Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

PHOTO DATE: April 01, 2025. LOCATION: Mesa Gateway Airport. SUBJECT: Gateway Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module delivery to Northrup Grumman Facility in Gilbert, AZ. PHOTO CREDIT: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

jsc2025e032710 (March 20, 2025) --- JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui is photographed during an interview in a studio at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, before his upcoming mission to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

iss069-s-002 (Feb. 7, 2023) --- The official Expedition 69 crew portrait with (from left) flight engineers Frank Rubio from NASA, Dmitri Petelin from Roscosmos, Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates), Woody Hoburg from NASA, Stephen Bowen from NASA, Andrey Fedyaev from Roscosmos, and Commander Sergey Prokopyev from Roscosmos.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

jsc2025e032707 (March 20, 2025) --- JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui is photographed during an interview in a studio at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, before his upcoming mission to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrives in Mesa, Arizona, after traveling from Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure. Delivered by cargo aircraft to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, HALO will be transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert for final outfitting.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen were announced Monday, April 3 as the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. The crew assignments are as follows: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Koch, Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen. This image was modified to include CSA’s insignia on the center front of Hansen’s spacesuit. The insignia was not available at the time of the photo. It will be on Hansen’s suit for Artemis II. PHOTOGRAPHER: Josh Valcarcel

PHOTO DATE: May 29, 2025.LOCATION: NBL - Pool Topside SUBJECT: EVA & Human Surface Mobility Program's Axiom Space xEVA System - NBL Integration Testing - Lunar Integration Run 1 - Subject: Koichi Wakata 29 May 2025. PHOTOGRAPHER: Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074864 (September 16, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Yuri Kubo poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Kubo was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074721 (September 15, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Rebecca “Becky” Lawler poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Lawler was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074866 (September 16, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Imelda Muller poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Muller was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074719 (September 15, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Erin Overcash poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Overcash was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074718 (September 15, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Cameron Jones poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Jones was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074862 (September 16, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Katherine Spies poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Spies was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074863 (September 16, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Lauren Edgar poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Edgar was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074720 (September 15, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Ben Bailey poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Bailey was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074717 (September 15, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Adam Fuhrmann poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Fuhrmann was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e074865 (September 16, 2025) --- NASA astronaut candidate Anna Menon poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Menon was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in September 2025. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2024e031840 --- NASA astronaut Kate Rubins (right) takes a photo of NASA astronaut Andre Douglas (left) as he raises an American flag during a simulated moonwalk in a rock yard at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e075922_alt (September 17, 2025) --- NASA announced its 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class on Sept. 22, 2025. The 10 candidates, pictured here at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are: U.S. Air Force Maj. Adam Fuhrmann, U.S. Air Force Maj. Cameron Jones, U.S. Army CW3 Ben Bailey, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Erin Overcash, Katherine Spies, Anna Menon, Yuri Kubo, Dr. Lauren Edgar, Rebecca Lawler, and Dr. Imelda Muller. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

jsc2025e075905_alt (September 17, 2025) --- NASA announced its 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class on Sept. 22, 2025. The 10 candidates, pictured here at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are: U.S. Army CW3 Ben Bailey, Anna Menon, Rebecca Lawler, Katherine Spies, U.S. Air Force Maj. Cameron Jones, Dr. Lauren Edgar, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Erin Overcash, Yuri Kubo, Dr. Imelda Muller, and U.S. Air Force Maj. Adam Fuhrmann. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

PHOTO DATE: September 17, 2025. LOCATION: Bldg. 2s, Teague Lobby. SUBJECT: Astronaut Candidate Group Photo - ASCAN Class of 2025. PHOTOGRAPHER: Josh Valcarcel

PHOTO DATE: September 17, 2025. LOCATION: Bldg. 2s, Teague Lobby. SUBJECT: Astronaut Candidate Group Photo - ASCAN Class of 2025. PHOTOGRAPHER: Josh Valcarcel

NASA's F/A-18 research aircraft stands ready prior to a QSF18 supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

NASA ground and maintenance crews prepare the F/A-18 research aircraft for a supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas in support of the QSF18 flight campaign. These crews are vital to making sure the aircraft is ready to operate safely and efficiently for NASA’s research.

When astronauts return to Earth from destinations beyond the Moon in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, they’ll still need to safely get out of the spacecraft and back on dry land. Using the waters off the coast of Galveston, Texas, a NASA and Department of Defense team test Orion exit procedures in a variety of scenarios on July 11, 2017. Part of Batch images transfer from Flickr.

When astronauts return to Earth from destinations beyond the Moon in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, they’ll still need to safely get out of the spacecraft and back on dry land. Using the waters off the coast of Galveston, Texas, a NASA and Department of Defense team test Orion exit procedures in a variety of scenarios on July 11, 2017. Part of Batch images transfer from Flickr.

jsc2017e119012 (September 21, 2017) --- 2017 NASA astronaut candidate Warren Hoburg readies for helicopter water survival training at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. Photo Credit: (NASA/Josh Valcarcel)

NASA ground and maintenance crews prepare the F/A-18 research aircraft for a supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas in support of the QSF18 flight campaign. These crews are vital to making sure the aircraft is ready to operate safely and efficiently for NASA’s research.

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA's F/A-18 research aircraft stands ready prior to a QSF18 supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

NASA test pilots Jim “Clue” Less and Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg step to the F/A-18 research aircraft at Ellington Field and conduct pre-flight safety checks on the aircraft prior to a supersonic research flight for the QSF18 series.

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA ground and maintenance crews prepare the F/A-18 research aircraft for a supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas in support of the QSF18 flight campaign. These crews are vital to making sure the aircraft is ready to operate safely and efficiently for NASA’s research.

NASA ground and maintenance crews prepare the F/A-18 research aircraft for a supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas in support of the QSF18 flight campaign. These crews are vital to making sure the aircraft is ready to operate safely and efficiently for NASA’s research.

NASA pilots, engineers, and communications specialists brief the day's operations prior to a supersonic research flight for QSF18, taking off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. The flights are meant to validate NASA's techniques and technology for gather community feedback data for X-59's Low-Boom Flight Demonstration mission.

NASA's F/A-18 research aircraft stands ready prior to a QSF18 supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

NASA test pilots Jim "Clue" Less and Wayne "Ringo" Ringelberg step to the F/A-18 research aircraft at Ellington Field and conduct pre-flight safety checks on the aircraft prior to a supersonic research flight for the QSF18 series.

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA's F/A-18 research aircraft stands ready prior to a QSF18 supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

jsc2017e119000 (September 21, 2017) --- 2017 NASA astronaut candidate Warren Hoburg readies for helicopter water survival training at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. Photo Credit: (NASA/Josh Valcarcel)

jsc2017e118962 (September 21, 2017) --- 2017 NASA astronaut candidate Zena Cardman readies for helicopter water survival training at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. Photo Credit: (NASA/Josh Valcarcel)

NASA’s F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

jsc2017e118970 (September 21, 2017) --- 2017 NASA astronaut candidate Frank Rubio readies for helicopter water survival training at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. Photo Credit: (NASA/Josh Valcarcel)

NASA ground and maintenance crews prepare the F/A-18 research aircraft for a supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas in support of the QSF18 flight campaign. These crews are vital to making sure the aircraft is ready to operate safely and efficiently for NASA’s research.

NASA test pilots Jim “Clue” Less and Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg step to the F/A-18 research aircraft at Ellington Field and conduct pre-flight safety checks on the aircraft prior to a supersonic research flight for the QSF18 series.

NASA’s F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

NASA test pilots Jim “Clue” Less and Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg step to the F/A-18 research aircraft at Ellington Field and conduct pre-flight safety checks on the aircraft prior to a supersonic research flight for the QSF18 series.

When astronauts return to Earth from destinations beyond the Moon in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, they’ll still need to safely get out of the spacecraft and back on dry land. Using the waters off the coast of Galveston, Texas, a NASA and Department of Defense team test Orion exit procedures in a variety of scenarios on July 11, 2017. Part of Batch images transfer from Flickr.

jsc2017e118963 (September 21, 2017) --- 2017 Canadian Space Agency astronaut candidate Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons is all smiles during helicopter water survival training at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. Photo Credit: (NASA/Josh Valcarcel)

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA’s F/A-18 research aircraft stands ready prior to a QSF18 supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

When astronauts return to Earth from destinations beyond the Moon in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, they’ll still need to safely get out of the spacecraft and back on dry land. Using the waters off the coast of Galveston, Texas, a NASA and Department of Defense team test Orion exit procedures in a variety of scenarios on July 11, 2017. Part of Batch images transfer from Flickr.

NASA ground and maintenance crews prepare the F/A-18 research aircraft for a supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas in support of the QSF18 flight campaign. These crews are vital to making sure the aircraft is ready to operate safely and efficiently for NASA’s research.

NASA test pilots Jim "Clue" Less and Wayne "Ringo" Ringelberg step to the F/A-18 research aircraft at Ellington Field and conduct pre-flight safety checks on the aircraft prior to a supersonic research flight for the QSF18 series.

NASA’s F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

NASA ground and maintenance crews prepare the F/A-18 research aircraft for a supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas in support of the QSF18 flight campaign. These crews are vital to making sure the aircraft is ready to operate safely and efficiently for NASA’s research.

NASA’s F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

NASA test pilots Jim “Clue” Less and Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg step to the F/A-18 research aircraft at Ellington Field and conduct pre-flight safety checks on the aircraft prior to a supersonic research flight for the QSF18 series.

jsc2017e118973 (September 21, 2017) --- 2017 NASA astronaut candidate Jessica Watkins readies for helicopter water survival training at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. Photo Credit: (NASA/Josh Valcarcel)

NASA test pilot Wayne "Ringo" Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA's F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

NASA test pilots Jim “Clue” Less and Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg step to the F/A-18 research aircraft at Ellington Field and conduct pre-flight safety checks on the aircraft prior to a supersonic research flight for the QSF18 series.

NASA’s F/A-18 research aircraft stands ready prior to a QSF18 supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA’s F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

NASA test pilots Jim "Clue" Less and Wayne "Ringo"Ringelberg step to the F/A-18 research aircraft at Ellington Field and conduct pre-flight safety checks on the aircraft prior to a supersonic research flight for the QSF18 series.