Lagniappe for March 2025

Explore Lagniappe for March 2025 featuring: Gator Speaks Welcome to March. It is the month that refuses to sit still. One day, the sun is shining, and the next day, the wind is howling through the trees, especially in the 125,000-acre buffer zone at NASA Stennis. The buffer zone and location of NASA Stennis helps […]

Mar 4, 2025 - 16:56

4 Min Read

Lagniappe for March 2025

new production RS-25 engine arriving at the Fred Haise Test Stand

Explore the March 2025 issue, highlighting the installation of the new production RS-25 engine at NASA Stennis, and more!

Explore Lagniappe for March 2025 featuring:

NASA Stennis Teams Install New Production RS-25 Engine for Upcoming Hot Fire
NASA Stennis Flashback: Learning About Rocket Engine Exhaust for Safe Space Travel
NASA in NOLA for Super Bowl

Gator Speaks

Gator, a fictional character, for the Lagniappe for March 2025 issue is seen on a background of clover

Gator Speaks

NASA/Stennis

Welcome to March. It is the month that refuses to sit still. One day, the sun is shining, and the next day, the wind is howling through the trees, especially in the 125,000-acre buffer zone at NASA Stennis.

The buffer zone and location of NASA Stennis helps provide the right conditions for around-the-clock propulsion test capabilities.

March, like NASA Stennis, is full of possibilities.

The month kicks off a season of new beginnings. It is a time when farmers begin to plant seeds.

Did you know powering space dreams at NASA Stennis is a lot like farmers planting seeds?

Planting a seed is simple, yet profound. It signals a fresh start no matter if you are an experienced planter or if it is your first time.

Picking the right seed, carefully choosing the spot, and preparing the soil are ways to get going. Anticipation begins in March as planters set the stage for something that will happen over time.

Similarly, NASA Stennis is the right place to pick for many aerospace companies large and small. It is where the road to launch begins.

Whether the company is brand new to the field, like a first-time planter, or more experienced, the soil is right at NASA Stennis. South Mississippi is where a team of experts can help companies achieve a successful outcome.

Ah yes, the month of March and NASA Stennis are indeed alike.

They both can be a bridge between what was and what is to come – one, a time of year and the other, a place to shake off the winter slumber, take a deep breath, and step into something new.

There is something magical about planting seeds, just like there is something magical about powering space dreams at NASA Stennis.

NASA Stennis Top News

NASA Stennis Teams Install New Production RS-25 Engine for Upcoming Hot Fire

NASA marked a key milestone Feb. 18 with installation of RS-25 engine No. E20001, the first new production engine to help power the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on future Artemis missions to the Moon.

NASA Stennis Flashback: Learning About Rocket Engine Exhaust for Safe Space Travel

NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is widely known as the nation’s largest rocket propulsion test site.

Center Activities

NASA in NOLA for Super Bowl

NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

a young event-goer participates in activity provided by NASA Stennis at the Audubon Aquarium — NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

young event-goers participate in activity provided by NASA Stennis at the Audubon Aquarium — NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

young event-goer participates in activity provided by NASA Stennis at the Audubon Aquarium — NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Young child participates in virtual activity provided by NASA Stennis at the Audubon Aquarium — NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

a man and young boy poses with astronauts standees — NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

two young girls share activity provided by NASA Stennis at the Audubon Aquarium — NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

small crowd gathers to watch experiment by NASA Stennis representatives — NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA Stennis Leaders Visit Kennedy Space Center

NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell and NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Manager Michele Beisler tour the Vehicle Assembly Building to view the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket expected to fly on the Artemis II mission and the mobile launcher ground structure used to assemble, process, and launch SLS during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 31.
NASA/Stennis

NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell and NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Manager Michele Beisler take a selfie together — NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell and NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Manager Michele Beisler tour the Vehicle Assembly Building to view the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket expected to fly on the Artemis II mission and the mobile launcher ground structure used to assemble, process, and launch SLS during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 31.
NASA/Stennis

NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell stands in entryway — NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell and NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Manager Michele Beisler tour the Vehicle Assembly Building to view the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket expected to fly on the Artemis II mission and the mobile launcher ground structure used to assemble, process, and launch SLS during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 31.
NASA/Stennis

Leadership Class Visits NASA Stennis

a group of people from the Pearl River County Leadership stand in front of the the Thad Cochran Test Stand

The Pearl River County Leadership Class visits the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) during a NASA Stennis tour on Feb. 20. NASA Stennis is at the front end of the critical path for the future of human deep space exploration through NASA’s Artemis campaign. The B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand is undergoing preparations for exploration upper stage testing. The upper stage is scheduled to undergo Green Run tests of its integrated systems before its first flight on the Artemis IV mission. The test series will culminate with a hot fire of the stage’s four RL10 engines, just as during an actual mission.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

Rocket Lab Leader Visits NASA Stennis

NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, left, stands with Richard French, Rocket Lab USA, Inc. vice president of business development and strategy of space systems

NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, left, welcomes Richard French, Rocket Lab USA, Inc. vice president of business development and strategy of space systems, for a tour of NASA Stennis on Feb. 26. In 2022, NASA and Rocket Lab reached an agreement for the aerospace company to locate its engine test complex at NASA Stennis. The initial 10-year agreement between NASA and Rocket Lab includes an option to extend an additional 10 years. The Archimedes Test Complex includes 24 acres surrounding the site’s A-3 Test Stand. Archimedes is Rocket Lab’s liquid oxygen and liquid methane rocket engine to power its medium-lift Neutron rocket. The company successfully completed the first hot fire of the new Archimedes rocket engine at NASA Stennis in August 2024.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA in the News

Employee Profile: Jason Hopper

a man wearing a blue and white striped shirt stand on the E Test Complex stairs

NASA’s Jason Hopper is shown at the E Test Complex at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

Jason Hopper’s journey to NASA started with assessing the risk of stepping into the unknown.

Additional Resources

Artemis II to the Moon: Launch to Splashdown (NASA Mission Animation)

Subscription Info

Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Stennis office may be contacted by at 228-688-3333 (phone); ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov (email); or NASA OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (mail).

The Lagniappe staff includes: Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin.

To subscribe to the monthly publication, please email the following to ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov – name, location (city/state), email address.