Michael Collins

The “forgotten man” of the Apollo 11 mission that first landed men on the moon, Michael Collins was part of Astronaut Group 3, the fourteen astronauts whose selection was announced in October 1963. He also flew the Gemini 10 mission, which performed rendezvous maneuvers with two different spacecraft and also featured two successful EVAs by … [Read more…]

Neil A. Armstrong

The most famous American astronaut, Neil Armstrong is best known for being the first to set foot on the moon. But did you know… Neil Armstrong is one of the first civilian astronauts. Neil Armstrong had been a Navy pilot, but had retired before applying to NASA as an astronaut. He was part of the … [Read more…]

The Mercury Missions

The Mercury missions were NASA’s first serious effort to send American astronauts into space. One of its primary objectives was to prove that humans could live and work above Earth’s atmosphere. Along the way, there were several technical challenges, successes, and occasional frightening moments for both the Original Seven Mercury astronauts and those supporting them … [Read more…]