The Explorer Program
Launched on February 1, 1958, this satellite became the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit Earth.
What is Explorer 1
This NASA program was the first U.S. human spaceflight project, aimed at putting a man into Earth orbit.
What is Project Mercury?
This NASA program, named after a constellation meaning "The Twins", bridged the gap between Mercury and Apollo.
What is the Gemini program?
This NASA program achieved its primary goal when Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
What is the Apollo program?
This company began cargo deliveries to the ISS in 2012, launched crewed missions in 2020, and is now developing Starship for NASA's Artemis program.
What is SpaceX?
Explorer 1's most significant scientific discovery was this radiation zone surrounding Earth.
What is the Van Allen radiation belt?
On May 5, 1961, this Mercury astronaut became the first American in space.
Who is Alan Shepard?
During Gemini 4, this astronaut became the first American to perform a spacewalk, also known as an EVA.
Who is Ed White?
This NASA program, which ran for 30 years, introduced the first reusable spacecraft system and flew 135 missions.
What is the Space Shuttle program?
ULA is developing this new launch vehicle, named after a Roman god, to replace the Atlas V and Delta IV for enhanced capabilities and cost-effectiveness.
What is the Vulcan Centaur?
In 1958, the Explorer program was transferred from the U.S. Army to this newly established space agency.
What is NASA?
This Mercury astronaut became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.
Who is John Glenn?
Gemini spacecraft were the first to use this for space navigation, paving the way for future missions.
What is an onboard computer?
During the Apollo program, this many astronauts in total walked on the surface of the Moon.
What is 12?
Founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, this space company's suborbital vehicle is named after America's first astronaut to reach space.
What is Blue Origin?
Launched in 1963, this Explorer satellite network was the first space program to use integrated circuit chips.
What is the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP)?
Mercury's single-seat capsules were launched into orbit using this type of rocket, originally designed as an intercontinental ballistic missile.
What is the Atlas rocket?
This Gemini mission set a record for the longest spaceflight of the program, lasting 14 days.
What is Gemini 7?
These two Space Shuttle orbiters were lost in tragic accidents in 1986 and 2003, respectively.
What are Challenger and Columbia?
This company, founded by Richard Branson in 2004, uses a unique air-launch system with SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo to offer suborbital flights reaching altitudes of about 50 miles.
What is Virgin Galactic?
This Explorer satellite, launched in 1966, was the first spacecraft to use MOSFETs, or metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors.
What is IMP-D (or Explorer 33)
The Mercury astronauts, selected in 1959, were all from this professional background, crucial for the experimental nature of the program.
What are military test pilots?
Gemini 8 achieved this crucial milestone with an Agena target vehicle, a technique vital for future lunar missions.
What is the first docking of two spacecraft?
This component of the Apollo program was described as the first true spacecraft designed to operate solely outside Earth's atmosphere.
What is the Apollo Lunar Module?
Founded in 2014, this Texas-based company focuses on small satellite launches with its Alpha rocket and has a NASA contract for lunar payload delivery, despite being a smaller player in the industry.
What is Firefly Aerospace?