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By NASA
The space shuttle Discovery launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, heading through Atlantic skies toward its 51-D mission. The seven-member crew lifted off at 8:59 a.m. ET, April 12, 1985.NASA The launch of space shuttle Discovery is captured in this April 12, 1985, photo. This mission, STS-51D, was the 16th flight of NASA’s Space Shuttle program, and Discovery’s fourth flight.
Discovery carried out 39 missions, more than any other space shuttle. Its missions included deploying and repairing the Hubble Space Telescope and 13 flights to the International Space Station – including the very first docking in 1999. The retired shuttle now resides at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.
Learn more about NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.
Image credit: NASA
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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility commemorated the start of construction of its new Wallops Island causeway bridge during a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m., Monday, April 14, 2025, on the island.
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility commemorated the start of construction of its new Wallops Island causeway bridge during a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m., Monday, April 14, 2025, on the island. NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Facility Director David Pierce, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Associate Center Director Ray Rubilotta, and Virgnia Sen. Bill DeSteph attended the ceremony.NASA/Danielle Johnson The ceremony was held at the base of the old Wallops Island causeway bridge. Virgina state Sen. Bill DeSteph attended the groundbreaking, along with staffers from the offices of Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine, Congresswomen Jen Kiggans, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks. NASA Wallops Facility Director David Pierce and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Associate Center Director Ray Rubilotta attended on behalf of the agency.
“Much has changed over the decades, but one thing that has remained the same is our reliance on the causeway bridge as the only means for vehicular access to and from the island,” said Pierce. “Our bridge supports a growing portfolio of commercial launch and government partners. The work we do advances science, technology, and national security missions. This vital work for our nation is enabled by our bridge.”
In 2023, NASA Wallops was awarded $103 million in federal funds to fully construct and replace the current 65-year-old causeway bridge that serves as the only vehicular access from NASA Wallops Mainland facilities to its Wallops Island facilities and launch range. After years of exposure to coastal weather and repeated repairs to extend its viability, the existing causeway bridge is reaching the end of its service life.
The new causeway bridge, slated for completion in early 2028, will feature a flatter structure, capable of accommodating the increase in heavier loads transported to and from the island in support of an increased cadence of launch operations by NASA, its tenants, and commercial partners. This vital investment in NASA’s infrastructure supports the launch range’s continued growth, strengthening its role as a key asset in Virginia and the nation.
An architectural rendering showing the new Wallops Island causeway bridge next to the old causeway bridge.Courtesy of Kokosing NASA is partnering with the Federal Highway Administration to lead the delivery of the design-build project. The project has been awarded to Kokosing Construction Company.
For more information on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, visit www.nasa.gov/wallops.
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Last Updated Apr 14, 2025 Related Terms
Wallops Flight Facility
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By European Space Agency
The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton is playing a crucial role in investigating the longest and most energetic bursts of X-rays seen from a newly awakened black hole. Watching this strange behaviour unfold in real time offers a unique opportunity to learn more about these powerful events and the mysterious behaviour of massive black holes.
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Students from Universidad Católica Boliviana “San Pablo” compete during NASA’s 2024 Human Exploration Rover Challenge. The 2025 competition takes place Friday and Saturday, April 11-12, 2025, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Aviation Challenge course in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA NASA’s annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge returns Friday, April 11, and Saturday, April 12, with student teams competing at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Aviation Challenge course near the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Media are invited to watch as hundreds of students from around the world attempt to navigate a complex obstacle course by piloting a vehicle of their own design and production. Media interested in attending or setting up interviews should contact Taylor Goodwin in the Marshall Office of Communications at 938-210-2891 no later than 2 p.m. Thursday, April 10.
In addition to the traditional human-powered rover division, this year’s competition expands the challenge to include a remote-control division. The 2025 HERC Handbook includes guidelines for the new remote-control division and updates for the human-powered division.
Participating teams represent 35 colleges and universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations.
The event is free and open to the public, with rover excursions from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT each day, or until the last rover completes the obstacle course.
Following the competition, NASA will host an in-person awards ceremony Saturday, April 12, at 5:30 p.m. inside the Space Camp Operations Center at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. NASA and industry sponsors will present multiple awards highlighting team successes throughout the past eight-months-long engineering design project, including awards for best rover design, best pit crew, best social media presence, and many other accomplishments.
About the Challenge
Recognized as NASA’s leading international student challenge, the Human Exploration Rover Challenge aims to put competitors in the mindset of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Teams pitch an engineering design for a lunar rover which simulates astronauts exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles. Eligible teams compete to be among the top three finishers in their divisions, and to win multiple awards, including best vehicle design, best rookie team, and more.
The annual challenge draws hundreds of students from around the world and reflects the goals of NASA’s Artemis campaign, which will establish the first long-term presence on the Moon and pave the way for eventual missions to Mars.
The event was launched in 1994 as the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race – a collegiate competition to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. It expanded in 1996 to include high school teams, evolving again in 2014 into the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Since its inception, more than 15,000 students have participated – with many former students now working in the aerospace industry, including with NASA.
The Human Exploration Rover Challenge is managed by NASA Marshall’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement and is one of eight Artemis Student Challenges. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement uses challenges and competitions to further the agency’s goal of encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
To learn more about the challenge, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/
Taylor Goodwin
256-544-0034
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
taylor.goodwin@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Apr 04, 2025 EditorBeth RidgewayLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related Terms
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By European Space Agency
For decades, satellites have played a crucial role in our understanding of the remote polar regions. The ongoing loss of Antarctic ice, owing to the climate crisis, is, sadly, no longer surprising. However, satellites do more than just track the accelerating flow of glaciers towards the ocean and measure ice thickness.
New research highlights how ESA’s CryoSat mission has been used to uncover the hidden impact of subglacial lakes – vast reservoirs of water buried deep under the ice – that can suddenly drain into the ocean in dramatic outbursts and affect ice loss.
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