On April 9, 1959, NASA introduced its very first astronaut class. This dashing group of young men is known as the Mercury 7. They were all military test pilots before they were chosen for the job, and ...

Here’s a look at human spaceflight programs in the United States and around the world. Facts The United States ended its crewed space shuttle program with the launch of Atlantis on July 8, 2011, and ...

One of the most remarkable moments in early space exploration occurred during the final mission of NASA’s Mercury program. Astronaut Gordon “Gordo” Cooper spent more than a day in orbit aboard the ...

On March 24, 1961, NASA's Mercury Redstone rocket launched on its last uncrewed flight before it started sending astronauts into space. [‘On This Day in Space’ Video Series on Space.com] The mission ...