| These
guidelines have remained an integral part of the space program
ever since. The United States' first human spaceflight project
was successfully accomplished in four and a half years.
Over 2 million people from government agencies and the aerospace
industry combined their skills, initiative, and experience
into this national effort.
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GEMINI (1962-1966)
|
| Ten crewed spaceflights were
accomplished as part of the 25-flight Mercury program. In
Mercury, it proved that a person could function as a pilot,
an engineer, and an experimenter without adverse reactions
or deteriorations of normal body functions for periods up
to 34 hours of weightless flight. |
Click on the image to see a Gemini launch |
|
The second U.S. crewed
space program was announced in January 1962. This program,
named Gemini, involved 12 flights, including two uncrewed
flight tests of the equipment. The goals of the Gemini
program were to:
- Subject human and equipment to spaceflight up to 2 weeks,
duration.
- Rendezvous and dock with orbiting vehicles and maneuver
the docked combination by using the target vehicle's propulsion
system.
- Perfect methods of entering the atmosphere and landing
at a preselected point on land.
|
Gemini
Spacewalk |
| The Gemini Program was conceived
after NASA officials determined that an intermediate step
was needed between Project Mercury and the Apollo Program.
Its goals were also met, with the exception of a land landing
that was cancelled in 1964. |
The specific
objectives assigned to Gemini were:
- Subject
two humans and supporting equipment to long-duration flights.
- Effect rendezvous
and docking with other orbiting vehicles, and to maneuver
the docked vehicles in space using the propulsion system
of the target vehicle for such maneuvers.
- Perfect
methods of reentry and landing the spacecraft at a preselected
land-landing.
- Gain additional information concerning the effects of
weightlessness on crewmembers and record the physiological
reactions of crew members during long-duration flights.
All of the major
objectives were met (as well as many other objectives assigned
to each mission) with the exception of the land landing.
However, the precision control necessary to achieve the
land-landing objective was demonstrated. |
Gemini astronaut
Jim Lovell |
APOLLO (1960-1972)
|
"That's
one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind."
-
Neil Armstrong
The goal of the
Apollo
program that enabled astronaut Neil Armstrong to
speak those words went beyond just "landing Americans
on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth," as
President Kennedy had inspired the country in his speech at Rice University in 1962. |
Apollo astronaut John Young, Apollo 16
|
The
objectives of the program were to:
- Establish the technology required to meet other national
interests in space.
- Achieve preeminence in space for the United States .
- Carry out a program of scientific exploration of the
Moon.
- Develop the human capability to work in the lunar environment.
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|
The
Apollo Program, was begun in 1962, flew human missions beginning
in 1968. The first landing on the Moon occurred in
1969; and seven flights flew to the Moon between 1969 and
1972, accomplishing six successful landings.
Click
here to see the Apollo spacecraft diagrams.
|
Launch of the Saturn V Apollo rocket |
SKYLAB
(1973-1974)
 |
The Skylab
Program continued the efforts of NASA engineers
and scientists by placing in orbit America 's first experimental
space station. Designed for long duration mission, Skylab
program objectives were twofold:
- To prove that humans could live and work in space for
extended periods, and
- To expand our knowledge of solar astronomy well beyond
Earth-based observations.
Successful in
all respects despite early mechanical difficulties, three
three-person crews occupied the Skylab workshop for a total
of 171 days, 13 hours in 1973. The empty Skylab spacecraft
returned to Earth on July 11, 1979, scattering debris over
the Indian Ocean and the sparsely settled region of Western
Australia . |
APOLLO-SOYUZ
(1975)
In July 1975,
the Apollo-Soyuz
mission became the first international mission
in space. It was designed to test the compatibility of rendezvous
and docking systems for American and Soviet spacecraft and
to pave the way for future joint efforts in space. |
Apollo-Soyuz docking |
| 
American
astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts |
The Soyuz was
launched 7 hours prior to the launch of the Apollo spacecraft.
Apollo then maneuvered to rendezvous and dock with the Soyuz
52 hours after the Soyuz launch. The two crews conducted
a variety of experiments over a 2-day period. After separation,
Apollo remained in space an additional 6 days while the
Soyuz returned to Earth approximately 43 hours after separation.
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