What is NASA?
NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was created by Congress in 1958 "to provide for research into the problems of flight within and outside the Earth's atmosphere, and for other purposes." Led by the
Administrator ,
the Agency is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with ten
field centers,
and other facilities around the nation. (More agency history at
http://history.nasa.gov/)
NASA's mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. The Agency is
transforming itself to meet the challenges of the
Vision for Space Exploration -- which calls for a return to the Moon, followed by journeys to Mars and beyond.
Who do I contact for information about a specific mission or project?
A list of NASA Public Affairs officers, and their areas of expertise, is available at
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/contacts/index.html
Which NASA Center do I contact on a particular topic?
Here are some general guidelines:
Ames Research Center
-- research and development, supercomputing, nanotechnology, space biology, astrobiology, aeronautics
Dryden Research Center
-- flight research and testing
Glenn Research Center
-- aeronautics, propulsion, turbomachinery, microgravity science, Space Communications
Goddard Space Flight Center
-- astronomy, ozone depletion and climate change, Earth science, solar science, Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra Space Telescope, MESSENGER, Aura
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
-- Solar System Exploration, Earth science, Mars exploration Rovers, Cassini-Huygens, Genesis, Spitzer Space Telescope, Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
Johnson Space Center
-- Interviews with astronauts, Space Shuttle and International Space Station operations
Kennedy Space Center
-- Space Shuttle launches and landings, Space Shuttle and International Space Station processing, Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) launches
Langley Research Center
-- Aeronautics, aerospace, atmospheric sciences
Marshall Space Flight Center
-- Space Shuttle propulsion, advance propulsion technology, microgravity research
Stennis Space Center
-- Rocket propulsion testing, remote sensing technology
How do I get video from NASA?
NASA Television can be seen in the continental United States on AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, Transponder 9, 3880 MHz, vertical polarization, audio at 6.8 MHz. If you live in Alaska or Hawaii, NASA TV can now be seen on AMC-7, at 137 degrees west longitude, Transponder 18, at 4060 MHz, vertical polarization, audio at 6.8 MHz.
A 'Video File' providing media material on the latest agency activity airs at
6 a.m., 10 a.m, noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m, and midnight Eastern each day.
A media advisory listing the material on the NASA Video File is at
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt.
A live Web stream of NASA Television is available around the clock at
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
The NASA TV Daily schedule is at
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Schedule.html
Live events and special programming can be found at
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Breaking.html
Other sources are available at
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html
For information on NASA TV's transition to digital, visit
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/mar/HQ_n04037_nasatv_digital.html
Members of the news media may contact NASA TV at (202) 358-0713
How do I get NASA photos?
Many NASA photos are available on the Web. Some of the more popular sites include:
NASA Image Exchange:
http://nix.nasa.gov/
Great Images in NASA (GRIN):
http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/
Shuttle and Station Galleries:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/index.html
The Planetary Photojournal:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/index.html
NASA's Earth Observatory:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images_index.php3
For guidelines on the use of NASA images and the NASA insignia, see
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html
Members of the news media may contact the NASA Headquarters Photo Office at (202) 358-1900 or contact the Center newsrooms.
How do I subscribe to the press release email list?
Send an e-mail to
domo@hq.nasa.gov with the following in the body:
subscribe press-release
Leave the subject line blank.
Linda A. Lynch
Assistant Web Editor 