#poic

#TBT: US Microgravity Laboratory-2 Launches – Oct. 20, 1995 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Via Flickr: This week in 1995, the space shuttle Columbia and STS-73 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying USML-2, the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-2. Here, the lab is visible in the orbiter’s cargo bay. U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-2, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, conducted experiments on fluid physics and the effects of microgravity on combustion and the formation of semiconductor crystals. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall serves as "science central" for the space station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory's scientific experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. Image credit: NASA Read more Marshall History For more NASA History photos NASA Media Usage Guidelines

#TBT: STS-34 Lands – Oct. 23, 1989 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Via Flickr: This week in 1989, the space shuttle Atlantis and STS-34 landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California following a successful four-day mission. The primary objective of the mission was to deploy the Galileo spacecraft on its six-year journey to Jupiter. Today, the current spacecraft exploring Jupiter is the Juno mission, which launched Aug. 5, 2011, and arrived at Jupiter July 4, 2016. Juno is part of the New Frontiers Program managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center’s Science Mission Directorate. The goal of the mission is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter, look for its solid planetary core, map its magnetic field, measure water and ammonia in the planet’s deep atmosphere and observe auroras. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. Image credit: NASA Read more Marshall History For more NASA History photos NASA Media Usage Guidelines