Famous Astronauts

Famous Astronauts of Our Time

Since the time of President Kennedy, Americans have begun to explore space in earnest. In 1961, Kennedy made a promise to get a man up on the moon before the end of the decade. President Kennedy was assassinated, but his promise was made reality at 10:56 pm(ET), July 20,1969. Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon.

After World War II, the United States and Russia entered into a cold war. Like the Arms Race, there was the Space Race. When Russia became the first nation to send satellite up into space, the United States caught the space fever. After Sputnik was launched in 1957, Sputnik II was launched with a dog named Laika.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, was formed in 1958. All across the nation, as Americans saw the Russians pulling ahead of them in the Space Race, people clamored for better science programs in schools. The Space Age had begun.

Buzz Aldrin