NASA facilities
There are NASA facilities across the
List of field centers
NASA has ten field centers.[4] Four of these were inherited from its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA); two others were transferred to NASA from the United States Army; and NASA commissioned and built the other four itself shortly after its formation in 1958.
Inherited from NACA
Ames Research Center (ARC) at Moffett Field was founded on December 20, 1939. The center was named after Joseph Sweetman Ames, a founding member of the NACA.[9] ARC is one of NASA's 10 major field centers and is located in California's Silicon Valley. Historically, Ames was founded to do wind-tunnel research on the aerodynamics of propeller-driven aircraft; however, it has expanded its role to doing research and technology in aeronautics, spaceflight, and information technology.[10] It provides leadership in astrobiology, small satellites, robotic lunar exploration, intelligent/adaptive systems and thermal protection.
John H. Glenn Research Center (GRC), formerly the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, located in Brook Park, Ohio, was established in 1942 as a laboratory for aircraft engine research.[11] In 1999, the center was officially renamed the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field after John Glenn, an American fighter pilot, astronaut and politician.[12] Glenn supports all of the agency's missions and major programs. Glenn excels in researching and developing innovative technologies for both aeronautics and space flight. A multitude of NASA missions have included elements from Glenn, from the Mercury and Gemini projects to the Space Shuttle Program and the International Space Station. The center's core competencies include air-breathing and in-space propulsion and cryogenics, communications, power energy storage and conversion, microgravity sciences, and advanced materials.[13]
Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC), established by NACA before 1946 and located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is NASA's premier site for aeronautical research and operates some of the most advanced aircraft in the world. It is also the home of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), a modified Boeing 747 designed to carry a Space Shuttle orbiter back to Kennedy Space Center if one lands at Edwards. On January 16, 2014, the center previously known as Dryden was renamed in honor of Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to walk on the Moon.[14][15]
Transferred from the Army
The
Built by NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), located in Greenbelt, Maryland, was commissioned by NASA on March 1, 1959.[25] It is the largest combined organization of scientists and engineers in the United States dedicated to increasing knowledge of the Earth, the Solar System, and the Universe via observations from space. GSFC is a major U.S. laboratory for developing and operating unmanned scientific spacecraft. GSFC conducts scientific investigation, development and operation of space systems, and development of related technologies. Goddard scientists can develop and support a mission, and Goddard engineers and technicians can design and build the spacecraft for that mission. Goddard scientist John C. Mather shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on COBE. GSFC also operates two spaceflight tracking and data acquisition networks (the Space Network and the Near Earth Network), develops and maintains advanced space and Earth science data information systems, and develops satellite systems for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).[26] External facilities of the GSFC include the Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Virginia, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, and the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in West Virginia.[27][28]
Other facilities
Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC), in Spanish and officially Complejo de Comunicaciones de Espacio Profundo de Madrid, is a satellite ground station located in Robledo de Chavela, Spain, and operated by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) that is a part of the Deep Space Network of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
In addition to JPL (above), there are other Government-Owned / Contractor-Operated NASA facilities operated under grant provisions, such as the Space Telescope Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University which operates the Hubble Space Telescope.
Organization
NASA headquarters, Washington, D.C.
- Ames Research Center
- Armstrong Flight Research Center
- John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field
- Goddard Space Flight Center
- New York, New York
- Independent Verification and Validation Facility, Fairmont, West Virginia
- Wallops Island, Virginia
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Deep Space Networkstations:
- Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, Barstow, California
- Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
- Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
- John F. Kennedy Space Center
- Langley Research Center
- George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- John C. Stennis Space Center
List of minor facilities
Communication and telescope facilities
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Manufacturing, test and research facilities
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See also
- Category:NASA facilities
- Category:NASA groups, organizations, and centers
- List of NASA Visitor Centers
- Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility
- Crawlerway
- Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility
- National Transonic Facility
- Shuttle Landing Facility
References
- ^ Shouse, Mary (July 9, 2009). "Welcome to NASA Headquarters". Retrieved July 15, 2009.
- ^ "NASA Center Assignments by State". NASA. 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
- ^ "Does NASA Need a Closure Commission To Shut Down Idle Facilities? – SpaceNews.com". 1 April 2013. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014.
- ^ "NASA Facilities and Centers" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ Rothman, Lily (January 5, 2017). "What to Know About the Real Research Lab From Hidden Figures". time.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Tennant, Diane (September 5, 2011). "What's in a name? NASA Langley Research Center". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
- ^ Swenson Jr., Lloyd S.; Grimwood, James M.; Alexander, Charles C. "Space Task Group Gets a New Home and Name". This New Ocean, SP-4201. NASA. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ Korsgaard, Sean (20 July 2019). "Williamsburg recalls watching Apollo 11 and helping crew get there". Virginia Gazette, Daily Press. Tribune Media. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ Pearlman, Robert (January 15, 2014). "Should NASA Ames Be Renamed After Sally Ride?". space.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Tillman, Nola (January 12, 2018). "Ames Research Center: R&D Lab for NASA". space.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ "NASA Glenn's Historical Timeline". NASA. April 16, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "NASA Glenn Research Center Name Change". NASA. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "History of John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field". NASA. September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "House passes bill to rename NASA facility for Armstrong". Spaceflight Now. 2012-12-31. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ "NASA Center Redesignated for Neil Armstrong; Test Range for Hugh Dryden". 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Why does everyone say NASA's JPL is in Pasadena when this other city is its real home?". 14 July 2016.
- ^ NASA.gov
- ^ Voosen, Paul (June 3, 2022). "New director of NASA's storied Jet Propulsion Lab takes on ballooning mission costs". science.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ Werner, Debra (January 27, 2022). "Microsoft helps JPL with Deep Space Network scheduling". Space News. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ Dunn, Marcia (August 6, 2018). "Rocket City, Alabama: Space history and an eye on the future". ap news. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Fentress, Steve (July 6, 2021). "NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: A hub for historic and modern-day rocket power". space.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ "MSFC_Fact_sheet" (PDF). NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
- ^ "Marshall Space Flight Center, ca. 1960s". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ Haines, Matt (November 14, 2019). "New Orleans' NASA Michoud Facility Is The History And Future Of Space Exploration". verylocal.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ "History of Goddard Space Flight Center". NASA. September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Fentress, Steve (February 10, 2020). "NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center: Exploring Earth and space by remote control". space.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ "About NASA's IV&V Program". NASA. March 9, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Yan, Holly (February 24, 2019). "NASA renames facility for real-life 'Hidden Figures' hero Katherine Johnson". CNN. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Lopez, Kenny (August 9, 2022). "Stennis Space Center tests rocket engines that will be used in NASA's historic Artemis I mission to the moon". WGNO TV. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "Stennis Space Center set for active testing year". Meridian Star. January 22, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Dubuisson, Rebecca (July 19, 2007). "NASA Shared Services Center Background". Archived from the original on July 16, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
- ^ a b NASA. "Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center". Archived from the original on 1998-12-01. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ "Houston Space Center Is Named for Johnson". The New York Times. February 20, 1973. p. 19.
- ^ Nixon, Richard M. (February 19, 1973). "50 - Statement About Signing a Bill Designating the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center". Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ "The National Archives, Lyndon B. Johnson Executive Order 11129". Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Kennedy Space Center Story". NASA. 1991. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ^ "Senate". Congressional Record: 17598. September 8, 2004.
- ^ "Kennedy Space Center Annual Report (2021)" (PDF). nasa.gov. November 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2022.