This radar image shows the Hampton Roads, Virginia region, where the James River upper left center flows into the Chesapeake Bay.

This panoramic view of the partial solar eclipse was taken from the roof of the aircraft hangar at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The eclipse in Hampton was about 85 percent of totality.

Portrait of Casey Denham in front of the Apollo 12 Command Module "Yankee Clipper" display at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, masks were mandated by Governor Northam in Virginia in public settings.  This was for the faces of NASA project.  "Now my whole family likes to brag that they have a rocket scientist daughter who works at NASA.” — Casey Denham, Pathways Intern, Langley Research Center

Portrait of April Albert in front of NASA Langley's Hawker Siddeley P-1127 on display at Air Power Park in Hampton, Virginia.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, masks were mandated by Governor Northam in Virginia in public settings.  This is for the faces of NASA project.  "I am really made to feel like I am part of a family. I don’t feel like anybody is treated differently. We are all one team. To be a part of NASA, to me, is to be part of something special. There is nothing like the camaraderie of NASA. I feel like I’m where I belong.” — April Albert, Schedule Analyst, Langley Research Center

CM SepRing Integration work being done in NASA's Langley Hanger

A full-scale prototype of the high-gain antenna on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft is undergoing testing in the Experimental Test Range at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Europa Clipper is expected to launch on a mission to conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's moon Europa in the 2020s. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22773

Vehicle for Lunar Landing Research Facility at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.

Vehicle for Lunar Landing Research Facility at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.

Vehicle for Lunar Landing Research Facility at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.

Vehicle for Lunar Landing Research Facility at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.

America will send a new generation of explorers to the moon aboard NASA’s Orion crew exploration vehicle. Making its first flights to the International Space Station early in the next decade, Orion is part of the Constellation Program to send human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

Former flight test instructor and current NASA test pilot Nils Larson reunited with former student and current astronaut Victor Glover on Oct. 21 during an open house at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Ares 1_X_LAS_CM Project and Transfer To Kennedy Space Center

Engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, install test dummies into the seats of an Orion test article on Feb. 26, 2016. The capsule, coupled with the heat shield from the spacecraft’s first flight, will be used for water-impact testing to simulate what astronauts will experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean during a real mission.

A model of the X-66 aircraft with a wingspan of almost 6 feet was placed in the 12-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia on October 30, 2024. During the tests, the team captured measurements of forces such as lift and drag over many aerodynamic configurations and flight conditions.

Engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, install test dummies into the seats of an Orion test article on Feb. 26, 2016. The capsule, coupled with the heat shield from the spacecraft’s first flight, will be used for water-impact testing to simulate what astronauts will experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean during a real mission.

A model of the X-66 aircraft with a wingspan of almost 6 feet was placed in the 12-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia on October 30, 2024. During the tests, the team captured measurements of forces such as lift and drag over many aerodynamic configurations and flight conditions.

Engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, install test dummies into the seats of an Orion test article on Feb. 26, 2016. The capsule, coupled with the heat shield from the spacecraft’s first flight, will be used for water-impact testing to simulate what astronauts will experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean during a real mission.

Engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, install test dummies into the seats of an Orion test article on Feb. 26, 2016. The capsule, coupled with the heat shield from the spacecraft’s first flight, will be used for water-impact testing to simulate what astronauts will experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean during a real mission.

In May and June, NASA researchers tested a 7-foot wing model in the 14-by-22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The team collected data on critical propeller-wing interactions over the course of several weeks

Photograph taken July 30, 1964. Mary W Jackson, Aerospace Engineer in the Large Supersonic Tunnels Branch of Full-Scale Research Division, explains the facilities used in testing research models such as SCAT. The Guidance Counseling Class from Hampton Institute visited the center on July 30 and toured a number of facilities. The purpose of the visit was to provide the counselors an opportunity to see areas of work representing fields in which their students might be employed. The group, under the direction of Professor Fissell Jones (Left, back row) of Hampton Institute, represented the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. In 1958 Mary Jackson became NASA's first black female engineer. The Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) is a Historically Black College. NASA started its EEO office in 1964 and the NASA Administrator at the time, James Webb, was very enthusiastic about reaching out to universities (including HBCUs) to partner with them and to encourage students to become NASA engineers.

At NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, a mock-up of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft goes through a series of land landing qualification tests to simulate what the actual spacecraft and crew members may experience while returning to Earth from space. The Starliner is being developed in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Along with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, the spacecraft is part of the agency’s effort to return America’s capability to launch astronauts from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station.

The Orion aerosciences team has performed more than 30 tests across the United States in support of the program, investigating the heating of the spacecraft during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Testing recently concluded at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia with a 6-inch Orion heat shield model in the 20-inch Mach 6 wind tunnel, shown here on Feb. 4, 2019. The team includes engineers at Langley, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

At NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, a mock-up of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft goes through a series of land landing qualification tests to simulate what the actual spacecraft and crew members may experience while returning to Earth from space. The Starliner is being developed in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Along with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, the spacecraft is part of the agency’s effort to return America’s capability to launch astronauts from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station.

HAMPTON, Va. – A precise scale model of the Dream Chaser spacecraft begins an evaluation inside the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. The Dream Chaser is in development by Sierra Nevada Corporation in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The data gathered from the wind tunnel was used to further test the design through the company's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement with NASA. Photo credit: NASA/ David C. Bowman

The Orion aerosciences team has performed more than 30 tests across the United States in support of the program, investigating the heating of the spacecraft during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Testing recently concluded at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia with a 6-inch Orion heat shield model in the 20-inch Mach 6 wind tunnel, shown here on Feb. 4, 2019. The team includes engineers at Langley, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

Richard F. Gordon Jr. climbing into training simulator. Astronaut Richard (Dick) Gordon, died in November 2017, at his home in California. He was 88. Gordon orbited the Moon on Apollo 12 in 1969 while two other astronauts walked on it. The Apollo 12 crew capsule can be seen at Langley's official visitor center, the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton VA. NASA 2017 Annual report, Celebrating 100 years.page 23 Milestones.

Focus on active photos –Class B Simulation Evaluation in the ATOL Lab at Langley (Also at FAA Tech Center) where team is working with one another in the lab, reviewing data on the monitors. Working the software, adjusting the software systems. Going over the shoulder to show the displays and screens as the software is running. Andy Burroughs (left) and Paul Friz in the roles of air taxi pilots running through air taxi integration simulations focusing on urban air space at NASA’s Langley Research in Hampton, Virginia on Sept. 25, 2024.

A 22,000-pound Orion test article is dropped into the Hydro Impact Basin at the Landing and Impact Research Facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia on July 12, 2011. The drop was the first in a series of water-impact tests conducted by NASA to provide high-fidelity data of the forces that the Orion spacecraft structure and its astronaut crew would experience during landing, helping to protect the crew and informing future designs. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

The Orion aerosciences team has performed more than 30 tests across the United States in support of the program, investigating the heating of the spacecraft during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Testing recently concluded at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia with a 6-inch Orion heat shield model in the 20-inch Mach 6 wind tunnel, shown here on Feb. 4, 2019. The team includes engineers at Langley, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

At NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, a mock-up of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft goes through a series of land landing qualification tests to simulate what the actual spacecraft and crew members may experience while returning to Earth from space. The Starliner is being developed in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Along with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, the spacecraft is part of the agency’s effort to return America’s capability to launch astronauts from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station.

Mark Russell, center, a research pilot at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, explains the differences in flight environments at different NASA centers. Jim Less, a NASA pilot at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, left, Russell, and Nils Larson, NASA Armstrong chief X-59 aircraft pilot and senior advisor on flight research, provided perspective on flight research at the Ideas to Flight Workshop on Sept. 18 at NASA Armstrong.

An aircraft body modeled after an air taxi with weighted test dummies inside is shown after a drop test at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The test was completed June 26 at Langley’s Landing and Impact Research Facility. The aircraft was dropped from a tall steel structure, known as a gantry, after being hoisted about 35 feet in the air by cables. NASA researchers are investigating aircraft materials that best absorb impact forces in a crash.

An aircraft body modeled after an air taxi with weighted test dummies inside is being prepared for a drop test by researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The test was completed June 26 at Langley’s Landing and Impact Research Facility. The aircraft was dropped from a tall steel structure, known as a gantry, after being hoisted about 35 feet in the air by cables. NASA researchers are investigating aircraft materials that best absorb impact forces in a crash.

An aircraft body modeled after an air taxi with weighted test dummies inside is hoisted about 35 feet in the air by cables at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The aircraft was dropped from a tall steel structure, known as a gantry, on June 26 at Langley’s Landing and Impact Research Facility. NASA researchers are investigating aircraft materials that best absorb impact forces in a crash.

NASA employees Broderic J. Gonzalez, left, and David W. Shank, right, install pieces of a 7-foot wing model in preparation for testing in the 14-by-22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, in May 2025. The lessons learned from this testing will be shared with the public to support advanced air mobility aircraft development.

NASA researcher Norman W. Schaeffler adjusts a propellor, which is part of a 7-foot wing model that was recently tested at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. In May and June, NASA researchers tested the wing in the 14-by-22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel to collect data on critical propeller-wing interactions. The lessons learned from this testing will be shared with the public to support advanced air mobility aircraft development.

STS077-150-129 (20 May 1996) --- Following its deployment from the Space Shuttle Endeavour, the Spartan 207/Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE) payload is backdropped over the Atlantic Ocean and Hampton Roads, Virginia. (Hold photograph vertically with land mass at top.) Virginia Beach and part of Newport News can be delineated in the upper left quadrant of the frame. The view was photographed with a large format still camera on the first full day of in-space operations by the six-member crew. Managed by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Spartan is designed to provide short-duration, free-flight opportunities for a variety of scientific studies. The Spartan configuration on this flight is unique in that the IAE is part of an additional separate unit which is ejected once the experiment is completed. The IAE experiment will lay the groundwork for future technology development in inflatable space structures, which will be launched and then inflated like a balloon on-orbit.

Artist Tenbeete Solomon, also known as Trap Bob, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Wanda Jackson, granddaughter of Mary W. Jackson, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Focus on active photos –Class B Simulation Evaluation in the ATOL Lab at Langley (Also at FAA Tech Center) where team is working with one another in the lab, reviewing data on the monitors. Working the software, adjusting the software systems. Going over the shoulder to show the displays and screens as the software is running. John Foster (left) in the role of an air taxi pilot in the simulator chair with Jim Chamberlain and Terence McClain at the flight manager stations running virtual air taxi integration simulations focusing on urban air space at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia on Sept. 25, 2024.

Bryan Jackson, grandson of Mary W. Jackson, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Focus on active photos –Class B Simulation Evaluation in the ATOL Lab at Langley (Also at FAA Tech Center) where team is working with one another in the lab, reviewing data on the monitors. Working the software, adjusting the software systems. Going over the shoulder to show the displays and screens as the software is running. A pilot’s point of view from the controls of the air taxi simulator. An out-the-window simulation appears on the top screen, the primary flight display on the lower left, the virtual moving map in the middle, and the detect and avoid display on the lower right at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia on Sept. 25, 2024.

The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters sign is installed ahead of the building naming ceremony, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters sign is installed ahead of the building naming ceremony, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters sign is installed ahead of the building naming ceremony, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Christine Darden, retired NASA engineer and "Hidden Figure,” speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Mike Cisewski, Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III Project manager at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, speaks to members of social media in the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on instruments to be delivered to the International Space Station on the SpaceX CRS-10 mission. Cisewski explained that the SAGE III is designed to study ozone in the atmosphere. A Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to be launched from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A on Feb. 18 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the company's 10th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

Wanda Jackson, granddaughter of Mary W. Jackson, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Clayton Turner, Director of NASA's Langley Research Center, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurzyck speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), is seen onscreen in a pre-recorded message during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Wanda Jackson, granddaughter of Mary W. Jackson, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

HAMPTON, Va. – NASA technician Ricky Hall works inside the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia to affix grains of sand to a precise scale model of the Dream Chaser spacecraft. Sierra Nevada Corporation is developing the Dream Chaser in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The sand creates turbulence at key points to simulate the conditions the real spacecraft will encounter during its return to Earth. The data gathered from the wind tunnel was used to further test the design through the company's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement with NASA. Photo credit: NASA/ David C. Bowman

Yolanda Shea, a physical research scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Raymond Lewis, son-in-law of Mary W. Jackson, takes a picture of the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters sign following a ceremony officially naming the building, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Clayton Turner, Director of NASA's Langley Research Center, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Christine Darden, retired NASA engineer and "Hidden Figure,” speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

HAMPTON, Va. – NASA technician Ricky Hall works inside the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia to affix grains of sand to a precise scale model of the Dream Chaser spacecraft. Sierra Nevada Corporation is developing the Dream Chaser in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The sand creates turbulence at key points to simulate the conditions the real spacecraft will encounter during its return to Earth. The data gathered from the wind tunnel was used to further test the design through the company's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement with NASA. Photo credit: NASA/ David C. Bowman

Bryan Jackson, grandson of Mary W. Jackson, speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Deputy Mayor Lucinda M. Babers speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurzyck speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Poet Nikki Giovanni is seen onscreen in a pre-recorded video during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

"Thumbs up" is signaled by ground personnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, after a mock-up of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft completed a land landing qualification test. The operation was to simulate what the actual spacecraft and crew members may experience while returning to Earth from space. The Starliner is being developed in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Along with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, the spacecraft is part of the agency’s effort to return America’s capability to launch astronauts from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station.

Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurzyck speaks during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

The Space X capsule being tested at NASA Langley’s Splash Test Basin. A series of drop tests into the Hydro Impact Basin at the Landing and Impact Research Facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia helped SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule prepare to safely land astronauts. A mock-up of the capsule with two instrumented crash test devices seated inside was tested in March 2019, representing how the capsule may impact the water during splashdown with different wind and parachute dynamics. Data collected helps understand pressures on the capsule and how those forces affect the spacecraft and occupants. Crew Dragon will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station in the Demo-2 mission, the final SpaceX flight test for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the first flight of astronauts to orbit from U.S. soil since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011. (NASA/ David C. Bowman)

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

The Space X capsule being tested at NASA Langley’s Splash Test Basin. A series of drop tests into the Hydro Impact Basin at the Landing and Impact Research Facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia helped SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule prepare to safely land astronauts. A mock-up of the capsule with two instrumented crash test devices seated inside was tested in March 2019, representing how the capsule may impact the water during splashdown with different wind and parachute dynamics. Data collected helps understand pressures on the capsule and how those forces affect the spacecraft and occupants. Crew Dragon will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station in the Demo-2 mission, the final SpaceX flight test for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the first flight of astronauts to orbit from U.S. soil since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011. (NASA/ David C. Bowman)

The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters sign is seen after being unveiled by Bryan Jackson, grandson of Mary W. Jackson, and Raymond Lewis, son-in-law of Mary W. Jackson, during a ceremony officially naming the building, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Dryden Flight Research Center's SR-71B Blackbird aircraft, NASA tail number 831, is destined for the Kalamazoo Air Zoo museum in Kalamazoo, Mich., and the F-18 High Angle-of-Attack Research Vehicle (HARV) aircraft, NASA tail number 840, is going to the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Va. NASA's SR-71B was one of only two SR-71 trainer aircraft built, and served NASA in that role, as well as for some high-speed research, from 1991 to 1999. The F-18 HARV provided some of the most comprehensive data on the high-angle-of-attack flight regime, flying at angles of up to 70 degrees from the horizontal. The HARV flew 385 research flights at Dryden from 1987 through 1996.

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

Artist Tenbeete Solomon, also known as Trap Bob, right, presents her artwork honoring Mary W. Jackson to Wanda Jackson, granddaughter of Mary W. Jackson, left, during a ceremony officially naming the NASA Headquarters building in honor of Mary W. Jackson, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

Bryan Jackson, grandson of Mary W. Jackson, left, and Raymond Lewis, son-in-law of Mary W. Jackson, right, unveil the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters sign during a ceremony officially naming the building, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, began her career with the agency in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The mathematician and aerospace engineer went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

On April 6, 2016, engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, kicked off a series of nine drop tests of a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. The high-fidelity capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first flight in space, was hoisted approximately 16 feet above the water and vertically dropped into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. The crash test dummies were instrumented to provide data and secured inside the capsule to help provide information engineers need to ensure astronauts will be protected from injury during splashdown. Each test in the series simulates different scenarios for Orion’s parachute-assisted landings, wind conditions, velocities and wave heights the spacecraft may experience when touching down in the ocean.

The moon is seen passing in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Ryan Hill)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Ryan Hill)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

The moon is seen passing in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Ryan Hill)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Ryan Hill)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Ryan Hill)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Ryan Hill)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)

The moon is seen passing in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Ryan Hill)

People are seen viewing the partial solar eclipse from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, Monday, April 8, 2024. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Mark Knopp)