In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated August 19 as National Aviation Day in honor of Orville Wright’s birthday, directing citizens to celebrate the day with activities that encourage an interest and appreciation for aviation. NASA’s heritage in aviation research goes back more than 100 years. via NASA http://ift.tt/1PmyG6I

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly shared this photograph on social media, taken from the International Space Station on August 15, 2015. Kelly wrote, “#Aurora trailing a colorful veil over Earth this morning. Good morning from @space_station! #YearInSpace” via NASA http://ift.tt/1EAdN2i

While not bursting with activity like its system satellite Enceladus, the surface of Dione is definitely not boring. via NASA http://ift.tt/1KrxyLw

Bursts of pink and red, dark lanes of mottled cosmic dust, and a bright scattering of stars — this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows part of a messy barred spiral galaxy known as NGC 428. via NASA http://ift.tt/1WoQCD7

At NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, engineers are welding together the Orion crew module pathfinder in preparation for the welding process set to begin later this summer on the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1. This pathfinder, including the barrel section shown here, is a full-scale version of the current spacecraft design. via NASA http://ift.tt/1HIG9Yn

Among the many discoveries by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter since the mission was launched on Aug. 12, 2005, are seasonal flows on some steep slopes. via NASA http://ift.tt/1WiS1uZ

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly took this photograph of a sunrise over the western United States and posted it to social media on Aug. 10, 2015. Kelly wrote, “#GoodMorning to those in the western #USA. Looks like there’s a lot going on down there. #YearInSpace” via NASA http://ift.tt/1ICJwE0

Saturn’s unusual appearance in this picture is a result of the planet being imaged via an infrared filter. via NASA http://ift.tt/1HBGnQN

This colorful bubble is a planetary nebula called NGC 6818, also known as the Little Gem Nebula. The rich glow of the cloud is just over half a light-year across — humongous compared to its tiny central star — but still a little gem on a cosmic scale. via NASA http://ift.tt/1K7fc2m

This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the center of the Lagoon Nebula, an object with a deceptively tranquil name, in the constellation of Sagittarius. The region is filled with intense winds from hot stars, churning funnels of gas, and energetic star formation, all embedded within an intricate haze of gas and pitch-dark dust. via NASA http://ift.tt/1gdKYmi