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Brief History of NASA's Major Accomplishments

By Lilyannakun

  • Creation of NASA

    Creation of NASA
    NASA means National Aeronautical Space Administration. Dwight D. Eisenhower created the organization in July 29, 1958.

  • Pioneer 1

    Pioneer 1
    NASA’s first accomplishment was the launching of Pioneer 1. The mission was classified as a lunar orbiter. The small probe failed to orbit. It was launched on October 11, 1958 at 08:42:13 UTC.

  • Friendship 7 Mercury

    Friendship 7 Mercury
    John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. He made three orbits around the earth. It was launched on February 20, 1962, 14:47:39 UTC.

  • Luna 10

    Luna 10
    The first probe that actually orbited the moon was named Luna 10. It was launched on March 31, 1966 at 10:48:00 UTC.

  • Apollo 11

    Apollo 11
    Apollo 11 was the first space craft to land on the moon. The two most famous astronauts who manned this flight were Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. Neil was the first of the two to step on the snow. It was launched on July 24, 1969 at 16:50:35 UTC.

  • Pioneer 10

    Pioneer 10
    Pioneer 10 was launched to Jupiter from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pioneer 10 was launched on March 3, 1972, 01:49:04 UTC

  • Skylab

    Skylab
    Skylab, a small orbital space platform, was launched on May 14, 1973, 17:30:00 UTC

  • Viking 1

    Viking 1
    Viking 1 was the first space craft to land on another planet when it landed on Mars. It was launched on August 20, 1975.

  • Voyager 2

    Voyager 2
    Voyager 1 and 2 explored all the giant outer planets, 48 of their moons, and the unique system of rings and
    magnetic fields that those planets possess. Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977, 14:29:00 UTC.

  • STS-7

    STS-7
    Sally K. Ride flew on the STS-7 mission and became the first American woman to fly in space. STS-7 was launched on 18 June 1983, 11:33:00 UTC.

  • Space Shuttle Challenger

    Space Shuttle Challenger
    The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed and its seven crew members were lost which included Christa McAuliffe. An explosion occurred 73 seconds into the flight because of a leak in one of two Solid Rocket Boosters that ignited the main liquid fuel tank.

  • The Hubble Telescope

    The Hubble Telescope
    The Hubble Telescope is one of the most famous contraptions that NASA has sent into space. Many of the things that we’ve discovered about space we have discovered through photos through this telescope. The Telescope was launched on April 24, 1990, 08:33:51 AM EDT. It is estimated that the telescope will remain in orbit ‘til around 2021.