"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." President John F. Kennedy's Special Message to Congress on May 25, 1961. Read the whole text of President Kennedy's speech.

Photo: President John F. Kennedy

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Archives - Quote of the Week

Christopher Columbus and Galileo take a break from their adventures at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Open House in Pasadena, California. Join them in the Christopher & Galileo Photo Gallery for an up-close and behind-the-scenes look at the Galileo and Cassini spacescrafts, the Sojourner Rover, and a whole lot more out-of-this-world fun! Read a book about Christopher or Galileo.

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Archives - Picture of the Week

Project Mercury (True Books-Space)

This book is featured in our Manned Missions/Space Bookstore. EXPLORE PROJECT MERCURY -- the first U.S. manned space program. In April, 1959, the first seven U.S. astronauts were selected. The "MERCURY SEVEN" are Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., John H. Glenn, Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., and Donald K. "Deke" Slayton.

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Archives - Feature Books

This Week's Trivia Question:
Question: Who was the first American woman in space?

Photo: First American woman in space

Last Week's Trivia Question:
Question: What is Ulysses S. Grant's birth name?
Answer: Hiram Ulysses Grant. When Ulysses registered at West Point, his name appeared on the records as Ulysses Simpson Grant, rather than Hiram Ulysses Grant. So, Ulysses changed his name to Ulysses Simpson Grant. He was known as U.S. Grant or "Uncle Sam" Grant. Did you know his good friends shortened this name and called him Sam? Read a book about Ulysses.

Photo: Ulysses S. Grant

Archives - Trivia Questions

Did you know NASA was started on October 1, 1958?

Yes, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, was started for the purpose of human space flight, aeronautics, and space science. During the 1950's, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were in a "space race" to be the first country to successfully launch a man into space and return him safely to earth. In 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched and landed Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. In 1961, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space. NASA followed with many accomplishes, including Project Mercury (1 manned space flights), Project Gemini (2 manned space flights), and Project Apollo (3 manned space flights). Neil Armstrong was the commander of Apollo 11, and he was the first person to walk on the surface of the moon. On July 20, 1969, at 9:56 pm (Houston time), Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module Eagle, saying, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Photo: Mercury Seven, the first seven U.S. Astronauts

Archives - Did You Know…

"Alan Shepard. He was the first U.S. astronaut in space. His spacecraft -- Freedom 7 -- was fit for only one man so Shepard took this historic flight all by himself. That's pretty interesting." -- Bailey from Florida

Photo: Alan Shepard

Tell Us Who's Your Hero?

Archives - Who's Your Hero?

Q: How many Space Shuttles are there? (Diane A.)

A: Four: Columbia, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. The Space Shuttle was designed to be a reusable spaceship. Columbia is the first Space Shuttle. Its first mission was launched on April 12, 1981. It was named after a small sailing vessel that explored the Columbia River in the 1790's. Did you know the command module for the Apollo 11 lunar mission was also named Columbia? Discovery is the third Space Shuttle, named after two sailing ships (one by Henry Hudson in 1610-1611, and one by James Cook who discovered the Hawaiian Islands). Its first mission was launched on August 30, 1984. Atlantis, named for a ship operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute from 1930 -1966, is the fourth Space Shuttle. Its first launch was on October 3, 1985. Did you know the Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter was launched from Atlantis? The fifth Space Shuttle, Endeavour, is a replacement for Challenger (the second Space Shuttle which exploded on January 28, 1986). Endeavour was named for the first ship commanded by James Cook.

Photo: Space Shuttle

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