NASA Headquarters

Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters
NASA logo
Map
Alternative namesTwo Independence Square
General information
TypeGovernment offices
Commercial offices
Location300 Hidden Figures Way SW
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°52′59″N 77°00′59″W / 38.8830°N 77.0163°W / 38.8830; -77.0163
Named forMary W. Jackson
Completed1992
OwnerHana Asset Management[1]
Technical details
Floor count9
Floor area606,000 sq ft (56,300 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)
DeveloperBoston Properties
Other information
Public transit access Federal Center SW
References
[2]

The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building at 300 E Street SW in Washington, D.C. houses NASA leadership who provide overall guidance and direction to the US government executive branch agency NASA, under the leadership of the NASA administrator. NASA Headquarters is organized into four Mission Directorates: Aeronautics, Exploration Systems, Science, and Space Operations. Ten field centers and a variety of installations around the country conduct the day-to-day work of the agency.[3]

The James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium, named for NASA's second administrator James E. Webb, hosts agency news conferences and NASA Social events. A lending library, the history office, archives, production facilities for NASA TV, and a NASA gift shop are also housed in the building.[4]

The building, which opened in 1992 as Two Independence Square as part of the two-building Independence Square complex which was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, with George How as the senior designer.[5] It is currently owned by South Korean investment firm Hana Asset Management and leased to NASA through 2028.[1]

The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters sign and NASA worm insignia

On June 12, 2019, the street in front of the building was given the honorary name of Hidden Figures Way in honor of some of NASA's black women mathematicians, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary W. Jackson, who were the central characters in the 2016 film Hidden Figures.[6] On June 24, 2020, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced that the agency's headquarters building in Washington, D.C., had been renamed to Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters, after NASA's first black woman engineer, Mary W. Jackson.[7] On February 26, 2021, a ceremony was held officially renaming the building.[8]

In 2023, NASA opened an exhibit in the lobby, marking the first time it welcomed the public into the building. The Earth Information Center exhibit shows how the agency views Earth from space, tracking patterns in air temperature and quality, climate, water levels, and ecosystems and how that can help humans understand and fight climate change.[9] The entrance to the exhibit also features a large NASA worm sculpture, which was dedicated in honor of its designers, Bruce Blackburn and Richard Danne, as well as NASA's former art director Robert Schulman.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Kalinoski, Gail (July 17, 2017). "S. Korean Investment Firm Buys NASA HQ in DC". Commercial Property Executive. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  2. ^ "Emporis building ID 119599". Emporis. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ Mochinski, Ron (September 26, 2023). "About NASA HQ". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  4. ^ Mather, John C.; Boslough, John (2008). The very first light: the true inside story of the scientific journey back to the dawn of the universe (Rev. and updated. ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-00529-1.
  5. ^ "George M. How, 35, An Architect, Is Dead". The New York Times. February 25, 1993. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  6. ^ "Sign of Progress: Street Renaming Puts NASA Headquarters on Hidden Figures Way". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. June 12, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Potter, Sean (June 24, 2020). "NASA Names Headquarters After 'Hidden Figure' Mary W. Jackson". National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Press release). Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  8. ^ Potter, Sean (February 24, 2021). "NASA to Honor 'Hidden Figure' Mary W. Jackson During Naming Ceremony". National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Press release). Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  9. ^ Solano, Sophia (June 26, 2023). "Earth Information Center opens at NASA's D.C. headquarters". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  10. ^ "NASA dedicates giant 'worm', honors logo designer Richard Danne". collectSPACE.com. November 6, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2024.