NASA History

"Before I saw the posting for an archival intern, I didn’t realize there were opportunities at NASA for individuals outside of STEM fields."

Meet Nina Paris, our summer intern working at the NASA Headquarters archives in Washington, D.C.! Nina, an art history major at Smith College, is processing a collection donated by James Acker, who contributed to NASA’s ocean color initiatives. This project uses radiometers and satellite technology to study the ocean’s carbon cycle, detect harmful algal blooms, and assess overall ocean health. In processing this collection, Nina is helping preserve NASA’s history and make these materials accessible for future researchers.

Two of the images from the collection Nina is working on are shown here, including a group of NASA scientists and an unidentified woman next to the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (or variation of it) flown on Nimbus satellites in the 1970s.

In NASA's earliest days, legendary engineer Max Faget and others at NASA designed a way to protect astronauts from the vibrations and extreme G-forces of spaceflight. Strong and lightweight fiberglass couches were molded from plaster casts contoured to each specific man.

In July 1959, test pilots rode a centrifuge while strapped into these custom-molded couches, successfully enduring accelerations up to 20 Gs.

The couches are similar to those made for each of the Mercury Seven astronauts and fitted into the Mercury spacecraft.

The 135th and final shuttle launch! 🚀

July 8 marks the 15th anniversary of the historic final launch of NASA's 30-year Space Shuttle Program. With its crew of 4 astronauts, Atlantis lifted off at 11:29 am to begin STS-135, its last journey to the International Space Station.