Even as ALSS was underway, MSFC was examining a less ambitious surface exploration activity, the Local Scientific Surface Module ( LSSM ).

MSFC was also examining unmanned robotic rovers that could be controlled from the Earth.

Following the conclusion of the ALT test flight program, on March 13, 1978, Enterprise was flown once again, but this time half way across the country to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center ( MSFC ) in Alabama for the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Testing ( MGVT ).

This was accomplished effective July 1, 1960, when 4, 670 civilian employees, about $ 100 million worth of buildings and equipment, and of land transferred from RSA / ABMA's Development Operations Division to NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center ( MSFC ).

MSFC officially opened at Redstone Arsenal on this same date, then was dedicated on September 8 by President Eisenhower in person.

For manufacturing, the world's largest-known welding machine of its type was installed at MSFC in 2008 ; it is capable of building major, defect-free components for manned-rated space vehicles.

In this program, MSFC was responsible for propulsion on the heavy-lift vehicles.

MSFC was responsible for the external tank, but few or no changes to the tank were made ; rather, NASA decided that it was inevitable that some insulation might be lost during launch and thus required that an inspection of the orbiter's critical elements be made prior to reentry on future flights.

This was followed in December by the first U. S. module, Unity also called Node 1, built by Boeing in facilities at MSFC.

The two-module embryonic ISS remained unmanned until the next module, Destiny, the U. S. Laboratory, arrived on February 7, 2001 ; this module was also built by Boeing at MSFC.

In October 2007, Harmony or Node 2, was attached to Destiny ; also managed by MSFC, this gave connection hubs for European and Japanese modules as well as additional living space, allowing the ISS crew to increase to six.

The Chandra X-ray Observatory, originating at MSFC, was launched on July 3, 1999, and is operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

It was developed at the MSFC in partnership with the Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation and Dynetics, Inc., both of Huntsville, Alabama.

Although MSFC was not responsible for developing the centerpiece – the Orbiter Vehicle ( OV ) – it was responsible for all of the rocket propulsion elements: the OV's three main engines, the External Tank ( ET ), and the Solid-Rocket Boosters ( SRBs ).

From the start of the program in 1972, the management and development of Space Shuttle propulsion was a major activity at MSFC.

USML-2 was launched in October 1995 on STS-73 with an MSFC scientist, Frederick W. Leslie, as an on-board Payload Specialist.

The latter three are part of NASA's series of Great Observatories ; this series also includes the Spitzer Space Telescope, but this was not launched by a Space Shuttle and MSFC had no significant role in its development.

Following this same basic concept, in 1973 MSFC used a modified stage of Saturn V to put into orbit Skylab, but this was preceded by the Soviet Union's Salyut in 1971, then followed by their Mir in 1986.

Unity was built by Boeing in MSFC facilities.

MSFC was given responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the telescope, while Goddard Space Flight Center ( GFC ) was to control the scientific instrument and the ground-control center.

MSFC also develops systems for monitoring the Earth's climate and weather patterns.

Leslie also worked in the MSFC Neutral Buoyancy Simulator as a suited subject and safety diver supporting procedure tests for extra-vehicular activity.

MSFC was responsible for the Burst and Transient Source Experiment, ( BATSE ).

MSFC was responsible for the SRBs, the OV's three main engines, and the ET.

In the February 1964 issue of Popular Science, von Braun, then director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center ( MSFC ), discussed the need for a lunar surface vehicle, and revealed that studies had been underway at MSFC in conjunction with Lockheed, Bendix, Boeing, General Motors, Brown Engineering, Grumman, and Bell Aerospace.

In early 1963, NASA selected MSFC for studies in an Apollo Logistics Support System ( ALSS ).

In June 1964, MSFC awarded contracts for MOLAB studies and Mobility Test Articles ( MTAs ) to Bendix and to Boeing, with GMDRL as vehicle technology subcontractor.

MSFC had responsibility for the Space Shuttle's propulsion engines.

Mark Boudreaux is the project manager for MSFC.

Even during Skylab, MSFC began plans for a much more complete space station.

Even before HEAO-2 ( the Einstein Observatory ) was launched in 1978, MSFC began preliminary studies for a larger X-ray telescope.

With the success of HEAO-2, MSFC was given responsibility for the design, development, and construction of what was then known as the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility ( AXAF ).

In addition, most of the prime contractors for launch vehicles and related major items ( including North American Aviation, Chrysler, Boeing, Douglas Aircraft, Rocketdyne, and IBM ) collectively had approximately a similar number of employees working in MSFC facilities.

Originally started by the U. S. Air Force, responsibility for the development was taken over by ABMA in 1959, and the first test firings at MSFC were in December 1963.

The Lunar Roving Vehicle ( LRV ), popularly known as the " Moon Buggy ," was developed by MSFC to provide transportation for exploring a limited amount of the Moon's surface.

Under a program managed by MSFC, ten Europeans nations jointly designed, built, and financed the first Spacelab through the European Space Research Organisation ( ESRO.

ASTRO-1 was the first shuttle mission controlled in part from the Spacelab Mission Operations Control facility at MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama.

The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center ( MSFC ) is the U. S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center.

MSFC is involved in some of the most advanced space research of our time.

MSFC research has benefited firefighters, farmers, plumbers, healthcare providers, soldiers, teachers, pilots, divers, welders, architects, photographers, city planners, disaster relief workers, criminal investigators, and even video-gamers and golfers.

From the start, MSFC has had strong research projects in science and engineering.