Earth Rising As Viewed From Moon
PROGRAM
This capsule is SIGMA 7 flown byIt was used to supply parts to support the
Walter M. Schirra, Jr. on 3/10/1962last Mercury mission, Faith 7.
9 hours, 13 minutes, 11 seconds.
Project Mercury was initiated in 1958, completed in 1963, Project Mercury
was the United States' first man-in-space program, which made six manned
flights from 1961 to 1963, The objectives of the program, were specific:
* To orbit manned spacecraft around the Earth;
* To investigate man's ability to function in space; and
* To recover both man and spacecraft safely.
Project Gemini the second U.S. manned program was announced
in January 1962. Its two-man crew gave it its name, Gemini, for the
third constellation of the Zodiac and its twin stars, Castor and Pollux.
Gemini involved 12 flights, including two unmanned flight tests of the
equipment. Like Mercury's, its major objectives were clear-cut:
* To subject man and equipment to space flight up to
two weeks in duration;
* To rendezvous and dock with orbiting vehicles and
to maneuver the docked combination by using the
target vehicle's propulsion system; and
* To perfect methods of entering the atmosphere and
and landing at a preselected point on land. Its goals
were also met, with the exception of a land landing,
which was cancelled in 1964.
Project Apollo - "Thats One Small Step For A Man, One Giant Leap
For Mankind." The national effort that enabled Astronaut Neil Armstrong
to speak those words as he stepped onto the lunar surface, fulfilled a dream as
old as humanity. But Project Apollo's goals went beyond landing Americans on
the Moon and returning them safely to Earth:
* To establish the technology to meet other national
interests in space;
* To achieve preeminence in space for the United States;
* To carry out a program of scientific exploration of
the Moon; and
* To develops man's capability to work in the lunar
environment.
On Jan 5, 1972, President Nixon proposed development of a reusable
space transportation system, (NASA's name for the overall Shuttle program).
This system is still very much in use today, developed, and managed by NASA.
The purpose of the Shuttle is to transport cargo into near Earth
orbit 100 to 217 nautical miles (115 to 250 statue miles) above
the Earth. This cargo -- or payload -- is carried in a bay 15 feet
in diameter and 60 feet long..
The orbiter has carried a flight crew of up to eight persons. A total of ten
persons could be carried under emergency conditions. The basic mission
is 7 days in space. The crew compartment has a shirtsleve environment. The
orbiter's speed when in orbit is approximately 25,405 feet per second
(17,322 statute miles per hour).
I have listed several other sites below that are extremly
interesting and invite you to visit each one.
Kennedy Space Center Home Page
Johnson Space Center Home Page
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Home Page
you are talking about.
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