The Moon and Mars will be the first stops on humanity's pioneering journey into the Solar System. Marshall Center Director David King comments on the Vision for Space Exploration, its value to the nation — and plans for America's future in space. more

A demonstration of unmanned spacecraft rendezvous in space — something that has never been done in the history of U.S. spaceflight — is planned later this month. The Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) demonstrator will be launched at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., no earlier than Oct. 26.

With help from NASA's payload operations team at the Marshall Center, Expedition 9 crewmembers on board the International Space Station continued an experiment that studies the accuracy of ultrasounds for bone scans and other medical contingencies. Crewmembers performed the scans on each other to better understand the ability to quickly send medical data to ground teams.

Astronomers have used an X-ray image to make the first detailed study of the behavior of high-energy particles around a fast moving pulsar. The image, from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, shows the shock wave created as a pulsar plows through interstellar space at supersonic speed. These results will provide insight into theories for the production of powerful winds of matter and antimatter by pulsars. The Marshall Center manages the Chandra program.

Gravity Probe B, a NASA spacecraft to test two predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity has achieved a major milestone with the completion of the first phase of its mission and the transition into the science phase. The GP-B mission is now one step closer to shedding new light on the fundamental properties of our universe.

Workers at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have transferred External Tank 120 — the Space Shuttle External Tank slated for the launch of the orbiter Discovery next spring — into the facility's vehicle assembly building. The move — a major step toward returning the Space Shuttle to flight — brings the tank one step closer to its eventual transfer to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA's 2004 astronaut candidates will visit the Marshall Center Friday, Oct. 22, to get an overview of its programs and facilities. They also will be available to the news media to talk about their flight training experience. Three Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronauts will be with the 11-member class.

Alicia Beam's job at NASA is all about the students. An education officer at the Marshall Center, Beam keeps in touch with high school teachers across the country to put NASA science and math materials in the classroom. She speaks to students about staying in school and working hard to reach their goals — two ideas she's always lived by.

Rex Geveden, deputy director of the Marshall Center, has been selected as the 2004 Outstanding Alumnus of Kentucky. The Kentucky Advocates for Higher Education present the award, called the "OAK," every two years to a graduate of a Kentucky college or university who has achieved national recognition. Geveden is a graduate of Murray State University.