This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/sci/tech/7523700.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
In video: Nasa's 50 years in space | In video: Nasa's 50 years in space |
(1 day later) | |
The US space agency's five decades in space have given the world many memorable moving images. | The US space agency's five decades in space have given the world many memorable moving images. |
On 29 July 1958, President Dwight D Eisenhower created the US space administration Nasa by signing the National Aeronautics and Space Act. | On 29 July 1958, President Dwight D Eisenhower created the US space administration Nasa by signing the National Aeronautics and Space Act. |
The BBC News website has collated just some of the many gripping moments of footage from the agency's history. | The BBC News website has collated just some of the many gripping moments of footage from the agency's history. |
1961: KENNEDY MAKES MOON PLEDGE | 1961: KENNEDY MAKES MOON PLEDGE |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
Clips from JFK's two key speeches | Clips from JFK's two key speeches |
President John F Kennedy called for millions of dollars to fund a space programme to get the first man on the Moon by 1970. | President John F Kennedy called for millions of dollars to fund a space programme to get the first man on the Moon by 1970. |
In his 1961 State of the Union address to Congress, he asked for an extra $1,700m (£600m) on the federal budget. | In his 1961 State of the Union address to Congress, he asked for an extra $1,700m (£600m) on the federal budget. |
In September 1962, Kennedy made a further speech in which he spoke of wanting to further his space ambitions "not because they are easy, but because they are hard". | |
1969: ARMSTRONG TAKES 'ONE SMALL STEP' | 1969: ARMSTRONG TAKES 'ONE SMALL STEP' |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
Armstrong makes his "one small step" | Armstrong makes his "one small step" |
American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon on 21 July 1969. | American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon on 21 July 1969. |
Armstrong and his partner Buzz Aldrin spent 21 hours on the lunar surface after Apollo 11's landing craft touched down. | Armstrong and his partner Buzz Aldrin spent 21 hours on the lunar surface after Apollo 11's landing craft touched down. |
1975: SPACE RACE RIVALS MEET IN ORBIT | 1975: SPACE RACE RIVALS MEET IN ORBIT |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
Space Race rivals meet in orbit | Space Race rivals meet in orbit |
The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in July 1975 was the first joint flight by the American and Soviet Cold War enemies. | The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in July 1975 was the first joint flight by the American and Soviet Cold War enemies. |
A US module carrying three astronauts successfully docked with a Soyuz capsule carrying two cosmonauts in orbit, and signalled the end to the "space race". | |
1981: FIRST SHUTTLE FLIGHT | 1981: FIRST SHUTTLE FLIGHT |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
The shuttle was a radical new concept (video contains 1st mission highlights) | |
The space shuttle Columbia made history when it launched from Cape Canaveral on 12 April 1981. | |
It was the first of the winged, reusable craft to be used by Nasa as the US sought a departure from the capsules of the 1960s and 70s. 1986: CHALLENGER SHUTTLE DISASTER | It was the first of the winged, reusable craft to be used by Nasa as the US sought a departure from the capsules of the 1960s and 70s. 1986: CHALLENGER SHUTTLE DISASTER |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just after take-off | The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just after take-off |
Seven astronauts died when the space shuttle Challenger exploded just over a minute after take-off. | |
The astronauts' families and millions of Americans witnessed the world's worst space disaster live on TV. | The astronauts' families and millions of Americans witnessed the world's worst space disaster live on TV. |
1990: HUBBLE "EYE IN THE SKY" | 1990: HUBBLE "EYE IN THE SKY" |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
Images from the Hubble Space Telescope | Images from the Hubble Space Telescope |
The giant Hubble Space Telescope was delivered into orbit by the shuttle Discovery in April 1990. | The giant Hubble Space Telescope was delivered into orbit by the shuttle Discovery in April 1990. |
Although dogged by early technical problems, repairs and upgrades resulted in stunning images of deep space. | Although dogged by early technical problems, repairs and upgrades resulted in stunning images of deep space. |
2004: BUSH'S NEW MOON PLAN | 2004: BUSH'S NEW MOON PLAN |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
President Bush unveils plans for the Moon and Mars | President Bush unveils plans for the Moon and Mars |
The US will send astronauts back to the Moon by 2020, President George W Bush announced in 2004. | The US will send astronauts back to the Moon by 2020, President George W Bush announced in 2004. |
In a speech about Nasa's future, the president also unveiled plans for a manned mission to Mars. | In a speech about Nasa's future, the president also unveiled plans for a manned mission to Mars. |
2008: PHOENIX LANDS ON MARS | 2008: PHOENIX LANDS ON MARS |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
Simulation of Phoenix's landing and the probe's first pictures | Simulation of Phoenix's landing and the probe's first pictures |
Nasa's Phoenix lander sent back historic first pictures of an unexplored region of Mars in May 2008. | Nasa's Phoenix lander sent back historic first pictures of an unexplored region of Mars in May 2008. |
The probe had survived a fiery plunge through the planet's thin atmosphere following its 680-million-km (420-million-mile) journey from Earth. |