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The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the original home of NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
, is a lead center for propulsion
Spacecraft propulsion

Spacecraft propulsion is any method used to accelerate spacecraft and artificial satellites. There are many different methods. Each method has drawbacks and advantages, and spacecraft propulsion is an active area of research....
, Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle

NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System , is the spacecraft currently used by the United States government for its human spaceflight missions....
 propulsion, Space Shuttle external tank
Space Shuttle external tank

A Space Shuttle External Tank is the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contains the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer....
, crew training and payloads, International Space Station
International Space Station

The International Space Station is a research facility Assembly of the International Space Station in outer space. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998, and is scheduled to be complete by 2011, with operations continuing until around 2015....
 (ISS) design and construction, for computers, networks, and information management. Located on the Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal

Redstone Arsenal is a U.S. Army post and a census-designated place located next to the city of Huntsville, Alabama in Madison County, Alabama, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area....
 in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Alabama and Limestone County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Madison County....
, MSFC is named in honor of General George Marshall
George Marshall

George Catlett Marshall was an United States Military of the United States leader, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, United States Secretary of State, and the third United States Secretary of Defense....
.

The center also contains the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) that is a facility that supports Space Shuttle launch, payload and experiment activities at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ISS launch and experiment operations.






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Msfc Aerial View
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the original home of NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
, is a lead center for propulsion
Spacecraft propulsion

Spacecraft propulsion is any method used to accelerate spacecraft and artificial satellites. There are many different methods. Each method has drawbacks and advantages, and spacecraft propulsion is an active area of research....
, Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle

NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System , is the spacecraft currently used by the United States government for its human spaceflight missions....
 propulsion, Space Shuttle external tank
Space Shuttle external tank

A Space Shuttle External Tank is the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contains the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer....
, crew training and payloads, International Space Station
International Space Station

The International Space Station is a research facility Assembly of the International Space Station in outer space. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998, and is scheduled to be complete by 2011, with operations continuing until around 2015....
 (ISS) design and construction, for computers, networks, and information management. Located on the Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal

Redstone Arsenal is a U.S. Army post and a census-designated place located next to the city of Huntsville, Alabama in Madison County, Alabama, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area....
 in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Alabama and Limestone County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Madison County....
, MSFC is named in honor of General George Marshall
George Marshall

George Catlett Marshall was an United States Military of the United States leader, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, United States Secretary of State, and the third United States Secretary of Defense....
.

The center also contains the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) that is a facility that supports Space Shuttle launch, payload and experiment activities at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ISS launch and experiment operations. The HOSC also monitors rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is a detachment of the 45th Space Wing , at nearby Patrick Air Force Base; located on Cape Canaveral in the State of Florida, CCAFS is the primary Launch Head of the Eastern Range....
 when a Marshall Center payload is on board.

History

Army Nasa Transfer 01
MSFC arose from the US Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Army Ballistic Missile Agency

The Army Ballistic Missile Agency was the agency formed to develop the United States Army first intermediate range ballistic missile. It was established at Redstone Arsenal on February 1, 1956 and commanded by Major General John Bruce Medaris with Doctor Wernher von Braun....
 (ABMA) and the Army Ordnance Missile Command (AOMC) centered at Redstone Arsenal. Initially assigned to Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss

Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of approximately , it is the second largest such installation in the Army behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range, and the largest TRADOC installation....
, TX, the von Braun
Wernher von Braun

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun , a Germans rocket physicist and astronautics engineer, became one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States....
 team was later transferred to Redstone Arsenal. The transition from military to civilian space exploration came when President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David ?Ike? Eisenhower was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a General of the Army in the United States Army....
 announced on site the formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on July 1, 1960. At this time Marshall also received its name and a bronze bust of the general from the President. The center became the civilian base for Dr. Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun , a Germans rocket physicist and astronautics engineer, became one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States....
, his team of German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 rocket scientists and a large host of military and civilian contractors.

Historical projects

  • Hermes
    Hermes project

    The Hermes project was an Ordnance Corps rocket program .After the end of World War II, the project was expanded to include test firings and further development of V-2 rocket pioneered by Nazi Germany....
    , an early U.S. adaptation of the German V-2
    V-2 rocket

    The V-2 rocket was the first ballistic missile and first man-made object to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight, the progenitor of all modern rockets....
    ,
  • Juno I
    Juno I

    The Juno I was a satellite launch vehicle, derived from, and commonly confused with, the Jupiter-C sounding rocket. It is most well known for launching USA first satellite, Explorer 1....
    , used to launch the Explorer I
    Explorer I

    Explorer 1 was the first Earth satellite of the United States, launched on February 1, 1958 at 03:48 Coordinated Universal Time from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 26 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as part of the United States program for the International Geophysical Year and in response to the launch of the Soviet Uni...
     satellite,
  • Redstone
    Redstone (rocket)

    First launched in 1953, the United States Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2 rocket. Redstone was used for the first live nuclear missile tests by the United States....
     rocket,
  • ABMA/AOMC to NASA transition vehicle used in the ballistic missile program
  • Mercury
    Project Mercury

    Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States. It ran from 1959 through 1963 with the goal of putting a human in orbit around the Earth....
     space program,
  • Juno,
  • Atlas, with the US Air Force used in the ballistic missile program and the Mercury
  • Gemini
    Project Gemini

    Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It operated between Projects Project Mercury and Project Apollo, with 10 manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966....
     space program,
  • Titan
    Titan (rocket family)

    Titan was a family of United States expendable launch system rockets used between 1959 and 2005. A total of 368 rockets of this family were launched....
    , also used for Gemini,
  • Saturn series (I-V), used in the Apollo
    Project Apollo

    The Apollo program was a human spaceflight program undertaken by NASA during the years 1961?1975 with the goal of conducting manned moon landing missions....
     and Skylab
    Skylab

    Skylab was the first space station the United States launched into orbit, and the second space station ever visited by a human crew. The 100 ton space station was in Earth's orbit from 1973 to 1979, and it was visited by crews three times in 1973 and 1974....
     programs.


Many vestiges of the early programs are still visible around the center, including engine test stands, several of which are shown in the above photo. The nearby United States Space & Rocket Center
United States Space & Rocket Center

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is located in Huntsville, Alabama. The Center includes a museum designed to showcase the hardware of the U.S. space program and the facilities of the United States Space Camp....
 museum showcases much of the historic work done at Marshall.

Present and future projects

Modern boosters include the Space Shuttle liquid and solid propellant engines and the Delta series, used in satellite and Mars mission launches.

Starting in 2006, MSFC's Exploration Launch Projects Office began work on the new Project Constellation
Project Constellation

Constellation is a NASA program with the stated goal of gaining significant experience in operating away from Earth's environment, developing technologies needed for opening the space frontier and conducting fundamental science....
 mission vehicles (Ares I
Ares I

Ares I is the crew launch vehicle being developed by NASA as a component of Constellation program. NASA plans to use Ares I to launch Orion , the spacecraft being designed for NASA human spaceflight missions after the Space Shuttle is retired in 2010....
, Ares V
Ares V

The Ares V is the cargo launch component of Project Constellation. Ares V will launch the Earth Departure Stage and Altair when NASA returns to the Moon, which is currently planned for 2019....
 and Orion
Orion (spacecraft)

Orion is a spacecraft design currently under development by the United States space agency NASA. Each Orion spacecraft will carry a crew of four to six astronauts, and will be launched by the Ares I, a launch vehicle also currently under development....
) which will replace the aging Shuttle fleet as well as transport humans to the Moon, Mars and other future destinations. MSFC is responsible for design and development and testing of the Ares I crew and Ares V cargo launch vehicles while Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX has overall responsibility for development. In addition, the MSFC Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program office will manage projects and direct studies on lunar robotic precursor activities across NASA. The Lunar Lander Project Office originally planned to be established at Marshall, has been appointed for development at JSC. This office will be responsible for performing early trade studies and developing requirements for the Lunar Surface Access Module
Lunar Surface Access Module

The Altair spacecraft, previously known as the Lunar Surface Access Module or LSAM, is the planned lander component of NASA Project Constellation, which astronauts are to use for landings on the Moon intended to begin around 2019....
 (now the Lunar Lander), the capsule that will transport crew members to and from the surface of the moon.

Projects and project offices

  • Space Shuttle Propulsion -- Space Shuttle Propulsion Office
  • International Space Station Support -- Payload Operations and Integration Center
    Payload Operations and Integration Center

    Also known as Huntsville Operations Support Center or Payload Operations Center, it is a NASA facility that works in conjunction with the Space Station and Space Shuttle Control Centers in Houston, TX....
  • Launch Vehicle Development -- Exploration Launch Projects Office
  • Advanced Propulsion -- The Propulsion Research Laboratory
  • Exploring the Solar System -- Exploration Launch Projects Office
    • Constellation Program Office
    • Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program
    • Discovery and New Frontiers Program Office
  • National Space Science and Technology Center
    National Space Science and Technology Center

    The National Space Science and Technology Center is a joint research venture between NASA and the seven research universities of the state of Alabama, represented by the Space Science and Technology Alliance....
  • Optics and Exploration Technology -- Space Optics Manufacturing Technology Center
    • Instrument and Payload Systems Department
    • The Spacecraft and Vehicle Systems Department
    • The Propulsion Systems Department
    • Materials and Processes Laboratory
    • Test Laboratory
    • Mission Operations Laboratory
  • Continuing Scientific Research and Discovery
  • Engineering the Future -- Engineering Directorate


Sample projects

  • Chandra X-ray Observatory
    Chandra X-ray Observatory

    The Chandra X-ray Observatory is a satellite launched on STS-93 by NASA on July 23, 1999. It was named in honor of Indian-United States physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar who is known for determining the Chandrasekhar limit for white dwarf stars to become neutron stars....
  • Gravity Probe B
    Gravity Probe B

    Gravity Probe B is a satellite-based mission which launched on April 20th, 2004. The spaceflight phase lasted until 2005, and data analysis is expected to continue through 2010....
  • (Solar B)
  • Project Constellation
    Project Constellation

    Constellation is a NASA program with the stated goal of gaining significant experience in operating away from Earth's environment, developing technologies needed for opening the space frontier and conducting fundamental science....
     Program


Directors

  • Wernher von Braun
    Wernher von Braun

    Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun , a Germans rocket physicist and astronautics engineer, became one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States....
     - July 1, 1960 to January 27, 1970
  • Eberhard Rees
    Eberhard Rees

    Dr Eberhard Friedrich Michael Rees was a German rocketry pioneer and the second Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. After being assistant manager of a steel mill in Leipzig, Germany, Rees arrived at the Peenem?nde#Army Research Center Peenem?nde in the Spring of 1939 and managed V-2 rocket fabrication and assembly....
     - March 1, 1970 – January 19, 1973
  • Rocco Petrone
    Rocco Petrone

    Rocco Anthony Petrone was an American engineer who was the third director of the NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center from 1973 to 1974. Before that he was Director of Launch Operations at NASA's John F....
     - January 26, 1973 to March 15, 1974
  • William R. Lucas
    William R. Lucas

    William R. Lucas was the fourth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. He served as director from June 15, 1974 to July 3, 1986; when he retired as a result of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster....
     - June 15, 1974 to July 3, 1986
  • Thomas Jack Lee
    T. Jack Lee

    Thomas Jack Lee was the sixth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, from July 6, 1989 to January 6, 1994.Prior to his appointment as Director of the Marshall Center, Lee had been Marshall's deputy director since December 1980, after seven years as manager of the Spacelab program at the Center....
     - (acting) July 3, 1986 to September 29, 1986
  • James R. Thompson, Jr.
    James R. Thompson, Jr.

    James R. Thompson, Jr. was the fifth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama. He served as Director from September 29, 1986 to July 6, 1989....
     - September 29, 1986 to July 6, 1989
  • Thomas Jack Lee
    T. Jack Lee

    Thomas Jack Lee was the sixth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, from July 6, 1989 to January 6, 1994.Prior to his appointment as Director of the Marshall Center, Lee had been Marshall's deputy director since December 1980, after seven years as manager of the Spacelab program at the Center....
     - July 6, 1989 to January 6, 1994
  • Gene Porter Bridwell - January 6, 1994 to February 3, 1996
  • Jerroll Wayne Littles
    J. Wayne Littles

    Dr. Jerroll Wayne Littles was the eighth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama. He served as Director from February 3, 1996 to January 3, 1998....
     - February 3, 1996 to January 3, 1998
  • Carolyn S. Griner
    Carolyn S. Griner

    Carolyn S. Griner was the Acting Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama. She served as Acting Director from January 3, 1998 to September 11, 1998, between the terms of the eighth and ninth Directors....
     - (acting) January 3, 1998 to September 11, 1998
  • Arthur G. Stephenson
    Art Stephenson

    Art Stephenson was the ninth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama. He served as Director from September 11, 1998 to May 2003....
     - September 11, 1998 to May 2003
  • David A. King
    David A. King

    David A. King is the tenth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama. He was appointed to the position on June 15, 2003....
     - June 15, 2003 to present


External links



See also

  • Alex McCool
    Alex McCool

    Alex A. McCool Jr., manager of the Space Shuttle Projects Office at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. During his career, McCool contributed to several space developments including Skylab and the Space Shuttle program....
    , center manager