Example of risk management: A NASA model showing areas at high risk from impact for the International Space Station.

Due to Columbia's heavier weight, it was less ideal for NASA to use it for missions to the International Space Station, though modifications were made to the Shuttle during its last refit in case the spacecraft was needed for such tasks.

NASA chose to build Endeavour from spares rather than refitting Enterprise or accepting a Rockwell International proposal to build two shuttles for the price of one of the original shuttles, on cost grounds.

In an internal e-mail apparently sent August 18, 2008 to NASA managers and leaked to the press, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin stated his belief that the Bush administration had made no viable plan for U. S. crews to participate in the International Space Station beyond 2011, and that Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) and Office of Science and Technology Policy ( OSTP ) were actually seeking its demise.

These Research & Development organizations support NASA's Exploration efforts, as well as the continued operations of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, and the space science and Aeronautics work across NASA.

* The International Cometary Explorer, a NASA solar probe that was re-tooled for a mission to explore comets, will approach Earth 31 years after leaving its gravitational influence.

Originally, two spacecraft were to be built by NASA and ESA, as the International Solar Polar Mission.

On February 20, 2012, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Friendship 7 flight, Glenn was surprised with the opportunity to speak with the orbiting crew of the International Space Station while Glenn was on-stage with NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden at Ohio State, where the public affairs school is named for him.

They have five children, including the late Alan G. Poindexter, a NASA astronaut, Space Shuttle pilot on the STS-122 mission to the International Space Station, and the commander of STS-131.

When the decision to de-orbit Mir was made, Tito managed to switch his trip to the International Space Station ( ISS ) through a deal between MirCorp and U. S .- based Space Adventures, Ltd., despite strong opposition from senior figures at NASA ; from the beginning of the ISS expeditions, NASA stated it wasn't interested in space guests.

He was Chief of Robotics for the NASA Astronaut Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas from 2003 – 2006 and was Chief of International Space Station Operations from 2006 – 2008.

NASA has announced that Hadfield will become the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, leading Expedition 35, when he blasts off in December 2012.

More than 35 other notable organizations have joined the collaboratory, including Boeing, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Intel, International Sematech, ITT, Motorola, Xerox, and several Federal agencies, including as NASA.

* Robert Thirsk ( B. Sc 1976 ), Canadian Space Agency astronaut and NASA capsule communicator for the International Space Station program.

* Kevin A. Ford, astronaut, piloted NASA space shuttle mission to International Space Station in 2009

* Daniel M. Tani, NASA astronaut who worked on the International Space Station

Larson Air Force Base, since renamed Grant County International Airport, is now a world-class heavy jet training and testing facility used by the Boeing Company, the U. S. Military and NASA.

There are also independent agencies such as the United States Postal Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ), the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ), the Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Agency for International Development.

SRI International and Xerox PARC in Silicon Valley helped give birth to the personal computer industry, while ARPA and NASA funded the development of the ARPANET and the Internet.

In July 2008, the International X-ray Observatory, a joint project between ESA, NASA and JAXA, was proposed as the next major X-ray observatory but was later cancelled.

The Smithsonian has also been promised the International Cometary Explorer, which is currently in a solar orbit that occasionally brings it back to Earth, should NASA attempt to recover it.

* December 6, 1958: Pioneer 3, the third intended U. S. International Geophysical Year lunar probe under the direction of NASA with the Army acting as executive agent, was launched from the Atlantic Missile Range by a Juno II rocket.

On November 1, 1994, NASA launched the WIND spacecraft as a solar wind monitor to orbit the Earth's Lagrange point as the interplanetary component of the Global Geospace Science ( GGS ) Program within the International Solar Terrestrial Physics ( ISTP ) program.

General relativity also predicts the existence of gravitational waves, which have since been observed indirectly ; a direct measurement is the aim of projects such as LIGO and NASA / ESA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna and various pulsar timing arrays.

NASA has put several optical corner reflectors made of quartz, known as the Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment, on the Moon for use in laser time-of-flight measurement to measure the Moon ’ s orbit more precisely than was possible before.

* NASA Hopes Laser Broom Will Help Clean Up Space Debris Agence France-Presse story via SpaceDaily

Laser ranging to a near-Earth satellite was first carried out by NASA in 1964 with the launch of the Beacon-B satellite.

* NASA description of the basics of Lunar Laser Ranging.

The aim of the LISA Pathfinder is to test technologies needed for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, a joint NASA / ESA gravitational wave detector.

Constellation-X and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna ( LISA ) been promoted by NASA as the Einstein Great Observatories, to differentiate them from the current generation.

As a part of NASA ’ s Agency Consolidated End-User Service ( ACES ) Program, HP will modernize NASA ’ s entire end-user infrastructure by delivering a full range of personal computing services and devices to more than 60, 000 users.

* Two NASA Distinguished Service Medals

* NASA Exceptional Service Medal

Category: Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Category: Recipients of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal

He was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his Gemini 4 spaceflight and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Category: Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal

* NASA Exceptional Service Medal

Category: Recipients of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal

* 60px NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Category: Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Category: Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Chris has also received Vanier Award ( 2001 ), Meritorious Service Cross ( 2001 ), NASA Exceptional Service Medal ( 2002 ) and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal ( 2003 ).

But the LM was not ready for its first flight, leading NASA management to decide to replace Borman's mission with a lunar orbit flight using just the Command / Service Module as Apollo 8 in December, making McDivitt's flight Apollo 9 in March 1969.

* NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Category: Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal

The sting operation was known as " Operation Lunar Eclipse " and the participating agencies were NASA Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service and U. S. Customs.

He has been awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Congressional Gold Medal.

Category: Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Robert J. Helberg, who was born in Watonga, was awarded the Public Service Medal by NASA for his contributions to the Lunar Orbiter program.

* NASA Distinguished Service Medal

* the NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Category: Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal