Each day we feature a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Project Mercury was the first U.S. program designed to put humans in space. It resulted in 6 manned flights using one-man capsules and Redstone and Atlas rockets . This goal was achieved by NASA's Apollo program and Shepard himself walked on the moon as a member of the Apollo 14 mission.
Specific rights apply.