Stennis Space Center Director Patrick Scheuermann (right) and members of the Roy S. Estess family unveil a commissioned portrait of the late Stennis director during a May 2 ceremony. The portrait now hangs in the lobby of the main NASA administration at Stennis, now named the Roy S. Estess Building.

Stennis Space Center Director Patrick Scheuermann (right) and members of the Roy S. Estess family unveil a commissioned portrait of the late Stennis director during a May 2 ceremony. The portrait now hangs in the lobby of the main NASA administration at Stennis, now named the Roy S. Estess Building.

Members of the original Von Braun german rocket team participate in the Saturn V replica didication ceremony at the U. S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Pictured are (L/R): Walter Jacobi, Konrad Dannenberg, Apollo 14's Edgar Mitchell, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, Apollo 12's Dick Gordon, Gerhard Reisig, Werner Dahm, MSFC Director Art Stephenson, Director of the U. S. Space and Rocket Center Mike Wing, Walter Haeusserman, and Ernst Stuhlinger.

Stennis Space Center Director Patrick Scheuermann welcomes Roy S. Estess family members and guests May 2 to the ceremony dedicating and naming the main NASA administration building for the late Stennis director. Estess served as director of the rocket engine test facility from 1989 to 2002.

Stennis Space Center Director Patrick Scheuermann welcomes Roy S. Estess family members and guests May 2 to the ceremony dedicating and naming the main NASA administration building for the late Stennis director. Estess served as director of the rocket engine test facility from 1989 to 2002.

JSC2002-E-09336 (13 March 2002 ) --- Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Acting Director Roy S. Estess speaks from the lectern in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the STS-109 crew return ceremonies.

JSC2001-E-22792 (25 July 2001) --- JSC Acting Director Roy S. Estess introduces the STS-104 crew members (out of frame) to a crowd gathered in Ellington Field’s Hangar 990 during crew return ceremonies.

JSC2001-E-22793 (25 July 2001) --- Astronaut Steven W. Lindsey, STS-104 mission commander, addresses a crowd at Ellington Field’s Hangar 990 for a crew return ceremony. At lower right is JSC Acting Director Roy S. Estess.

JSC2002-E-26022 (21 June 2002) --- Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Director Jefferson Davis Howell, Jr. speaks from the lectern in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the STS-111 and Expedition Four crew return ceremonies.

JSC2005-E-43596 (4 November 2005) --- Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Deputy Director Robert D. Cabana speaks from the lectern in the ballroom of the Gilruth Center at JSC during the welcome home ceremony for the Expedition 11 crew members.

JSC2002-E-14066 (20 April 2002) --- Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Director Jefferson D. Howell, Jr. speaks from the lectern in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the STS-110 crew return ceremonies.

JSC2001-E-08315 (22 March 2001) --- JSC Acting Director Roy S. Estess introduces the STS-102 and Expedition One crew members to a crowd gathered in Ellington Field's Hangar 990 during crew return ceremonies.

JSC2001-E-08316 (22 March 2001) --- JSC Acting Director Roy S. Estess introduces the STS-102 and Expedition One crew members (out of frame) to a crowd gathered in Ellington Field's Hangar 990 during crew return ceremonies.

JSC2005-E-33392 (10 August 2005) --- Johnson Space Center (JSC) Director General Jefferson D. Howell, Jr. addresses a crowd on hand at Ellington Field’s Hangar 276 near Johnson Space Center (JSC) during the STS-114 crew return ceremonies.

JSC2001-E-22791 (25 July 2001) --- JSC Acting Director Roy S. Estess introduces the STS-104 crew members to a crowd gathered in Ellington Field’s Hangar 990 during crew return ceremonies. Seated (from left) are Michael L. Gernhardt, James F. Reilly, Janet L. Kavandi, all mission specialists, along with Steven W. Lindsey and Charles O. Hobaugh, mission commander and pilot, respectively.

JSC2011-E-070272 (22 July 2011) --- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Texas) speaks to a crowd on hand at Ellington Field?s Hangar 990 near NASA?s Johnson Space Center (JSC) during the STS-135 crew return ceremonies. JSC director Michael L. Coats is visible in the background. Photo credit: NASA

JSC2001-E-22794 (25 July 2001) --- Astronaut Steven W. Lindsey, STS-104 mission commander, addresses a crowd at Ellington Field’s 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.

A replica of the Saturn V rocket that propelled man from the confines of Earth's gravity to the surface of the Moon was built on the grounds of the U. S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. in time for the 30th arniversary celebration of that historic occasion. Marshall Space Flight Center and its team of German rocket scientists headed by Dr. Wernher von Braun were responsible for the design and development of the Saturn V rocket. Pictured are MSFC's current Center Director Art Stephenson, Alabama Congressman Bud Cramer, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, and director of the U. S. Space and Rocket Center Mike Wing during the dedication ceremony.

S70-35145 (17 April 1970) --- Overall view of Mission Operations Control Room in Mission Control Center at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) during the ceremonies aboard the USS Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission. Dr. Donald K. Slayton (in black shirt, left of center), director of Flight Crew Operations at MSC, and Chester M. Lee of the Apollo Program Directorate, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, shake hands, while Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo program director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters (standing, near Lee), watches the large screen showing astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., Apollo 13 commander, during the onboard ceremonies. In the foreground, Glynn S. Lunney (extreme left) and Eugene F. Kranz (smoking a cigar), two Apollo 13 flight directors, view the activity from their consoles.

S70-35145 (17 April 1970) --- Overall view of Mission Operations Control Room in Mission Control Center at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) during the ceremonies aboard the USS Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission. Dr. Donald K. Slayton (in black shirt, left of center), director of Flight Crew Operations at MSC, and Chester M. Lee of the Apollo Program Directorate, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, shake hands, while Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo program director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters (standing, near Lee), watches the large screen showing astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., Apollo 13 commander, during the onboard ceremonies. In the foreground, Glynn S. Lunney (extreme left) and Eugene F. Kranz (smoking a cigar), two Apollo 13 flight directors, view the activity from their consoles.

JSC2002-E-09329 (13 March 2002) --- Astronaut Duane G. Carey (right foreground), STS-109 pilot, shakes hands with Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Acting Director Roy Estess during the crew return ceremonies at Ellington Field. Also pictured are astronaut Scott D. Altman (left background), mission commander, and astronaut Steven A. Hawley, Director of Flight Crew Operations.

Ceremony participants prepare to cut the ribbon on the INFINITY at NASA Stennis Space Center facility April 11, 2012. Participating in the ceremony were (l to r): Gulfport Mayor and INFINITY Science Center Inc. Chairman George Schloegel; U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss.; U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Roy S. Estess granddaughter Lauren McKay; Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant; Leo Seal Jr. grandson Leo Seal IV; Stennis Director Patrick Scheuermann; U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.; NASA Chief of Staff David Radzanowski; and Apollo 13 astronaut and INFINITY Science Center Inc. Vice Chairman Fred Haise.

Ceremony participants prepare to cut the ribbon on the INFINITY at NASA Stennis Space Center facility April 11, 2012. Participating in the ceremony were (l to r): Gulfport Mayor and INFINITY Science Center Inc. Chairman George Schloegel; U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss.; U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Roy S. Estess granddaughter Lauren McKay; Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant; Leo Seal Jr. grandson Leo Seal IV; Stennis Director Patrick Scheuermann; U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.; NASA Chief of Staff David Radzanowski; and Apollo 13 astronaut and INFINITY Science Center Inc. Vice Chairman Fred Haise.

Ceremony participants prepare to cut the ribbon on the INFINITY at NASA Stennis Space Center facility April 11, 2012. Participating in the ceremony were (l to r): Gulfport Mayor and INFINITY Science Center Inc. Chairman George Schloegel; U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss.; U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Roy S. Estess granddaughter Lauren McKay; Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant; Leo Seal Jr. grandson Leo Seal IV; Stennis Director Patrick Scheuermann; U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.; NASA Chief of Staff David Radzanowski; and Apollo 13 astronaut and INFINITY Science Center Inc. Vice Chairman Fred Haise.

NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin hands Mrs. Dianne Holliman a plaque honoring her late husband, John Holliman, a CNN national correspondent. Standing behind Goldin is Center Director Roy Bridges. At right is Tom Johnson, news group chairman of CNN. A ceremony dedicated the KSC Press Site auditorium as the John Holliman Auditorium to honor the correspondent for his enthusiastic, dedicated coverage of America's space program. The auditorium was built in 1980 and has been the focal point for new coverage of Space Shuttle launches. The ceremony followed the 94th launch of a Space Shuttle, on mission STS-96, earlier this morning

JSC2005-E-33333 (10 August 2005) --- Astronaut Eileen M. Collins, STS-114 commander, speaks from a lectern in Ellington Field’s Hangar 276 near Johnson Space Center (JSC) during the STS-114 crew return ceremonies. Seated from the left are NASA Administrator Michael Griffin; astronauts James M. Kelly, pilot; Soichi Noguchi, mission specialist representing Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); Stephen K. Robinson, Andrew S. W. Thomas, Wendy B. Lawrence, Charles J. Camarda, mission specialists; and JSC Director General Jefferson D. Howell, Jr.

JSC2001-E-08329 (22 March 2001) --- Astronaut Andrew S.W. Thomas, STS-102 mission specialist, speaks to a crowd of greeters during a crew return ceremony in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field. In the background are Joseph Rothenberg (left), NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight, and Roy S. Estess, Acting Director of the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

JSC2001-E-08322 (22 March 2001) --- Astronaut James D. Wetherbee, STS-102 mission commander, speaks to a crowd of greeters during a crew return ceremony in Ellington Field's Hangar 990. Pictured in the background on the dais are (from the left) Roy S. Estess, Johnson Space Center's Acting Director; along with astronauts Paul W. Richards, Andrew S.W. Thomas and James M. Kelly of the STS-102 crew.

Outside of Building 4200 at Marshall Space Flight Center, a courtyard was constructed in memory of Dr. Wernher von Braun and his contributions to the U. S. Space program. In the middle of the courtyard a fountain was built. The fountain was made operational prior to the 30th arniversary celebration of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Attending the dedication ceremony were visiting Apollo astronauts and NASA's Safety and Assurance Director Rothenberg.

JSC2001-E-08328 (22 March 2001) --- Astronaut James M. Kelly, STS-102 pilot, speaks to a crowd of greeters during a crew return ceremony in Ellington Field's Hangar 990. Pictured in the background on the dais are Joseph Rothenberg (left), NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight, and Roy S. Estess, Johnson Space Center Acting Director.

JSC2011-E-070523 (22 July 2011) --- NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson (center), STS-135 commander; and Doug Hurley, pilot, hold up a photo of the plaque that was left in space shuttle Atlantis by the STS-135 crew members during the STS-135 crew return ceremony on July 22, 2011 at Ellington Field near NASA?s Johnson Space Center (JSC). JSC director Michael L. Coats is at left. Photo credit: NASA

JSC2001-E-08326 (22 March 2001) --- Astronaut James D. Wetherbee, STS-102 mission commander, speaks to a crowd of greeters during a crew return ceremony in Ellington Field's Hangar 990. Pictured in the background on the dais are Joseph Rothenberg (left), NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight, and Roy S. Estess, Johnson Space Center's Acting Director.

JSC2002-E-14064 (20 April 2002) --- Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Director Jefferson D. Howell, Jr. (right), astronauts Michael J. Bloomfield, STS-110 mission commander, and Charles J. Precourt, astronaut office chief, exchange greetings at Ellington Field during the STS-110 crew return ceremonies.

JSC2002-E-42177 (19 October 2002) --- Lt. General Jefferson D. Howell, Jr., JSC Director, addresses a crowd on hand at Ellington Field's Hangar 990 during crew return ceremonies for the STS-112 crewmembers. Pictured in the background, from the left, are astronauts David A. Wolf, mission specialist; Pamela A. Melroy, pilot; and Jeffrey S. Ashby, mission commander. NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe is partially obscured by the lectern.

JSC2001-E-08330 (22 March 2001) --- Astronaut Paul W. Richards, STS-102 mission specialist, speaks to a crowd of greeters during a crew return ceremony in Ellington Field's Hangar 990. Pictured in the background on the dais are Joseph Rothenberg (left), NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight, and Roy S. Estess, Johnson Space Center's Acting Director.

JSC2001-E-08321 (22 March 2001) --- Applause was plentiful during the welcome home ceremonies for the joint crews of STS-102 and Expedition One. Pictured on the stage in Ellington Field's Hangar 990 are, from the left, JSC Acting Director Roy S. Estess, along with astronauts Paul W. Richards and Andrew S.W. Thomas, both STS-102 mission specialists, and James M. Kelly, pilot.

JSC2001-E-08327 (22 March 2001) --- Astronaut James M. Kelly, STS-102 pilot, speaks to a crowd of greeters during a crew return ceremony in Ellington Field's Hangar 990. Pictured in the background on the dais are Joseph Rothenberg (left), NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight, and Roy S. Estess, Johnson Space Center Acting Director.

JSC2010-E-055398 (21 April 2010) --- Dr. Kuniaki Shiraki, executive director, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), addresses a large crowd of well-wishers at the STS-131 crew return ceremony on April 21, 2010 at Ellington Field near NASA?s Johnson Space Center. Also pictured (seated from the left) are JSC director Michael L. Coats (mostly obscured), NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki and NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, all mission specialists.

JSC2002-E-26023 (21 June 2002) --- Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Director Jefferson Davis Howell, Jr. speaks from the lectern in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the STS-111 and Expedition Four crew return ceremonies. Seated (from left) are General Vasily Tsiblyiev, Deputy Director of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center; cosmonaut Yury I. Onufrienko, Expedition Four mission commander; astronauts Carl E. Walz and Daniel W. Bursch, both Expedition Four flight engineers; and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. Tsiblyiev and Onufrienko represent Rosaviakosmos.

JSC2012-E-029877 (14 Feb. 2012) --- During a ceremony on Feb. 14, at the Astrium North America facility in Houston, some of the principal participants stand near a gravitational research centrifuge which Astrium ST handed over to NanoRacks LLC representatives. From the left are Jeanne Becker, President, CEO and Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS); Ulrich Kuebler of Astrium ST ; Jeff Manber, managing director of NanoRacks; and Marybeth Edeen, U.S. National Lab manager at NASA?s Johnson Space Center. NASA Photo courtesy Astrium North America

S75-27346 (22 May 1975) --- An overall view of the signing of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project joint flight readiness review in ceremonies on May 22, 1975 in Moscow. Academician Vladimir A. Kotelnikov (on left) and NASA Deputy Administrator George M. Low (in center) are seen affixing their signatures to the ASTP document. Kotelnikov is the Acting President of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Seated at far left is Professor Konstantin D. Bushuyev, the Soviet Technical Director of ASTP. Dr. Glynn S. Lunney, the U.S. Technical Director of ASTP, is seated on Dr. Low?s left. Arnold W. Frutkin (in light jacket), NASA Assistant Administrator for International Affairs, is standing behind Dr. Low. Academician Boris N. Petrov (in dark suit), Chairman of the USSR Council for International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, is standing behind Kotelnikov. The signing of the agreement took place at the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

JSC2002-E-26021 (21 June 2002) --- Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Director Jefferson Davis Howell, Jr. speaks from the lectern in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the STS-111 and Expedition Four crew return ceremonies. Seated (from left) are General Vasily Tsiblyiev, Deputy Director of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center; cosmonaut Yury I. Onufrienko, Expedition Four mission commander; astronauts Carl E. Walz and Daniel W. Bursch, both Expedition Four flight engineers; NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe; astronauts Kenneth D. Cockrell, STS-111 mission commander; Paul S. Lockhart, pilot; Franklin R. Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin, both mission specialists. Tsiblyiev and Onufrienko represent Rosaviakosmos, and Perrin represents CNES, the French Space Agency.

JSC2011-E-050763 (2 June 2011) --- NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) director Michael L. Coats (left) and STS-134 crew members are pictured during the STS-134 crew return ceremony on June 2, 2011 at Ellington Field near JSC. Pictured from second left are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, European Space Agency?s Roberto Vittori, NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff, all mission specialists. Photo credit: NASA

JSC2011-E-050737 (2 June 2011) --- NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) director Michael L. Coats (left) and STS-134 crew members are pictured during the STS-134 crew return ceremony on June 2, 2011 at Ellington Field near JSC. Pictured from second left are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, European Space Agency?s Roberto Vittori, NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff, all mission specialists. Photo credit: NASA

JSC2000-04603 (30 May 2000) --- U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D.-Houston) speaks to a crowd at the crew-welcoming ceremony at Ellington Field on the day following the completion of the STS-101 mission. Other speakers, seated behind the lecturn, are (from the left) cosmonaut Yury V. Usachev, representing the Russian Aviation and Space Agency; Susan J. Helms and James S. Voss, all mission specialists; JSC Director George W.S. Abbey; astronaut Scott J. Horowitz, pilot; along with astronauts James D. Halsell, Jr., mission commander; and Jeffrey N. Williams and Mary Ellen Weber, both mission specialists.

JSC2011-E-070374 (22 July 2011) --- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Texas), NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) director Michael L. Coats and STS-135 crew members are pictured in Ellington Field?s Hangar 990 near JSC during the STS-135 crew return ceremonies. Crew members (seated from the left) are NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander; Doug Hurley, pilot; Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, both mission specialists. A large crowd of supporters is visible in the foreground. Photo credit: NASA

JSC2011-E-050741 (2 June 2011) --- NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) director Michael L. Coats (left) and STS-134 crew members are pictured during the STS-134 crew return ceremony on June 2, 2011 at Ellington Field near JSC. Pictured from second left are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, commander; Greg H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, European Space Agency?s Roberto Vittori, NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff, all mission specialists. Photo credit: NASA

From left, Center Director Roy Bridges and NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin applaud as Jay Holliman, with the help of his mother, Mrs. Dianne Holliman, unveils a plaque honoring his father, the late John Holliman. At right is Tom Johnson, news group chairman of CNN. The occasion was the dedication of the KSC Press Site auditorium as the John Holliman Auditorium to honor the CNN national correspondent for his enthusiastic, dedicated coverage of America's space program. The auditorium was built in 1980 and has been the focal point for new coverage of Space Shuttle launches. The ceremony followed the 94th launch of a Space Shuttle, on mission STS-96, earlier this morning

JSC2002-E-09319 (13 March 2002) --- The STS-109 crew and Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Acting Director Roy Estess enter Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the crew return ceremonies. From the left are Estess, along with astronauts Scott D. Altman and Duane G. Carey, mission commander and pilot, respectively; and Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist. Out of frame are John M. Grunsfeld, payload commander; and Richard M. Linnehan, James H. Newman, and Michael J. Massimino, all mission specialists.

JSC2002-E-14078 (20 April 2002) --- Astronaut Jerry L. Ross, STS-110 mission specialist, speaks from the lectern in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the crew return ceremonies. From the left (standing behind Ross) are astronauts Steven L. Smith, Lee M. E. Morin, Ellen Ochoa, Rex J. Walheim, all mission specialists; Stephen N. Frick, pilot; Michael J. Bloomfield, mission commander; and Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Director Jefferson D. Howell, Jr.

A replica of the Saturn V rocket that propelled man from the confines of Earth's gravity to the surface of the Moon was built on the grounds of the U. S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. in time for the 30th arniversary celebration of that historic occasion. Marshall Space Flight Center and its team of German rocket scientists headed by Dr. Wernher von Braun were responsible for the design and development of the Saturn V rocket. Pictured are MSFC's current Center Director Art Stephenson, Alabama Congressman Bud Cramer, and NASA Administrator Dan Goldin during the dedication ceremony.

NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin speaks at the Space Station Processing Facility ceremony transferring the "Leonardo" Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) to NASA. Standing behind him in front of Leonardo is KSC Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. The MPLM, a reusable logistics carrier, will be the primary delivery system used to resupply and return International Space Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo is the first of three MPLM carriers for the International Space Station. It is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Mission STS-100, targeted for April 2000

JSC2000-04607 (30 May 2000) --- Astronaut James D. Halsell, Jr., mission commander, speaks to a crowd at the crew-welcoming ceremony at Ellington Field on the day following the completion of the STS-101 mission. Other speakers, seated behind the lecturn, are (from the left) cosmonaut Yury V. Usachev, representing the Russian Aviation and Space Agency; Susan J. Helms and James S. Voss, all mission specialists; JSC Director George W.S. Abbey; astronaut Scott J. Horowitz, pilot; U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D.-Houston); along with astronauts Jeffrey N. Williams and Mary Ellen Weber, both mission specialists.

JSC2010-E-089667 (27 May 2010) --- Brent Jett (right), Johnson Space Center?s director of flight crew operations, greets NASA astronaut Ken Ham, STS-132 mission commander, shortly after he and five other crew members arrived at Ellington Field. NASA astronaut Tony Antonelli, pilot, is in the background. Awaiting them was a large crowd on hand in nearby Hangar 276 to welcome them home to Houston during a return ceremony for space shuttle Atlantis' final scheduled mission. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

JSC2012-E-029876 (14 Feb. 2012) --- During a ceremony on Feb. 14, at the Astrium North America facility in Houston, the group of participants monitors a demonstration of the gravitational research centrifuge which Astrium ST handed over to NanoRacks LLC representatives. From the left are Jeanne Kranz of the staff of U.S. Rep. Pete Olson; Jeanne Becker, President, CEO and Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS); Marybeth Edeen, U.S. National Lab manager at NASA?s Johnson Space Center; Ulrich Kuebler, Uwe Pape, and Achim Schwarzwaelder, all with Astrium ST . Astrium ST and NanoRacks are teaming up to cooperate with NASA to deliver a commercial centrifuge facility to the International Space Station. NASA Photo courtesy Astrium North America

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Participants pose for a photo at the Space Station Processing Facility ceremony transferring the "Leonardo" Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), to NASA. From left, they are astronaut Jim Voss, European Space Agency astronauts Umberto Guidoni of Italy and Christer Fuglesang of Sweden, NASA International Space Station Program Manager Randy Brinkley, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin, ASI President Sergio De Julio and Stephen Francois, director, International Space Station Launch Site Support at KSC. The MPLM, a reusable logistics carrier, will be the primary delivery system used to resupply and return International Space Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo is the first of three MPLM carriers for the International Space Station. It is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Mission STS-100, targeted for April 2000

S75-30109 (10 Aug. 1975) --- Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr. (second from left), JSC Director, chats with the three ASTP crewmen on the runway at Ellington Air Force Base after their arrival home from the Pacific recovery area. The six men are, left to right, Col. Donald Robinson, EAFB commander; Dr. Kraft; astronaut John W. Young, Chief of the Astronaut Office at JSC; astronaut Vance D. Brand, command module pilot of the crew; astronaut Donald K. Slayton, docking module pilot of the crew; and astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, crew commander. This picture was taken prior to the official welcoming ceremonies. The crewmen?s wives are still aboard the plane. Medical treatment in Hawaii delayed the return of the crew to JSC. They suffered a pulmonary irritation from inhalation of a toxic gas minutes before splashdown on July 24, 1975.

Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) Administrator Robert Seamans addresses the crowd at the dedication ceremony for the Mod-0 100-kilowatt wind turbine at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plum Brook Station. The wind turbine program was a joint NASA/ERDA effort to develop less expensive forms of energy during the 1970s. NASA Lewis was able to use its experience with aerodynamics, powerplants, and energy transfer to develop efficient and cost-effective wind energy systems. The Plum Brook wind turbine was the first of a series of increasingly powerful NASA-ERDA wind turbines built around the nation. From left to right: Congressional Committee aide John Dugan, retired S. Morgan Smith Company chief engineer Carl Wilcox, windmill pioneer Beauchamp Smith, NASA Administrator James Fletcher, Seamans, and Lewis Center Director Bruce Lundin. The three men to the right are unidentified.

Officials from NASA, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and the Embassy of India hold a send-off ceremony for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) science instrument payload on Feb. 3, 2023, outside a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The payload is scheduled to be shipped to India in March. Pictured left to right: Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division, NASA; Mitra Dutta, NISAR program executive, NASA; Sripriya Ranganathan, ambassador and deputy chief of mission, Indian Embassy; Larry James, deputy director, JPL; Bhavya Lal, associate administrator for technology, policy, and strategy, NASA; Jim Graf, director, Earth Science and Technology Directorate, JPL; S. Somanath, chairman, ISRO; Laurie Leshin, director, JPL; Krunal Joshi, counselor, space and ISRO technical liaison officer, Indian Embassy; M. Sankaran, director, U R Rao Satellite Centre, ISRO; Shantanu Bhatawdekar, scientific secretary, ISRO; Paul Rosen, NISAR project scientist, JPL; CV Shrikant, NISAR project director, ISRO; Phil Barela, NISAR project manager, JPL; and Gerald Bawden, NISAR program scientist, NASA. NISAR – a joint effort between NASA and ISRO – will measure changes to Earth's land ice surfaces down to fractions of an inch. Data collected by this satellite will help researchers monitor a wide range of changes critical to life on Earth in unprecedented detail. This includes spotting warning signs of imminent volcanic eruptions, helping to monitor groundwater supplies, tracking the melt rate of ice sheets tied to sea level rise, and observing shifts in the distribution of vegetation around the world. The data will inform humanity's responses to urgent challenges posed by natural disasters and climate change, and help communities prepare for and manage hazards. There are two instruments on the satellite that will send and receive radar signals to and from Earth's surface to make the mission's measurements. An L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which uses a signal wavelength of around 9 inches (24 centimeters), and an S-band SAR with a signal wavelength of nearly 5 inches (12 centimeters). Both will bounce their microwave signal off of the planet's surface and record how long it takes the signal to make one roundtrip, as well as the strength of that return signal. This enables the researchers to calculate the distance from the spacecraft to Earth's surface and thereby determine how the land or ice is changing. An antenna reflector nearly 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter, supported by a deployable boom, will focus the microwave signals sent and received by the SARs. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, leads the U.S. component of NISAR and is providing the mission's L-band SAR instrument. NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem. ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band SAR, the launch vehicle, and associated launch services and satellite mission operations. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25600

Center Director Roy Bridges (right) displays the 2000th ISO Certificate Plaque he was given by Dalton Lyon (left) of Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Inc., an international ISO certification organization, at a ceremony at KSC. The plaque is a representation of the ISO 9001 certification awarded to KSC by DNV. ISO 9001 comprises the most detailed, comprehensive set of standard requirements for quality programs established by the International Standards Organization. The presentation followed a successful independent audit by DNV of the KSC Management System in May of this year. The third-party auditors examined about 20 elements of KSC's system, including management responsibility, design control, documentation, test and inspection, and corrective action procedures. DNV found that KSC met or exceeded the stringent quality standards in all areas. KSC will use this certification as a tool to improve an already worldclass team. All NASA centers are required by NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin to be ISO 9001 registered by September 1999. NASA is the first federal agency to seek the quality certification

S135-E-009414 (18 July 2011) --- At the farewell ceremony before the shuttle crew returned to Atlantis, NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson (center with microphone), STS-135 commander, made some special presentations of a U.S. flag and a space shuttle model. Members of the joint shuttle and International Space Station crews in the picture are, from the left, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, Mike Fossum, Ron Garan and Ferguson, along with Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev, Andrey Borisenko and Sergei Volkov. Not in the picture are NASA astronauts Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. The shuttle commander presented to the station and its current crew the small shuttle model and the U.S. flag that was originally flown into space on the first shuttle mission in 1981, and seen here at the finger tips of Fossum and Garan. The shuttle model, seen on the wall between Hurley and Fossum, was signed by program officials and the mission?s lead shuttle and station flight directors. ?What you don?t see is the signatures of the tens of thousands who rose to orbit with us over the past 30 years, if only in spirit,? Ferguson said. Photo credit: NASA

Center Director Roy Bridges displays the ISO 9001 certificate he was awarded by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Inc., an international ISO certification organization, at a ceremony at KSC. Dalton Lyon of DNV made the presentation, which included a 2000th ISO Certificate Plaque. ISO 9001 comprises the most detailed, comprehensive set of standard requirements for quality programs established by the International Standards Organization. The presentation followed a successful independent audit by DNV of the KSC Management System in May of this year. The third-party auditors examined about 20 elements of KSC's system, including management responsibility, design control, documentation, test and inspection, and corrective action procedures. DNV found that KSC met or exceeded the stringent quality standards in all areas. KSC will use this certification as a tool to improve an already world-class team. All NASA centers are required by NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin to be ISO 9001 registered by September 1999. NASA is the first federal agency to seek the quality certification

Center Director Roy Bridges speaks to KSC employees at the ISO certification ceremony held at the Training Auditorium. Bridges was presented an ISO 9001 certificate and plaque awarded to KSC by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Inc., an international ISO certification organization. ISO 9001 comprises the most detailed, comprehensive set of standard requirements for quality programs established by the International Standards Organization. The presentation followed a successful independent audit by DNV of the KSC Management System in May of this year. The third-party auditors examined about 20 elements of KSC's system, including management responsibility, design control, documentation, test and inspection, and corrective action procedures. DNV found that KSC met or exceeded the stringent quality standards in all areas. KSC will use this certification as a tool to improve an already worldclass team. All NASA centers are required by NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin to be ISO 9001 registered by September 1999. NASA is the first federal agency to seek the quality certification. Next to Bridges is Heidi Hollingsworth, with the Center for Independent Living, who uses American Sign Language for any hearing-impaired employees in the audience