Andrew Henry during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

(Left to Right) Ashley Karp, NASA JPL, Hunjoo Kim, NASA JPL and Brian Schratz (NASA JPL) preparing the Peregrine rocket motor at the Outdoor Aerodynamic Research Facility (OARF, N-249).

Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A. Jasper Wolfe, front, with David Korsmeyer, and Eugene Tu.

The cockpit of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), is separated from the airframe on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Yellow straps fasten the cockpit of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), to the trailer that carries it off the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Removing the skin from the airframe of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

NASA Ames Deputy Director of Exploration Technology Aga M. Goodsell, sat for an on camera interview for the NASA Hidden Figures Project, in front of the Hyperwall (N-252).

Matt Machlis during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

(03/12/1976) 1/50 scale model of the 80x120 foot wind tunnel model (NFAC) in the test section of the 40x80 foot wind tunnel. Model mounted on a rotating ground board designed for this test, viewed from the west, oriented for North wind.

The drone follows an autonomously defined path around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron. The drone photographs the aircraft with a visible and infrared camera which are processed using a photogrammetry software package called Pix4D that converts them into a 3D model. Scanning the aircraft is the first phase of documenting the aircraft demolition as well as an opportunity to train pilots to operate the Pix4D software.

The tail section of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), severed from the fuselage on the N211 apron of Moffett Field, California.

Low Speed investigation of a supersonic transport model in the 40x80 Wind Tunnel. 03/01/1961 R 975 T Zero angel of attack. Supersonic transport with delta wing and delta conard. 3/4 front view.

Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth welcomes Ames employees to the Orion Circle of Excellence Award Ceremony in the Syvertson Auditorium, N201.

Daylight shines through the airframe of the fuselage onto the mission director’s and telescope operator’s workstations of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), during its demolition on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Close-up view of the tail section of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), severed from the fuselage on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Three-quarter front view of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), with the telescope aperture open on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Richard Kolyer unfolds the drone and prepares it for flight around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714).

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks with Ames engineers during his visit to the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC) in N240A.

Ethan Massey, in the control booth, sends commands that control the movement of the Moon Gravity Representative Unit (MGRU3) at the Roverscape during Family Day for team members of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). MGRU3 is a weight equivalent mobility and navigation test platform for VIPER. It is used to test, develop and validate the different mobility and navigation techniques and capabilities of the VIPER rover, to safely and efficiently map water at the Moon’s South Pole.

Gliding parachute test in 40x80 foot Wind Tunnel, mounted on main strut flying horizontally.

Christopher Hull Kepler/K2 Team, Official NASA Photo

Senior executives from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, including Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Nissan, and Jose Munoz, chairman of Nissan North America, visited Ames for meetings and a showcase of the technical partnership between NASA and Nissan North America. Shown here on left is Eugene Tu, Ames Center Director on right is Carlos Ghosn, CEO, Nissan

Harvey Allen at his retirement party held in the Ames Hangar N-211.

Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission systems manager Jay Trimble, left, with Center Director Eugene Tu during the vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A. Deputy Center Director David Korsmeyer, behind.

The cockpit of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), is separated from the airframe on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch exits the vacuum test chamber for the Interaction Heating Facility (IHF) of the Ames Arc Jet Complex, N238, following Victor J. Glover, left. During a test, a TPS test sample is suspended in the hypersonic flow produced by IHF’s arc heater. The shock heating produced by the interaction between the hypersonic flow and the stationary test sample simulates the heating and other forces the spacecraft will encounter during atmospheric hypersonic entry.

The drone follows an autonomously defined path around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron. The drone photographs the aircraft with a visible and infrared camera which are processed using a photogrammetry software package called Pix4D that converts them into a 3D model. Scanning the aircraft is the first phase of documenting the aircraft demolition as well as an opportunity to train pilots to operate the Pix4D software.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman views a test run in the Arc Jet facility in N238.

3/4 front view Ryan XV-5A lift-fan VSTOL airplane. Pictured with Tom Wills.

M-2 lifting body wind tunnel model with wind tunnel mechanic Chuck Greco. Model mounted on special support designed for lifting body models. Flaps and elevons visible.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman responds to questions from Ames employees during his coffee and donuts event in MegaBites N235.

The console holds the mission director’s workstation, left, the telescope operator’s station, and the data systems operator’s station, right, of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714).

Aircraft demolition of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

The drone follows an autonomously defined path around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron. The drone photographs the aircraft with a visible and infrared camera which are processed using a photogrammetry software package called Pix4D that converts them into a 3D model. Scanning the aircraft is the first phase of documenting the aircraft demolition as well as an opportunity to train pilots to operate the Pix4D software.

Senior executives from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, including Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Nissan, and Jose Munoz, chairman of Nissan North America, visited Ames for meetings and a showcase of the technical partnership between NASA and Nissan North America. The partnership allows researchers to develop and test autonomy algorithms, concepts, and integrated prototypes for a variety of vehicular transport applications – from rovers to self-driving cars. After briefings, the group on left from left to right Kathy Sun and Liam Pedersen, Nissan and on right from front to back Carlos Ghosn, CE, Nissan chatted before taking a ride in the autonomous vehicle to observed testing of Nissan’s all-electric LEAF as it performed safe autonomous drives across the center.

Monty Miranda in the telescope reticle during the demolition of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Test No. 175 Kaman K-16 in 40x80 Foot Wind Tunnel at Ames Research Center. Pictured with two Kaman employees. 3/4 Front view of Airplane. Kaman K-16B was an experimental tilt wing aircraft, it used the fuselage of a JRF-5 and was powered by two General Electric YT58-GE-2A engines.

Acting Deputy Associate Administrator (DAA) for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Mark Clampin learns about the Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (LEIA) the Bioscience Collaborative Laboratory, N288.

Looking South from inside the diffuser of the 40x80 foot wind tunnel at NACA's Ames Research Center. Construction began in late 1941, the mammoth construction task sorely taxing the resources of the new center. Two and a half years later, in dune 1944, the 40 x 80-foot full-scale tunnel went into operation.

Interior view of the Supercomputer Pleiades as installed in the Spectra Logic room 131 of NASA Ames Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) Facility N-258 located in Silicon Valley, CA.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, front, talks to the workforce at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley during the “Moon to Mars” town hall in the N201 Syvertson Auditorium. Behind him, left to right, are Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, AmesCenter Director Eugene Tu, Director of Space Architectures Kurt “Spuds” Vogel, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in the Science Mission Directorate Joel Kearns, Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs in the Space Technology Mission Directorate Walt Engelund, and Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Cathy Koerner.

4 propeller Tilt Wing. Pictured with Tommy Wills wind tunnel mechanic in the 40x80 foot wind tunnel.

Dr. Alfred Eggers returns for a visit to Ames and the arc jet with (left to right); Ryan Mcdaniel, Dinesh Rabhu, Joe Olejnizak, Alfred Eggers, Jeff Brown, Joe Hartman, Sylvia Johnson.

Director of Science Michael Hesse, left, presents an overview of Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (LEIA) to Acting Deputy Associate Administrator (DAA) for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Mark Clampin in the Bioscience Collaborative Laboratory, N288.

The tail section of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), severed from the fuselage on the N211 apron of Moffett Field, California.

Investigation of cambered propeller design for VTOL/STOL airplane. 3/4 front view of complete configuration, 0 deg.

Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, at the podium, leads a question-and-answer session with NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor J. Glover, right, with Ames employees following the Orion Circle of Excellence Award Ceremony in the Syvertson Auditorium, N201.

3/4 front view VZ-11 ground test - variable height struts. Engines of the VZ-11 are a pair of General Electric J85-5 turbojets, mounted in high in the centre fuselage, well away from fan disturbance. Designed in the Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman responds to questions from Ames employees during his coffee and donuts event in MegaBites N235.

Oxygen regulator pressure demand. Aft of the port side work area. Everyone flying on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), needed to have their own oxygen mask and operate their regulator.

The telescope mount in the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), during its demolition on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Mission Director Stephen Patterson at his workstation at the console of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714).

Jose A. B. Santos, right, discusses thermal protection materials with NASA astronaut Victor J. Glover, Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch in STAR Labs in N242.

Jesse Fusco, left, and James Milsk at the BioSentinel command console in the Ames Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240 Annex, Ceres control room 172, receiving spacecraft telemetry at the 3-year anniversary since launch on Artemis I.

A comparison of Earth and Kepler-1649c, an exoplanet only 1.06 times Earth's radius. Labeled Art Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/Daniel Rutter

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to Ames employees during his coffee and donuts event in MegaBites N235.

3/4 Low front view of fuselage and fan. Showing jet engine hanging below. Lift fan powered by jet exhaust. General Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Research Model with High Disk Loading Direct Lifting Fan Mounted in Fuselage

3/4 front, top view of Noriar Lift Engine Pod installation in Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel

40x80 wind tunnel manometers control room at NACA's Ames Research Center. Control panel (called the bench board) showing five of the seven scale heads which measured the forces on the model (ie. Lift, drag, side force etc.)

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, center, speaks to wind tunnel staff, with Associate Center Director Amir Deylami, back, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, right,

Pipistrel-USA Team Lead Jack Langelaan talks after his team won the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, on Monday, Oct. 3, 2011 at the NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif. The all electric Taurus G4 aircraft achieved the equivalency of more than 400 miles per gallon. NASA and CAFE Foundation held the challenge to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), is demolished on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Senior executives from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, including Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Nissan, and Jose Munoz, chairman of Nissan North America, visited Ames for meetings and a showcase of the technical partnership between NASA and Nissan North America. After briefings, the group observed testing of Nissan’s all-electric LEAF as it performed safe autonomous drives across the center.

Eugene Tu, center director at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, offers his opening remarks to the Ames workforce during the “Moon to Mars” town hall in the N201 Syvertson Auditorium. Town hall panel, seated right to left, are NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, Director of Space Architectures Kurt “Spuds” Vogel, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in the Science Mission Directorate Joel Kearns, Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs in the Space Technology Mission Directorate Walt Engelund, and Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Cathy Koerner.

Arno Rogg explains the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission to visitors in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240, during VIPER Family Day.

Acting Deputy Associate Administrator (DAA) for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Mark Clampin learns about the Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (LEIA) the Bioscience Collaborative Laboratory, N288.

Cables in the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), severed prior to removing the cockpit on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

NASA astronauts Christina Koch, left, Victor J. Glover, Matt Switzer, Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, and Margaret Stackpoole.

NASA Ames staff photographer Brandon Torres Navarette, front, photographs Orion Circle of Excellence Award being presented to Jeremy Vander Kam (ACD25-0023-001), center, by Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, left, NASA astronauts Victor J. Glover, right, and Christina Koch, left. Luis Saucedo is the master of the ceremonies at the podium on the far left, in the Syvertson Auditorium, N201.

Test #9.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets with NASA Next Cohort leadership in N232.

NASA is sending a mobile robot to the south pole of the Moon to get a close-up view of the location and concentration of water ice in the region and for the first time ever, actually sample the water ice at the same pole where the first woman and next man will land in 2024 under the Artemis program. About the size of a golf cart, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, will roam several miles, using its four science instruments — including a 1-meter drill — to sample various soil environments. Planned for delivery in December 2022, VIPER will collect about 100 days of data that will be used to inform development of the first global water resource maps of the Moon. Illustration by Daniel Rutter.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets with NASA Next Cohort leadership in N232.

Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation President Brien A. Seeley M.D., left, NASA Acting Chief Technologist Joe Parrish, 2nd from left, and Pipistrel-USA Team Lead Jack Langelaan, center with suit, and the entire Pipistrel-USA, Taurus G4 aircraft team pose for a photograph shortly after winning the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, on Monday, Oct. 3, 2011 at the NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif. The all electric Taurus G4 aircraft achieved the equivalency of more than 400 miles per gallon. NASA and CAFE held the challenge to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Yellow straps fasten the cockpit of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), to the trailer that carries it off the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

3/4 view of model in cruise configuration with 25 deg. Sweep, AR=6.9. SCAT-16; Variable Sweep Model in 40x80 Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames.

The Intersex Progress Pride flag flies for the first time at any NASA center below the American flag, in front of the Ames Administration Building, N200, to commemorate Pride Month.

(Test 460) deHavilland Augmentor Wing 40x80 Foot Wind Tunnel.

Ethan Massey, in the control booth, sends commands that control the movement of the Moon Gravity Representative Unit (MGRU3) at the Roverscape during Family Day for team members of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). MGRU3 is a weight equivalent mobility and navigation test platform for VIPER. It is used to test, develop and validate the different mobility and navigation techniques and capabilities of the VIPER rover, to safely and efficiently map water at the Moon’s South Pole.

de Havilland augmenter wing model 3/4 front view in 40 x 80 wind tunnel. JOHN CONWAY, ALAN WHEELBAND

Jesse Fusco, left, and James Milsk at the BioSentinel command console in the Ames Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240 Annex, Ceres control room 172, receiving spacecraft telemetry at the 3-year anniversary since launch on Artemis I.

F-14A fighter model lifted from the shop floor of the 40 x 80 foot wind tunnel. 3/4 scale

Left to right: Keats Wilkie, Mario Perez, and Craig Turczynski rotate the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) spacecraft on the workbench of the Ames Integration Facility located in N213 room 104.

Don Ebaugh, left, shows NASA astronaut Victor J. Glover a thermal couple plug, which measures the temperature inside a heat shield, in STAR Labs, N238.

The modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), is demolished on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

NASA Ames staff photographer Brandon Torres Navarette, front, photographs Orion program manager’s commendation award presented to Tane Boghozian (ACD25-0023-005), center, by Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, left, NASA astronauts Victor J. Glover, right, and Christina Koch, left, in the Syvertson Auditorium, N201.

3/4 Low front view of fuselage and fan. Showing jet engine hanging below. Lift fan powered by jet exhaust.

Effects of thrust reversers on the aerodynamics characteristics of a four-engine jet transport model. 1/4 front view on normal struts with thrust reversers.

Daylight shines through the airframe during the demolition of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), tail section on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

The Kepler space telescope examined twenty-one patches of the sky during it’s nine and a half years of operation. Within these regions, Kepler gathered high precision brightness measurements of over half a million stars facilitating the discovery of thousands of exoplanets and yielding insight into a multitude of other astrophysical phenomena. Illustration by Wendy Stenzel. Science content: Jeff Coughlin, Kenneth Mighell, Doug Caldwell, all of NASA Ames. Key words: Kepler, K2, Missions, nasa, Ames research center, spacecraft, FFI, Full Frame Image, fields of view, science.

Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A. Jasper Wolfe, left, with David Korsmeyer, and Eugene Tu, right.

3/4 front view of Lear Jet with Boom installed at 0 degree of attack. Ed Varrette in Photo.

Yellow straps are threaded through the airframe of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), before removing the cockpit on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Director of Aeronautics Huy Tran, left, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Associate Center Director Amir Deylami, back, Congressman Sam Liccardo, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, right, tour the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) facility in N227.

Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission systems manager Jay Trimble, right, with Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC) Director Justin Pane, during the vehicle operational readiness test in the MMOC, N240A.

Color view of the Avrocar from overhead in the 40x80 wind tunnel, without A1:H73 mounted on variable height struts.

G.E. Fan-in-fuselage model (lifting). 3/4 rear view of fan at low G.P. position. Lift fan on variable height strut for ground effects studies with reaction control. T-Tail.

3/4 view of the Nozzle of the Peregrine Rocket Motor, tested at the Outdoor Aerodynamic Research Facility (OARF, N-249). at Ames Research Center.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets with Berkeley Space Center leadership in the Jack Boyd Committee Room, N200. Left to right, Associate Provost Berkeley Space Center Dr. Victoria Coleman, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, and Center Director Eugene Tu.

The drone follows an autonomously defined path around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron. The drone photographs the aircraft with a visible and infrared camera which are processed using a photogrammetry software package called Pix4D that converts them into a 3D model. Scanning the aircraft is the first phase of documenting the aircraft demolition as well as an opportunity to train pilots to operate the Pix4D software.