The early days of space exploration were marked by groundbreaking achievements, from historic Moon landings to awe-inspiring spacewalks.
These iconic NASA images capture the spirit of an era when humanity took its first steps beyond Earth.
NASA’s origins can be traced back to the Cold War, a time when technological dominance was as much a battlefield as any other.
The launch of Sputnik in 1957 by the Soviet Union sent shockwaves through the United States, prompting a swift response. Determined to assert leadership in space, American officials recognized the need for a dedicated agency to propel the nation forward.
Before exploring space, NASA pilots prepared for the experience by flying high-altitude aircrafts. In this picture, a test pilot looks up as a B-52 soars over California in 1969.
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, officially establishing NASA.
This new agency was tasked with closing the gap between the U.S. and its Soviet counterparts, igniting what became known as the Space Race.
Over the next decade, NASA embarked on a series of ambitious programs, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, each designed to push the limits of space exploration.
Neil Armstrong stands in front of the X-15 rocket plane in 1960.
The Mercury program focused on achieving human spaceflight, successfully sending American astronauts into orbit.
Gemini followed, allowing crews to practice crucial maneuvers, conduct spacewalks, and refine the technology needed for lunar missions. These efforts culminated in the Apollo program, which turned the dream of reaching the Moon into reality.
The pinnacle of this era came on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon, a moment that forever changed history.
The years that followed built on that triumph, with NASA continuing to push the boundaries of human spaceflight.
NASA astronaut Walter Schirra, one of the men who participated in Project Mercury. The project focused on getting a man into orbit, 1959.
NASA scientists test a model of the Mercury capsule in a “spin tunnel” in 1959.
Three months before NASA launched the first American astronaut into space in 1961, they sent a chimpanzee named Ham on a pioneering mission. Fortunately, his mission was successful. Trained to pull levers in response to sounds and lights, Ham performed his tasks admirably in space—moving only slightly slower than he had on Earth.
In 1959, Nancy Roman joined NASA. Just a year later, she was already serving as the Chief of the Astronomy and Relativity Programs in the Office of Space Science.
The Mercury Seven. This was NASA’s first group of space travelers; here gathered for a photo during their survival training exercises in Nevada. 1960.
In 1962, John Glenn became the first American to complete a full orbit around the Earth during Project Mercury.
John Glenn during Mercury pre-launch activities. January 23, 1962.
Glenn enters the Mercury “Friendship 7” Spacecraft during pre-launch preparations. February 20, 1962.
In 1962, a Gemini capsule is tested in the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. Unlike the Mercury capsules, which carried one astronaut, Gemini capsules held two astronauts and were designed to test critical capabilities like spacewalks and extravehicular activity for future missions.
Gene Kranz in the Mission Control room at Johnson Space Center in Houston, 1965. As a flight director, Kranz was instrumental in guiding the missions that successfully landed humans on the Moon.
Ed White and James McDivitt pilot the Gemini 4 mission in 1965. This mission saw the first US spacewalk, which was performed by White.
Ed White, out for his famous spacewalk. June 1965.
Patricia McDivitt and Patricia White call their husbands, astronauts James McDivitt and Ed White, during the Gemini 4 mission.
Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene A. Cernan sit in their Gemini spacecraft with the hatches open while awaiting the arrival of the recovery ship U.S.S. Wasp. June 6, 1966.
The Apollo 1 crew prepares for water egress training at the Gulf of America. Left to right: astronauts Edward H. White II, Virgil I. Grissom, and Roger B. Chaffee. October 27, 1966.
The crew of Apollo 1, just weeks before they were tragically killed when a fire erupted in their capsule during testing. It was one of NASA’s most horrific accidents. 1967.
Walter Schirra commands the Apollo 7 mission in 1968. The first crewed Apollo space mission, this trip saw the first live TV broadcast of Americans from space.
William Anders captured the first “Earth-rise” ever to be seen by humans during the Apollo 8 mission. December 1968.
The Apollo 11 crew, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, smile for the cameras in 1969, just a couple months before they would take their historic trip to the Moon.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered a landmark address to Congress, outlining an ambitious vision for America’s space program.
He declared, “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 Earth.”
The following year, in 1962, NASA established the Launch Operations Center to prepare for the complex lunar missions ahead. Following Kennedy’s tragic assassination in 1963, the facility was renamed the John F. Kennedy Space Center in his honor.
Former President Lyndon B. Johnson and Vice President Spiro Agnew join the crowds to watch the Apollo 11 launch in 1969. Notably, President Richard Nixon had a somber speech prepared in case the astronauts did not survive their mission.
By 1965, NASA had transitioned from the single-astronaut Mercury missions to Project Gemini, named after the constellation representing “twins.”
The Gemini program featured two-person crews and achieved significant milestones over its 10 crewed flights.
Among its accomplishments were the first American spacewalk during Gemini 4 and Gemini 11’s record-setting altitude, which remains one of NASA’s highest flights.
Buzz Aldrin gears up as Apollo 11 approaches the Moon. As was the case with many Apollo 11 photos, Neil Armstrong was the man behind the camera.
The Apollo program, however, is best remembered for its historic lunar landings.
Apollo 11, in particular, marked humanity’s first steps beyond Earth’s orbit when Neil Armstrong famously described his descent onto the Moon as “a small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” in 1969.
This mission paved the way for five more lunar landings, with a total of 12 astronauts walking on the Moon by the program’s conclusion.
One of the first “bootprints” on the Moon, made by Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 mission. July 20, 1969.
Despite these triumphs, the final crewed Moon mission, Apollo 17, occurred in December 1972.
Since then, no humans have ventured beyond low-Earth orbit, leaving the Apollo era as a defining chapter in space exploration history, one that continues to inspire efforts to return to the Moon and venture even further into the cosmos.
Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
After landing on the Moon, the crew of Apollo 11 (Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin) returned home to Earth on July 24, 1969. Upon splashing down, the astronauts underwent a 21-day quarantine. The purpose of this was to protect against the possibility of “lunar contagion.”
Mission Control celebrates with cigars and American flags after the first successful Moon landing in 1969.
Disaster nearly struck NASA during Apollo 13’s failed mission in 1970. In this photo, the Mission Control team celebrates the safe return of the flight crew to Earth.”
Before Apollo 13 became NASA’s most famous “successful failure,” the astronauts on board were merely struggling to survive. Due to a disastrous oxygen tank explosion, they were forced to abandon their mission of visiting the Moon and instead focus on returning safely to Earth.
Edgar Mitchell photographs Alan Shepard holding the American flag on the Moon’s surface during the Apollo 14 mission. February 1971.
Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt plants a flag on the Moon in December 1972. This remains the most recent time that humans have set foot on the Moon.
(Photo credit: NASA / Wikimedia Commons / Upscaled by RHP).