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As one of the most prestigious scientific institutions in the world, NASA has experienced its share of both monumental successes and heartbreaking failures. These pivotal events are what shape its history, creating either timeless legacies or moments of infamy. But then, there are the lesser-known episodes. The quirky, almost unbelievable occurrences that don't make the headlines but contribute to NASA's intriguing story. The space agency has more than its fair share of these.
10. NASA Faces an Unexpected Alligator Issue
Since 1968, NASA has used the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island as its primary spacecraft launch site. The island also houses a national wildlife refuge, which shares a natural boundary with the spaceport. This proximity means that, from time to time, local wildlife pays the space center a visit.
Most animals don't cause much trouble for NASA. However, one species that has made a recurring appearance is the American alligator. The island's estuary provides an ideal environment for alligators, and fishing restrictions help maintain a stable, abundant food supply.
The alligators have no particular reason to leave the area, but every so often, they enjoy basking in the sun. They've been spotted in parking lots, on runways, and along streets. To date, their biggest disruption was briefly holding up traffic during rush hour.
Seizing the opportunity, scientists have started studying the alligators. They view the reptiles as indicators of the overall health of the wildlife refuge—like a canary in a coal mine. As NASA introduces new technologies, components, and chemicals, they want to ensure that none of them negatively impact the environment.
9. NASA Recorded a Song by the Planet
Though it never made it to the Billboard charts, an audio recording titled “Earthsong,” which was ‘sung’ by the planet itself, was released by NASA in 2012. This recording was captured by NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes (now known as the Van Allen Probes) and features a phenomenon called chorus—radio emissions generated by plasma waves within Earth's radiation belts.
Craig Kletzing of the University of Iowa, who contributed to the development of the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science receiver that captured the signals, explained that the sound represents what we would hear in the radiation belts if humans had radio antennas instead of ears. He emphasized that the sound isn’t caused by acoustic waves, but rather by radio waves oscillating between 0 and 10 kHz.
The primary goal of the Van Allen Probes is to study the chorus, although the recording itself was more of a fun side project. Scientists are especially intrigued by a potential phenomenon linked to the chorus emissions called “killer electrons.” These ultra-relativistic particles possess enough energy to be dangerous to anything in their path, including spacecraft and astronauts.
8. NASA Created the Ultimate Swimsuit
NASA has always welcomed collaborations with other companies to boost visibility and explore practical uses for its groundbreaking innovations. In 2004, NASA teamed up with the swimwear giant Speedo USA to develop a swimsuit designed to reduce drag.
Leveraging its extensive expertise in aerodynamics, NASA tested over 60 different fabrics in wind tunnels to determine which materials offered the least resistance. The result was the LZR Racer (pronounced “laser”)—a full-body, fully bonded, ultrasonically welded swimsuit made from woven elastane-nylon and polyurethane.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, athletes sporting the LZR Racer broke 23 world records. An impressive 98 percent of swimmers who earned medals did so while wearing the NASA-engineered swimsuit.
A few months later, at the 2008 European Short Course Championships, another 17 world records were shattered. Eventually, the Federation Internationale de Natation ruled that the suit provided too much of an edge.
New regulations were implemented to limit both the maximum body coverage allowed by the suit and the types of fabric that could be used. As a result, swimmers were no longer permitted to wear the original LZR Racer design.
7. NASA Astronauts Undergo Wilderness Survival Training
Becoming an astronaut isn't for just anyone. It takes immense dedication and hard work. However, what many don't realize is that the training also includes survival techniques for the wilderness, preparing astronauts for some of the most extreme conditions imaginable.
Water survival drills are a vital component of astronaut training. This is logical, considering that water landings, or ‘splashdowns,’ were the norm until the advent of the Space Shuttle program.
However, the capsules don't always land exactly where planned, and NASA prefers to be ready for any situation. That's why astronauts also undergo specialized wilderness survival training, which includes learning how to survive in extreme environments like deserts or jungles for extended periods.
This training requirement goes all the way back to the original Mercury Seven astronauts in the early 1960s. They trained at air force bases in Nevada and Panama. As of yet, no astronaut has ever had to use their wilderness training in real-life situations.
The most significant landing error occurred in 1962 when Scott Carpenter, piloting the Aurora 7, landed 400 kilometers (250 miles) off course. Fortunately, the capsule landed in the waters northeast of Puerto Rico and was recovered by an aircraft carrier several hours later.
6. NASA Conducted the Shake Test
A popular fact circulating on the Internet claims that the technology in your phone or watch is more advanced than what was used to send humans to the Moon. This highlights NASA's humble beginnings, where they often had to rely on simple, innovative solutions to tackle complex challenges.
The shake test was perhaps the most basic—and bizarre—of all. Rockets must be tested to ensure they can endure the intense vibrations during launch. With millions of pounds of thrust, even a single loose bolt could result in catastrophic failure.
Today, rockets like the Orion are subjected to the world’s most powerful shaker—a vibrating table measuring 7 meters (22 feet) wide and weighing 25,000 kilograms (55,000 pounds) at the Plum Brook Space Power Facility. Each service module undergoes numerous tests before it's deemed ready.
Back in the 1960s, the methods were much more rudimentary. After Hurricane Alma, NASA engineers grew concerned about the impact of strong winds on a rocket's structure while on the launchpad.
Without a high-tech testing method at their disposal, the ground crew took matters into their own hands. Some astronauts used their legs to push against the rocket, while others pulled on a rope to simulate the shaking effects.
That was the inaugural shake test at NASA. It quickly became apparent that they needed a better method to secure the rocket at the top of the launch stack. The rocket ended up falling off, but fortunately, no one was hurt.
5. NASA’s Gigantic Building Has Its Own Weather
NASA is known for building some of the world's largest vehicles. So, it makes sense that they'd need an equally massive building to assemble them. The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center is, by volume, the fifth-largest building globally, trailing only other massive assembly facilities like those at Boeing and Airbus.
The VAB contains more than 3.7 million cubic meters (130 million ft) of space. This colossal size, combined with the humid climate of Florida, has led to a curious issue—the building has its own weather system. On particularly humid days, clouds begin to form below the ceiling inside.
Naturally, this presents a challenge in a facility where precision and care are crucial for assembling billion-dollar spacecraft. NASA tackled this problem by installing a 10,000-ton air conditioning system that effectively prevents moisture from accumulating.
4. NASA Had an Unpaid Littering Fine for 30 Years
In 1979, NASA grabbed headlines when Skylab, America's first space station, came crashing back to Earth. After being abandoned by astronauts, Skylab had completed nearly 35,000 orbits around our planet before it began to fall apart.
NASA scientists decided it was finally time to rid the world of Skylab once and for all. With one last burst from its rockets, the space station was propelled toward the Indian Ocean.
Sadly, Skylab disintegrated upon reentry. Some fragments fell into the ocean, but the majority of the station scattered across Western Australia. Miraculously, no one was harmed, but the Shire of Esperance imposed a $400 fine on NASA for littering.
The incident was enough to put the small town of 14,000 on the map, but NASA never bothered to settle the fine. It wasn’t until 2009 that a radio show host from California heard the tale and raised funds to cover the unpaid penalty.
3. NASA Once Experienced a Mutiny in Space
Space work can be incredibly taxing, and much has been invested in understanding how humans handle the profound isolation of space. In 1974, the Skylab 4 crew spent 84 days in orbit, marking the longest space mission up to that point. However, it turned out to be too much, as the three astronauts went on strike, initiating the first (and only) mutiny in space.
In fact, the protest took place more than a month before their mission was scheduled to end. The demanding schedule, the overwhelming workload, and the general stress had pushed the astronauts to their limit. As a result, the crew decided to take an unscheduled day off, cutting off radio communication with mission control and spending the day unwinding while soaking in the breathtaking views of Earth from space.
The following day, the astronauts resumed their communication and returned to their tasks. NASA ground control wasn’t pleased with their actions, but there wasn’t much that could be done. However, part of Skylab 4’s mission was to experiment with ways to address the challenges of living in space.
NASA initially focused more on the physical effects of space travel, but it soon discovered an important lesson about the psychological impact it can have on astronauts. Despite extensive training, NASA realized that astronauts couldn’t just be treated as mere instruments for gathering data. Since then, the agency has incorporated activities aimed at giving their minds a break and keeping them entertained.
2. NASA Employs A Team Of Sniffers
George Aldrich holds the official title of chemical specialist with the Molecular Desorption and Analysis Laboratory at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. However, George prefers to call himself a ‘nasalnaut.’ His unique job is to sniff everything NASA plans to send into space to check for any unpleasant or unusual odors.
Aldrich explains that confined spaces and heat tend to bring out the smells of objects. In space, with no way to open a window, it’s crucial to ensure that nothing sent aboard a spacecraft gives off any unwanted odors.
In 1974, the Soviets had to abandon a Soyuz mission because they couldn’t figure out the origin of a strange smell aboard the spacecraft. More concerning was a phenomenon known as off-gassing, where even odorless materials can release harmful, potentially lethal chemicals.
George Aldrich has been NASA's official 'nose' since 1974. While he's the lead 'sniffer,' he's part of a team known as the Odor Panel. To maintain their sniffing expertise, team members are recertified every four months with a ‘10-bottle test,’ where they must identify the odor in each bottle.
1. NASA Has An Unsolved Turd Mystery
Managing waste has always been one of the less glamorous yet essential aspects of space travel. While today’s astronauts have access to sophisticated toilets, early space pioneers had to make do with nothing more than plastic bags taped to their bodies.
This led to a memorable moment during Apollo 10's sixth day in orbit. While circling the Moon, Commander Tom Stafford famously said, “Give me a napkin quick. There’s a turd floating through the air.”
After retrieving the floating object, Stafford asked his crew where it had come from. Both lunar module pilot Eugene Cernan and command module pilot John Young denied ownership. As Cernan put it, “If it was me, I sure would know I was sh**ting on the floor.”
Just nine minutes later, another floating piece of poop appeared. The trio laughed off the incident, but none of them ever confessed to the mysterious turds. The mystery remains unsolved to this day.
