X-15A Flight No. 3-7-14: To the Edge of Space

Separation from B-52. 342-USAF-30182, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68330 The X-15 did not take off. It must have stuck out its thumb, because it hitched a ride into flight. On July 17, 1962, Air Force Maj. Robert White took to the air with his X-15 mounted under the wing of a modified B-52. After separating from the mothership, he … Continue reading X-15A Flight No. 3-7-14: To the Edge of Space

Mapping the Moon

RG 77: Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Lunar Maps, 1961–1962 (NAID 1077479) On April 3, 2023, NASA announced that humans are soaring back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, since the return of Apollo 17 in 1972. Four astronauts, Americans, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, … Continue reading Mapping the Moon

Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science with NASA Trailblazers

February 11 is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day set aside to recognize the role women and girls play in science and technology and promote full and equal access to participation in science. What better way to recognize the day than by highlighting a few NASA trailblazers? Still taken from 255-HQ-296 … Continue reading Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science with NASA Trailblazers

Space and Beyond: Locating NASA Photographs Using Online Indexes

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) photographic records is one of the largest groups of records within the holdings of the Still Picture Branch. The photographs range in date between 1903 and 2011, and include subject matter such as daily operations, personnel, events, facilities, and come in the form of both analog and born-digital … Continue reading Space and Beyond: Locating NASA Photographs Using Online Indexes

Big Shot 2: A Shiny Space Balloon

The NASA Science and Engineering Series (255-SE) consists of footage of experiments and events associated with various programs including Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. NARA staff have processed 5,848 film reels so far. Fortuitously, most of the films came to us labeled with excellent metadata including title, date, and location, or even with paper scene lists. … Continue reading Big Shot 2: A Shiny Space Balloon