
Dr. Walther Pelzer, Head of the German Space Agency, German Aerospace Center (DLR) gives remarks in a Heads of Agency panel discussion, during the 36th Space Symposium, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Dr. Walther Pelzer, Executive Board Member and Head of the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) speaks in a Heads of Agency panel during the 37th Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchenlistens during a bilateral meeting with Dr. Walther Pelzer, Member of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board, Head of the German Space Agency at DLR, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, during the 36th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Dr. Walther Pelzer, Member of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board, Head of the German Space Agency at DLR speaks in a bilateral meeting with NASA during the 36th Space Symposium, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Director General of the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Walther Pelzer signs the Artemis Accords, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

A model of the Orion Spacecraft is seen in the foreground as Director General of the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Walther Pelzer delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Director General of the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Walther Pelzer delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with Dr. Walther Pelzer, Member of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board, Head of the German Space Agency at DLR in a bilateral meeting during the 36th Space Symposium, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, right, meets with Dr. Walther Pelzer, Member of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board, Head of the German Space Agency at DLR in a bilateral meeting during the 36th Space Symposium, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Kathy Lueders meets with Dr. Walther Pelzer, Member of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board, Head of the German Space Agency at DLR in a bilateral meeting during the 36th Space Symposium, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, left, and Executive Board Member and Head of the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Dr. Walther Pelzer, pose for a photograph prior to starting at meeting during the 37th Space Symposium, Monday, April 4, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Heads of Agency participate in a panel discussion, from left, Dr. Josef Aschbacher, Director General, European Space Agency (ESA); Dr. Philippe Baptiste, President, French Space Agency (CNES); Dr. Paul Bate, Chief Executive Officer UK Space Agency (UKSA); moderator Dr. Kathryn C. Thornton, Chairwoman, Space Foundation; Lisa Campbell, President, Canadian Space Agency (CSA); NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy; Dr. Walther Pelzer, Executive Board Member and Head of the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR); and Dr. Hiroshi Yamakawa, President, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), right, during the 37th Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

From left to right, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, National Space Council (NSpC) Executive Secretary Chirag Parikh, Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy Anna Christmann, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Director General of the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Walther Pelzer, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Jennifer R. Littlejohn, German Ambassador to the United States Andreas Michaelis, and ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst pose for a group photo during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

This STS-80 onboard photograph shows the Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer-Shuttle Pallet Satellite II (ORFEUS-SPAS II), photographed during approach by the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia for retrieval. Built by the German Space Agency, DARA, the ORFEUS-SPAS II, a free-flying satellite, was dedicated to astronomical observations at very short wavelengths to: investigate the nature of hot stellar atmospheres, investigate the cooling mechanisms of white dwarf stars, determine the nature of accretion disks around collapsed stars, investigate supernova remnants, and investigate the interstellar medium and potential star-forming regions. Some 422 observations of almost 150 astronomical objects were completed, including the Moon, nearby stars, distant Milky Way stars, stars in other galaxies, active galaxies, and quasar 3C273. The STS-80 mission was launched November 19, 1996.

jsc2021e064349 (8/31/2021) --- A prefligt image of the Flight Model of the CalliopEO Hardware. CalliopEO (Calliope Mini in Space) is a project of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Calliope gGmbH, and the German Space Agency at DLR to promote software programming skills among German school children. Image courtesy of Calliope gGmbH

S97-01442 (August 1996) --- Dr. Reinhold Ewald, German Space Agency (DLR), cosmonaut researcher

German Parliament and Space Agency Reps visited Satellite Servicing facility B29 with Brian Roberts Sept 19, 2019

German Parliament and Space Agency Reps visited WOW Heliophysics facility B21 - Dr. Alex Young

German Parliament and Space Agency Reps visited Hyperwall, Satellite Servicing, WOW Helio and NIC Sept 19, 2019

German Parliament and Space Agency Reps visited WOW Heliophysics facility - Dr. Alex Young

ISS040-E-020378 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, flight engineer, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

ISS040-E-020367 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, commander, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, flight engineer, is visible in the background. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

ISS040-E-020384 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, flight engineer, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

ISS040-E-020383 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, flight engineer, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

ISS040-E-020364 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, commander, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

ISS040-E-020368 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, commander, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

ISS040-E-020361 (26 June 2014) --- NASA astronaut Steve Swanson (right), Expedition 40 commander; and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, flight engineer, enjoy a light moment in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst is holding hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

iss056e099195 (July 28, 2018) --- German astronaut Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) is busy with housecleaning activities inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, and NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, commander, gather around a computer in the Unity node of the International Space Station after the German-USA soccer match.

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst,Expedition 40 flight engineer,sends down a congratulations to the victorious German team after the World Cup finals. Photo taken in Columbus module.

jsc2021e064348 (12/10/2021) --- The Standard Calliope mini Computer which is in a Modified Version the Heart and Brain of the CalliopEO Hardware. CalliopEO (Calliope Mini in Space) is a project of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Calliope gGmbH, and the German Space Agency at DLR to promote software programming skills among German school children. Image courtesy of Calliope gGmbH

iss056e148119 (8/20/2018) --- Astronaut Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) prepares the German Space Agency (DLR) Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS) investigation for installation. DESIS verifies and enhances the use of space-based hyperspectral imaging capabilities for Earth remote sensing and provides an instrument which produces high value hyperspectral imagery

This is a Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-65) onboard photo of the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) in the cargo bay with Earth in the background. Mission objectives of IML-2 were to conduct science and technology investigations that required the low-gravity environment of space, with emphasis on experiments that studied the effects of microgravity on materials processes and living organisms. Materials science and life sciences are two of the most exciting areas of microgravity research because discoveries in these fields could greatly enhance the quality of life on Earth. If the structure of certain proteins can be determined by examining high-quality protein crystals grown in microgravity, advances can be made to improve the treatment of many human diseases. Electronic materials research in space may help us refine processes and make better products, such as computers, lasers, and other high-tech devices. The 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (SCA), the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DARA/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) participated in developing hardware and experiments for the IML missions. The missions were managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The Orbiter Columbia was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on July 8, 1994 for the IML-2 mission.
This is the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery, STS-42 mission, with the First International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1) module shown in the cargo bay. IML-1, the first in a series of Shuttle flights, was dedicated to study the fundamental materials and life sciences in the microgravity environment inside Spacelab, a laboratory carried aloft by the Shuttle. The mission explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. The IML program gave a team of scientists from around the world access to a unique environment, one that is free from most of Earth's gravity. The 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (SCA), the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DARA/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) participated in developing hardware and experiments for the IML missions. The missions were managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The Orbiter Discovery was launched on January 22, 1992 for the IML-1 mission.

Astronaut Carl E. Walz, mission specialist, flies through the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) science module, STS-65 mission. IML was dedicated to study fundamental materials and life sciences in a microgravity environment inside Spacelab, a laboratory carried aloft by the Shuttle. The mission explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. The IML program gave a team of scientists from around the world access to a unique environment, one that is free from most of Earth's gravity. Managed by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (SCA), the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DARA/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) participated in developing hardware and experiments for the IML missions. The missions were managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The Orbiter Columbia was launched on July 8, 1994 for the IML-2 mission.

iss056e148130 (8/20/2018) --- Photographic documentation taken in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) during preparation for the installation of the German Space Agency (DLR) Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS) investigation. DESIS verifies and enhances the use of space-based hyperspectral imaging capabilities for Earth remote sensing and provides an instrument which produces high value hyperspectral imagery.

S92-41442 (3 Dec 1991) --- At the Astrotech Space Operations spacecraft processing facility in Titusville, German aerospace workers check out the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) after removing it from the shipping container. The approximately 10,000-pound spacecraft is scheduled to return to KSC next April to undergo final preparations for launch on the STS-46 mission. Sponsored by the European Space Agency, EURECA is a free-flying reusable research platform that will be deployed during the flight and retrieved at a later date by another Shuttle crew.

jsc2022e023740 (4/19/2022) --- The components of the Smart-Shirt garment includes integrated sensors, wiring, and a communication module to transmit scientific data via a wireless link for the Ballistocardiography for Extraterrestrial Applications and long-Term missions (BEAT) experiment, part of the Wireless Compose-2 investigation. The technology demonstration builds on work by the German Space Agency (DLR) to develop wireless network infrastructure to support scientific experiments on the space station. Image courtesy of DLR.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour, on its mobile launcher platform, is transferred to Launch Pad 39A for mission STS-99. Named the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), it involves an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled

S83-41190 (9 September 1983) --- A close-up view of the serious countenance of West German Physicist Ulf Merbold was captured during a training session with all six STS-9 crewmembers in the Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Shuttle Mockup and Integration Laboratory. Dr. Merbold is SL-1 payload specialist representing the European Space Agency (ESA). Dr. Merbold, from Max-Planck Institute in Stuttgart, is a specialist in crystal lattice defects and low-temperature physics. The photograph was taken by Otis Imboden.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) are open for the transfer of Space Shuttle Endeavour, on its mobile launcher platform, to Launch Pad 39A for mission STS-99. Named the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), it involves an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour is viewed between two tree trunks in this photo during the Shuttle's rollout to Launch Pad 39A for launch of mission STS-99. Named the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), it involves an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled

iss056e005285 (June 6, 2018) --- The small, yellow box in the middle of the picture is a module for the Wireless Compose-2 investigation from ESA (European Space Agency). Wireless Compose-2 is a technology demonstration that aims to provide a flexible and adaptable wireless network infrastructure to conduct and execute low-power, low-weight, and wireless experiments on the International Space Station. Building on technology used for the German Space Agency's (DLR) first Wireless Compose technology demonstrator in 2018, it shows the capabilities of Wireless Networks for scientific, localization, and medical experiments in the Columbus module.

Delegates from the European Space Agency and German Space Agency visited NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 29, 2021. Inside the spaceport’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout building, the international partners viewed the European-built service module, its crew module adapter as well as the heat shield and crew module for Artemis II. Additionally, they were able to view the pressure vessel – the shell for the crew module – for Artemis III. Together with NASA’s Orion program and contractor Lockheed Martin, teams have begun checkouts and assembly for these future Artemis missions.

German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund, speaks with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund, center, speaks with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund, left, and Walther Pelzer, DLR executive board member, speak with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund, center, speaks with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks with German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund, about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, right, speaks with officials from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, right, speaks with German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund, about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, right, and Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard listen as German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund, speaks about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Walther Pelzer, German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board member, speaks with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

STS089-357-003 (22-31 Jan. 1998) --- Astronaut Michael P. Anderson, STS-89 mission specialist, works on Endeavour's middeck with the Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System (CEBAS), an experiment developed by the German Space Agency (DLR). The CEBAS mini-module, a middeck habitat for aquatic organisms, enables scientists to conduct various gravity-related experiments in the areas of zoology, botany and developmental biology, as well as in interdisciplinary areas such as scientific research on artificial ecosystems. Photo credit: NASA

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine listens as German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund, speaks about the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, left, poses for a photo with German Aerospace Center (DLR) executive board chair, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund after meeting to discuss the robust relationship between their agencies in human and robotic exploration, and prospects for cooperation as NASA pursues the landing of humans on the Moon by 2024, at the Space Symposium, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, at right, is in a clean room inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft's protective heat shield is in view at left. InSight is scheduled for liftoff on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket May 5, 2018. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, is in a clean room inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft's protective heat shield is in view at left. InSight is scheduled for liftoff on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket May 5, 2018. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, is in a clean room inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft's protective heat shield is in view at right. InSight is scheduled for liftoff on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket May 5, 2018. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, is in a clean room inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. InSight is scheduled for liftoff on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket May 5, 2018. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, is in a clean room inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft's protective heat shield is in view at left. InSight is scheduled for liftoff on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket May 5, 2018. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, at right, is in a clean room inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft's protective heat shield is in view at left. InSight is scheduled for liftoff on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket May 5, 2018. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Jennifer R. Littlejohn delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

German Ambassador to the United States Andreas Michaelis delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy Anna Christmann delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Jennifer R. Littlejohn delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy Anna Christmann delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

National Space Council (NSpC) Executive Secretary Chirag Parikh delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

National Space Council (NSpC) Executive Secretary Chirag Parikh delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

S96-18546 (5 Nov. 1996) --- Following their selection from among 2,400 applicants, the 44 astronaut candidates begin a lengthy period of training and evaluation at NASA's Johnson Space Center as they gather for their group portrait. This year?s class is the largest in the history of space shuttle astronauts and their early program predecessors. Ten pilots and 25 mission specialists make up the internationally diverse class. The international trainees represent the Canadian, Japanese, Italian, French, German and European space agencies. Back row ? from the left, Christer Fuglesang, John Herrington, Steve MacLean, Peggy Whitson, Stephen Frick, Duane Carey, Daniel Tani, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Jeffrey Williams and Donald Pettit. Second to back row ? from the left, Philippe Perrin, Daniel Burbank, Michael Massimino, Lee Morin, Piers Sellers, John Phillips, Richard Mastraccio, Christopher Loria, Paul Lockhart, Charles Hobaugh and William McCool. Second to front row ? from the left, Pedro Duque, Soichi Noguchi, Mamoru Mohri, Gerhard Thiele, Mark Polansky, Sandra Magnus, Paul Richards, Yvonne Cagle, James Kelly, Patrick Forrester and David Brown. Front row ? from the left, Umberto Guidoni, Edward Fincke, Stephanie Wilson, Julie Payette, Lisa Nowak, Fernando Caldeiro, Mark Kelly, Laurel Clark, Rex Walheim, Scott Kelly, Joan Higginbotham and Charles Camarda. Guidoni represents the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Fuglesang and Duque represent the European Space Agency (ESA). Mohri and Noguchi represent the Japanese Space Agency (NASDA). MacLean and Payette are with the Canadian Space Agency. Perrin is associated with the French Space Agency (CNES) and Thiele represents the German Space Agency (DARA). Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Members of the media are shown CIMON, an artificial intelligence system which will assist astronauts on the International Space Station, during a briefing in the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site auditorium. From left are AIRBUS CIMON Engineer Philipp Schulien and Christian Karrasch, German Space Agency project lead of CIMON. The briefing focused on research planned for launch to the space station. The scientific materials and supplies will be aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company's 15th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

Members of the media are shown CIMON, an artificial intelligence system which will assist astronauts on the International Space Station, during a briefing in the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site auditorium. From left are Bret Greenstein, IBM Global Vice President of Watson and IOT Offerings, and Christian Karrasch, German Space Agency project lead of CIMON. The briefing focused on research planned for launch to the space station. The scientific materials and supplies will be aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company's 15th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

STS060-93-043 (9 Feb 1994) --- BREMSAT, a 140 pound (63 kilogram) satellite, quickly leaves the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The 480 mm (19 inch) deployable satellite was built by the University of Bremen's Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) under sponsorship of the German Space Agency (DARA). A modified ejection system in one of the payload bay's getaway special (GAS) type canisters aided the STS-60 crew members in deploying the satellite toward the end of their eight-day mission in Earth orbit.

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is moved into the Space Station Processing Facility to prepare it for launch targeted for September 1999. The primary payload on mission STS-99, the SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Framed by branches of oak leaves in this photo, Space Shuttle Endeavour, on its mobile launcher platform, is transferred to Launch Pad 39A for mission STS-99. The van behind it is barely noticeable next to the gigantic stature of the moving vehicle. Named the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), it involves an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled

STS085-501-069 (7 - 19 August 1997) --- This 70mm frame was photographed from the Space Shuttle Discovery during the mission. Bare, brown rock and snow-capped Alpine summits in Austria contrast with dark, heavily-wooded upper slopes, the patchy silviculture of lower slopes, and completely farmed plains of Bavaria to the north. The large river is the Inn; Innsbruck is visible within the flat-bottomed, formerly glaciated valley. The new and old airports of Munich are prominent on the flat land to the north. Oberpfaffenhofen, the home of the German Space Agency (DARA), can be picked out west of Munich, south of an autobahn.

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is maneuvered into place to prepare it for launch targeted for September 1999. The primary payload on mission STS-99, the SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Dedicated to the study of life and materials sciences in microgravity, the IML missions explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. Both life and materials sciences benefited from the extended periods of microgravity available inside the Spacelab science module in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. In this photograph, Commander Ronald J. Grabe works with the Mental Workload and Performance Evaluation Experiment (MWPE) in the IML-1 module. This experiment was designed as a result of difficulty experienced by crewmembers working at a computer station on a previous Space Shuttle mission. The problem was due to the workstation's design being based on Earthbound conditions with the operator in a typical one-G standing position. Information gained from this experiment was used to design workstations for future Spacelab missions and the International Space Station. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, IML-1 was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42 mission).

Astronaut David C. Hilmers conducts the Microgravity Vestibular Investigations (MVI) sitting in its rotator chair inside the IML-1 science module. When environmental conditions change so that the body receives new stimuli, the nervous system responds by interpreting the incoming sensory information differently. In space, the free-fall environment of an orbiting spacecraft requires that the body adapts to the virtual absence of gravity. Early in flights, crewmembers may feel disoriented or experience space motion sickness. MVI examined the effects of orbital flight on the human orientation system to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms of adaptation to weightlessness. By provoking interactions among the vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive systems and then measuring the perceptual and sensorimotor reactions, scientists can study changes that are integral to the adaptive process. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Both life and materials sciences benefited from the extended periods of microgravity available inside the Spacelab science module in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, IML-1 was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42 mission).

The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), The French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Dedicated to the study of life and materials sciences in microgravity, the IML missions explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. Both life and materials sciences benefited from the extended periods of microgravity available inside the Spacelab science module in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. This photograph shows Astronaut Norman Thagard performing the fluid experiment at the Fluid Experiment System (FES) facility inside the laboratory module. The FES facility had sophisticated optical systems for imaging fluid flows during materials processing, such as experiments to grow crystals from solution and solidify metal-modeling salts. A special laser diagnostic technique recorded the experiments, holograms were made for post-flight analysis, and video was used to view the samples in space and on the ground. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the IML-1 mission was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42).

International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Dedicated to the study of life and materials sciences in microgravity, the IML missions explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. Both life and materials sciences benefited from the extended periods of microgravity available inside the Spacelab science module in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. In this photograph, Astronauts Stephen S. Oswald and Norman E. Thagard handle ampoules used in the Mercuric Iodide Crystal Growth (MICG) experiment. Mercury Iodide crystals have practical uses as sensitive x-ray and gamma-ray detectors. In addition to their exceptional electronic properties, these crystals can operate at room temperature rather than at the extremely low temperatures usually required by other materials. Because a bulky cooling system is urnecessary, these crystals could be useful in portable detector devices for nuclear power plant monitoring, natural resource prospecting, biomedical applications in diagnosis and therapy, and astronomical observation. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, IML-1 was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42 mission).

Astronaut Ulf Merbold on the stationary seat of the mini-sled, stares into an umbrella-shaped rotating dome with colored dots. Astronaut Merbold, assisted by astronaut David Hilmer, are conducting the Visual Simulator Experiment, a space physiology experiment. The Visual Stimulator Experiment measures the relative importance of visual and vestibular information in determining body orientation. When a person looks at a rotating visual field, a false sensation of self-rotation, called circularvection, results. In weightlessness, circularvection should increase immediately and may continue to increase as the nervous system comes to rely more on visual than vestibular cues. As Astronaut Merbold stares into the rotating dome with a pattern of colored dots and its interior, he turns a knob to indicate his perception of body rotation. The strength of circularvection is calculated by comparing signals from the dome and the knob. The greater the false sense of circularvection, the more the subject is relying on visual information instead of otolith information. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, IML-1 was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42 mission).

Inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, the lid covering the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is lifted from the crate. The primary payload on mission STS-99, the SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission scheduled for September 1999. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) sits uncovered inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility. The primary payload on mission STS-99, the SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission scheduled for September 1999. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) sits inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility after the SRTM's cover was removed. The primary payload on mission STS-99, the SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission scheduled for September 1999. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

The flags of Kazakhstan, German, Russia, and the United States are seen flying after the Soyuz rocket was raised into a vertical position on the launch pad, Monday, June 4, 2018 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 56 Soyuz Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos, flight engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA, and flight engineer Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft at 7:12 a.m. Eastern time (5:12 p.m. Baikonur time), on Wednesday, June 6. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, the lid covering the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is lifted. The primary payload on mission STS-99, the SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission scheduled for September 1999. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

Inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is revealed after the lid of its container was removed. The primary payload on mission STS-99, the SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission scheduled for September 1999. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

In the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, Beverly St. Ange, with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, wires a biopod, a component of the STS-99 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during an 11-day mission in September 1999. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

The vehicle carrying the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) arrives at the Multi-Payload Processing Facility. The primary payload on mission STS-99, the SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during the 11-day mission scheduled for September 1999. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

In the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, Mary Reaves (left) and Richard Rainen, with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, check out the carrier and horizontal antenna mast for the STS-99 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will fly onboard the Space Shuttle during an 11-day mission in September 1999. This radar system will gather data that will result in the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. Its objective is to obtain the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of the Earth

The German Rocket Team, also known as the Von Braun Rocket Team, poses for a group photograph at Fort Bliss, Texas. After World War II ended in 1945, Dr. Wernher von Braun led some 120 of his Peenemuende Colleagues, who developed the V-2 rocket for the German military during the War, to the United Sttes under a contract to the U.S. Army Corps as part of Operation Paperclip. During the following five years the team worked on high altitude firings of the captured V-2 rockets at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and a guided missile development unit at Fort Bliss, Texas. In April 1950, the group was transferred to the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and continued to work on the development of the guided missiles for the U.S. Army until transferring to a newly established field center of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts participate in a countdown dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 28, 2021, to prepare for the upcoming Crew-3 launch. Matthias Maurer, with the European Space Agency, is inside the crew access arm leading to the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft during the rehearsal. He is wearing a SpaceX spacesuit with his name and the German flag embroidered on it. The four-person crew will launch aboard the Crew Dragon atop the Falcon 9 on Oct. 31 to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 2:21 a.m. EDT from Pad 39A. Crew-3 is the third crew rotation flight to the space station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and the first flight of a new Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The Goddard Space Flight Center was named in honor of Dr. Robert Goddard, a pioneer in rocket development. Dr. Goddard received patents for a multi-stage rocket and liquid propellants in 1914 and published a paper describing how to reach extreme altitudes six years later. That paper, "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes," detailed methods for raising weather-recording instruments higher than what could be achieved by balloons and explained the mathematical theories of rocket propulsion. The paper, which was published by the Smithsonian Institution, also discussed the possibility of a rocket reaching the moon-a position for which the press ridiculed Goddard. Yet several copies of the report found their way to Europe, and by1927, the German Rocket Society was established, and the German Army began its rocket program in 1931. Goddard, meanwhile, continued his work. By 1926, he had constructed and tested the first rocket using liquid fuel. Goddard's work largely anticipated in technical detail the later German V-2 missiles, including gyroscopic control, steering by means of vanes in the jet stream of the rocket motor, gimbal-steering, power-driven fuel pumps and other devices. <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>

This photograph shows activities during the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) mission (STS-42) in the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research. The mission was to explore, in depth, the complex effects of weightlessness on living organisms and materials processing. The crew conducted experiments on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and the effects on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Low gravity materials processing experiments included crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury, iodine, and virus. The International space science research organizations that participated in this mission were: The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French National Center for Space Studies, the German Space Agency, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The POCC was the air/ground communication charnel used between the astronauts aboard the Spacelab and scientists, researchers, and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The facility made instantaneous video and audio communications possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress and to send direct commands of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew.

This photograph shows activities during the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) mission (STS-42) in the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Members of the Fluid Experiment System (FES) group monitor the progress of their experiment through video at the POCC. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research. The mission was to explore, in depth, the complex effects of weightlessness on living organisms and materials processing. The crew conducted experiments on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and the effects on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Low gravity materials processing experiments included crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury, iodine, and virus. The International space science research organizations that participated in this mission were: The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administion, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French National Center for Space Studies, the German Space Agency, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The POCC was the air/ground communication charnel used between astronauts aboard the Spacelab and scientists, researchers, and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The facility made instantaneous video and audio communications possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress and to send direct commands of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. Germany is the 29th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the aft stub adapter (ASA) and interstage adapter (ISA) for a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V arrive at Space Launch Complex 3. The launch vehicle will send NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, spacecraft to land on Mars. InSight is the first mission to explore the Red Planet's deep interior. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.