History of NASA Langley
NASA Langley Research Center is a place where past discoveries meet future innovations. Welcome to NASA’s first field center.
OVER A CENTURY OF INNOVATION
years since Langley’s founding
facilities
HISTORIC FACILITIES
Historic Facilities
Get to Know Past Facilities at Langley
For over a century, NASA Langley Research Center has been home to groundbreaking facilities where history was made. As new facilities are built on center to help usher in the next century of innovation, over the years, these historic facilities have been demolished. Learn about some of these past Langley facilities and the scientific achievements they lead to.
The Hall of Honor
Celebrating the Achievements of NASA Personnel
The Hall of Honor was established by members of the Langley Alumni Association and NASA Langley as a way to pay tribute to individuals who built exemplary careers at Langley, persevered against the status quo when required, and achieved revolutionary scientific understanding and technological progress on the frontiers of the aerospace sciences.
Celebrating Our Centennial
A Storied Legacy, A Soaring Future
The NASA you know today was established in 1958. But its historical roots reach back to 1915–just 12 years after the Wright Brothers’ flight and two years before America’s entry into World War I–when the U.S. Congress created the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA.
In 2017, NASA Langley Research Center celebrated 100 years of excellence in aerospace achievements, scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. Learn more about our rich history and what to look forward to in our second century.
Langley Research Center Directors
Langley's Centennial: A Storied Legacy, A Soaring Future
NASA Langley 100: A Storied Legacy, A Soaring Future
NASA Langley 100: Innovation at 100
NASA Langley 100: 100 Years of Crafting Flight
NASA Langley 100: Breaking the Sound Barrier
NASA Langley 100: Making Space
NASA Langley 100: Knowing Earth
NASA Langley 100: Working with Warbirds
NASA Langley 100: Responding to Emergencies
NASA Langley 100: Sojourning to Mars
NASA Langley 100: Into the Harshest Frontier
NASA Langley 100: From Innovation to Benefit
Inventing the Future
Katherine Johnson: A NASA Trailblazer
One of NASA's famous "human computers," Katherine G. Johnson stands among NASA’s most inspirational figures.
Learn More about Katherine Johnson: A NASA Trailblazer
Selected Publications for Further Reading
NACA to NASA to Now
NACA to NASA to Now: The Frontiers of Air and Space in the American Century by Roger D. Launius tells the story of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and its successor, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (SP-4419, 2022)
Crafting Flight
Crafting Flight: Aircraft Pioneers and the Contributions of the Men and Women of NASA Langley Research Center by James Schultz (SP-4316, 2003) (PDF)
Engineer in Charge
Engineer in Charge: A History of the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, 1917–1958 by James R. Hansen (SP-4305, 1987) (PDF)
