Showing 21 - 30 of 41

Image taken on April 1, 1960 by TIROS 1. This was the first television picture of Earth from space.

April 01, 2020

The TIROS 1 Weather Satellite and Its Environmental Legacy

Story

On the evening of April 1, 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower saw the first image sent back from space by the Television InfraRed Observation Satellite (TIROS) 1 weather satellite—shaped, as some quipped, like “an enormous hatbox.”

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Kennedy family members leaving the funeral ceremony for President John F. Kennedy, entrance of capital building.

November 21, 2018

How Communications Satellites Helped the World Mourn JFK

Story

John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22 and his funeral on November 25 occurred at a moment in which "live via satellite" was beginning to enter the Cold War world. Satellites broadcast information about his death around the world in a way never possible before.

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The self-governing British territory pictured is located 650 miles east of the North Carolina coast. Its capital is Hamilton

November 16, 2018

Capturing Earth's Geography From Space

Story

Before you review your #GeographyFromSpace answers below, learn more about how instruments captured these important images.

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An image of Hurricane Florence taken from a GOES satellite on September 14, 2018.

September 14, 2018

How Satellites Track Storms From Space

Story

During a major storm, we take satellite tracking for granted. Before 1960 this type of weather observation was not possible.

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Purple and pink logo of AirSpace

July 25, 2018

AirSpace Ep.10:
Happy (Planet) Hunting

Story | AirSpace Podcast

NASA launched TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, on April 18, 2018, continuing our search for planets outside of our solar system (aka exoplanets). 

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Explorer 1 (backup)

January 26, 2018

The Missing History of the Explorer 1 Satellite

Story | Air and Space Photos

Sometimes, seeing isn't believing until you take something apart. On the 60th anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1 by the United States, I'm prompted to recall the most valuable lesson I ever learned about what it means to be a curator.

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The letter B, found in an image of the Arkansas River and the Holla Bend Wildlife Refuge, captured by the Landsat 8 in 2014.

January 08, 2018

Finding the Alphabet from Space

Story

NASA Earth Observatory science writer Adam Voiland has searched through thousands of NASA’s satellite images and astronaut photography, looking for the entire alphabet in images taken from space.

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Telstar Satellite on Display in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall

December 14, 2017

That’s no moon. (It's also not the Death Star.)

Story

With its spherical shape and piecemeal construction, it’s easy to see similarities between the Telstar satellite and the infamous Death Star of the Star Wars films. Aside from a passing resemblance in design, both pieces of technology also address a larger question that has been a focal point for humankind in reality and fantasy: what does space mean for humanity?

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Geography from Space

November 17, 2017

Where in the World?

Story

Get a more in-depth look at orbital imagery during National Geography Awareness Week, with the National Air and Space Museum's Geography from Space.

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Sputnik Model in the <em>Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall</em>

October 03, 2017

Sputnik and the Space Age

Story

Sputnik, the world’s first human-made satellite of the Earth, was launched on October 4, 1957, marking the beginning of the Space Age and the modern world in which we live today.

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