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Mercury. Project Mercury, initiated in 1958 and completed in 1963, was the United States’ first human-in-space program. It was designed to further knowledge about humanity’s capabilities in space.

Apollo. Apollo was the designation for the United States’ effort to land a person on the Moon and return him safely to Earth. Tragedy struck Jan. 27, 1967, on the launch pad during a preflight test of what would have become Apollo 1, the first staffed mission. Astronauts Lt. Col. Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Lt. Col. Edward H. White, and Lt. Cdr. Roger Chafee lost their lives when a fire swept through the command module.

Skylab. America’s first Earth-orbiting space station was launched May 14, 1973. Project Skylab was designed to demonstrate that men could work and live in space for prolonged periods without ill effects. Originally the spent third stage of a Saturn 5 Moon rocket, Skylab measured 118 ft from stem to stern, and carried the most varied assortment of experimental equipment ever assembled in a single spacecraft. Three three-man crews visited the space stations, spending more than 740 hours observing the Sun and bringing home more than 175,000 solar pictures. These were the first recordings of solar activity above Earth’s obscuring atmosphere. Skylab also evaluated systems designed to gather information on Earth’s resources and environmental conditions. Skylab’s biomedical findings indicated that humans adapt well to space for at least a period of three months, provided they have a proper diet and adequately programmed exercise, sleep, work, and recreation periods. Skylab orbited Earth at a distance of about 300 mi. Five years after the last Skylab mission, the 77-ton space station’s orbit began to deteriorate faster than expected, owing to unexpectedly high sunspot activity. On July 11, 1979, the parts of Skylab that did not burn up in the atmosphere came crashing down on parts of Australia and the Indian Ocean. No one was hurt.

Space Shuttle. The space shuttle Columbia was successfully launched on April 12, 1981. The second shuttle, Challenger, made its maiden flight on April 4, 1983. The third shuttle, Discovery, made its first flight on Aug. 30, 1984. The fourth space shuttle, Atlantis, made its maiden flight on Oct. 3, 1985.

On February 24, 2011, Discovery launched its final mission and docked with the International Space Station. The crew consisted of six American astronauts, all of whom had been on prior spaceflights, including Commander Steven Lindsey. The crew joined the long-duration six person crew of Expedition 26, who were already aboard the space station. The mission transported several items to the space station, including the Permanent Multipurpose Module Leonardo, which was left permanently docked to one of the station’s ports.

In March 2011, NASA began the process of shuttering its Space Shuttle program after 30 years of service. Discovery was the first of NASA’s three remaining operational Space Shuttles to be retired and was moved to the Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the Smithsonian complex, in Washington, D. C. Next was Endeavour, which found a home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles in June of 2011. Finally, you can visit the last shuttle to be retired, Atlantis, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as of July 2011.

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Timeline: Famous Firsts in Space Exploration

  • Timeline: Famous Firsts in Space Exploration

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Current Events This Week: January 2023

African Americans by the Numbers

Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Current Events This Week: January 2023

African Americans by the Numbers

Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

  • Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses
  • Current Events This Week: January 2023
  • African Americans by the Numbers
  • Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
  • The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales