Historic Journeys Into Space

From the January 1958 launch of the first American satellite to the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by President Eisenhower just a few months later, from the heated space race of the Cold War era to the heroes of shuttle launches, the United States has been on the leading edge of space exploration and technology. Initially developed from one of Adolph Hitler's most feared weapons, the V2 rocket, the space program has accomplished much in just a few short decades. The first American manned space flight, which put astronaut Alan Shepard into space, was launched in 1961; in 1965, Edward White became the first American to walk in space--for a total of 21 minutes. In 1969, Neil Armstrong uttered those now-famous words as he became the first human to walk on the Moon. These and many other achievements, once considered unimaginable, have inspired and amazed the American people and engaged our brightest scientific minds.

Poised at the beginning of a new century, America's space program prepares to continue on its historic journey. Throughout the program's existence, amateur and professional photographers have captured important moments on Earth, astronauts have used hand-held cameras to document missions, and automated onboard cameras have recorded all of the myriad details of a space flight. These photographs, the visual history of one of this century's greatest challenges, capture and preserve a piece of our nation's heritage in a field that, more than most, marches rapidly towards the future.