Friday, December 22, 2017

NASA Celebrating Multiple Anniversaries in 2018


The year 2018 is a big one for NASA, and it plans to include amateur radio in its celebrations. This year marks the agency's 60th anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the first manned orbit around the moon in Apollo 8 and 20 years since the launch of the early building blocks of the International Space Station. Squeezing back a little, December 11, 2017 also marked the 45th anniversary of Apollo 17's lunar landing - the last manned craft thus far to visit the moon. 

According to Newsline, this combination of anniversaries is being observed on the ham bands with the NASA On the Air, or NOTA, program. Special event stations will be active throughout the year at several different NASA centers, sending out commemorative QSL cards for contacts and special certificates to those who qualify. For details, visit <https://go.nasa.gov/2p9K6Jm>.