| 1958 | July | National Aeronautics and Space Act
signed into law establishing NASA.
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| | October | Mercury program begun; six successful
manned flights would occur.
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| | November | Space Task Group officially organized,
at Langley Field, Va., to
implement the manned satellite project, known later as Project Mercury.
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| 1959 | April | First group of astronauts is selected for
manned spaceflight program.
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| | December | Saturn configuration and development program are approved.
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| 1960 | February | Ranger project for lunar hard landings is formally authorized.
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| | May | Lunar soft-landing program, later renamed Surveyor, commences.
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| | July | Apollo approved as name of advanced manned spaceflight program.
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| 1961 | May | First U.S. suborbital manned spaceflight,
by Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., in a Redstone rocket-boosted
Mercury capsule named Freedom 7.
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| | May | President Kennedy proposes broad,
accelerated space program, including manned lunar landing
within the decade, in a special message to the Congress.
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| | August | Cape Canaveral selected as the launch
site for manned lunar fights.
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| | November | The Space Task Group redesignated
as the Manned Spacecraft Center.
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| 1962 | February | First U.S. orbital manned spaceflight
by Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., in an Atlas-boosted Mercury
capsule named Friendship 7.
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| | July | Selection of lunar orbit rendezvous
flight mode for Apollo missions.
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| 1963 | May | First U.S. long duration spaceflight,
by Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., aboard an Atlas-boosted
Mercury, Faith 7; last flight in the Mercury program.
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| | August | Lunar orbiter program, to team with
Ranger and Surveyor, approved.
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| 1964 | May | First flight of an Apollo-configured spacecraft
with a Saturn vehicle (two-stage Saturn I), launched from Cape Kennedy;
craft, upper stage orbited.
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| | July | Closeup television pictures of lunar surface
are sent by Ranger VII.
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| 1965 | March | First U.S. two-man orbital spaceflight,
by Astronauts Virgil I. Grissom
and John W. Young in Titan II-boosted Gemini III.
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| | June | First U.S. extravehicular activity,
Astronaut Edward H. White II maneuvering from Gemini IV
piloted by Astronaut James A. McDivitt.
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| | December | First Piloted rendezvous in space,
by Astronauts Schirra and Stafford
in Gemini VI with Gemini VII, Astronauts Borman and Lovell aboard.
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| 1966 | February | First launch of the Saturn IB (two stage)
with an Apollo spacecraft.
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| | March | First docking in space, made by Astronauts
Neil A. Armstrong and David R. Scott aboord a Titan-boosted Gemini VIII.
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| | June | Successful on first attempt, Surveyor I
softlands on the lunar surface and reports back on soil bearing
strength and surface temperatures.
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| | August | First U.S. spacecraft to orbit the Moon,
Lunar Orbiter I sends back Surveyor and Apollo landing site photos.
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| 1967 | January | Flash fire kills Apollo 1 Astronauts
Grissom, White, and Chaffee in command module atop a Saturn I
booster at Launch Complex 34.
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| | November | First flight of the Saturn V is a
success; Apollo 4 placed in orbit.
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| 1968 | January | First flight test of the lunar module,
in Earth orbit, in Apollo 5.
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| | October | First manned Apollo flight,
by Astronauts Schirra, Eisele, and Cunningham, in the Saturn IB-boosted Apollo 7.
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| | December | Astronauts Borman, Lovell, and
Anders become first men to orbit
the Moon, in the Saturn V-boosted CSM of Apollo 8.
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| 1969 | March | First manned flight of the lunar
module, in Earth orbit, by Astronauts
McDivitt and Schweickart with Astronaut Scott
piloting CSM, in Apollo 9.
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| | May | First lunar module orbit of
the Moon, by Astronauts Stafford and Cernan with
Astronaut Young manning the orbiting command module, in Apollo 10.
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| | July | Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin become
first men to land on the Moon; Astronaut Collins pilots the
command module orbiting the Moon, in Apollo 11.
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| | November | Astronauts Conrad and Bean
walk on the Moon, while Astronaut
Gordon pilots command module, in Apollo 12.
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| 1970 | April | Ruptured oxygen tank aborts Apollo
13 mission. Astronauts Lovell, Swigert, and Haise return
safely to Earth.
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| 1971 | January | Third successful manned lunar
landing, Apollo 14, places Astronauts Shepard and Mitchell
on Moon, while Astronaut Roosa pilots CSM.
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| | July | Lunar Roving Vehicle used for first
time on Moon, by Astronauts Scott and Irwin, while Astronaut
Worden pilots the command module, in Apollo 15.
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| 1972 | April | Fifth successful lunar landing mission
places Astronauts Young and Duke on Moon, while Astronaut
Mattingly pilots command module, in Apollo 16.
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| | December | Apollo program's longest
mission, Apollo 17. Astronauts Cernan
and Schmitt land on the Moon while Astronaut Evans pilots CSM.
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