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Research Project: X-15
The documentary "Research Project: X-15" looks at the rocketplane program that flew to the edge of space in the effort to learn about the human ability to fly at great speeds and aircraft design to sustain such flights.

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Apollo 1 service
On the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire that took the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, a remembrance service was held January 27 at the Kennedy Space Center's memorial Space Mirror.

 Part 1 | Part 2

Technical look at
Project Mercury

This documentary takes a look at the technical aspects of Project Mercury, including development of the capsule and the pioneering first manned flights of America's space program.

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Apollo 15: In the Mountains of the Moon
The voyage of Apollo 15 took man to the Hadley Rille area of the moon. Astronauts Dave Scott and Jim Irwin explored the region using a lunar rover, while Al Worden remained in orbit conducting observations. "Apollo 15: In the Mountains of the Moon" is a NASA film looking back at the 1971 flight.

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Skylab's first 40 days
Skylab, America's first space station, began with crippling problems created by an incident during its May 1973 launch. High temperatures and low power conditions aboard the orbital workshop forced engineers to devise corrective measures quickly. Astronauts Pete Conrad, Paul Weitz and Joe Kerwin flew to the station and implemented the repairs, rescuing the spacecraft's mission. This film tells the story of Skylab's first 40 days in space.

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Jupiter flyby preview
NASA's New Horizons space probe will fly past Jupiter in late February, using the giant planet's gravity as a sling-shot to bend the craft's trajectory and accelerate toward Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. Mission officials describe the science to be collected during the Jupiter encounter during this briefing.

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Supplies arrive at ISS
The 24th Russian Progress resupply ship sent to the International Space Station successfully makes the final approach and docking to the Pirs module of the outpost while running on automated controls.

 Rendezvous | Docking

The Flight of Sigma 7
On October 3, 1962, Wally Schirra became the fifth American to rocket into space. This NASA film entitled "The Flight of Sigma 7" explains the 9-hour voyage that gained important knowledge in the Mercury program.

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NASA to fly Jamestown artifact, mementos on shuttle
NASA NEWS RELEASE
Posted: February 1, 2007

HAMPTON, Va. - To honor early American explorers, NASA will fly into space four coins and a nearly 400-year-old artifact from historic Jamestown. The items will be aboard space shuttle Atlantis during mission STS-117, targeted for launch in March.

The artifact, a metal cargo tag reading "Yames Towne," was unearthed at Jamestown, the site of the first permanent English settlement in the Americas in 1607. Upon completion of the flight, it will have logged more than 4 million miles during four centuries, traveling from England to Jamestown and round trip to the International Space Station. Two sets of Jamestown commemorative coins, authorized by Congress and recently issued by the U.S. Mint, also will fly aboard Atlantis.

Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra presented the artifact and coins to NASA Langley Research Center Director Lesa Roe at AeroSpace Day in Richmond Wednesday.

"This exploratory shuttle flight connects our adventurous past with the innovation and continued intellectual curiosity that guides our future as we commemorate America's 400th anniversary," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said. "We embrace that future by contemplating Jamestown's pivotal role as the place where our nation's defining characteristics - democracy, free enterprise, cultural diversity and the spirit of exploration - took root."

The tag, found at the bottom of a well during an archeological dig at the site of James Fort on Jamestown Island, most likely is a discarded shipping tag from a crate or a trunk arriving from England around 1611.

"This artifact clearly marks Jamestown as a destination -- our nation's first 'address.' It demonstrates the development of trade patterns crucial to the survival of the colony," said William M. Kelso, director of archaeology at the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Kelso leads the Jamestown Rediscovery Project that has unearthed more than 1 million artifacts at the site of the first permanent English settlement in America.

"NASA is proud to be entrusted with this piece of exploration history and to participate in the commemoration of America's 400th anniversary, highlighting the next phase of America's exploration vision," said Roe. "Remembering the spirit of adventure that led to the establishment of Jamestown is appropriate as this country works toward establishing a permanent outpost on another planetary body."

Each commemorative coin set contains a $5 gold piece and a silver dollar with visual references to Jamestown's legacies. When returned from space, NASA will present one set to Governor Kaine for display at Jamestown Settlement, a 17th century living history museum. The second set will be displayed at the National Park Service's Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center.

NASA will return the shipping tag to Historic Jamestowne for display in its Archaearium, a new archaeological museum showcasing items unearthed during the past 13 years in excavations that include the long-lost remains of James Fort. For centuries, the fort was believed to have eroded into the James River.

NASA's program to return to the moon then venture to Mars and beyond continues the legacy of exploration and discovery initiated 400 years ago by America's earliest explorers.