Life Support

Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space aboard a 15-minute suborbital flight.

John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, circling the planet three times.

Ed White performs the first American spacewalk, floating free for 23 minutes.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon.

An oxygen tank explosion turns a Moon landing into a legendary rescue of three astronauts.

The final Apollo Moon landing carries the first scientist-astronaut to the lunar surface.

America’s first space station hosts three crews and proves humans can live in space for months.

The first international human spaceflight: an American Apollo docks with a Soviet Soyuz.

The telescope that rewrote astronomy, saved in orbit by five servicing missions.

The first resident crew boards the International Space Station, beginning 25+ years of continuous human presence in orbit.