The V-2 rocket, first used in World War II by the Germans and later used by the United States in its early rocketry work, was the first manufactured object to achieve hypersonic flight in February 1949.

Guinness World Records recognized NASA's X-43A scramjet with a new world speed record for a jet-powered aircraft - Mach 9.6, or nearly 7,000 mph. The X-43A set the new mark and broke its own world record on its third and final flight on Nov. 16, 2004.

Ames houses one of the world’s greatest collections of wind tunnels, including one of the only supersonic wind tunnels in the world.

The Zero Gravity Research Facility at GRC is a vertical vacuum chamber used for microgravity experiments. The facility consists of a concrete-lined shaft, 28 feet in diameter, that extends 510 feet below ground level. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

On March 1, 1999, the Lewis Research Center was officially renamed the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field after John Glenn (American fighter pilot, astronaut and politician) and George W. Lewis (head of NACA from 1919 to 1947). Within NASA, Glenn is often referred to by the acronym GRC.

NASA originally planned to retire Atlantis in 2008, but a restructuring of the maintenance schedule allowed Atlantis to remain in service with Endeavour and Discovery until the retirement of the shuttle fleet in 2011.

Many astronauts have appeared in film and television, most notably Mae Jemison on "Star Trek: The Next Generation"