News Archive / Author: Steve Hammer

Steve moved to central Virginia from the Atlanta suburbs. He studied U.S. history, geography and social sciences at Virginia Tech and began teaching in the public school system in Southampton County, in Virginia’s Tidewater region. While there, he developed a passion for photography focusing on transportation and anything historic. With encouragement from family and friends, he moved backed to central Virginia where he currently lives and works as a computer science teacher. In his spare time, Steve enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the beautiful Virginia county side with his camera.

Articles By Steve Hammer

• Final Antares 230+ rocket launches NG-19 Cygnus spacecraft

  August 2nd, 2023

  In near-perfect weather, the final Antares 230+ rocket took to the skies to send the Cygnus cargo spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station.

• Northrop Grumman prepares the final Antares 230+ rocket

  July 31st, 2023

  Northrop Grumman is set to launch a Cygnus cargo spacecraft atop what will be the final flight of the Antares 230+ rocket.

• Rocket Lab’s Electron deploys two Capella radar satellites

  March 17th, 2023

  With a loud roar and trail of flame, Rocket Lab’s Electron hoisted a pair of Capella Space satellites into the evening sky.

• Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket makes Virginia debut

  January 24th, 2023

  Rocket Lab launched its first Electron rocket from the United States, sending satellites into orbit for the company Hawkeye 360.

• Penultimate Antares 230+ rocket lofts Cygnus spacecraft to ISS

  November 7th, 2022

  Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket disrupted a normally peaceful morning as it lifted off over the Atlantic from the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia, with the Cygnus NG-18 cargo mission to the International Space Station.

• NG-18 Cygnus cargo ship to launch new science to ISS

  November 5th, 2022

  Northrop Grumman and NASA are set to fly the NG-18 Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station from Wallops Island, Virginia.

• Minotaur I rocket lofts classified NROL-111 payload into orbit

  June 15th, 2021

  A Minotaur I rocket fired off of Pad 0B at Wallops Island, Virginia, to send the NROL-111 mission into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office.

• Minotaur IV sucessfully sends NROL-129 into blue, Virginia skies

  July 15th, 2020

  Virginia based Northrop Grumman today launched classified mission NROL-129 for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) aboard a Minotaur IV rocket from launchpad 0B at The Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), adjacent to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. The countdown clock was held at T-minus 16 minutes for 46 minutes, allowing for multiple […]

• Christopher Kraft leaves behind powerful legacy with passing

  July 22nd, 2019

  JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Texas -- Although his name isn't as well-known as Alan Shepard, John Glenn or Neil Armstrong, without the efforts of Christopher C. Kraft, NASA would likely never have left orbit let alone sent men to the Moon. Kraft passed away on Monday, July 22 at the age of 95.

• Virginia Tech celebrates the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11

  July 17th, 2019

  BLACKSBURG, Va. -- “The Real McCoy”, that’s what astronaut Michael Collins wrote on the cover of the Apollo 11 flight plan on display at the "Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 presentation at Virginia Tech." That is a great way to describe this collection of memorabilia and artifacts. The flight plan, which outlined all aspects of the mission, was just a small part of the presentation however.

• Meteoric – Roscosmos launches satellite to observe

  July 5th, 2019

  Meteors normally crash to Earth, but the Meteor-M No. 2-2 satellite did the exact opposite when it soared away from Earth and on its way to Sun-synchronous orbit.

• SpaceX’s impressive launch rate continues with Telstar 18 VANTAGE flight

  September 10th, 2018

  Another day, another launch. The Telstar 18 VANTAGE has been successfully placed into orbit by one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets.

• NASA Administrator visits Langley Research Center

  August 1st, 2018

  LANGLEY, Va. -- NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine made his second stop on a tour of NASA research facilities Tuesday, July 31 at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.