List of NASA missions
This is a list of NASA missions, both manned and unmanned, since its establishment in 1958.
Contents |
X-Plane program [edit]
Since 1946, NACA (NASA's predecessor), and since 1958, NASA have conducted the X-Plane Program. The program was originally intended to create a family of experimental aircraft not set for production beyond the limited number of each design built solely for flight research.[1] The first X-Plane, the Bell X-1 was the first rocket-powered airplane to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947.[2] X-Planes have set numerous milestones since then, both manned and unmanned.[3]
Manned missions [edit]
- See also: NASA - Manned missions
Human spaceflight [edit]
NASA has successfully launched over 100 manned flights. Two have ended in failure, causing the death of the crew, such as, STS-51-L (the Challenger disaster) in 1986, and STS-107 (the Columbia disaster) in 2003. (Apollo 1 in 1967 lost three crew members but never launched)
| Program | Start date | End date | No. of launched crewed missions |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury program | 1959 | 1963 | 6 | First U.S. crewed program |
| Gemini program | 1963 | 1966 | 10 | Program used to practice space rendezvous and EVAs |
| Apollo program | 1961 | 1972 | 11[a] | Brought first human to the Moon |
| Skylab | 1973 | 1974 | 3 | The crewed missions only took place in 1973 and 1974; first American space station |
| Apollo-Soyuz | 1975 | 1975 | 1 | Joint with Soviet Union |
| Space Shuttle | 1981 | 2011 | 135 | First missions in which a spacecraft was reused |
| Shuttle-Mir Program | 1995 | 1998 | 9[b] | Russian partnership |
| International Space Station | 1998 | On-going | 35 | Joint with Russia, Canada, ESA, and JAXA along with co-operators, ASI and AEB |
| Project Constellation | 2003 | 2010[4] | 0 | Future[when?] program to bring humans to the Moon again, to Mars and beyond |
Notes:
- Apollo 1 was unlaunched due to a fire during testing that killed the astronauts, and is not counted here.
- The Shuttle-Mir missions were all Space Shuttle missions, and are also counted under the Space Shuttle program missions in the table.
Airborne observatories [edit]
| Program | Start date | End date | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuiper Airborne Observatory | 1974 | 1995 | Modified Lockheed C-141A |
| Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) | 2010 | On-going | Modified Boeing 747SP |
Future [edit]
On May 7, 2009 the Obama Administration announced the launch of an independent review of planned U.S. human space flight activities with the goal of ensuring that the nation is on a vigorous and sustainable path to achieving its boldest aspirations in space. The review will be conducted by a blue-ribbon panel of experts led by Norman Augustine, the former CEO of Lockheed Martin, who served on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology under Democrat and Republican presidents.
The "Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans" is to examine ongoing and planned National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) development activities, as well as potential alternatives, and present options for advancing a safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable human space flight program in the years following Space Shuttle retirement. The panel will work closely with NASA and will seek input from the United States Congress, the White House, the public, industry, and international partners as it develops its options. It is to present its results in time to support an Administration decision on the way forward by August 2009.[5]
In February 2010, Obama announced he proposes to cancel the Constellation Program as part of the 2011 Economic Projects to goal the USA to be booming by 2020. Constellation was officially cancelled by the NASA Budget Authorization Act on 11 October 2010
Unmanned missions [edit]
Suborbital [edit]
- Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) – five consecutive launches, 80 seconds apart on March 27, 2012, studied the high-altitude jet stream .[6][7]
Earth satellites [edit]
-
- Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)
- NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) – National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS)[9]
- Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)
-
- Chandra X-ray Observatory
- Compton Gamma Ray Observatory
- Hubble Space Telescope – ESA partnership
- Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, SIRTF)
- High Energy Astronomy Observatory program
-
- High Energy Astronomy Observatory 1 (HEAO 1)
- Einstein Observatory (HEAO 2) first fully imaging X-ray telescope
- High Energy Astronomy Observatory 3 (HEAO 3)
-
- Van Allen Probes – Twin probes studying the Van Allen radiation belt [11][12]
- New Millennium Program (NMP)
-
- Earth Observing-1 (EO-1)
- Space Technology 5 (ST5)
- Space Technology 6 (ST6)
-
- Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE)
- Kepler searching for Earth-sized exoplanets in the habitable zone
- Small Explorer program (SMEX)[13]
-
- Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM)
- Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer (FAST)
- Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
- Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)
- Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) – X-ray telescope orbiting Earth[14][15]
- Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) – Sun observing, Earth satellite
- Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX)
- Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS)
- Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) – Sun observing, Earth satellite
- Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE)
- Solar Terrestrial Probes program
-
- Hinode (Solar-B)
- Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED)
- Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS)
- Uhuru
- Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)
Lunar [edit]
- Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP)
- Lunar Prospector
- Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) – instrument for ISRO's Chandraayan-1
Martian [edit]
-
- Deep Space 2 (DS2) – (sub-surface probes)
- Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Asteroidal/cometary [edit]
- Deep Impact (primary) – EPOXI (extended)
- Deep Space 1 (DS1) – first spacecraft propelled by an Ion thruster
- Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker) – close study of 433 Eros
- Stardust – follow-up for Deep Impact's primary mission to 9P/Tempel
Interplanetary [edit]
- Cassini–Huygens – Saturn and its moons
- Dawn – Vesta in 2011-2012, and Ceres in 2015
- Galileo – Jupiter and its moons
- Magellan (Venus Radar Mapper)
- Mariner program – Venus
-
- Mariner 1
- Mariner 2
- Mariner 5
- Mariner 10 – first to Mercury
-
- Juno Spacecraft Mission – Jupiter-bound for polar orbit in 2016[17]
- New Horizons – Pluto and its moons in 2015
- Pioneer program
-
- Pioneer 5 – interplanetary space between Earth and Venus
- Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9 – Solar wind, solar magnetic field and cosmic rays
- Pioneer 10 – first to the asteroid belt and Jupiter
- Pioneer 11 – asteroid belt and Jupiter, first to Saturn
- Pioneer Venus project
Solar [edit]
- Genesis – returned sample of solar wind
- Living With a Star
- Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) – ESA partnership
- Solar Maximum Mission (SolarMax)
- Solar Terrestrial Probes program
- Ulysses (spacecraft) – ESA partnership
Planned missions [edit]
- Living With a Star
-
- Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) – two campaigns of 20 balloons each, studying the Van Allen radiation belts, 2012 to 2014[18]
- Solar Probe Plus – expected to be the first mission into the Sun's corona, slated to launch in 2018[19][20]
- Mars Scout program
-
- Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) – set to launch in late 2013[21][22][23]
- New Frontiers program
-
- Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) – launch scheduled for 2016[24]
- Origins program
-
- James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – ESA partnership – launch scheduled for 2018[25][26]
- Solar Terrestrial Probes program
-
- Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) – Launch readiness date is October 2014[27]
Cancelled missions [edit]
- Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF)
- Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO)
- Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C)
- Mars Scout program
- Origins program
- Pluto Kuiper Express (PLUTOKE) – replaced by New Horizons
See also [edit]
- Space exploration
- Timeline of Solar System exploration
- When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions – 2008 documentary covering NASA's mission history.
References [edit]
- ^ "Dryden Historic Aircraft - X-planes overview". Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
- ^ "Bell X-1 "Glamorous Glennis"". Milestones of Flight. National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
- ^ "APPENDIX A; HISTORY OF THE X-PLANE PROGRAM". Draft X-33 Environmental Impact Statement. NASA. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
- ^ http://www.spacenews.com/civil/100930-house-gives-final-approval-nasa-authorization-act.html
- ^ OSTP Press Release Announcing Review (pdf, 50k)
- ^ "Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX)". NASA. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "ATREX Launch Sequence". NASA. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/missions/
- ^ "NPP Launch Information". NASA. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ Landsat Missions Timeline
- ^ "RBSP Mission Overview". NASA. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
- ^ "RBSP". NASA/APL. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
- ^ "Explorer Missions". NASA. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (2012-04-03). "Launch of NASA X-ray telescope targeted for June". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
- ^ "NuSTAR". NASA. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- ^ "GRAIL Mission: Fact Sheet". MoonKAM.UCSD.edu. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ "Juno Mission to Jupiter". NASA. 04/09. p. 2. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ Karen C. Fox (2011-02-22). "Launching Balloons in Antarctica". NASA. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
- ^ "NASA Selects Science Investigations for Solar Probe Plus". NASA. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
- ^ "Johns Hopkins APL Team Developing Solar Probe Plus for Closest-Ever Flights Past the Sun". JHU APL. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
- ^ "MAVEN Overview". NASA. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ "Mars Exploration Program: MAVEN". JPL/NASA. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ "MAVEN". University of Colorado at Boulder. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ "NASA To Launch New Science Mission To Asteroid In 2016". NASA. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
- ^ "JWST Home Page". NASA. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ "10-Year Plan for Astrophysics Takes JWST Cost into Account". SpaceNews.com. 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ "STP Missions". NASA. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
External links [edit]
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