NASA.

The word typically conjures images of astronauts, space stations, sophisticated computers, lunar landers, Mission Control, and perhaps even “Houston…we have a problem.” NASA – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – has changed the world and continues to expand and reset the boundaries of space discovery and exploration.

For the past 55 years, NASA has graced the expansive premises of Ellington Airport (EFD), occupying 24 buildings on 37 acres on the property, having been resident since 1964.

According to Ray Heineman, Chief of the Aircraft Operations Division, Flight Operations Directorate, EFD serves as an ideal “landing spot” for NASA’s work. That work, he said, includes various major spaceflight activities, including the currently orbiting International Space Station, along with multiple future space development ideas, and moving of cargo. Overall, Heineman said NASA’s work includes the design, development and testing of spacecraft and associated systems for manned flight, the selection and training of astronauts, and planning and conducting manned missions.

One of the lesser-known but truly world-changing “offshoots” of NASA’s work is its extensive participation in medicine, sciences, and engineering that have vastly improved the world. NASA “spinoff” technologies have been primarily or secondarily responsible for infrared ear thermometers, LASIK, artificial limbs, memory foam, and freeze-dried food, to name a few!

Heineman said that the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), as it now known, is home to a fleet of T-38 jets that are used for astronaut flight training. For those who might consider becoming an astronaut, Heineman noted that of 18,000 entrants during the last cycle, 12 were selected. NASA handles most of the planning and training of the astronaut corps and includes the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, which rigorously prepares astronauts for space walks. The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory provides a controlled neutral buoyancy environment - a very large pool that contains more than 6 million gallons of water where astronauts train to practice spacewalks while simulating zero-gravity conditions underwater.

The facility provides preflight training that allows familiarity with crew activities and with the altered dynamics of body motion under weightless conditions.

He also spoke of the Orion, NASA's newest exploration spacecraft, designed to facilitate human exploration of our solar system, starting with the moon and Mars.

Arturo Machuca, General Manager at Ellington and the Houston Spaceport, said he was especially proud to co-habitate with NASA. “We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with and support NASA as called upon. We are so proud of our affiliation and working relationship with them.” Machuca added that many people are unaware of the great reach of NASA. “The technological advances NASA has made over the years benefits our lives in so many meaningful ways,” he said. “That goes far beyond space exploration and innovation, which is amazing all by itself.”

Heineman returned the compliment in expressing appreciation to Machuca and Ellington for tremendous support over the years. “We have relied on him and Ellington for support with regard to the City, for dealing with facilities here, and occasionally, for government operations,” he said.

Heineman said that one of the great draws of Ellington is the unique nature of the facility itself. Ellington is also home to civilian tenants and has a strong military presence, including the Texas Air National Guard, the Texas Army National Guard, the U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Navy Reserve, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard Air Station Houston).

“I absolutely love the variety of aircraft here,” Heineman said. “One recent experience I had here in our Aero Spacelines Super Guppy was that I found myself in a landing pattern alongside a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress! Indescribable!”

Ellington is also home to the Houston Spaceport, the nation’s 10th licensed commercial spaceport and a focal point for aerospace innovation. The Houston Spaceport and NASA have an agreement in place that allows the Spaceport to tap into NASA’s assets and expertise, which expands opportunities for all tenants and partners in the commercial spaceflight industry. The agreement supports suborbital operations and commercial spaceflight. The agreement allows Houston Spaceport access to safety-specific training, facilities and technical capabilities at NASA.

Heineman said that JSC serves as the lead NASA center for the International Space Station, a U.S.-led collaborative effort of 16 nations, and the largest and most complex human facility to ever operate in space. Every NASA astronaut and space explorers from international partner countries who have boarded the International Space Station or flown on the space shuttle has trained at JSC.

NASA initially established its facilities at Ellington as its base for astronaut flight proficiency training and specialized aircraft training because of its proximity to Mission Control. Today, most of NASA's aircraft based at the JSC are kept and maintained at the base.

NASA continues to push boundaries and make deep space exploration, once a distant dream that only came to life in vivid imaginations and on theater screens, into a soon-coming reality. Perhaps its goal is not to push the boundaries, but to remove them!