U.S. Lands First Men On The Moon
On July 20, 1969, the US effectively won the Space Race when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle lunar module on the Moon’s surface.
Space Exploration
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Alan Shepard Becomes First American in Space
On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to travel into space when he launched aboard Freedom 7. The brief suborbital flight lasted just over 15 minutes, but it marked a turning point in the United States’ early space efforts.
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Mariner 10 Makes First Fly By of Mercury
On March 29, 1974, Mariner 10 became the first space probe to fly by Mercury. It would eventually send back over 2,700 photos, capturing nearly half of the planet’s surface.
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First Human Spacewalk
On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov did what no human had ever done before—he stepped out of a spacecraft and into the vacuum of space. Suspended above Earth with only a thin tether holding him to life, Leonov’s daring walk marked a turning point in the early Space Race.
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Pioneer 10 is Launched
On March 2, 1972, Pioneer 10 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It became the first spacecraft to travel beyond the outer planets and eventually the first human-made object to head out of the Solar System.
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Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry, killing all seven astronauts on board. The disaster stunned the nation and forced NASA to confront hard truths about risk, decision-making, and the future of human spaceflight.
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Launch of Apollo 7
On October 11, 1968, NASA launched Apollo 7, the first crewed mission of the Apollo program. The success of Apollo 7 would prove to be a crucial turning point, restoring faith in NASA’s ability to send humans safely to the Moon.
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Launch of Apollo 15
On July 26, 1971, Apollo 15 was launched, bringing the fourth American crew to the Moon’s surface. Apollo 15 would become the first of three extended missions to the moon, known as K missions. The mission was more focused on science than previous landings had been. It also marked the first use of the lunar rover.
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First US Space Shuttle Docking to Mir
On June 29, 1995, the US Space Shuttle Atlantis docked the Russian space station Mir for the first time. The mission, STS-71, was the third in the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir program. It began on June 27, 1995, when the Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the 100th US human space launch from Cape Canaveral.
