50th Anniversary of John Glenn Orbiting the Earth

Today NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first American orbiting the earth. John Glenn was the astronaut circling the earth in the Mercury "Friendship 7" spacecraft.

Documents of the Month: The Space Shuttle Program - Looking Back

For this month, our display will look back at the space shuttle program.

• Space Shuttle
• The partnership: Space shuttle, space science and space station
• Wings in orbit: Scientific and engineering legacies of the space shuttle
• The space shuttle at work
• Aboard the space shuttle
• Power to explore: A history of Marshall Space Flight Center 1960-1990
• Space shuttle: NASA's answer to operations in near-earth orbit
• Space shuttle food systems
• Shuttle imaging radar view the earth from challenger: The SIR-B experiment
• Life aboard the space shuttle
• Space shuttle avionics system
• Space shuttle: The renewed promise
• Space shuttle
• Space shuttle research reports
• Space shuttle: Activities for primary and intermediate students
• The space shuttle decision: NASA's search for a reusable space vehicle
• Chronology of space shuttle flights 1981-2000
• Space Shuttle Missions
• Centennial of flight, 1903-2003
• Shuttle-Mir: The United States and Russia share history's highest stage

The Super Bowl & Government Documents

Bet you didn't think of all the ways documents are involved with the Super Bowl!

• Game ball (Smithsonian)
• Security
• Department of Homeland Security image
• FBI podcast
• Food Safety (USDA)
• Score a Food Safety Touchdown at Your Super Bowl XLVI Party (FSIS)
• Safe Handling of Take-Out Foods (FSIS)
• Wings! Poultry: Basting, Brining, and Marinating (FSIS)
• 6 NASA technologies in play at the Super Bow (GCN)

Is the World Going to End on Dec. 21, 2012?

Learn what the scientists have to say about it. This FAQ from NASA, 2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End?, answers some of the questions about the Mayan calendar and Dec. 21, 2012.

The Final Countdown of the Space Shuttle Program

Missed the launch?

Documents of the Month: Anniversary of the First Man on the Moon

This month we are celebrating the anniversary of the first man on the moon by showcasing our Apollo and NASA documents.

• The First Lunar Landing as Told by the Astronauts: 20th Anniversary
• NASA's First 50 Years: Historical Perspectives
• Power to Explore: A History of Marshall Space Flight Center 1960-1990
• Apollo Over the Moon: A View from Orbit
• Apollo Expeditions to the Moon
• Remembering Apollo 11
• Biomedical Results of Apollo
• Instructor & Student Handbooks for Apollo 11
• Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference
• NASA Engineers and the Age of Apollo
• Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft
• The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology 
• Mission Report: Apollo 11
• "Before this Decade is out..." Personal Reflections on the Apollo Program
• Where no Man has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions
• Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations
• Apollo 11 One Small Step (NASA)
• Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia," 1969 (Smithsonian) image below
   
  
  
  
  

Remember Eyjafjallajökull Volcanoe's Ash Plume?

NASA has pulled together images that document the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano & ash plume.

Alabama Tornadoes: Resources, Facts & Donation Information for April 27, 2011 event

For resources (help or assistance):

• State of Alabama Emergency Management Agency
• FEMA or Alabama Disaster site
• American Red Cross - Get Assistance
• USDA Offers Food Safety Tips In Aftermath of Devastating Storms
• What to do after a tornado
• Tree trimming tips
• Floods & Tornadoes: keeping disaster site workers safe during cleanup & recovery operations
• US Dept. of Labor provides grants to help Alabama residents recover from storms 
• Rebuilding after a natural disaster  

Victims have been asked to forward their mail to a new address in order to avoid identity fraud. Keep in mind that there's only one official site that offers free credit reports.

For facts (which are ongoing):

• National Weather Service
• Tornado Tracks in Mississippi and Alabama 
• State of the Climate: Tornadoes April 2011
• Unique Space Image of Alabama Tornado Tracks
• Satellite and Radar Data Reveal Damage Track of Alabama Tornadic Thunderstorms

Give:

• Christian Service Mission or use the Amazon Wish List 
• Red Cross Donations 

Humans in Space

NASA has a video and images of Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Today is the 50th anniversary of his flight to outer space which was the very first time for a human being to journey to space.

Display of the Month: Earth Day

We're going to take the whole month of April to celebrate Earth Day 2011.

• the happy earth day activities book
• Case of the Broken Loop
• Follow That Trail
• Recycling ...for the future: It's everybody's business
• Don't Throw Away That Food
• Resources on Waste for Your Home and Community
• The Clean Air Act of 1990: A primer on consensus-building
• The Clean Water State Revolving Fund: Financing America's environmental infrastructure - a report of progress
• Clean Water Action Plan: Restoring and protecting America's waters
• A "Green" Building Tour
• Islands of Green in a Sea of People
• Collecting Used Oil for Recycling/Reuse: Tips for consumers who change their own motor oil and oil filters
• Housing: A home for recycled materials
• Promoting Cleaner Technologies and Tools for Environmental Protection
• Reformulated Gasoline and Your Motor Boat
• The Road From Global Warming to a Cleaner Future
• Our Land, Our Legacy: The resource conservation and recovery act
• Let's Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Earth Day Everyday
• Greening the Government
• Earth Science Fun Pad: Packed with things to do!

A Bigger Moon?

March 19, 2011 will give you the opportunity to see a super full moon.

Japan

Here are some resources & images from Japan's earthquake & tsunami:

• The Ongoing Response to the Earthquakes and Tsunami in Japan (White House)

• Japan's Coastline Before and After the Tsunami (NASA)

• Tsunami flooding near Sendai, Japan (NASA)

• What are Tsunamis? (USGS)

• What is the difference between a tsunami and a tidal wave? (USGS)

• Japan's Earthquake and Tsunamis (Dept. of State)

• USGS Updates Magnitude of Japan’s 2011 Tohoku Earthquake to 9.0

• Tips on Avoiding Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes

• On the Ground in Japan (USAID)

NASA: Day of Remembrance

Today we remember the astronauts from Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia along with the others that have lost their lives while helping to keep the NASA mission of exploration.

A Day in the Life of a Food Scientist: MICHELE PERCHONOK

NASA Postcards to the International Space Station

Send your holiday greetings to the International Space Station Crew.

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Today we remember Pearl Harbor.  

Overview ofThe Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941

Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy Speech"
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

NASA Image of Pearl Harbor

It's a Bird, It's a Missile... It's an Airplane!

Watch NASA's Next Mars Rover Being Built Via Live 'Curiosity Cam'

Tang - What Astronauts Drink

Did NASA invent Tang? How about memory foam? What items do we use in our daily lives that were invented by NASA? Check out NASA Spinoff to learn more about technology developed by NASA for commercial use.

Toxic Sludge in Hungary