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Space History Photos
The history of space exploration is rich with photos from NASA that detail the history of space travel, breakthrough propulsion systems, groundbreaking astronauts and missions, and robotic exploration. Each weekday, SPACE.com looks back at the history of spaceflight, from the early days of the space race through the space shuttle era, from the years of the first rockets and satellites to the test-flight era that preceded human spaceflight, and of course beyond.
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An astronaut perched, ready to grab the Intelasat VI satellite.
The sunrise cast a rosy glow over the orbiter Atlantis as it sits on the runway after a successful flight.
One of two pumps used to retrieve the daily one million gallons of water necessary for the Plum Brook reactor.
Workers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory prepare the spacecraft for transfer to the launch pad.
An engineer studies film-cooling of combustors at the Rocket Laboratory.
One of only a few concepts to make it into the production phase, the Inflatable station was never flown.
The orbiter Atlantis holds the spacecraft in its payload bay.
The Apollo 1 is pictured after an electrical spark ignited the environment, killing the crew.
A crash in the X-15 ends in a prompt rescue and the eventual retirement of a research pilot.
One of the Saturn stages is seen at the Michould Facility.
A control panel for a wind tunnel at Lewis Research Center.
This is one of three complexes comprising the Deep Space Network.
A 1969 space station concept that produced artificial gravity by spinning on an axis.
A failed NACA aircraft pictured with NACA's chief test pilot.
This rocket-powered research aircraft was launched from the B-52 to ensure proper testing.
The Orbiting Astronomical Observatory was the first satellite to allow astronomers to view the universe from outside Earth's atmosphere.
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