Space

National

In Alabama, Huntsville Continues To Play A Large Role In NASA's Exploration Efforts

5:11pm July 24, 2019

by Russell Lewis

Huntsville, Ala., was one of the key cities that helped NASA get to the moon in 1969. Fifty years later, Huntsville still plays a big role in NASA's present and future space exploration efforts.

Large Synoptic Survey Telescope under construction on Cerro Pachón in Chile

New Telescope Promises To Revolutionize Astronomy

8:54am July 24, 2019

by Joe Palca

A powerful telescope is taking shape in the Chilean Andes. When finished, it will repeatedly image huge swaths of the sky, searching for rare events such as merging stars and other events.

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Chris Kraft, Architect Of NASA's Mission Control, Dies At Age Of 95

5:46am July 23, 2019

by Russell Lewis

One of the architect's of NASA's mission control has died at age 95. Chris Kraft was one of the original employees of the space task group and the agency's first flight director.

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NASA Mission Control founder Chris Kraft in the old mission control at Johnson Space Center in Houston. This original mission control of the Apollo era is a national historic landmark.

National

Chris Kraft, One Of The Architects Of The U.S. Space Program, Dies At 95

11:42pm July 22, 2019

by Russell Lewis

Kraft was among the earliest employees of NASA and designed mission control and other components of the program. He became head of the Johnson Space Center and oversaw the birth of the space shuttle.

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Through a webcast, a man at New Delhi's Nehru Planetarium takes pictures of the liftoff of the Indian Space Research Organization's unmanned spacecraft, launched Monday on a mission to the far side of the moon.

India Launches Mission To The Moon On Its 2nd Try

12:49pm July 22, 2019

by Sasha Ingber

If Chandrayaan-2 reaches the moon as planned, India would become the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface, after the United States, Russia and China.

Science

As NASA's Apollo Space Program Grew, Alabama Was Pressured To Desegregate

11:50am July 22, 2019

by Scott Neuman

Hundreds of thousands of jobs were created for the Apollo space program. As the program ramped up, leaders in Huntsville, Ala., realized they needed to desegregate to attract talent.

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Greg Force and Abby Force at StoryCorps in Greenville, S.C.

How A 10-Year-Old Boy Helped Apollo 11 Return To Earth

2:26pm July 21, 2019

Greg Force was just a boy when his father, the director of a NASA tracking station in Guam, called home with an important mission for him: to help the crew of Apollo 11 return safely to Earth.

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Some of the space food that was scheduled to be carried on the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission included (from left to right): chicken and vegetables, beef hash, and beef and gravy.

50 Years After Apollo 11, Here's What (And How) Astronauts Are Eating

7:00am July 21, 2019

by Susie Neilson

Ever since astronaut John Glenn's first bite of applesauce in 1962, eating in space has been a challenge. NPR talks to former NASA food scientists to see how cosmic cuisine has evolved over the years.

Chuck Lowry, shown at home last month in Santa Ana, Calif., says hiring ramped up so quickly that they ran out of equipment: "I know people that took doors off of the offices and put them on sawhorses and that became their drafting table."

Science

The Making Of Apollo's Command Module: 2 Engineers Recall Tragedy And Triumph

5:23pm July 20, 2019

by Jacob Margolis

It was the only part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft that came back from the moon. Designing, testing and building it was a monumental task, according to two engineers who were part of the effort.

Michael Collins, center, poses with Neil Armstrong, left, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. for a group portrait a few weeks before they took off to the moon in the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

National

On Apollo 11 Anniversary, A Former Crew Member Reflects On The Lunar Trip

12:51pm July 20, 2019

Humans first landed on the moon 50 years ago on July 20. Former astronaut Michael Collins was a member of the historic mission.

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