In 1926, Robert GODDARD developed the first liquid-fueled rocket. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is now named after him!
In 1958 the U.S began NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was mandated to develop space exploration vehicles, both MANNED and UNMANNED.
The first rockets launched UNMANNED satellites into space. It was in 1957 that the first satellite (named SPUTNIK ) was launched into space by Russia.
This scared many Americans. Many thought that the Russians were spying on the country using satellites or could possibly drop bombs on us from space. This began the SPACE RACE.
Many of the first rockets did not contain humans. Instead, DOGS and MONKEYS were launched into space.
The first U.S. manned program was called the MERCURY program. Seven astronauts were trained to fly with this program. They are known as THE MERCURY SEVEN.
It was Yuri GAGARIN in April of 1961, however, a Russian cosmonaut, that was the first person to fly into space.
In May of the same year, the first American went into space. ALAN SHEPARD “led the way”, being boosted aboard a REDSTONE/MERCURY rocket. He traveled alone in a tiny CAPSULE named Freedom 7.
In 1963, VALENTINA Tereshkova, a Russian cosmonaut, was the first woman to be launched into space.
After the Mercury rocket program, President KENNEDY delivered a speech propelling the nation towards the first moon landing. NASA developed the GEMINI program intended to teach engineers how to live and work in space. ED WHITE was the first American astronaut to open the doors to the space capsule and float around in zero gravity outside the space craft.
The Gemini program lasted only a short time. NASA soon began a new program to land men on the moon, the APOLLO program.
On July 20, 1969, Neil ARMSTRONG and Buzz ALDRIN landed on the moon aboard the lunar module named THE EAGLE. Neil’s first words upon stepping on the moon were, “That’s one small STEP for man, but one giant LEAP for mankind.”
TWELVE men in all walked upon the moon’s surface, collecting rock samples, setting up experiments, and learning about the lunar environment. In one decade, J.F.K’s vision for the space program had come true.
After the conclusion of the Apollo program, NASA set its sights on a reusable vehicle. The SPACE SHUTTLE was designed to launch up to seven astronauts and large payloads into space. Most importantly, it was designed to be reused over and over again.
In 1983, Sally RIDE becomes the first American woman to ride into space.
The space shuttle was designed in the early 1970s and is still in use today. Since its first launch in 1981 it has flown over 125 missions delivering telescopes, science experiments, satellites, and components to the International Space Station. In just a few years, it will be phased out to make room for a new space program named: ARES and ORION. They will reuse parts of the space shuttle and return the space program to a capsule system.
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