landmark
United States Capitol
Neoclassical seat of the US Congress topped by the iconic cast-iron dome, a centrepiece of the National Mall.
17 km · about 20 min drive
North AmericaUnited StatesMaryland
Goddard
Maryland, United States · North America
About Goddard
Goddard works well as a base: 10 minutes from Berwyn Heights, 17km from United States Capitol.
Goddard is in Maryland, United States, with about 6,200 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Berwyn Heights, about 5 km away.
The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) northeast of Washington, D.C., in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959, as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC employs about 10,000 civil servants and contractors.Read more
Named for American rocket propulsion pioneer Robert H. Goddard, it is one of ten major NASA field centers. Partially within the unincorporated community of Goddard, GSFC has a Greenbelt mailing address.
GSFC is the largest combined organization of scientists and engineers in the United States dedicated to increasing knowledge of the Earth, the Solar System, and the universe via observations from space. GSFC is a major US laboratory for developing and operating uncrewed scientific spacecraft. GSFC conducts scientific investigation, development, manufacturing and operation of space systems, and development of related technologies. Goddard scientists can develop and support a mission, and Goddard engineers and technicians can design and build the spacecraft for that mission. Goddard scientist John C. Mather shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on COBE.
GSFC also operates two spaceflight tracking and data acquisition networks (the Space Network and the Near Earth Network), develops and maintains advanced space and Earth science data information systems, and develops satellite systems for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
GSFC manages operations for many NASA and international missions including the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the Explorers Program, the Discovery Program, the Earth Observing System (EOS), INTEGRAL, MAVEN, OSIRIS-REx, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRS), Fermi, and Swift. Past missions managed by GSFC include the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, SMM, COBE, IUE, and ROSAT.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Goddard?
Within an hour or so of Goddard: United States Capitol (17 km), National Mall (18 km), National Gallery of Art (18 km), Smithsonian Museums (18 km).
Where is Goddard?
Goddard is in Maryland, United States, about 5 km from Berwyn Heights.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 6,177
- Continent
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Maryland
- Timezone
- America/New_York
- Coordinates
- 38.9896, -76.8533
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United States
AAA roadside assistance: 1-800-222-4357. Right turn on red is legal in most states unless signed otherwise.
Full driving guide for United StatesTags
Worth the detour from Goddard
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
National Mall
America's front yard stretching from the US Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, lined with iconic monuments, memorials, and Smithsonian museums.
18 km · about 20 min drive
museum
National Gallery of Art
A free world-class museum on the National Mall featuring masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the present, including the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Americas.
18 km · about 20 min drive
museum
Smithsonian Museums
The world's largest museum complex with 21 museums and galleries, all free, including the Air and Space Museum and Natural History Museum.
18 km · about 20 min drive
museum
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
The world's most visited aerospace museum, displaying the Wright Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, and Apollo 11 command module.
18 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Smithsonian's National Zoo
Free-admission zoo in Washington, D.C. that is part of the Smithsonian Institution, famous for its giant pandas.
18 km · about 20 min drive
museum
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Home to the Hope Diamond and over 148 million specimens, making it one of the world's premier natural history collections.
19 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
The White House
Official residence and workplace of the President of the United States since 1800, a symbol of American democracy.
19 km · about 20 min drive
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