By Steven Guessford

Sputnik and the Space Race On October 4 th, 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first satellite and the first man-made object to be sent into space. The launch of Sputnik's was a surprise to most Americans, and not a good one. In the United States, space was the next frontier, and it was vital not to get too far behind the Soviets. Sputnik

 In 1958, the U.S. launched its own satellite, Explorer I.  That same year, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a public order creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration known as NASA. › NASA is a federal agency dedicated to space exploration. › The NASA Headquarters is located in Washington, DC. › NASA was established on July 29 th, 1958 NASA Headquarters

Project Mercury and the Orbiting of Earth  In 1959, the Soviets launched Luna 2, the first space probe to hit the moon.  NASA then began Project Mercury. A project to send a man into space. On May 5 th, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space.  In April 1961, the Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit Earth.  In February 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.  By the end of that year, NASA began its lunar landing program, Project Apollo.

 President John F. Kennedy announced on May 25 th, 1961, that by the end of the decade the U.S. would land a man on the moon.  By the end of that year, the lunar landing program Project Apollo began.  Apollo 1 -First Apollo mission which ended in a tragedy. Three astronauts died in a module fire.  Apollo 2 through 6 were unmanned missions  Apollo 7 – 10  Apollo 7 orbited Earth 163 times.  Apollo 8 orbited the Moon 10 times.  Apollo 9 tested the Portable Life Support System.  Apollo 10 allowed for the first live color TV from space. Apollo 1 after the module fire

Apollo 11 On July 16 th, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins set off on the Apollo 11 space mission. This was the first lunar landing attempt. At 4:17 p.m. EDT. Armstrong informed Houston with the remarkable words, “Houston, this is Tranquility Base. The Eagle has landed.” Armstrong and Aldrin checked all of the systems and ate for the first two hours after landing The group skipped the planned four-hour rest to explore the moons’ surface. Apollo 11 Launch

Moon A camera provided live coverage of the moon as Neil Armstrong climbed down a ladder at 11:56 p.m. on July 20 th, He took a step on the surface and said the famous words, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” After twenty minutes Aldrin followed, with Armstrong recording his descent. Armstrong was given the task of documenting the landing, so a majority of the images taken from the Apollo 11 mission were of Buzz Aldrin. Landing

The Following Apollo Missions Apollo 12 - Retrieved parts of Surveyor 3, which had landed on the Moon in April Apollo 13 – The third lunar landing attempt. Mission was aborted after a service module oxygen tank rupture. Apollo 14 – Landed on the moon, and gathered 94 pounds of lunar materials. Apollo 15 - An electric-powered, 4-wheel car, the Lunar Roving Vehicle was used for the first time on the moon. Apollo 16 – Used ultraviolet camera was used for first time on the Moon. Apollo 17 - The last lunar landing mission. Harrison H. Schmitt became the first scientist-astronaut to land on the Moon during this mission.

Skylab  Skylab was America’s space station.  The massive station weighed 169,950 lbs. and was constructed on Earth.  It was launched unmanned to Earth orbit on May 14 th,  Three manned Apollo crews lived and worked aboard Skylab.  Skylab was the United States' first and only independently built space station.  Skylab paved the way for long length human spaceflight and for the International Space Station. Skylab Space Station

Space Shuttle Program O The Space Shuttle became the major focus of NASA in the late 1970s and the 1980s. O These shuttles were able to be frequently launched and be mostly reused. O Four space shuttle orbiters were constructed by The first to launch was Columbia, which launched on April 12 th, 1981

The International Space Station The International Space Station joined several projects around the world into one international program. It included; NASA's Space Station Freedom project The Soviet/Russian Mir-2 station The European Columbus station The Japanese Kibō laboratory module. NASA planned to develop Freedom alone in the 1980s, but budget limitations led to the merging of several projects into one International program in It was managed by;  NASA  The Russian Federal Space Agency  The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency  The European Space Agency  The Canadian Space Agency The International Space Station

Beyond Low Earth Orbit program For missions beyond low Earth orbit, NASA has been directed to develop the Space Launch System. Which consists of A Saturn-V class rocket, Two to six person, beyond low Earth orbit spacecraft. Barack Obama proposed that the United States should send a crew to an asteroid in the 2020s and send a crew to Mars orbit in the mid-2030s

Funding From 1961 to 1964, NASA's budget was increased almost 500 percent. In % of the federal budget was given to NASA. In % of the federal budget was given to NASA.

 In 1964, there were 34,000 NASA employees, these people worked on research, the Apollo missions, and the lunar landings.  In the early 90s the amount of employees had dropped to 24,000 and continued to decrease.  More than 18,000 people work for NASA in 2013.

* A Mars rover is an automated motor vehicle, that drives itself across the surface of the planet Mars upon arrival. * Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: * They examine more territory * They can be directed to interesting features * They can place themselves in positions for long periods of time, where humans would be unable to go. * There have been four successful robotically operated Mars rovers. A Mars Rover

Famous NASA Astronauts John Glenn – Present ▫The first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth. Apollo 11 ▫Buzz Aldrin Present ▫Neil Armstrong ▫Michael Collins – Present Guion S. Bluford Present ▫First African American Astronaut Sally Ride – 2012 ▫First American woman in space. Neil Armstrong Sally Ride

Quiz Question #1  Question #1 -What was the first man-made object to be sent into space? A. A Soviet Ballistic Missile B. An American Spaceship called Apollo C. A Soviet Satellite named Sputnik D. A Canadian Tank named Gretzky

Quiz Question #2  Answer to #1 -C. A Soviet Satellite named Sputnik.  Question #2 - Where is the NASA headquarters located A. Dallas, Texas B. The Moon C. Area 51 D. Washington, DC

Quiz Question #3  Answer to #2 -D. Washington, DC  Question #3 –During what mission was the first lunar landing A. Apollo 1 B. Apollo 11 C. Sputnik 1 D. Operation Lunar Landing

Quiz Question #4  Answer to #3 -B. Apollo 11  Question #4 -Who was the first man to walk on the moon? A. Buzz Aldrin B. Neil Armstrong C. Michael Collins D. Yuri Gagarin

Quiz Question #5  Answer to #4 -B. Neil Armstrong  Question #5 -What did Armstrong say when he first walked on the moon? A. “I could sure use a sandwich right now.” B. “This day shall always be remembered.” C. “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” D. “I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE!”

Quiz Question #6  Answer to #5 -C. “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”  Question #6 -What was the first American space station? A. Skylab B. The Drop-off C. The Expess D. IWS - 106

Quiz Question #7  Answer to #6 -A.Skylab  Question #7 -Which one of these projects were not part of the international space station? A. NASA's Space Station Freedom project B. The Soviet/Russian Mir-2 station C. The European Columbus station D. The Cuban Stasis project E. The Japanese Kib ō laboratory module.

Quiz Question #8  Answer to #7-D.The Cuban Stasis project  Question #8 -Who was the first African American Astronaut? A. Guion Bluford B. Chuck Berry C. Cuba Gooding Jr. D. Ryan Smith

Quiz Question #9  Answer to #8 -A. Guion Bluford  Question #9 -How many successful robotically operated Mars rovers have there been? A. 8 B. 4 C. 22 D. 0

Quiz Question #10  Answer to #9 -B.4  Question #10 -Around how many people currently work for NASA? A. 18,000 B. 800 C. 108,000 D. 34,000

End of Quiz  Answer to #10 - A.18,000

References  America in Space: Nasa's First Fifty Years  NASA: The Complete Illustrated History  race race race   asahistorya.htm asahistorya.htm asahistorya.htm  17_mission_info.htm 17_mission_info.htm 17_mission_info.htm  11-first-moon-landing.html 11-first-moon-landing.html 11-first-moon-landing.html  /skylab-nasa-commemorates-40th- anniversary-of-americas-first-space- station-photo-gallery/ /skylab-nasa-commemorates-40th- anniversary-of-americas-first-space- station-photo-gallery/ /skylab-nasa-commemorates-40th- anniversary-of-americas-first-space- station-photo-gallery/