The team at NASA's Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio has begun vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion. Photo credit: NASA / Rad Sinyak

The team at NASA's Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio has begun vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion.

The team at NASA's Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio has begun vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion. Photo credit: NASA / Rad Sinyak

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

Vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing at Armstrong Test Facility will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion. Photograph taken on September 11, 2024. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)

The In-Space Propulsion Facility (ISP) is shown at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. ISP is the world’s only facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The team at NASA's Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio has begun vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion. Commander Reid Wiseman looks up at the Orion capsule during tours on September 11, 2024 of the acoustic lab. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)

The team at NASA's Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio has begun vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion. Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen look around during tours of the acoustic lab.

Vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article at Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, OH. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)

The team at NASA's Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio has begun vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion. Mission Specialis Jeremy Hansen looks up at the Orion capsule during tours of the acoustic lab.

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility located at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel. This is a view from inside the chamber looking up toward the American flag. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The vacuum chamber of the In-Space Propulsion (ISP) facility at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility spans 38ft in diameter and is 62ft tall. ISP is the world’s only facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. ISP also has a vacuum range of up to 100 statute miles in altitude. This is a view from inside the chamber. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

PROPULSION AND STRUCTURAL TEST FACILITY (BUILDING 4572) AT THE GEORGE C. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

PROPULSION AND STRUCTURAL TEST FACILITY (BUILDING 4572) AT THE GEORGE C. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

PROPULSION AND STRUCTURAL TEST FACILITY (BUILDING 4572) AT THE GEORGE C. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

PROPULSION AND STRUCTURAL TEST FACILITY (BUILDING 4572) AT THE GEORGE C. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

PROPULSION AND STRUCTURAL TEST FACILITY (BUILDING 4572) AT THE GEORGE C. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

Aerial Vies of NASA Glenn Research Center, Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility. At the time this photograph was taken, the site was known as Plum Brook Station.

The team at NASA's Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio has begun vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion.

The Wake Shield Facility is displayed on a test stand at JSC. Astronaut Ronald M. Sega, mission specialist for STS-60, is seen with the facility during a break in testing in the acoustic and vibration facility at JSC.

Pictured on a test stand at JSC is the Wake Shield Facility scheduled to fly on STS-60.

The test chamber is 38 ft in diameter by 62 ft deep amd made of stainless steel. It is vacuum rated at 10-7 torr long duration (Local atmospheric pressure to 100 statute miles altitude). The vacuum chamber surfaces are lined with a liquid nitrogen cold wall, capable of maintaining -320 °F. A quartz infrared heating system can be programmed to radiate a sinusoidal distribution, simulating rotational solar heating. Photo Credit: (NASA/Quentin Schwinn)

The European Service Module Propulsion Qualification Module (PQM) arrives at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico on Feb. 18, 2017.

The European Service Module Propulsion Qualification Module (PQM) arrives at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico on Feb. 18, 2017.

The European Service Module Propulsion Qualification Module (PQM) arrives at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico on Feb. 18, 2017.

Photographed on: 08/03/75. -- By 1972 the Lunar Landing Research Facility was no longer in use for its original purpose. The 400-foot high structure was swiftly modified to allow engineers to study the dynamics of aircraft crashes. "The Impact Dynamics Research Facility is used to conduct crash testing of full-scale aircraft under controlled conditions. The aircraft are swung by cables from an A-frame structure that is approximately 400 ft. long and 230 foot high. The impact runway can be modified to simulate other grand crash environments, such as packed dirt, to meet a specific test requirement." "In 1972, NASA and the FAA embarked on a cooperative effort to develop technology for improved crashworthiness and passenger survivability in general aviation aircraft with little or no increase in weight and acceptable cost. Since then, NASA has "crashed" dozens of GA aircraft by using the lunar excursion module (LEM) facility originally built for the Apollo program." This photograph shows Crash Test No. 7. Crash Test: Test #7

MOLLY GINTER TESTS AVIONICS SYSTEMS IN THE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND TEST FACILITY (SITF)

The Space Environments Complex (SEC) at the Armstrong Testing Facility stores Orion’s Launch Abort System, which will later be tested for support of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Space Environments Complex (SEC) at the Armstrong Testing Facility stores Orion’s Launch Abort System, which will later be tested for support of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

PLASMA TORCH TEST FACILITY

PLASMA TORCH TEST FACILITY

JENNIFER GRAHAM AND MOLLY GINTER RUNNING TESTS OF THE AVIONICS SYSTEMS IN THE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND TEST FACILITY (SITF)

TOM SNYDER AND CHUCK ENSEY RUNNING TESTS OF THE AVIONICS SYSTEMS IN THE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND TEST FACILITY (SITF)

RATANA MACKRELL POSITIONS CABLES IN THE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND TEST FACILITY

The Peregrine Hybrid Rocket Engine, profile view, prior to the test at the Outdoor Aerodynamic Research Facility (OARF, N-249) at Ames Research Center.

The Launch Abort System and the Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in October 2023 through January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

Astronaut Ronald M. Sega stands beside the University of Houston's Wake Shield Facility before it undergoes a Modal Survey Test in the Vibration and Acoustic Test Facility Building 49, prior to being flown on space shuttle mission STS-60.

The thrust stand in the Rocket Engine Test Facility at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rocket Engine Test Facility was constructed in the mid-1950s to expand upon the smaller test cells built a decade before at the Rocket Laboratory. The $2.5-million Rocket Engine Test Facility could test larger hydrogen-fluorine and hydrogen-oxygen rocket thrust chambers with thrust levels up to 20,000 pounds. Test Stand A, seen in this photograph, was designed to fire vertically mounted rocket engines downward. The exhaust passed through an exhaust gas scrubber and muffler before being vented into the atmosphere. Lewis researchers in the early 1970s used the Rocket Engine Test Facility to perform basic research that could be utilized by designers of the Space Shuttle Main Engines. A new electronic ignition system and timer were installed at the facility for these tests. Lewis researchers demonstrated the benefits of ceramic thermal coatings for the engine’s thrust chamber and determined the optimal composite material for the coatings. They compared the thermal-coated thrust chamber to traditional unlined high-temperature thrust chambers. There were more than 17,000 different configurations tested on this stand between 1973 and 1976. The Rocket Engine Test Facility was later designated a National Historic Landmark for its role in the development of liquid hydrogen as a propellant.

RYAN MACKRELL AND RATANA MEEKHAM INSPECT AVIONICS SYSTEMS CABLES IN THE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND TEST FACILITY (SITF)

RYAN MACKRELL AND RATANA MEEKHAM INSPECT AVIONICS SYSTEMS CABLES IN THE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND TEST FACILITY (SITF).

From Left to Right: 1. Hunjoo Kim (NASA JPL) 2. Kyle Botteon (NASA JPL) 3. Ashley Karp (NASA JPL) 4. Brian Schratz (NASA JPL) Testing the Peregrine Hybrid Rocket Engine at the Outdoor Aerodynamic Research Facility (building N249, OARF) at Ames Research Center.

Hunjoo Kim, NASA JPL (Left) and Ashley Karp, NASA JPL (Right) attaching heat sensors the Peregrine Hybrid Rocket Engine prior to its test at the Outdoor Aerodynamic Research Facility (OARF, N-249) at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

Ashley Karp, NASA JPL (Left) and Hunjoo Kim, NASA JPL (Right) attaching heat sensors the Peregrine Hybrid Rocket Engine prior to its test at the Outdoor Aerodynamic Research Facility (OARF, N-249) at NASA's Ames Research Center.

Tours were given of the In Space Propulsion Facility (ISP). NASA’s Facility is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. Pictured are Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Employees meet three of the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed flight paving the way for future lunar surface missions. Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will be on hand to discuss their upcoming mission and participate in a Question and Answer session with employees afterward. Hansen is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency. Victor Glover, the pilot and fourth crew member, was not present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)

The Fan Noise Test Facility built at the Lewis Research Center to obtain far-field noise data for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and General Electric Quiet Engine Program. The engine incorporated existing noise reduction methods into an engine of similar power to those that propelled the Boeing 707 or McDonnell-Douglas DC-8 airliner. The new the low-bypass ratio turbofan engines of the 1960s were inherently quieter than their turbojet counterparts, researchers had a better grasp of the noise generation problem, and new acoustic technologies had emerged. Lewis contracted General Electric in 1969 to build and aerodynamically test three experimental engines with 72-inch diameter fans. The engines were then brought to Lewis and tested with an acoustically treated nacelle. This Fan Noise Test Facility was built off of the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel’s Main Compressor and Drive Building. Lewis researchers were able to isolate the fan’s noise during these initial tests by removing the core of the engine. The Lewis test rig drove engines to takeoff tip speeds of 1160 feet per second. The facility was later used to test a series of full-scale model fans and fan noise suppressors to be used with the quiet engine. NASA researchers predicted low-speed single-stage fans without inlet guide vanes and with large spacing between rotors and stators would be quieter. General Electric modified a TF39 turbofan engine by removing the the outer protion of the fan and spacing the blade rows of the inner portion. The tests revealed that the untreated version of the engine generated less noise than was anticipated, and the acoustically treated nacelle substantially reduced engine noise.

A composite photo made from 18 images of the lunar eclipse above the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Glenn Research Center at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, during the early hours of March 14, 2025. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)

Tours were given of the In Space Propulsion Facility (ISP) in Sandusky, OH at Neil Armstrong Test Facility. NASA’s Facility is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. Employees meet three of the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed flight paving the way for future lunar surface missions. Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will be on hand to discuss their upcoming mission and participate in a Question and Answer session with employees afterward. Hansen is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency. Victor Glover, the pilot and fourth crew member, will not be present. Awards were given to employees that participated in Orion for Artemis I.

The Neil Armstrong Test Facility, part of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, is home to multiple test facilities, including the Space Environments Complex and the In-Space Propulsion Facility, both stops for Dream Chaser. The complex is home to the Mechanical Vibration Facility, which subjects test articles to the rigorous conditions of launch. While at Armstrong, the Dream Chaser winged spacecraft was stacked atop its Shooting Star cargo module on the vibration table to experience vibrations like those during launch and re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.

The Neil Armstrong Test Facility, part of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, is home to multiple test facilities, including the Space Environments Complex and the In-Space Propulsion Facility, both stops for Dream Chaser. The complex is home to the Mechanical Vibration Facility, which subjects test articles to the rigorous conditions of launch. While at Armstrong, the Dream Chaser winged spacecraft was stacked atop its Shooting Star cargo module on the vibration table to experience vibrations like those during launch and re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.

The Neil Armstrong Test Facility, part of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, is home to multiple test facilities, including the Space Environments Complex and the In-Space Propulsion Facility, both stops for Dream Chaser. The complex is home to the Mechanical Vibration Facility, which subjects test articles to the rigorous conditions of launch. While at Armstrong, the Dream Chaser winged spacecraft was stacked atop its Shooting Star cargo module on the vibration table to experience vibrations like those during launch and re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. This image shows the setup right before the FBC deployment test. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen pose in front of the Orion Environmental Test Article at Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, OH on September 11, 2024. The team has begun vibro-acoustic testing on the Orion spacecraft that flew around the Moon on Artemis I, now known as the Environmental Test Article. The testing will help ensure the safety of future crews aboard Orion. Employees meet three of the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed flight paving the way for future lunar surface missions. Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will be on hand to discuss their upcoming mission and participate in a Question and Answer session with employees afterward. Hansen is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency. Victor Glover, the pilot and fourth crew member, will not be present. Awards were given to employees that participated in Orion for Artemis I. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Crew Module Uprighting System Test, which is the system of five airbags on top of the capsule that inflate upon splashdown. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Crew Module Uprighting System Test, which is the system of five airbags on top of the capsule that inflate upon splashdown. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Crew Module Uprighting System Test, which is the system of five airbags on top of the capsule that inflate upon splashdown. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin and Quentin Schwinn)

This photograph shows a test firing of a Saturn V second stage (S-II) on the S-IC test stand at the Propulsion Test Facility near New Orleans, Louisiana. This second stage component was used in the unmarned test flight of Apollo 4.

Experts at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, conducted a lightning test, which simulates the electromagnetic effects of a lightning strike to the vehicle on the launch pad awaiting liftoff. The February 20, 2024, test proved the grounding path of the vehicle is operating as designed and protecting the vehicle from damage to any of its equipment or systems. Photo Credit: (NASA/Quentin Schwinn)

Blood Moon on March 14, 2025 at Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, OH. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)

A technician in shown inside Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane preparing for vibration testing at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility’s Mechanical Vibration Facility. Using the world’s most powerful spacecraft shaker system in February 2024, NASA exposed Dream Chaser and its Shooting Star cargo module to vibrations like those it will experience during launch and re-entry into the atmosphere. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The NISAR satellite, partially covered in gold-hued thermal blanketing, is seen at the Indian Space Research Organisation's compact antenna test facility in Bengaluru, India, in September 2023. Short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, NISAR completed 20 days of testing in the chamber, where engineers found that the radio signals from the two radar systems' antennas passed requirements. The blue foam spikes lining the walls, floor, and ceiling prevent radio waves from bouncing around the room and interfering with measurement. The test was followed by a 21-day trial in a thermal vacuum chamber that showed the spacecraft can function in the extreme temperatures and the vacuum of space. After further tests, the satellite will be transported about 220 miles (350 kilometers) eastward to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, where it will be inserted into its launch faring, mounted atop ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II rocket, and sent into low-Earth orbit. NISAR is the first space-hardware collaboration between NASA and ISRO on an Earth-observing mission. Scheduled to launch in early 2024, the satellite will scan nearly all of the planet's land and ice twice every 12 days, monitoring the motion of those surfaces down to fractions of an inch. It will also track other processes, including the dynamics of forests, wetlands, and agricultural lands. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26115

Pictured on a test stand at JSC is the Wake Shield Facility scheduled to fly on STS-60.

The Launch Abort Systems gets installed on to the Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), in preparation for testing at the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Saundusky, Ohio. The ETA completed an 11-month test campaign in 2024 necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy. Photo Credit: (NASA/Quentin Schwinn and Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), prepares for testing by installing the Forward Bay Cover. The Crew Module returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Launch Abort Systems gets installed on to the Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), in preparation for testing at the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. The ETA completed an 11-month test campaign in 2024 necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. In November 2024, experts completed the Forward Bay Cover jettison test, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy.

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), prepares for testing by installing the Forward Bay Cover. The Crew Module returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Launch Abort Systems gets installed on to the Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), in preparation for testing at the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. The ETA completed an 11-month test campaign in 2024 necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The Orion Crew Module, also known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), prepares for testing by installing the Forward Bay Cover. The Crew Module returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jordan Salkin)

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

The SLS Stages Intertank Structural Test Assembly (STA) is rolling off the NASA Pegasus Barge at the MSFC Dock enroute to the MSFC 4619 Load Test Annex test facility for qualification testing

Tours were given of the In Space Propulsion Facility (ISP). NASA’s Facility is the world’s only high altitude test facility capable of full-scale rocket engine and launch vehicle system level tests. The facility supports mission profile thermal vacuum simulation and engine firing. Pictured are Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, Penelope Garcia-Galan, Kathryn Oriti, General David Stringer, Tiffany O'Rourke and Commander Reid Wiseman. Employees meet three of the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed flight paving the way for future lunar surface missions. Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will be on hand to discuss their upcoming mission and participate in a Question and Answer session with employees afterward. Hansen is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency. Victor Glover, the pilot and fourth crew member, will not be present.

Test engineers monitor an engine firing from the control room of the Rocket Engine Test Facility at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The Rocket Engine Test Facility, built in the early 1950s, had a rocket stand designed to evaluate high-energy propellants and rocket engine designs. The facility was used to study numerous different types of rocket engines including the Pratt and Whitney RL-10 engine for the Centaur rocket and Rocketdyne’s F-1 and J-2 engines for the Saturn rockets. The Rocket Engine Test Facility was built in a ravine at the far end of the laboratory because of its use of the dangerous propellants such as liquid hydrogen and liquid fluorine. The control room was located in a building 1,600 feet north of the test stand to protect the engineers running the tests. The main control and instrument consoles were centrally located in the control room and surrounded by boards controlling and monitoring the major valves, pumps, motors, and actuators. A camera system at the test stand allowed the operators to view the tests, but the researchers were reliant on data recording equipment, sensors, and other devices to provide test data. The facility’s control room was upgraded several times over the years. Programmable logic controllers replaced the electro-mechanical control devices. The new controllers were programed to operate the valves and actuators controlling the fuel, oxidant, and ignition sequence according to a predetermined time schedule.