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Celebrating 50 Years of Space Exploration with NASA
Celebrating 50 Years of Space Exploration with NASA Celebrating 50 Years of Space Exploration with NASA Celebrating 50 Years of Space Exploration with NASA Celebrating 50 Years of Space Exploration with NASA

The History of Rockets
The fact that we have only been traveling to space for a short time does not mean that the rocket is a new invention. More than 2300 years ago, Archytas of Tarentum, a Greek scientist constructed a bird from wood, which used steam to make it fly. The history of rockets has continued through the ages.

Apollo 1 Mission Pictures
It was January 27, 1967 and the crew of Apollo/Saturn 204 (more commonly known as Apollo 1 mission) were training for the first crewed Apollo flight. During this training, tragedy struck. A fire killed the entire crew. On board were astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, astronaut Edward H. White II, and astronaut Roger B. Chaffee. The Apollo/Saturn 204 mission was officially assigned the name "Apollo 1" in honor of Grissom, White, and Chaffee.

Apollo 13 - From the History of Space Exploration - The Successful Failure - Apollo 13 - Part 1: Was This Incredible Space Exploration Mission Jinxed?
Apollo 13 was the third scheduled lunar launch, carrying Jim Lovell, Fred Haize, and Jack Swigert to the moon. When an explosion occurred, endangering the Apollo 13 Lunar Landing mission and astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haize, and Jack Swigert, the Apollo 13 mission became a race for survival. As NASA experts and contractors struggled to come up with solutions, the Apollo 13 astronauts; Jim Lovell, Fred Haize, and Jack Swigert; struggled to survive. Apollo 13, the successful failure.

Bark At the Moon - A Short History of Soviet Canine Cosmonauts
The first Earthling in space blasted off on November 3, 1957. Sputnik 2, the world's second artificial satellite, was launched by the Soviet Union from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. There was a passenger on board and her name was Laika (Russian for Barker)

Clementine - Lunar Mission
Clementine was the first U.S. spacecraft launched to the Moon in over twenty years (since Explorer 49 in June 1973). The spacecraft, also known as the Deep Space Program Science Experiment (DSPSE), was designed and built to demonstrate a set of lightweight technologies such as small imaging sensors for future low-cost missions flown by the Department of Defense. Clementine carried fifteen advanced flight-test components and ten science instruments.

Explorer 1 - 1st satellite launched by US - Brief History of the Explorer 1 Mission
Explorer 1 was the first satellite launched by the United States when it was sent into space on January 31, 1958. Following the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency was directed to launch a satellite using its Jupiter C rocket developed under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory received the assignment to design, build and operate the artificial satellite that would serve as the rocket's payload.

Great Moon Landing Hoax - Did NASA Fake the Moon Landings?
Was the Moon Landing in the 1960's a hoax? Some people claim that NASA lied about the Apollo program and faked the Moon landings. Actually, it would have been harder to fake the moon landings than to do it! Still, many people are confused about it, so let's clear it up the Moon Landing Hoax confusion.

Lunar Prospector
The Lunar Prospector was designed for a low polar orbit investigation of the Moon, including mapping of surface composition and possible deposits of polar ice, measurements of magnetic and gravity fields, and study of lunar outgassing events. Data from the 19 month mission will allow construction of a detailed map of the surface composition of the Moon, and will improve our understanding of the origin, evolution, current state, and resources of the Moon.

Mariner 4
Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to get a close look at Mars. Flying as close as 9,846 kilometers (6,118 miles), Mariner 4 revealed Mars to have a cratered, rust-colored surface, with signs on some parts of the planet that liquid water had once etched its way into the soil. In addition to various field and particle sensors and detectors, the spacecraft had a television camera, which took 22 television pictures covering about 1% of the planet.

Mariner 5 - Mission to Venus
Mariner 5 was originally built as backup for Mariner 4 to Mars, but was never needed. It was refurbished & modified to go to Venus instead. Flew by Venus at a distance of 3,990 km (2,480 miles), & with its more sensitive instruments than Mariner 2, revealed new information about Venus' atmosphere, including its composition of 85-99% carbon dioxide. Mariner 5 also studied the interplanetary space in the vicinity of Venus.

Mercury 13 - First Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs)
In the early 1960s, there were many prejudices, so Dr. William Randolph "Randy" Lovelace II may have been ahead of his time when in 1960, he invited Geraldyn "Jerrie" Cobb to undergo the physical fitness testing regimen that he had helped to select the original U.S. astronauts, the "Mercury Seven." After becoming the first American woman to pass those tests, Jerrie Cobb and Dr. Lovelace publicly announced her test results at a 1960 conference in Stockholm.

Messenger Mission to Mercury
MESSENGER is a scientific investigation of the planet Mercury. Understanding Mercury, and the forces that have shaped it, is fundamental to understanding the terrestrial planets and their evolution.

NASA History - The Early Days
After WW II, the DOD began a serious research push into rocketry and upper atmosphere sciences to ensure American leadership in technology. As part of this push, President Eisenhower approved a plan to orbit a scientific satellite as part of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) for the period, July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958, a cooperative effort to gather scientific data about the Earth.

NASA Spinoffs - Inventions Benefiting Our Daily Lives - Apollo Spinoff Inventions
Every day, in a variety of ways, American lives are touched by space technology. Since 1976, about 1,400 documented NASA inventions have benefited U.S. industry, improved the quality of life and created jobs for Americans. The Apollo program has helped change the way of life in America, especially in health care. Here are some of the inventions contributed by the Apollo program.

Pioneer Missions - Pioneer Spacecraft Explorations of the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus
The Pioneer series of spacecraft performed explorations of the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn & Venus. Pioneer 0, 1, & 2 were the United States' 1st lunar attempts. Following the unsuccessful USAF/NASA Pioneer 0, 1, & 2 lunar missions, the U.S. Army and NASA launched Pioneer 3 & 4. Pioneer 5 was designed to provide the 1st map of the interplanetary magnetic field.

Pioneer Venus Missions - Pioneer 12 and Pioneer 13
The Orbiter was launched on 20 May 1978 on an Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle. On 8 August 1978, slightly less than three months after the Orbiter left Earth, the Multiprobe spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on an Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle.

Project Mercury and the Mercury 7 Astronauts
Implementation was initiated to establish Project Mercury, on October 7, 1958. The life of Project Mercury was about 4 2/3 years, from the time of its official go-ahead to the completion of the 34-hour orbital mission of Astronaut Cooper. During this period, much was learned about man's capabilities in the space environment & his capabilities in earthbound activities which enabled the successful accomplishment of the objectives of the Mercury Project in this relatively short period.

Project Mercury Overview Pictures Gallery
Implementation was initiated to establish Project Mercury, on October 7, 1958. The life of the project was about 4 2/3 years, from the time of its official go-ahead to the completion of the 34-hour orbital mission of Astronaut Cooper. These Project Mercury pictures give a basic view of the early days of the first NASA space program, Project Mercury.

Space Disasters and Tragedies - The Dangers of Space Exploration - Disasters and Tragedies Which Have Plagued Space Exploration
Space is a dangerous place. In all of human endeavor, there is danger. It is not possible to completely avoid risk. Even if you choose to hide in your home, some danger still exists. To live is to risk, but there are those, particularly those who work for the betterment of mankind, who risk more than others. From the fire and police officials who entered two buildings struck by terrorists in New York to the seven members of the space shuttle Columbia crew, exploring the final frontier.

Space Disasters Poll - Should the Space Program Continue?
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Sputnik 1 - First Artificial Satellite In Space
The world, especially the US, was shocked, when on October 4, 1957, the USSR launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1.

Surveyor 1
The Surveyor spacecraft was designed to attain the engineering objectives of the Surveyor program, which included the first lunar soft landing. No instrumentation was carried specifically for scientific experiments, but considerable scientific information was obtained. The spacecraft carried two television cameras -- one for approach, which was not used, and one for operations on the lunar surface.

The Face on Mars - Ancient Civilization or Optical Illusion
In 1976, NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft was orbiting Mars, snapping photos of possible landing sites for its sister ship Viking 2, when it spotted the shadowy likeness of a human face. It appeared to be an enormous head nearly two miles from end to end seemed to be staring back at the cameras from a region of the Red Planet called Cydonia. Imagine the stir in mission control as watching controllers seemed to be watched in return.

The Fisher Space Pen - The Truth About the NASA Space Pen Urban Legend
We all know that the US government likes to spend extravagantly. Did NASA actually spend millions of dollars developing an "astronaut pen" that would work in outer space while the Soviets solved the same problem by simply using pencils. For Project Gemini, for example, NASA ordered mechanical pencils in 1965 from Tycam Engineering Manufacturing, Inc., in Houston. The fixed price contract purchased 34 units at a total cost of $4,382.50, or $128.89 per unit.

Ulysses Mission to the Sun - Jupiter - Comets
The Ulysses mission was an outgrowth of the abandoned International Solar Polar Mission (ISPM) that involved two spacecraft flying over opposite solar poles to investigate the Sun in three dimensions. Eventually, ESA built a single spacecraft for launch on the Space Shuttle. The vehicle was designed to fly a unique trajectory that would use a gravity-assist from Jupiter to take it below the elliptic plane, past the solar south pole, and then above the elliptic to fly over the north pole.

USSR Luna Program
A historic aspect of the space race, the Luna Program. Most of Russia's unmanned Moon exploration missions flew under the ambitious Luna program. The program was marked by historic successes and spectacular failures. Seventeen of the 45 Luna missions were successful.

Venera 5
Venera 5 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (69-001C) towards Venus to obtain atmospheric data. The spacecraft was very similar to Venera 4 although it was of a stronger design. During satellite descent towards the surface of Venus, a parachute opened to slow the rate of descent. For 53 min on May 16, 1969, while the capsule was suspended from the parachute, data from the Venusian atmosphere were returned.

Venera 6
Venera 6 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik towards Venus to obtain atmospheric data. The spacecraft was very similar to Venera 4 although it was of a stronger design. When the atmosphere of Venus was approached, a capsule containing scientific instruments was jettisoned from the main spacecraft. During descent towards the surface of Venus, a parachute opened to slow the rate of descent. For 51 min on May 17, 1969, data from the Venusian atmosphere were returned.

Voyager 1
Voyager 1 was launched after Voyager 2, but because of a faster route, it exited the asteroid belt earlier than its twin. It began its Jovian imaging mission in April 1978 at a range of 265 million kilometers from the planet; images sent back by January the following year indicated that Jupiter's atmosphere was more turbulent than during the Pioneer flybys in 1973 and 1974.