Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls (L) | NASA/Jim Ross (R)
NASA ‘Photographer of the Year’ winners have just been revealed, and for 2021, you’ll see that NASA’s Johnson Space Center was prominently featured in many of the award-winning shots. All of them show pivotal moments documenting human space exploration for this generation and the ones to come. First up, we have the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft loaded on top.
xEMU Antenna – Norah Moran
Here we see an xEMU Antenna test being performed in the B14 Anechoic Chamber. This is a necessary test to inspect MLI keep out zones for the antennas. This image was captured from where the ‘horn’ is located, the section that sends out radio frequency signals for test. The xEMU Test article is called xGUS and the successor to the EMU Test Article also named GUS (named after Gus Grissom and his iconic silver spacesuit). If NASA’s Curiosity rover could enter the contest, this doorway on Mars would have most certainly won an award.
LEGO NASA Space Shuttle Discovery 10283 Build and Display Model for Adults, New 2021 (2,354 Pieces)
- Take a journey of exploration with this LEGO NASA Space Shuttle Discovery (10283) model building kit for adults
- Enjoy hours of immersive building as you create both the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Hubble Space Telescope from NASA’s 1990 STS-31 mission
- Check out all the authentic features, including the opening payload bay, retractable landing gear, opening cockpit, moving elevons, space arm, plus 5 seats for the crew
- The Hubble Space Telescope LEGO build features movable solar panels and a hatch door, just like on the real thing
- Looking for the best gifts for adults who love a creative project? This space shuttle model will appeal to space enthusiasts and anyone wanting an immersive building challenge, making it a great gift
United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angel – Dominic Hart
The Blue Angels crew tour the inlet of the NFAC’s 80-by-120-foot wind tunnel test section in building N221,” said NASA.
Test Subjects – Norah Moran
Test subjects Kelsey Young and Tess Caswell evaluate lunar field geology tasks as part of the Exploration Extravehicular Activity (xEVA) night operations development tests conducted at Johnson Space Center’s Rock Yard,” according to NASA.
Force Gauge Ring – Denny Henry
Engineering Technician Ryan Fischer torques the Force Gauge Ring on to the vibe table in preparation for vibration testing of the PACE spacecraft bus at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland on June 16th, 2021,” according to NASA.
NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim – Norah Moran
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim wearing a high-altitude pressure suit worn in the WB-57 aircraft, which is capable of flying at altitudes over 60,000 feet,” said NASA.