Vets - Blog Posts

NASA and Veterans

November 11 each year is a day we honor those who have served in our nation’s armed forces. 

Discover how we have close ties to the military, even to this day, and see who has traded in their camouflage uniform for an astronaut flight suit.

There have been veterans working for us since the beginning, even when it was still called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). 

Additionally, there are several active duty military members working at NASA facilities through special government programs.

Today, there are more than 1500 veterans currently employed with us. Their experiences in the military make their expertise invaluable around the agency. We value the unique leadership style they bring to the work place.  Above and below are some astronaut veterans.

A Partnership for the Space Age

Since the early days of NASA, we’ve partnered with all branches of the military. We still work closely with the military today and rely on the expertise of our service members to support our missions both while in active duty and in the civilian workforce. Here are some examples of this close partnership:

The Marines helped with recovery efforts of Astronaut Alan Shepard at the end of his sub-orbital flight on May 5, 1961...a task performed across several of our missions.

Today, the Navy helps us recover spacecraft, just like the Orion space capsule...which will one day carry astronauts into deep space and eventually on our journey to Mars. 

. . .and the Air Force has traditionally and continues to help us transport sensitive and critical space hardware around the globe. 

The Coast Guard has even helped us access remote locations to collect oceanographic data as part of our efforts to study and learn more about the Earth. 

We’ve partnered with the Army to use their unique capabilities at the Yuma Proving Ground to test the entry, descent and landing of our spacecraft systems.

To all the Veteran’s out there, we thank you for your service to America and your continued support of America’s space program.

Happy Veteran’s Day!

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