History in Space

By: Kirsten BostonKayla Evert

Megan Rolfson

1960’s

• May 15, 1961 This is the day known as America’s First Space Flight. Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. he was born November 18, 1923 in New Hampshire. He was the first American in space the space shuttle he used was Freedom 7, and he was in space for 14.8 minutes. The speed of the shuttle was going 5,100 mph.

1960’s

• February 20, 1962 This day is important to America and is called Circling the Earth. John Glenn and Gordon Cooper were the first American to circle the Earth, he circled the Earth 3 times before coming down to Earth. The space shuttle that was used is called friendship 7, because of going around the Earth Glenn became a national hero.

1960’s

• June 3-7, 1965 This date is known as Gemini's Spacewalk, Edward H. White the ll was the first to perform the first space walk by an American. This was a 4 day Gemini Mission, millions of people were watching as the space craft went into space.

1960’s

• July 16-24, 1969: this day is known as Apollo 11's Giant Leap for Mankind: the people on this trip was Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins. These men went to the moon and back and it was the first time someone has walked on the moon (Neil Armstrong) and this is when the famous saying came from "It's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

1970

• In the year 1970, on April 11-17 Apollo 13 almost ended in a devastating disaster. One of the spacecraft’s oxygen tanks ruptured within 56 hours of flight. Astronauts James A. Lovell Jr., John L. Swegert Jr. and Fred W. Haise Jr. cannot return until they circle the moon and slingshot back hoping they had enough water, air and electricity in the Apollo capsule to make it back. They had to use their lunar module as a lifeboat to return safely, but as James Lovell puts it in his account of the accident, “It was close.”

1971

• In the year 1971, on July 26-August 7 the Apollo moon rover, completed their first long expedition landing on the moon. The crew explored the moon’s surface with the first lunar rover, and they returned with magnificent samples of moon rocks. David R. Scott was the Commander, James B. Irwin was the Lunar Module Pilot, Alfred M. Worden the command module pilot was the crew of Apollo 15. Apollo 15’s Backup Crew were, Richard F. Gordon, Harrison H. Schmitt.

1972

In the year 1972, on December 7-19, Apollo 17 was the last Apollo mission to the moon. Scientist, and geologist Harrison Schmitt went along with the crew. Other crew members were Eugene A. Ceman who was the commander, Ronald E. Evans who was the command module pilot, and Harrison H. Schmitt who was the lunar module pilot.

1975

• In the year 1975, on July 15-24: Rendezvous with Russia took place..There was the first international human space flight, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, tests the compatibility of coming together and docking systems for American and Soviet spacecrafts to pave the way for future joint missions. The definition of a Rendezvous is pretty much a gathering in space where two spacecrafts comes together also known as docking, this way astronauts can come together and have meets while they are still in space.

April 12,1981

The Shuttle Era Begins

• There was the first flight of the Columbia shuttle, it was the first reusable airplane craft to fly in space.

The First Flight of the Columbia Shuttle

June 18,1983 • Sally K. Ride was an

Astrophysicist. She became America's first woman astronaut. She was born May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Westlake High School Los Angeles, California, in 1968. She enjoys tennis, running, volleyball, softball and stamp collecting. She was a mission specialist.

August 30,1983• Guion S. Bluford was an

Air Force and aerospace engineer, he was the first African American astronaut.

January 28,1986• Tragedy Strikes- The

Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after launch, it killed seven people. There was a leak in one of the spacecraft's solid rocket boosters it ignites the main liquid fuel tank as billions of people around the world watch it take off. The Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes