Space Exploration

Astronomy/Cosmology & Space: K-12 TLC Guide. Aviation: K-12 TLC Guide. NASA: K-12 TLC Guide. Science: K-12 TLC Guide.

Human Science & Exploration, Unmanned Science & Exploration
NASA

Russian Space Program, The Space Race
Unmanned Science & Exploration
Earth-Orbiting Satellites
Human Science & Exploration
Astronauts
Project Mercury Gemini Missions Apollo Missions
Space Shuttle
International Space Station
Moon Base, Space Planes

Space Exploration

Glushko, Valentin: K-12 TLC Guide.
Russian Space Program: K-12 TLC Guide.

10/24/1960: Nedelin Disaster: K-12 TLC Guide:

1984 National Commission on Space, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

BBC:

05/25/2011: NASA Picks Deep-Space Astronaut Ship.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:

Five Decades of Space Exploration.

CBS News.

European Space Agency.

History Channel:
- 11/16/1945: 88 German Rocket Scientists Arrive in U.S..
- 12/18/1958: U.S. Launches First Experimental Communications Satellite.
NASA:
- History.
- President's Commission on Space Exploration (pdf).
- Vision for Space Exploration.
National Public Radio:

Exploring a Moon by Boat.
Lagrange Points.
NASA to Test New-Generation Space Rocket.
Plutonium Shortage Could Stall Space Exploration.
Space Truckers Aren't Science Fiction Anymore.
Vatican Scientists Seek Evidence of Alien Life.

Return to Flight Task Group.

Smithsonian Institution:

Milestones of Flight.
The Space Race.

Space Exploration

Human Science
&
Exploration

Artificial Gravity: K-12 TLC Guide.
Astronauts: K-12 TLC Guide.

The BBC:
- 05/18/1991: Helen Sharman Is the First Briton in Space.
NASA:

Constellation Program: Areas and Orion:

Home Page.
NASA Names New Crew Exploration Vehicle Orion.

SpaceFlightNow.

Human Spaceflight:
- Exploration.
- Media Library.
- Real-Time Data.
- Space History.
  - Mir.
- Space News.
- Space Station.
Pioneers, NASA Kids.

National Public Radio:

Von Braun, Wernher: K-12 TLC Guide.
Williams, Ozzie: K-12 TLC Guide.

09/13/1962: John Kennedy's The Space Challenge: K-12 TLC Guide.

1959-1963: Project Mercury:
- About.com.
- HowStuffWorks.
- NASA: K-12 TLC Guide:
  - America's First Astronauts.
  - Kennedy Space Center.
  - NASA History Division.
  - NASA Images.
  - Friendship 7:
    - 03/01/1962: "My flight was but one step", John Glenn, The History Channel.
    - Milestones of Flight, Smithsonian Institution.
- U.S. Centennial of Flight.
- Voice of America.
1964-1966: Project Gemini:
- Discovery.com (pdf).
- HowStuffWorks.
- NASA: K-12 TLC Guide:
  - Goddard Space Flight Center.
  - NASA Headquarters.
  - Kennedy Space Center.
  - NASA History Division:
  - NASA Images.
- National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
- U.S. Centennial of Flight.
- 06/03/1965: Gemini IV: First American Spacewalk:
  - Milestones of Flight, Smithsonian Institution.

1965-1972: Apollo Project

HowStuffWorks.
NASA: K-12 TLC Guide:
- Apollo Landing Sites Slide Set.
- Kennedy Space Center.
- NASA Headquarters:
U.S. Centennial of Flight.

01/27/1967: Grissom, Chaffee and White Perish in Capsule Flash Fire, New York Times.

1967: Apollo 4: First Successful Use of Saturn V Rocket:
- TheHistoryNet.
10/11/1968: Apollo 7: The First Manned Apollo Mission:
- New York Times.
- Writer's Almanac.
- 10/22/1968: Mission Completed after 163 Earth Orbits, On-This-Day.
- 10/14/1968: Crew Gives Television Tour of Spacecraft, The History Channel.
1968: Apollo 8:
- 12/24/1968: "God bless all of you, all of you on the...."
  - 12/21/1968: Apollo 8 Launched for Lunar Orbit, On-This-Day.
  - The History Channel.
- National Public Radio:
1969: Apollo 9:
- 03/03/1969: Docking & Rendezvous Tests, The History Channel.
1969: Apollo 11: First Manned Moon Landing:
- Aldrin, Buzz: K-12 TLC Guide.
- Armstrong, Neil: K-12 TLC Guide.
- 07/20/1969: "that's one small step for man, one..."
  - The History Channel.
  - Milestones of Flight, Smithsonian Institution.
  - NASA:
  - National Public Radio:
  - Newspaper Collectors Society of America (audio).
1969: Apollo 12:
- 11/19/1969: Apollo 12 Lands on the Moon, TheHistoryNet.
1970: Apollo 13: K-12 TLC Guide.

Lovell, James: K-12 TLC Guide.

09/24/1970: Soviet Luna 16 Completes Unmanned Round Trip.

1972 (Dec 7 - 19): Apollo 17:
- 12/07/1972: Launch, On-This-Day.
- 12/14/1972: Liftoff from the Surface of the Moon,
  The History Channel.
- Milestones of Flight, Smithsonian Institution.
- NASA.

K-12 TLC Teachable Moments

Skylab:

NASA.

Official Web site.

Goddard Space Flight Center.
Kennedy Space Center.

U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission.

1973-74: Skylab II:
- 09/25/1973: Crew Returns after 59 Days, On-This-Day.
1973: Skylab III: 3-man Crew, 84-day Mission:
- 11/16/1973: Skylab III Launched, On-This-Day.
- BBC.
- NASA.

Space Shuttle: K-12 TLC Guide.

International Space Station: K-12 TLC Guide.

Space Exploration

Unmanned Science
&
Exploration

Earth-Orbiting Satellites: K-12 TLC Guide:
Asteroids.
Comets.
The Moon.
The Sun.
The Solar System.

01/31/1958: Explorer I, NASA.

1962-75: Mariner Probes:

Astronautix.
NASA.

Smithsonian Institution.

1976: Viking Lander: K-12 TLC Guide.
1977 Voyager 1 & 2 Missions:

Sagan, Carl: K-12 TLC Guide.

BBC.

CNN.
Earth and Sky:

12/06/2011: Voyager Enters Region Between Solar System Edge and Interstellar Space.

NASA:

Official Web site.

An Interstellar Journey.
Voyager Enters Solar System's Final Frontier.
Voyager Project Information.
Voyager to the Outer Planets (pdf).

National Public Radio:

The Planetary Society.
Scientific American.
USA Today.
Voice of America.
Voyager Virtual Mission to the Jovian Planets, Montana State University.

2011 Messenger Probe: K-12 TLC Guide.
The Astronomical League.
Colorado Springs Astronomical Society.
Committee on Earth Observation Satellites.
Federation of American Scientists (pdf).
Fourmilab.
Harvard University.
HowStuffWorks.
NASA:

Pole Operational Environmental Satellites.
Satellite Orbits.
Satellite Tracking.

NOAA.
The Physics Classroom.
Satellite Industry Association (pdf).
Tech Museum.
TutorialsWeb.
University of British Columbia.
University Corporation for Atmospheriv Research:

University of Illinois.
University of Southern California.
University of Wisconsin.
Visual Satellite Observer's Home Page.
Webster's Online.

AIRS: Atmospheric Infrared Sounder.
Earth Observing System (EOS).
Goddard, Robert Hutchings: K-12 TLC Guide.
History Channel:
- 12/18/1958: U.S. Launches First Experimental Communications Satellite.
Make a Balloon-powered Nanorover.
National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution:
- African Americans in Aviation History.
- Milestones of Flight, Smithsonian Institution:
  - 1958: Explorer 1.
  - 1961: Mariner 2.
  - 1966-68: Surveyor.
  - 1983: Pioneer 10.
NASA Today:

The Pioneer Home Page.
- The Pioneer Plaque.
On-This-Day:
- 10/11/1958: Pioneer I Fails to Reach the Moon.
- 08/27/1962: Mariner 2 Launched.
- 12/05/1962: Russia & U.S. Agree to Cooperate in Space.
- 12/04/1973: Pioneer 10 Reaches Jupiter.
- 12/05/1978: Pioneer Venus 1 Enters Orbit around Venus.
- 09/25/1992: Mars Observer Launched.
- 10/09/1994: Magellan Ends Four-year Mission to Venus.
- 12/11/1998: Mars Climate Orbiter Launched.
Project Galileo.
Science Update (audio: 1:25),
American Association for the Advancement of Science:
- Using Balloons for Planetary Exploration: 05/14/01.
Stardust, California Institute of Technology.
Ulysses Mission.
- European Space Agency.
- NASA.

Space Exploration

The Space Race

NASA: K-12 TLC Guide.
Russian Space Program: K-12 TLC Guide.
The Cold War: K-12 TLC Guide.

50th Anniversary of the Space Age, NASA.
American Heritage.
Digital History, University of Houston.
Institute of Historical Research.
Kansas City Public Library.
Learning Through History.
Lesson Planet.
National Air and Space Museum.
National Education Network.
Space.com.

Space Exploration

K-12 TLC Guide to Timelines & Chronologies

1932
Aug 7	"Buck Rogers" Debuts on CBS
1945
Nov 16	88 German Rocket Scientists Arrive in U.S.
1958
Jan 31	U.S. Launches First Successful Satellite
Dec 18	U.S. Launches First Experimental Communications Satellite
1959
Aug 21	U.S. Mercury-Atlas Test Rocket Fires Prematurely - Mission Fails
Sep 9	U.S. Rocket Launch Tests Mercury Capsule Heatshield
Oct 4	U.S. Rocket Launch Tests Mercury Capsule Aerodynamics and Integrity
Nov 4	U.S. Rocket Launch Tests Mercury Capsule Abort & Escape Features
Dec 4	Monkey Reaches Weightlessness for 3m13s in U.S. Capsule
1960
Jan 21	Monkey Reaches Weightlessness for 28s in U.S. Capsule
May 9	U.S. Rocket Launch Tests Mercury Capsule Launch Pad Escape System
July 29	U.S. Fails in Attempt to Launch & Recover a Mercury Capsule
Aug 19	Sputnik 5 Launches: Animals, Plants & Insects Aboard
Nov 21	U.S. Redstone Booster Rocket Blows Up on Launch Pad
Dec 19	U.S. Mercury-Redstone Rocket Achieves Weightlessness for 5m30s
1961
Jan 31	U.S. Mercury Capsule Launched and Recovered with Chimp Aboard NASA Mission Information
Mar 24	U.S. Qualifies Redstone Booster for Manned Missions
Apr 25	U.S. Mercury-Atlas Spacecraft Destroyed 40 Seconds after Liftoff
May 5	*Alan B. Shepard First American in Space Aboard Freedom 7* (15m28s)**
July 21	*Gus Grissom Second American in Space: Liberty Bell 7* (15m37s)**
July 21	*Mercury Liberty Bell 7* Lost at Sea when Hatch Blows Prematurely**
Sep 13	U.S. Launch Tests Mercury Capsule Environmental Controls
Nov 29	U.S. Places Chimpanzee into Earth Orbit
1962
Feb 20	John Glenn Completes 3 Earth Orbits in Mercury Friendship 7
May 24	M. Scott Carpenter Completes 3 Earth Orbits in Mercury Aurora 7
Sep 13	John Kennedy Issues His Challenge to Place a Man on the Moon
Oct 3	Wally Schirra Completes 6 Earth Orbits in Mercury Sigma 7
1963
May 15	L. Gordon Cooper Completes 22 Earth Orbits in Mercury Faith 7
1964
Apr 8-12	*U.S. Unmanned Launch & 4-day Orbit Tests Gemini 1* Space Vehicle**
1965
Jan 19	*U.S. Unmanned Launch Tests Gemini 2* Re-entry Heat Protection**
Mar 23	Gemini 3: Gus Grissom, John Young (1 day)
Jun 3 - 7	*James McDivitt and Edward White Aboard 4-day Gemini 4* Mission**
Jun 3	Astronaut Ed White Makes First U.S. Spacewalk.
Aug 21 - 29	*Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad Aboard 8-day Gemini 5* Mission**
Dec 4 - 18	*Frank Borman and Jim Lovell Aboard 14-day Gemini 7* Mission**
Dec 15 - 16	*Walter Schirra and Tom Stafford Aboard 1-day Gemini 6A* Mission**
Dec 15	Gemini 6A & Gemini 7 Rendezvous in Space: Achieve Zero Relative Motion
1966
Mar 16	*Neil Armstrong, David Scott Aboard 1-day Gemini 8* Mission**
	Gemini 8 Docks in Space with Agena" target Vehicle
	*Violent Rolling Forces Gemini 8* to Terminate Mission**
Jun 3 - 6	*Tom Stafford, Gene Cernan Aboard 3-day Gemini 9A* Mission**
Jun 5	Gene Cernan Walks in Space
1967
Jan 27	Astronauts White, Grissom & Chaffee Perish in Launch Pad Fire
1975
Aug 20	*U.S. Launches Viking I* for a Mars Landing**
1977
Aug 20	*Unmanned U.S. Voyager 2* Carries Messages from Earth**
1982
Aug 19	Russian Soyuz T-7 Launched. Two Men, One Woman for 113 Days

If you find links that are either unsuitable or no longer current, please contact the TLC.

This guide last edited 12/27/2011
This guide last revised 03/18/2009