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NASA’s highly successful MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft is coming to the end of its operations.

The MESSENGER team is pulling out all the stops to give the spacecraft life far beyond its original design.

NASA’s Solar Probe Plus mission — which will fly closer to the Sun than any spacecraft has before — reached a major milestone last month when it successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR).

Stamatios “Tom” Krimigis, who for 45 years has pioneered the exploration of our solar system and beyond while at the ����ֱ�� University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, has received the 2015 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Lifetime Achievement, the museum’s highest honor.

The 2015 Baltimore-Washington Space Apps Challenge will host teams of creative technology enthusiasts on April 11–12 at the ����ֱ�� University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

College students from 10 mid-Atlantic schools will defend a virtual mass transportation computer system against full-scale cyberattacks at the 10th Annual National CyberWatch Center Mid-Atlantic Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) at the ����ֱ�� Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

Christine Fox will present "“Sustaining Our Technological Edge – Facing Up to the Challenges” on Thursday, March 26.

On the evening of March 17, 2011 (EDT), the MESSENGER spacecraft — built and operated by the ����ֱ�� University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland — made history when it became the first to orbit the innermost planet.

Scientist Christopher Lavelle of the ����ֱ�� University Applied Physics Laboratory, together with a team of researchers from the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has successfully shown that boron-coated vitreous carbon foam can be used in the detection of neutrons emitted by radioactive materials — of critical importance to homeland security.

The ����ֱ�� University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) will host Girl Power, a free introductory event for middle and high school girls about careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) on Sunday, March 8, 2015, from 2 to 5 p.m. on APL’s Laurel, Maryland, campus.