NASA

Recognizing the people and passion behind our mission. Space Center Houston recently came together to honor the incredible achievements of our crew during the Expanding Horizons All-Crew Awards Celebration. The evening was filled with pride, connection, and inspiration as we recognized those who bring our mission and values to life every day. These awards are more than recognition; they reflect the heart of who we are: Space Enthusiasts, People-Driven, and Champions of Curiosity. Each honoree was selected because their actions advance our mission to reveal how science and humanity power space exploration, while strengthening our crew culture. 2025 Award Winners Culture in Action AwardCelebrating the crew who bring our values to lifeThis award honors crew who help create a ...

A future with advanced air mobility aircraft populating the skies will require the U.S. to implement enhanced preflight planning that can mitigate potential risks well before takeoff – and NASA is working to develop the tools to make that happen.  Preflight planning is critical to ensuring safety in the complex, high-risk environments of the future airspace. Timely, predictive, and up-to-date risk assessment within a single platform makes it much easier for drone or air taxi operators to check flight plans for high-risk concerns.   NASA is working on tools to deliver those services, and in June, the agency and aviation safety company ResilienX Inc. demonstrated how these tools can be integrated into commercial systems.   During a series of tests conducted at ResilienX’s facility in Syracu...

Until now, additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, of engine components was limited by the lack of affordable metal alloys that could withstand the extreme temperatures of spaceflight. Expensive metal alloys were the only option for 3D printing engine parts until NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, developed the GRX-810 alloy. The primary metals in the GRX-810 alloy include nickel, cobalt, and chromium. A ceramic oxide coating on the powdered metal particles increases its heat resistance and improves performance. Known as oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys, these powders were challenging to manufacture at a reasonable cost when the project started.  However, the advanced dispersion coating technique developed at Glenn employs resonant acoustic mixing....

SALT LAKE CITY — A year after announcing plans to offer rideshare missions to geostationary orbit, Impulse Space says the demand has been strong enough to plan an annual series of them. At last year’s Small Satellite Conference, Impulse Space said it would offer rideshare missions to GEO using its high-energy Helios orbital transfer vehicle under development. The company said it was prompted to offer the service by the number of “microGEO” spacecraft under development with masses of one ton or less. “We’re going to gauge the demand and see if it’s real,” Tom Mueller, founder and chief executive of Impulse Space, said at the time. A year later, Impulse has concluded the demand is real. “Twelve months ago, we got up here and we were saying that we think there is a market for GEO r...

Space Center Houston joins the space exploration community in mourning the loss and celebrating the extraordinary life of former astronaut Captain Jim Lovell, who passed away at age 97.  Lovell’s contributions to the U.S. space program are monumental. Selected by NASA as an astronaut in 1962, he served on four pivotal space missions and played a key role in shaping the future of human spaceflight. He was a backup pilot for Gemini 4, a backup commander for Gemini 9, and a backup commander to Neil Armstrong for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing.  On December 4, 1965, Lovell and Frank Borman launched aboard Gemini 7, completing a 330-hour mission that included the first successful rendezvous of two manned, maneuverable spacecraft in orbit, a milestone that helped make future Moo...