Skylab, America's first space station launched #OTD in 1973—the last ever launch of a Saturn V rocket! 63 seconds into the flight, controllers saw the first signs that something had gone wrong. Read about the launch and the race to save the Skylab program. go.nasa.gov/3UGX4cX

Apollo 10 was on Pad 39B getting ready for its launch to the Moon 55 years ago today. It was the only Apollo mission to launch from this pad. Why 39B? Because preparations for Apollo 11 were underway on Pad 39A. go.nasa.gov/4bDc3LT

Several NASA mission patches include eagles, but the STS-78 patch was the first to pair an eagle with Pacific Northwest Native American art. The design included elements from the Canadian Space Agency STS-78 patch by artist Bill Helin, a member of the Tsimshian Nation. #MissionPatchMonday

60 years ago today—the Little Joe II booster launches Apollo A-001 on a test of the Apollo Command Module's Launch Escape System (LES) at White Sands Missile Range. Except for a parachute failure, the boilerplate spacecraft and LES functioned flawlessly.

5 years ago today, NASA's campaign to return humans to the Moon got a new name: Artemis.

Named for the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology, #Artemis is laying a foundation for sending astronauts to explore Mars and beyond. go.nasa.gov/44zMM2Q

The STS-125 crew captured Hubble #OTD in 2009 with Atlantis's robotic arm, docking the space telescope in the shuttle’s cargo bay. Hubble was revitalized over almost 37 hours of extravehicular activities (EVAs) during this final servicing mission! go.nasa.gov/3wBbsLJ

Dr. Anna Fisher became the first mom to go to space when she flew on STS-51A 40 years ago this November. In her 2009 oral history she describes being informed of her flight assignment two weeks before having her baby. Read the interview: go.nasa.gov/3JQLsPI #MothersDay

The last launch to service Hubble happened #OTD 15 years ago! 🚀

Servicing Mission 4 set out on this day in 2009 on an ambitious journey, including five spacewalks and the installation of two new scientific instruments, plus other repairs and upgrades: go.nasa.gov/4al68Kd

This day in history:

The 363-feet tall Apollo 15 rocket rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39A in 1971. Apollo 15 launched on July 26, 1971, as the fourth crewed lunar landing on the Moon.

Say hello to the van-tastic Astrovan!

Used from STS-9 through the end of the Shuttle era to transport astronauts to the launch pad, astronauts liked the history-filled vehicle and even argued against upgrading it.

📷 STS-125 crew heads to pad 39A #OTD 15 years ago

Physicist and former NASA Astronaut Dr. Edward Lu has spent 184 days in space over three space missions. In 2003, he became the first American to launch and land in a Soyuz spacecraft, spending six months aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 7. #AANHPI go.nasa.gov/3UUcXOK

On January 13, 1997, NASA announced that a census of 27 nearby galaxies taken by Hubble & telescopes in Hawaii suggested that nearly all big galaxies harbor a supermassive black hole at their centers. Read the text of the press release: go.nasa.gov/3ULxcxM #BlackHoleWeek

#TBT to Karl Jansky’s accidental discovery of radio emission from the heart of our galaxy, which was widely publicized this week in 1933. This kicked off the field of radio astronomy, and we now know our galactic center houses a supermassive black hole. #BlackHoleWeek

I'm feeling supersonic!

John Manke (who later became NASA Armstrong's director) made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body, the HL-10, 55 years ago today. The lessons learned from this aircraft went on to inform the design of the space shuttle. go.nasa.gov/4b3VYz6

All it took was the push of a button and the turn of a crank to set NASA History Office in motion. #OTD in 1942, an engine roared to life as National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics leaders initiated the first test at the lab that would become NASA Glenn: go.nasa.gov/3UPjnOX

Earth and the Moon as seen from Mars!

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor captured this mesmerizing view of our planet and our Moon #OTD in 2003.

See the science highlights from the spacecraft's 20-year mission! go.nasa.gov/44xQgTJ

But when I get home to you,
I find the things that you do,
will make me feel alright. 🎵

STS-30, the fourth mission for Space Shuttle Atlantis, touched down at Edwards Air Force Base #OTD in 1989. The crew's wake-up call for the mission's last day was 'A Hard Day's Night' by the Beatles.

In the 1960s, Helen Ling became a supervisor for NASA JPL's computing group, a team responsible for performing trajectory calculations. Ling encouraged the group's women to get degrees and was a powerhouse in bringing women engineers into JPL. #AANHPI ➡️
go.nasa.gov/3wlnJnD

Uhuru, NASA’s first orbital mission to study X-ray sources, launched in 1970. Uhuru’s studies of Cygnus X-1 showed that the X-rays from the object varied rapidly, implying that the source is very small and most likely a black hole—the first widely accepted as such. #BlackHoleWeek

30 years ago today, the Clementine mission ended after successfully studying the Moon. Primarily designed as a technology demonstration, the mission yielded significant science, mapping the resources of the Moon. go.nasa.gov/3UvI3e7

📷 Clementine's view of the Moon and Venus