Front 3/4 view of the Avrocar mounted on variable height struts in the Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel, without tail.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks with Dr. George Raiche, Associate Director for Exploration Technology Infrastructure during his visit to the Arc Jet facility in N238.

Avrocar in the shop of the 40x80 foot wind tunnel with the 4 prop tilt wing model in the back ground.

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

TechEdSat-11 operators Daphne Dao, left, and Alejandro Salas, in the Ames Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240 Annex, Eros control room 162. The team monitors the spacecraft's status during the Exo-Brake “parachute” deployment. The ExoBrake is a drag device that increases the total surface area of the spacecraft to assist with a quicker deorbit. This maneuver is deployed at the end of mission to satisfy NASA's deorbit requirement and prevent space debris. TechEdSat has spent the last several months coordinating with NASA’s Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis (CARA) team to ensure the spacecraft can safely deploy the ExoBrake without colliding into any other objects.

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.

Group photo of the Orion astronauts with the staff of the Ames Arc Jet Complex in N238. Front row: Luis Saucedo, left, Debbie Korth, Christina Koch, Victor J. Glover, and George Raiche, right.

NASA astronauts Victor J. Glover, left, and Christina Koch, with Joe Mach as they tour STAR Labs, N238

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 meets wind tunnel staff during a tour of the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) facility in N227.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets Terry Fong during his visit to the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC) in N240A.

Group photo in STAR Labs in N242 with NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor J. Glover.

A Volvo Crawler Excavator severs the airframe, separating the tail section from the fuselage, of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron of Moffett Field, California.

Zachary Burkland, left, Justin Pane, and Jay Trimble, right during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Antoine Tardy explains the operation 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.

A Volvo Crawler Excavator severs the airframe, separating the tail section from the fuselage, of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron of Moffett Field, California.

David Korsmeyer welcomes Ames employees to the Orion Circle of Excellence Award Ceremony in the Syvertson Auditorium, N201.

Composite image of Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) data (contour) with a cut-out images of the T-38’s during a Mach Number 1.02 pass. The interaction of the shockwave of the trailing aircraft with the exhaust plume of the lead aircraft shows a shockwave reflection. Original recording of the pass taken in the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor at near Edwards AFB in December of 2018. Image acquired by JT Heineck, schlieren data processed by Neal Smith.

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

Megan MacDonald, left, leads NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor J. Glover, right, on a tour of the Laser Enhanced Arc Jet Facility (LEAF) laboratory, in N238. The LEAF laser augments the hypersonic shock heating experienced by a test sample during an arc jet test and provides improved test simulation quality by supplying an intense source of optical heating while the arc jet flow provides shock-driven convective heating.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visits the Arc Jet facility in N238.

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.

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

Zachary Burkland, left, and Jay Trimble, during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

NASA astronaut Victor J. Glover, left, Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, Deputy Center Director David Korsmeyer, Luis Saucedo, Parul Agrawal, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, left, in the lobby of N200.

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

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

Photo composite (8 frames) of the flight deck of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), with stations for the flight engineer, co-pilot, pilot, and navigator, who typically only flew on long overseas flights.

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

Richard Kolyer, left, with Jonas Jonsson guide the drone to land behind the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron.

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.

Terry Fong, left, and Chris Provencher during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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, left to right, are Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, Ames Center Director Eugene Tu, Director of Space Architectures Kurt “Spuds” Vogel, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in the Science Mission Directorate Joel Kearns.

Close-up view of the tail section of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), during its demolition on 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.

Location portrait of Rusty Hunt in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240, for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission.

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

Director of Science Michael Hesse, right, 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.

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

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 Administrator Jared Isaacman visits the Arc Jet facility in N238.

Thermophysics Facilities Branch Chief George Raiche, right, leads NASA astronauts Victor J. Glover, left, and Christina Koch through the Arc Jet Complex in N238.

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.

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.

A Volvo Crawler Excavator severs the airframe, separating the tail section from the fuselage, of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron of Moffett Field, California.

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.

Victoria Moore outside the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

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.

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

TechEdSat-11 operator Malachi Mooney-Rivkin, in the Ames Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240 Annex, Eros control room 162. Malachi monitors the spacecraft's status during the Exo-Brake “parachute” deployment. The ExoBrake is a drag device that increases the total surface area of the spacecraft to assist with a quicker deorbit. This maneuver is deployed at the end of mission to satisfy NASA's deorbit requirement and prevent space debris. TechEdSat has spent the last several months coordinating with NASA’s Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis (CARA) team to ensure the spacecraft can safely deploy the ExoBrake without colliding into any other objects.

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

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

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, right, speaks during a workforce Q&A session, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. Ames marks the tenth stop in Isaacman’s roadshow to visit NASA facilities and engage directly with the agency’s workforce. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

6x6 wind tunnel test on the effects of wing sweep.

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

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.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visits the Arc Jet facility in N238.

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch, left, holds a test sample for Victor J. Glover to photograph. The sample is a half-inch steel plate with a hole that was drilled by a 12-second burst from a 30kW laser in the Laser Enhanced Arc Jet Facility (LEAF) laboratory, N238.

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 Administrator Jared Isaacman, left, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, and Director of Aeronautics Huy Tran, right, tour the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) facility in N227.

Composite image of Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) data (contour) with a cut-out images of the T-38’s during a Mach Number 1.01 pass. This data is the first time shockwave interactions between two full scale aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound have been imaged and shown with schlieren visualization. Original recording of the pass taken in the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor at near Edwards AFB in December of 2018. Image acquired by JT Heineck, schlieren data processed by Neal Smith

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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

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.

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