The Mercury, Gemini, And Apollo Missions (5 magg 1961 anni – 7 dic 1972 anni)

Descrizione:

These three missions were the United States' response to Russian space prowess during the Cold War. In these missions, they firmly planted America's place in space travel. Even today NASA and the U.S.A have undoubtedly the largest influence on space travel.

The first mission, Mercury(named after the Roman god known for his speed), had the goal of getting people into space. Through a series of six one-man missions, and 3 one-ape missions, NASA was able to learn more about operating a spacecraft in Earth's orbit.

Mercury's successor was named after the constellation Gemini. This was because the Latin translation of Gemini is "twins", and two people could fit in the Gemini Capsule. These missions were crucial to help NASA gain knowledge and experience in space travel. During the 12 missions, astronauts stayed in orbit for longer periods of time, the first spacewalk(EVA) was performed, and two capsules successfully connected with each other in orbit. It is important to note that the rockets used in the Mercury and Gemini missions were initially designed as missiles. The Cold War was at it's peak, and tensions between America and the U.S.S.R. were extremely high.

The most famous mission, Apollo, is well known for being the first to land a person on the moon. The rockets used were the first with multiple stages, which were necessary for the required thrust to get on a trajectory to the moon. The two most notable missions are Apollo 11, the first flight where an astronaut stepped foot on the Moon, and Apollo 13, known for the malfunction that occurred while the spacecraft was on its way to the moon, and how it was dealt with.

Over only 1 decade, these three missions made advances into space that were astronomical. They would change the course space exploration forever.

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