The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created on October 1, 1958, to promote American civilian interests in space, beginning with scientific exploration and embracing manned space flight. Project Mercury from 1959 to 1963 sought to launch an astronaut into orbit, develop navigation and tracking in space, and study weightlessness, and on May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. became the first American in space. The Gemini Project from 1965 to 1966 served as a step toward the moon by teaching astronauts to change orbits, rendezvous and dock with other spacecraft, and perform extra vehicular activities, with two-man crews and missions lasting up to two weeks aided by fuel cells. The Apollo Program from 1967 to 1975 tested new spacecraft and navigation and communication methods between earth and moon, and on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s challenge; five more lunar missions returned lunar rocks, photographs, and greater understanding of the moon. Skylab, built from the third stage of a Saturn 5 rocket, served in 1973 to 1974 as an orbital laboratory visited three times by Apollo crews studying the long term effects of weightlessness. In July 1975, Apollo-Soyuz joined an Apollo spacecraft and a Soviet spacecraft for docking, exchanges between crews, and joint scientific experiments. The Space Transportation System, or Space Shuttle, reused major spacecraft components for more affordable access to low Earth orbit and supported satellite deployment, repair and retrieval, scientific experiments, and construction of the International Space Station. The Wall of Fame honors American astronauts from Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle missions, including Alan B. Shepard, Jr. as the first American in space, John H. Glenn as the first American in orbit, Neil A. Armstrong as the first man on the moon, and Sally K. Ride as the first American woman in space, along with many others listed by mission.
