh experiment on the International Space Station to employees attending the Launch Services Program's All Hands meeting in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building Mission Briefing Room at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.An Expedition 38/39 crew member, Mastracchio launched to the station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 6, 2013, and returned to Earth on May 13, 2014, after 188 days in space. To read Mastracchio's biography, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mastracc.html.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Frederick D. Gregory (second from left), the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator, responds to a reporters question at a press conference in the Apollo/Saturn V Center following the induction ceremony of five space program heroes into the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Seated (left to right) with him on the platform are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Gregory; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; June Scobee, representing her late husband Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; and Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russias Mir space station. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citi

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine introduces the 2017 astronaut candidates during a live episode of the Administrator's monthly chat show, Watch This Space, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 in the Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA's newest astronaut candidate class has started their two years of training, after which the new astronaut candidates could be assigned to missions performing research on the International Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial companies, and launching on deep space missions on NASAs new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.

JSC2001-E-25826 (23 August 2001) --- Daniel T. Barry, STS-105 mission specialist, signs autographs for the assembled crowd in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the STS-105 and Expedition Two crew return ceremonies. The STS-105 crew delivered the Expedition Three crew and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) and brought the Expedition Two crew back to Earth.

Apollo Astronaut Fred Haise speaks to a crowd of NASA and U.S Air Force employees at the Edwards Air Force Base theater about his career with NASA and as a military pilot. Haise stands on stage with a photo of former astronauts Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert who accompanied him on the Apollo 13 lunar mission in the background with a model of the Saturn V rocket.

Artemis II Crew Canadian Embassy Reception. NASA astronaut Victor Glover participates in a meet and greet, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

Artemis II Crew with EGS. Artemis II NASA astronauts were at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 7, 2023. CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Janson talks with members of the Artemis launch team inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center. Hanson and fellow Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Weisman are at the center to meet workers and tour facilities. The approximately 10-day Artemis II flight will test NASAs foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts and will pave the way for lunar surface missions, including landing the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon.

Christine McEntee, American Geophysical Union (AGU) Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, second from left; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, third from left; Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA, fourth from left; and Dennis Andrucyk, deputy associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA, right, pose for a photo with winners of the AGU Data Visualization Storytelling Competition at the annual AGU meeting, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington.

Col. Michael Hough, Commander 30th Space Wing, Vandenberg Air Force Base, discusses NASA's InSight mission during a prelaunch media briefing, Thursday, May 3, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a Mars lander designed to study the "inner space" of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core.

NASA astronaut Drew Feustel, center, talks about seismology while taping a segment of STEM in 30 with Marty Kelsey, left, and Beth Wilson, right, Thursday, May 9, 2019 at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Feustel most recently spent 197 days living and working onboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 55 and as commander of Expedition 56. Feustel ventured outside the space station on three spacewalks, moving him up to second among U.S. spacewalkers with a cumulative time of 61 hours 48 minutes over nine spacewalks.

Former NASA astronaut Tom Jones shows off a sleeping bag used by astronauts living aboard the International Space Station during a NASA Tweetup event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009.

NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Randy Bresnik, Shannon Walker, and Mark Vande Hei are seen on stage during a reception hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) to celebrate NASA's 60th anniversary, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

NASA Public Affairs Officer for Heliophysics Karen Fox, left, interviews, Apollo 11 astronaut Mike Collins, and NASA astronaut candidate Zena Cardman during NASA’s Giant Leaps: Past and Future," a live television program on Friday, July 19, 2019 from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. NASA and the world are recognizing the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, in which astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin crewed the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon.

NASAs Crew-4 STEM Event at James W. Robinson Secondary School. From left to right, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and NASA Astronaut Kjell Lindgren view a video presentation during a STEM event at James W. Robinson Secondary School, Friday, March 31, 2023, in Fairfax, Virginia. Lindgren spent 170 days in space as part of Expeditions 67 and 68 aboard the International Space Station.

Artemis II Crew with EGS. Artemis II astronauts visit the Artemis launch team inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 7, 2023. In front, from left are NASA astronauts Victor Glover (partially hidden), Christina Koch, and Reid Weisman, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hanson. The approximately 10-day Artemis II flight will test NASAs foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts and will pave the way for lunar surface missions, including landing the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon.

Astronaut Nicholas Patrick signs autographs for visitors during Orion Pad Abort-1 pathfinder display at an event outside American Airlines Center in Dallas on Jan. 27, 2012. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

NASA employees and contractors crowd together to get a glimpse of space shuttle Atlantis (STS-135) as it rolls toward the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) at a wheels stop event, Thursday, July 21, 2011, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Atlantis returned to Kennedy early Thursday following a 13-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and marking the end of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program. Overall, Atlantis spent 307 days in space and traveled nearly 126 million miles during its 33 flights. Atlantis, the fourth orbiter built, launched on its first mission on Oct. 3, 1985.

From left, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Joseph Acaba, Anne McClain, Matthew Dominick, and Jessica Watkins are introduced during a National Space Council meeting inside the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Dec. 9, 2020. The five are among an initial team of 18 astronauts eligible for early Artemis missions on and around the Moon. Vice President Mike Pence, who chaired the meeting, introduced the astronauts. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, former astronaut and current director of NASAs Glenn Research Center, Dr. Janet Kavandi, and NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor, are seen on a panel at a bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Womens Issues briefing on NASAs Artemis lunar exploration program, Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA is hosting a Tweetup for 150 Twitter followers of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, selected from more than 5,500 online registrants. A Tweetup is an informal meeting of people who use the social messaging medium Twitter. Here, NASA astronaut Mike Massimino talks with Sesame Street's Elmo. Sesame Street also is at Kennedy to film Elmo, as he learns about space exploration at NASA.Atlantis and its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, are scheduled to lift off at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pum

U.S. Navy Quartermaster 3rd Class Carson Betancourt from Tulsa, Oklahoma, poses with his painting with the Artemis II astronauts in the wardroom of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) during Underway Recovery Test 11, Feb. 22, 2024. In preparation for NASAs Artemis II crewed mission, which will send four astronauts in Orion beyond the Moon, NASA and the Department of Defense will conduct a series of tests to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, and hardware used in recovery operations for crewed lunar missions. The U.S. Navy has many unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including its amphibious ships with the ability to embark helicopters, launch and recover small boats, three-dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities. Navy

Commercial crew astronauts Eric Boe, Nicole Mann and Chris Ferguson recently toured Boeings spacecraft testing facilities in Huntington Beach and El Segundo, Calif. All three astronauts will fly on Boeings CST-100 Starliner in an upcoming Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. Structural testing in Huntington Beach confirms the spacecraft can withstand the pressures it will experience during flight. Environmental qualification testing in El Segundo ensures the spacecraft can withstand the extreme environments of space.

Scott Altman, who commanded the STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, far left on stage, speaks during a press conference, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009, after astronomers declared the telescope a fully rejuvenated observatory with the release Wednesday of observations from four of its six operating science instruments at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana hosts a lunch and learn on March 4, 2020, inside the Florida spaceports Training Auditorium during the centers annual Safety and Health Days. Taking place March 2 through March 6, Safety and Health Days provides Kennedy employees with a variety of presentations to attend - all of which emphasize how to maintain a safe and healthy workforce. The lunch and learn focused on Cabanas past experiences as an astronaut and what it takes to become one.

Artemis II Crew Canadian Embassy Reception. Ambassador of Canada to the United States Kirsten Hillman delivers introductory remarks during a reception with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

Cassini program manager at JPL, Earl Maize, left, and spacecraft operations team manager for the Cassini mission at Saturn, Julie Webster, right, embrace after the Cassini spacecraft plunged into Saturn, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Since its arrival in 2004, the Cassini-Huygens mission has been a discovery machine, revolutionizing our knowledge of the Saturn system and captivating us with data and images never before obtained with such detail and clarity. On Sept. 15, 2017, operators will deliberately plunge the spacecraft into Saturn, as Cassini gathered science until the end. The plunge” ensures Saturn’s moons will remain pristine for future exploration. During Cassini’s final days, mission team members from all around the world gathered at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, to celebrate the achievements of this historic mission.

NASA astronauts Nicole Mann (left) and Kjell Lindgren participate in a press briefing inside the Press Site auditorium on May 26, 2020, at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 launch, slated for Wednesday, May 27. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station. This will mark the first launch of astronauts from U.S. soil to the space station since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program, this will be SpaceXs final flight test, paving the way for NASA to certify the crew transportation system for regular, crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:33 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio discusses the highlights of the Expedition 38 mission to the International Space Station with the audience at a post-flight presentation.The Space Flight Awareness Program hosted Mastracchio's presentation for employees in the KSC Training Auditorium at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An Expedition 38/39 crew member, Mastracchio launched to the station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 6, 2013, and returned to Earth on May 13, 2014, after 188 days in space. Following Mastracchio's remarks, employees were given the opportunity to ask questions and to meet him in person. To read Mastracchio's biography, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mastracc.html.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 at NASM. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum curator Jennifer Levasseur and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren are seen in the in the One World Connected gallery looking at an interactive recreation of the International Space Stations Cupola, Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Lindgren, along with fellow NASA astronauts Robert Hines and Jessica Watkins spent 170 days in space as part of Expeditions 67 and 68 aboard the International Space Station.

Inside the Apollo-Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Pat Simpkins, director of the Engineering Directorate at Kennedy Space Center, speaks to the teams during the award ceremony for NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. used their uniquely-designed mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, and participated in other competition requirements, May 22-26, at the visitor complex. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

The Expedition 3 crew answers questions during the press conference. From left to right: Cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir N. Dezhurov, both Expedition 3 Flight Engineers (FE), and Astronaut Frank L. Culbertson, Expedition 3 Mission Commander.

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Brevard County sixth-graders participate in the eighth annual Space Week at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Here, the students wait to take a ride on the Shuttle Launch Experience, which mimics the sights, sounds and sensations of a real space shuttle launch.About 5,000 students will participate throughout the 11-day event, which contains fun space exploration activities designed to emphasize the importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Space Week is sponsored by NASA Education, Brevard Public Schools, Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts, and the Florida Chapter of the National Space Club.

Mitch Schulte from NASA Headquarters talks with attendees of the Mars celebration Saturday, June 1, 2019, in Mars, Pennsylvania. NASA is in the small town to celebrate Mars exploration and share the agencys excitement about landing astronauts on the Moon in five years. The celebration includes a weekend of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) activities.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks with NASA and Canadian Space Agency astronaut candidates following a live episode of the Administrator's monthly chat show, Watch This Space, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 in the Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA's newest astronaut candidate class has started their two years of training, after which the new astronaut candidates could be assigned to missions performing research on the International Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial companies, and launching on deep space missions on NASAs new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.

Angelo Vourlidas, project scientist, Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation, at the Naval Research Laboratory, second from left, makes a comment during a Science Update on the STEREO mission at NASA Headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2009, as Michael Kaiser, project scientist, Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) at Goddard Space Flight Center, left, Toni Galvin, principal investigator, Plasma and Superthermal Ion Composition instrument at the University of New Hampshire and Madhulika Guhathakurta, STEREO program scientist, right, look on.

NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins speaks about her time onboard the International Space Station during Expeditions 48 and 49 Thursday, April 27, 2017 at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Rubins became the first person to sequence DNA in space and completed her first mission when she landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan in October 2016.

Artemis II Crew Canadian Embassy Reception. NASA astronaut Victor Glover participates in a meet and greet, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

At right, moderator Joshua Santora, NASA Communications, addresses the audience during a NASA Social Facebook Live event held April 21, 2021, near the Press Site countdown clock at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ahead of the agencys SpaceX Crew-2 launch. Participants, from left to right, are: Steve Jurczyk, acting NASA administrator; Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXAs Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate; Frank de Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESA; NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Jasmin Moghbeli; and Kennedy Director Bob Cabana. Crew-2 is the second regular crew mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule will launch atop the companys Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A to the space station for a six-month science mission. Liftoff is targeted for Friday, April 23, at 5:49 a.m. EDT.

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold answers questions from the audience about his time onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum production of Stem in 30, Friday, May 3, 2019 at Six Flags America theme park in Upper Marlboro, MD. During Expedition 55/56, Arnold completed three spacewalks for a total of 19.5 hours outside the space station, and concluded his 197 day mission when he landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan in Oct. 2018. He also flew to the space station on shuttle mission STS-119 to deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings.

Attendees of the National Symphony Orchestra performance of Gustav Holsts “The Planets” listen to a presentation about Mars and Jupiter as they arrive, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, at The Anthem in Washington, DC.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, NASA Astronaut Neil Armstrong's spacesuit was unveiled today in The Wright Brothers and The Invention of the Aerial Age Gallery of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, in Washington, DC, July 16, 2019. Unveiling the spacesuit, from left, Rick Armstrong, son of Neil Armstrong, Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Ellen Stofan, The John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum, and James Bridenstine, Administrator of NASA. (Smithsonian Air and Space photo by Jim Preston)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Press Site bull pen at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, The LEGO Group's Daire McCabe and NASA's Associate Administrator for Education Leland Melvin talk about the LEGO sets going up to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission. NASA and The LEGO Group will send 23 LEGO sets to the station and some of those sets include a space shuttle, an ISS model, a Global Positioning Satellite and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The sets will be used for NASA's Teaching From Space Project, which is part of a three-year Space Act Agreement with the toy maker to spark the interest of children in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Liftoff is scheduled for April 29 at 3:47 p.m. EDT. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

Lindsay Aitchison, Deputy Project Manager for the Advanced Space Suit Project at NASA speaks to visitors to NASAs exhibit at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.

Post-landing Mars InSight press conference, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a Mars lander designed to study the "inner space" of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core.

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, speaks about his experience onboard the International Space Station at a NASA Social exploring science on the ISS at NASA Headquarters, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 in Washington.

JSC2001-E-22794 (25 July 2001) --- Astronaut Steven W. Lindsey, STS-104 mission commander, addresses a crowd at Ellington Fields Hangar 990 for a crew return ceremony. Seated from the left are Michael L. Gernhardt, James F. Reilly, both mission specialist, and Roy S. Estess, JSC Acting Director, along with Janet L. Kavandi, mission specialist, and Charles O. Hobaugh, pilot.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, center, talks with NASA James Webb Space Telescope public affairs officer Laura Betz at the NASA Exhibit area during the 37th Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba right, answer audience questions with the Smithsonian's Marty Kelsey, center, during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54.

President Yoon at GSFC. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim is seen as President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea meets with Korean-American employees during a tour of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in Greenbelt, Md.

NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins signs autographs at the NASA booth set up on the National Mall as part of the National Day of Service, Saturday, January 19, 2013, in Washington. NASA along with other federal agencies set up along the Mall as part of events surrounding the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

jsc2018e067825 (Aug. 2, 2018) --- The Commercial Crew Launch America poster highlights the astronauts assigned to the first test flights of American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station. The team of five astronauts on the left is assigned to Boeing's CST-100 Starliner Commercial Crew vehicle and consists of (front row from left) Chris Ferguson, Nicole Mann and Eric Boe. In the back row (from left) are Suni Williams and Josh Cassada. The team of four astronauts on the right is assigned to SpaceX's Dragon Commercial Crew vehicle and consists of (front row from left) Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. In the back row (from left) are Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover.

. jsc2023e018458 (April 3, 2023) - NASAs international astronaut corps poses for a group photo on stage during a Monday, April 3, 2023, Artemis II crew announcement news conference at Ellington Field near NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston. The crew is comprised of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. The four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASAs path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- From left, Dr. Steve Lee, with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Ulrik Solberg Lund, a LEGO minifigure designer; and Karsten Juel Bunch, a LEGO City senior designer, participate in an educational webcast in the Mission Status Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. On hand to ask questions of the guests were students, teachers, and mentors of the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) project who were invited to Kennedy to watch the launch of NASA's Juno spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.GAVRT is a partnership between NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and The Lewis Center for Educational Research (LCER) in Apple Valley, Calif. It allows students to control a 34-meter radio telescope that, until recently, was part of NASAs Deep Space Network, and to interact with scientists outside the classroom setting.

NASAs Crew-4 STEM Event at James W. Robinson Secondary School. NASA Astronaut Kjell Lindgren delivers remarks during a STEM event with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) at James W. Robinson Secondary School, Friday, March 31, 2023, in Fairfax, Virginia. Lindgren spent 170 days in space as part of Expeditions 67 and 68 aboard the International Space Station.

jsc2018e050021 - At the Baikonur Museum in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 56 backup crewmember Anne McClain of NASA signs a wall photo May 21 depicting the statue of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to fly in space, during traditional pre-launch activities. McClain is one of the backups to the prime crewmembers, Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA, Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, who will launch June 6 on the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft from Baikonur for a six-month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov.

Town Hall Meeting and Tours with the Associate Administrator, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

Artemis Departure Media Event

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Camp Kennedy Space Center participants get an up-close look at the space shuttle Atlantis during a weeklong summer activity for students entering second through ninth grades. Their tour took place just as final preparations were underway for the opening of the "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility.The new $100 million facility will include interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit is scheduled to open June 29, 2013.

Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro speaks during the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame 2022 induction ceremony on June 11, 2022, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Three former NASA astronauts, David Leestma, Chris Ferguson, and Sandra Magnus, received medals and were inducted into the 21st class of the Hall of Fame. This years induction brings the total number of AHOF members to 105. The Class of 2022 were selected by a committee of Hall of Fame astronauts, former NASA officials, flight directors, historians, and journalists. During the ceremony, each of the inductees received an official medal.

Artemis II Crew Canadian Embassy Reception. From left to right, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen deliver remarks, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, during a reception at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 Employee Engagement Event. NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins, left, Robert Hines, center, and Kjell Lindgren, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station during an employee engagement event, Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Lindgren, Hines, and Watkins spent 170 days in space as part of Expeditions 67 and 68 aboard the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronauts Michael Fincke and Greg H. Johnson create some excitement by helping to draw names for space-themed giveaways during Kennedy Space Centers We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration, Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former shuttle workers dedication to NASAs Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow.

Veteran NASA astronauts James Buchli and Janet Kavandi were inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in a public ceremony at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction on April 6, 2019.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-118 crew enjoys a traditional meal before suiting up for launch. Seated left to right are Mission Specialists Alvin Drew and Dave Williams, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh, Commander Scott Kelly, and Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio and Barbara R. Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut. Space Shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission is the 22nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station. It will continue space station construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, and other payloads such as the SPACEHAB module and the external stowage platform 3. The 11-day mission may be extended to as many as 14 depending on the test of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbiting lab. NASA/Kim Shiflett

New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Boulder, CO, left gives a high five to New Horizons Mission Operations Manager Alice Bowman of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory after the team received signals from the spacecraft that it is healthy and collected data during the flyby of Ultima Thule, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019 at the Mission Operations Center of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

Artemis II Crew Canadian Embassy Reception. NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman participates in a meet and greet, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, employees hold up a banner to commemorate space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission as it is transported from Orbiter Processing Facility-2 to the Vehicle Assembly Building.Endeavour and its STS-134 crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, spare parts, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

STS-132 Crew Visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

NASA Astronaut Mike Hopkins explains what it was like to live on the International Space Station for 6 months to visitors at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, MD on Monday, June 9, 2014. Hopkins served on Expeditions 37 and 38 with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy and returned home in March, 2014. (

Melissa Jones, center, Ground Systems Development and Operation Program (GSDO) Landing and Recovery director, speaks to a student during the 52 Weeks of Science” celebration at the Logan Heights Library in San Diego, California. GSDO is participating in the special event before the start of Underway Recovery Test 5 using a test version of the Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The test will allow NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of the Orion crew module on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NA

Artemis II Crew Canadian Embassy Workforce Event. From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch participate in an embassy workforce event, Friday, May 19, 2023, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. On stage for the World Space Expo's Pioneering Women of Aerospace forum are Ret. Colonel Eileen Collins, the first female shuttle commander; Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to spacewalk; Patricia Grace Smith, with the FAA, the first associate administrator of commercial space transportation; Dr. Anousheh Ansari, a spaceflight participant; Major Nicole Malachowski, the first female pilot with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds; and Major Samantha Weeks, the first female solo pilot with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. The expo commemorates humanity's first 50 years in space while looking forward to returning people to the moon and exploring beyond. The expo showcased various panels, presentations and educational programs, as well as an aerial salute featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornet, U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle, the P-51 Mustang Heritage Flight, and the U.S. Air Force 920th Resc

The winner of the high school portion of the Exploration Design Challenge is announced at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington on April 25, 2014. Astronaut Rex Walheim is photographed with students. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

All Hands Meeting with STS-122 Crew Members

STS-129 Mission Specialist Robert Satcher, lower right, interacts with the audience as he and fellow crew members sign autographs, Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, following a presentation to staff and middle school students from the Congressional Schools of Virginia at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

From the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, guests joined Americans from coast to coast following the solar eclipse. Although a partial eclipse on Florida's Space Coast, young and old alike found many ways to watch the rare astronomical event. As the Moon passed between Earth and the midafternoon Sun, a shadow moved across the landscape. The 70-mile-wide totality path, or "umbral cone" -- where the entire Sun will vanish behind the Moon -- stretched across 14 states, from Oregon to South Carolina.

Former NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson speaks after receiving his medal and induction into the 21st class of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame during a ceremony on June 11, 2022, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The 2022 inductees were selected by a committee of Hall of Fame astronauts, former NASA officials, flight directors, historians, and journalists. This years induction brings the total number of AHOF members to 105.

Michoud Team Celebrates Orion Splashdown. Employees at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans gather to watch the completion of NASAs Artemis I mission with the splashdown of the Orion spacecraft on Dec. 11. The team cheered as the capsule safely returned to Earth following its 25.5-day mission, which brought it further into deep space than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown before.The Orion crew capsule as well as parts for the launch abort system and the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket were built at the Michoud Assembly Facility.Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon. With the Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, right, and his wife Julie, center, pose for photo with Director and Producer Damien Chazelle at the premiere of Universal's feature film "First Man Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. The movie is based on the book by Jim Hansen that chronicles the life of NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong from test pilot to his historic Moon landing. It was directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy.

Matryoshka Dolls representing Expedition 55 crew members Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), left, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, center, and NASA astronaut Scott Tingle are seen at a Karaganda Airport welcome ceremony in Kazakhstan on Sunday, June 3, 2018. Shkaplerov, Tingle, and Kanai are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 54 and 55 crews onboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold poses for a photo with students after speaking with them about his time onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during Expeditions 55 and 56, Friday, May 3, 2019 in Lanham, MD. During Expedition 55/56, Arnold completed three spacewalks for a total of 19.5 hours outside the space station, and concluded his 197 day mission when he landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan in Oct. 2018. He also flew to the space station on shuttle mission STS-119 to deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings.

In the Heroes and Legends exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, a memorial wreath was placed following a ceremony honoring the memory of former astronaut Owen Garriott. The ceremony was held April 18, 2019. Garriott flew aboard the Skylab space station during the Skylab 3 mission and also on space shuttle Columbia for the STS-9/Spacelab-1 mission. He passed away April 15 at the age of 88.

A family wearing NASA and Artemis shirts are on the Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville, Florida, to witness the launch of NASAs Artemis I mission on Aug. 29, 2022. The launch was waved off for the day. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

The back wall of the NASA exhibit is seen during the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington.

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