**Timeline1958 - 19671968 - 19771978 - 19871988 - 19971998 - 20072008 - 2018Topics60 Years & Counting

1958 - 19671968 - 19771978 - 19871988 - 19971998 - 2007Topics60 Years & Counting

# **60 Moments in NASA History**

In six decades, NASA has had too many achievements to easily catalogue on one web page. Listed below are 60 of the most important that have laid the groundwork for the agency’s current programs and future endeavors.

# **1958 - 2018**

#### **1958 - 1967****

----

##### **July 29, 1958** - *National Aeronautics and Space Act*

President Eisenhower signs the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating the agency, which was based on the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics when it opens for business on Oct. 1, 1958. He is shown here in August giving commissions to T. Keith Glennan (right) and Hugh L. Dryden (left), NASA's first administrator and deputy administrator respectively.

----

##### **Oct. 11, 1958** - *NASA's First Satellite Pioneer 1*

NASA launches Pioneer 1. A project inherited from the U.S. Army, Pioneer 1 became NASA’s first spacecraft. Meant to go into lunar orbit and carrying a TV camera to study the moon's surface, a mechanical problem limited the spacecraft to sending 43 minutes of data back before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.

----

##### **April 9, 1959** - *The First American Astronauts*

At a press conference in Washington, NASA introduces the first American astronauts, the Mercury 7. All experienced military test pilots, they had undergone an incredible battery of physical and mental examinations.

----

##### **April 1, 1960** - *First Weather Satellite TIROS 1*

NASA launches TIROS 1, the first weather satellite. Crude by modern standards, this is the first television image from space.  Tiros 1 operated for only 78 days but proved scientists could monitor the Earth's weather patterns and cloud cover from space.

----

##### **Aug. 12, 1960** - *First communications Satellite ECHO 1*

NASA launches ECHO 1, the first communications satellite. Echo was a passive satellite; it reflected radio and radar signals rather than generating or relaying them. Scientists were also able to track it as a way of understanding the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere.

----

##### **May 5, 1961** - *First American in Space*

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

----

##### **May 25, 1961** - *President Kennedy Announces Goal*

Three weeks after the first U.S. astronaut flies, President Kennedy announces the audacious goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. The challenge to NASA was immense; the agency had only rough plans for a Moon landing in several decades. But once the goal was set, NASA responded.

----

##### **Feb. 20, 1962** - *Putting a Man in Orbit*

The second major step toward the Moon was putting a man in orbit. Astronaut John Glenn got that job, making three laps around the Earth in just under five hours.

----

##### **July 10, 1962** - *The Start of the Space Communications Industry*

NASA launches the communications satellite Telstar I, the first active communications satellite and, also the first satellite launched for a private company. Telstar was built and operated by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T). On July 23, it relayed the first publicly available transatlantic TV signal, showing pictures of the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower, part of a baseball game and remarks by President Kennedy on the value of the American dollar, which was causing concern in Europe. When Kennedy denied that the United States would devalue the dollar, it immediately strengthened on world markets. CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite, also on the broadcast, later said that "We all glimpsed something of the true power of the instrument we had wrought."

----

##### **Dec. 14, 1962** - *Mariner 2 Flies by Venus*

Mariner 2 flies past the planet Venus in the first space mission to study another planet at close range. Among many other things, the spacecraft discovered that Venus had no magnetic field

----

##### **April 6, 1965** - *Geosynchronous Communications Become a Reality*

NASA launches Intelsat 1 for the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT). Built by Hughes Aircraft Company, Intelsat 1 (known as Early Bird at the time) was the first communications satellite placed in a geosynchronous orbit. From Earth the satellite appears to stay in one spot in the sky, making for a very simple and robust way to use satellites for communications. This idea had been popularized by Arthur C. Clarke in 1945.

----

##### **June 3, 1965** - *First American Spacewalk*

Ed White becomes the first American to take a spacewalk.  Developing spacesuit technology and spacewalking skills were crucial to our plans in space.

----

##### **Jan. 27, 1967** - *Pre-launch Fire in Apollo Capsule*

A fire on the launch pad kills the first Apollo crew: Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.  NASA responded to this crushing loss by overhauling the Apollo spacecraft design and developing the processes and procedures that allowed us to safely conduct the rest of the Apollo program.

#### **1968 - 1977****

----

##### **Oct. 24, 1968** - *Last Flight of the X-15*

Last flight of the “finest and most productive research aircraft ever seen”—the X-15. The X-15 flew for nearly 10 years and set unofficial speed and altitude records of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and 354,200 feet, while investigating all aspects of piloted hypersonic flight. Information from the program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo piloted spaceflight programs as well as the Space Shuttle.

----

##### **Dec. 24, 1968** - *Apollo 8 Earthrise Photograph*

The crew of Apollo 8 are the first humans to see the Earth from lunar orbit and capture the famous Earthrise photograph. Orbiting the Moon on Christmas Eve, they add some perspective to a turbulent 1968 in their TV broadcast that concludes with a reading from the Book of Genesis.

----

##### **July 20, 1969** - *First Humans to Walk on the Moon*

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on another celestial body.

----

##### **April 13, 1970** - *Apollo 13 "Successful Failure"*

NASA's "successful failure" begins with an explosion in the service module of the Apollo 13 spacecraft. The crew had to use the lunar module as a lifeboat while they spent more than three days circling the moon and returning to Earth.

----

##### **March 9, 1971** - *Test of the Supercritical Wing*

NASA conducts the first test of the supercritical wing -- in some ways a normal airplane wing turned upside-down -- designed to allow planes to travel more smoothly as they approached the speed of sound. It was part of NASA's ongoing efforts to improve aeronautics and led one Boeing executive to say, “NASA’s work on managing the sound barrier provided the fundamental understanding of transonic and supersonic aerodynamics, which allowed the development of the aircraft we fly around in today.”

----

##### **Nov. 13, 1971** - *Mariner 9 Reaches Mars*

Mariner 9 reaches Mars and becomes the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. Its mapping mission is initially delayed by a dust storm that obscures all of Mars's surface except the tops of its tallest mountains.

----

##### **May 25, 1972** - *Digital-Fly-By-Wire Aircraft*

First flight of Digital-Fly-By-Wire aircraft, which controlled flight surfaces by computer instead by cables reacting to movements by the pilot. Based in part on the Apollo navigation computer (and championed by Neil Armstrong, then at NASA Headquarters) fly-by-wire systems are used in aircraft around the world today. Part of the benefit is replacing heavy mechanical systems, allowing greater fuel efficiency and increased passenter and cargo loads.

----

##### **July 23, 1972** - *Landsat 1 Launch*

Landsat 1 launch, beginning more than 40 years of continuous observations of the Earth's land surfaces, oceans and atmosphere.

----

##### **Dec. 7, 1972** - *Apollo 17 Blue Marble Photograph*

The Apollo 17 crew takes a picture of the Earth on their way to the Moon: the "Blue Marble".

----

##### **May 14, 1973** - *First U.S. Space Station Skylab*

NASA launches Skylab, the first U.S. space station.

----

##### **July 17, 1975** - *Docking Apollo and Soyuz Capsules*

Docking of the U.S. Apollo and Soviet Soyuz capsules, the first joint mission between Americans and Russians.

----

##### **July 20, 1976** - *Viking 1 Lands on Mars*

Viking 1 lands on Mars, beginning NASA’s 40 years of exploration of the Red Planet.

#### **1978 - 1987****

----

##### **Jan. 16, 1978** - *35 New Astronauts*

NASA announces the selection of 35 new astronauts, including the first women and African-Americans.

----

##### **April 12, 1981** - *Space Shuttle Orbital Flight*

The first orbital flight of the space shuttle, NASA's reusable space vehicle.

----

##### **June 13, 1983** - *Pioneer 10 Goes Beyond Our Planets*

Pioneer 10 becomes the first spacecraft to travel beyond the orbits of the known planets. In about 2 million years, it will come close to the star Aldeberan.

----

##### **June 18, 1983** - *First American Woman in Space*

Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

----

##### **Aug. 30, 1983** - *First African-American in Space*

Guy Bluford becomes the first African-American in space.

----

##### **April 6, 1984** - *On Orbit Satellite Repair*

The crew of space shuttle mission STS-41-C makes the first on orbit satellite repair, replacing instruments on the Solar Max satellite.

----

##### **Jan. 28, 1986** - *Space Shuttle Challenger Lost*

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, is lost shortly after launch.

#### **1988 - 1997****

----

##### **Nov. 18, 1989** - *Cosmic Background Explorer*

Launch of the Cosmic Background Explorer, which measured the background radiation of the universe to better understand how the universe formed after the Big Bang. In 2006, John Mather of NASA and George Smoot of the University of California would share the Nobel Prize for their work based on COBE data.

----

##### **April 25, 1990** - *Hubble Space Telescope Deployed*

The Hubble Space Telescope deployed from STS-31. Research based on Hubble data has fundamentally changed how we view the cosmos, touching on black holes, dark energy and matter, and planets in other solar systems. The telescope would capture a number of iconic images, including the image below of the Eagle Nebula, dubbed “The Pillars of Creation.”

----

##### **Dec. 16, 1992** - *Cooperation in Human Spaceflight*

The United States and Russia agree to expand their cooperation in human spaceflight. The effort would start with Sergei Krikalev becoming the first Russian to fly aboard an American spacecraft when he joined the STS-60 crew for its 1994 flight. In 1995, American Norm Thagard would spend 115 days aboard the Russian space station

----

##### **Nov. 17, 1993** - *International Space Station*

The United States, Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency announce they will cooperate on building the International Space Station.

----

##### **Nov. 28, 1995** - *Thrust-only Control Autoland*

First autoland by transport aircraft with thrust-only control.

#### **1998 - 2007****

----

##### **Aug. 6, 1998** - *Solar-powered Aircraft*

Pathfinder-Plus solar-powered aircraft flies to record altitude of 80,201 feet.

----

##### **Oct. 29, 1998** - *John Glenn Returns to Space*

John Glenn returns to space on STS-95.

----

##### **May 29, 1999** - *Shuttle docks to ISS*

Shuttle docks to ISS for the first time on STS-96. The first element, Zarya, has been launched from Russia on Nov. 20, 1998. STS-88 had joined the Unity node to Zarya on Dec. 6, 1998, officially beginning construction of the ISS.

----

##### **July 23, 1999** - *First Woman to Command a Shuttle*

STS-93 launches with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, commanded by Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle flight.

----

##### **Nov. 2, 2000** - *Permanent Presence in Space*

Expedition 1 crew members (from left) Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev board the International Space Station, beginning humanity’s permanent presence in space.

----

##### **Feb. 1, 2003** - *Space Shuttle Columbia is Lost*

Space Shuttle Columbia is lost with its crew of seven during re-entry. Top row, from left: David M. Brown, mission specialist; William C. McCool, pilot; and Michael P. Anderson, payload commander. Bottom row, from left: Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Rick D. Husband, mission commander; Laurel B. Clark, mission specialist; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist from the Israeli Space Agency.

----

##### **Feb. 11, 2003** - *WMAP Picture of the Universe*

NASA Releases "WMAP" baby picture of the universe. WMAP would revolutionize understanding of the structure and evolution of the universe.

----

##### **Nov. 16, 2004** - *Mach 9.6 Speed Record*

X-43A sets Mach 9.6 speed record.

----

##### **Jan. 14, 2005** - *Huygens Probe Lands on Titan*

ESA's Huygens probe, which traveled to Saturn with the Cassini spacecraft, lands on Titan. (Artist’s concept)

----

##### **Jan. 15, 2006** - *Samples of Comet Wild-2*

Stardust mission returns to Earth to samples of Comet Wild-2.

#### **2008 - 2018****

----

##### **Jan. 22, 2010** - *First Live Tweet from Space*

Aboard the International Space Station, astronaut T.J. Creamer sends the first unassisted Tweet from space.

----

##### **Aug. 25, 2012** - *Voyager 1 in Interstellar Space*

Voyager 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space.

----

##### **Oct. 7, 2012** - *First Commercial Resupply Mission*

The first commercial resupply mission launches to the International Space Station.

----

##### **Dec. 5, 2014** - *First Spaceflight Test of Orion*

Orion capsule completes its first spaceflight test.

----

##### **July 9, 2015** - *First Commercial Crew Named*

NASA names four astronauts to the first commercial crew flights, scheduled for 2018. From left Doug Hurney, Eric Boe, Bob Behnken and Suni Williams.

----

##### **July 14, 2015** - *New Horizons Flies by Pluto*

New Horizons flies by Pluto, sending back the first close up views of the dwarf planet.

----

##### **Oct. 2, 2015** - *Premiere of “The Martian” Feature*

Premiere of “The Martian” featuring many of the technologies NASA is working to explore the moon and Mars.

----

##### **Nov. 24, 2015** - *Presidential Medal of Freedom*

Katherine Johnson presented Presidential Medal of Freedom, recognizing the work she and other female "computers" did to make the early U.S. space program successful.

----

##### **July 4, 2016** - *Juno Orbits Around Jupiter*

Juno reaches orbit around Jupiter.

----

##### **Aug. 21, 2017** - *50 Million View the Solar Eclipse Online*

A solar eclipse visible across the United States becomes the biggest online event in NASA's history. More than 50 million viewers watched the eclipse via web streams of NASA Television, and NASA’s website received one fifth of its traffic for the year in one day.

----

##### **Sept. 2, 2017** - *U.S. Record Holder for Space Flight*

Peggy Whitson returns from ISS as the new U.S. record holder for space flight, with 665 days in space.

----

##### **Oct. 14, 2017** - *First Known Interstellar Object*

Oumuamua, first known interstellarr object, makes closest approach to Earth.

----

##### **Jan. 4, 2018** - *Recovery of Antarctic Ozone Hole*

NASA confirms recovery of Antarctic ozone hole due to Montreal Protocol.

# **- Share -**

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Official: Brian Dunbar 

Go To Top**