A Brief History of Space Exploration Focus on manned space flight Little emphasis on non-US contributions VERY limited highlights of unmanned missions

Robert Goddard Father of American Rocketry First liquid propelled rocket

Dr. Werner von Braun Leader of Nazi rocketry research Inventor of the V-2 Rocket War criminal? Victim of Nazi “scorched Earth”? American hero?

I have learned to use the word "impossible“ with the greatest caution.” Slated for execution to prevent capture by the Allies A “prize” for which the Russians and Americans competed Surrendered to Americans Became the “father” of the U.S. space program

Sputnik – October 4, 1957 “October Sky”

The “Space Race” Sputnik puts America into near panic 4/12/61 USSR puts Yuri Gagarin into space America Responds with Project Mercury

Project Mercury – “The Right Stuff” Mercury Redstone Rocket Single astronaut First U.S. manned ballistic flight – Alan Shephard 5/5/61

Astronaut and Senator John Glenn Mercury Freedom 7 First American to orbit Earth 2/20/62 Oldest person to travel in space (Space Shuttle)

Liberty 7 on the seafloor A near tragedy

Project Gemini Titan Rocket Two astronauts First “Space Walk” (EVA) Rendezvous with Agena modules and with other Gemini capsules

Gemini capsule

Ed White Gemini 4 EVA

Mercury and Gemini – preludes to Apollo Project

Apollo 8 Liftoff from KSC 12/21/68

Earthrise from lunar orbit – Apollo 8

Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin July 16, 1969

Apollo 11 LM – “Eagle”

“Houston, the Eagle has landed.”

Neil Armstrong – First Man on the Moon

Buzz Aldrin – second man on the moon

Lunar Rock from Apollo 11 Mission

Buzz Aldrin

Apollo 11 – American Heroes

Earthrise from lunar orbit

Apollo 17 Lunar Rover – 12/72

Apollo 17 Geologist Harrison Schmidt

Apollo 17 – Harrison Schmidt and Lunar Rover

Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt in the field with Oneonta Alumni and Students

Skylab – a bridge between Apollo and the Shuttle

Space Shuttle – 1980’s to present (?)

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster January 28, 1986 Shuttle blows up 73 seconds after liftoff Six professional astronauts – a spectrum of America Christa McAuliffe – first teacher in space

HST – precious cargo for the Shuttle

Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble probes the mysteries of the cosmos

Soyuz – the Russian endeavor

Mir – a record of Russian accomplishment

Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker Gene Shoemaker – a would-be astronaut Geologist and land- based explorer of space Pioneer in study of impact structures

Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Jupiter

Scar from Shoemaker-Levy 9

Some Current Efforts International Space Station Search for extra-terrestrial planets Monitoring Earth’s atmosphere Sofia – Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy Mars Global Surveyor Mars Rovers

Unmanned Exploration Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner Rover

Mars Pathfinder

Panorama from surface of Mars

Messenger Messenger will arrive at Mercury in 2011 Begin 1 year orbit to image and map surface