The difficult and dangerous work of traveling in space has provided society with so many technological devices used in daily life one can easily forget that space travel is not routine, nor is it an old and refined process. The space program began as a series of experiments testing the ability and survivability of space travel. After determining that people can indeed survive space travel, the program evolved into a research and development program beyond just a human’s ability to survive space travel.
The goals of NASA followed a logical evolution that was divided into programs developed to reach new milestones. The programs began with the simple yet dangerous research to determine if a human can survive space travel. With the success of each program they advanced the goals to include actual travel beyond the earth’s orbit, traveling to the moon, and establishing a way to conduct scientific experiments for extended periods of time in space.
Mercury Program 1958-1963
The Mercury Program began with the formation of NASA. The goals were simple by today’s standards, but at the time were far reaching and dangerous. The goals were:
- Launch and orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth.
- Research the physical effects of space travel on the human body.
- Provide for the safe return of the astronaut and spacecraft.
The program began with twenty unmanned missions to test different types of rockets, spacecraft and recovery systems. NASA monitored each launch using sensors to determine the physical effects a human can expect to endure during all phases of space travel. The test flights included the launch of the first "American" to successfully orbit Earth, Enos the Chimpanzee. Enos flew two orbits around the Earth on November 29, 1961, and came safely back to Earth. Prior to Enos there were three other space flights dating back to 1959 with chimpanzees in suborbital flights, all returning safely back to Earth.
There were six manned flights in the Mercury program beginning with the first US manned space flight on May 5, 1961. The first two missions flew in sub-orbital flight which means the astronauts came back to earth shortly after entering space without flying a full circle around the Earth. The two flights lasted just over 15 minutes and tested a human’s ability to control the spacecraft in different conditions related to gravity and physical stresses. The two missions also served as a test to identify potential problems for future development of systems and spacecraft. The next four missions involved orbiting the earth, beginning with a three hour, four orbit flight flown on February 20, 1962. The final Mercury mission was a 34 hour flight with 22 orbits flown to evaluate the effects on a person during a full day in space.
President John F. Kennedy changed the dynamics of space research from orbiting the Earth to establishing the goal of traveling to the moon during his second State of the Union Address on May 25, 1961. President Kennedy stated "I believe 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 earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
Gemini Program 1965-1966
The Gemini Program was established to begin the research necessary to design a spacecraft capable of meeting President Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon. NASA developed three primary goals including:
- Provide the ability for a man to fly in space for up to two weeks.
- Design a spacecraft that would be able to rendezvous and dock with an orbiting vehicle and to fly with the orbiting vehicle attached to the spacecraft.
- Continue to improve the techniques of reentry to the Earth’s atmosphere and control a landing to a preselected point on land.
There were a total of 12 flights in the Gemini Program, two were unmanned and ten were flown with two man crews. Throughout the program astronauts accomplished Extra Vehicular Activity (space walks), docking with other spacecraft and flew for extended periods in space, the longest lasting for 13 days in December of 1965.
Apollo Program 1963-1972
The Apollo Program was established to use the lessons learned from previous programs, and fulfill President Kennedy’s mandate to send a man to the moon. The goals of the Apollo program included:
- Create and develop technology for the national interest in space.
- Establish a position of dominance in space for the United States.
- Explore the surface of the moon.
- Develop the ability to work and conduct experiments on the surface of the moon.
The first four missions of the Apollo program included two orbits around the Earth testing the equipment and spacecraft, an orbit around the moon, and a dress rehearsal for the mission of landing on the moon. A total of seven missions were established to land on the moon, all but one succeeded. Apollo 13 was forced to abort its mission due to technical malfunctions and was forced to abort the moon landing and return back to Earth. The first Apollo mission, Apollo 1, ended in tragedy during a preflight for the first crewed flight when fire engulfed the space capsule. All three astronauts perished in the accident on the pad at Cape Canaveral.
Space Shuttle Program 1981-2011
The next phase of space flight was to develop a ship that can be used for multiple missions, as opposed to the previous programs where each spacecraft was used only once. The goal was to design a craft that can launch into space and arrive back to earth by landing like an airplane. The Space Shuttle program met and exceeded the expectations. Throughout the 30 years of flight a total of 5 space shuttles conducted 135 flights into space. The Space Shuttle was used to:
- Build the International Space Station (ISS)
- Conduct scientific experiments
- Launch, recover and repair satellites
- Provide transportation to and from the ISS carrying people, cargo and repair equipment
The program was eventually cancelled, with the final mission ending on July 21, 2011. The Space Shuttle Program was a success, but not without its own tragedies. Of the five shuttles and 135 missions two were destroyed in fatal accidents. The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded January 28, 1986, 73 seconds into flight. All seven people on board were killed, including the two pilots, three mission specialists, a payload specialist and a school teacher. The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated inflight while reentering the earth’s atmosphere on February 1, 2003, killing all 7 crew members.
NASA has flown over 100 different missions and programs since its inception in 1958. Some of the goals included manned space flight, planetary exploration, weather research, satellite and communication projects, airplane development and environmental research to name just a few. The future of the space program includes the implementation of commercial space travel, using the private sector to develop new methods of space transportation.
Source:
Robert Rubenstein - Bob Rubenstein has a B.S. Degree in Aviation Management and has been involved in the aviation industry for over 20 years.
