Cosmonaut Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, USSR,
became the first person to travel into space on April 12, 1961. He piloted
the Vostok 1 spacecraft during it's one orbit of the Earth. Mission duration
108 minutes.
First American to fly into space
Astronaut Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr.,
USA, became the second human and first American to travel in space on
May 5, 1961. He flew the Freedom 7 spacecraft during the sub-orbital mission
of Mercury 3.
First Human to spend an entire day in space
Cosmonaut Gherman Stepanovich Titov, USSR, became
the first human to spend en entire day in space during the Vostok 2 mission
on August 6, 1961.
First American to spend an entire day in space
Astronaut LeRoy Gordon Cooper Jr., USA, became
the first American to orbit the Earth for longer than one day. He accomplished
this during the final Mercury mission, Mercury 9, on May 15, 1963.
First woman to fly into space
Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, USSR, became the
first woman to fly into space during the Vostok 6 mission on June 19,
1963.
Longest Solo Spaceflight
Cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky, USSR, spent 5 days
in space alone on the Vostok 5 mission launched on June 14, 1963.
First human to fly into space two times
Astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom, USA,
became the first person to complete two spaceflights during the Gemini
3 mission launched on March 23, 1965. His first mission, Mercury 4 in
1961, made him only the third human to fly into space.
First American to orbit the Earth
Astronaut John Herschel Glenn Jr., USA, became
the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth on February 20, 1962 during
the mission of Mercury 6.
First rendezvous in space
The crew of Gemini 6, Astronauts Walter Schirra
and Thomas Stafford; and the crew of Gemini 7, Astronauts Frank Borman
and James Lovell all USA; made the first redezvous between two spacecraft
in space on December 15, 1965.
Shortest Human Spaceflight
The first American spaceflight, Mercury 3 piloted
by Alan B. Shepard Jr., had a duration of 15 minutes and 27 seconds.
First Docking between two spacecraft
Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and David R. Scott,
both USA, docked their Gemini 8 capsule to an Agena target booster in
Earth orbit on March 16, 1966.
First human to walk in space
Cosmonaut Alexei A. Leonov, USSR, became the first
person to walk in space during the Voskhod 2 mission on March 18, 1965.
First person to die during a space mission
Cosmonaut Vladimir M. Komarov, USSR, was killed
when his spacecraft Soyuz 1 impacted the ground at very high speeds after
a successful mission on April 24, 1967.
First long duration spaceflight
Astronauts L. Gordon Cooper and Charles "Pete"
Conrad, both USA, spent 8 days in space aboard the Gemini 5 spacecraft
launched August 21, 1965.
First American to walk in space
Astronaut Edward H. White II, USA, became the
first american astronaut to walk in space during Gemini 4 on June 3, 1965.
First Russian to fly into space two times
Cosmonaut Vladimir M. Komarov, USSR, became the
first Russian to make two trips into space on April 24, 1967 during the
ill-fated Soyuz 1 mission. His first flight was on Voskhod 1 in 1964.
First human to fly into space three times
Astronaut Walter "Wally" Schirra Jr.,
USA, became the first person to make three trips into space on October
11, 1968 during Apollo 7 . His first mission was Mercury 8 in 1962. His
second flight was Gemini 6 in 1965.
First humans to orbit the moon
The crew of Apollo 8: Frank Borman, James Lovell,
and William Anders, all USA, became the first humans to orbit the moon
during Apollo 8 on December 25, 1968.
First Humans to walk on the moon
Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz"
Aldrin, both USA, became the first humans to land & walk on the moon
with Armstrong getting out first. This was the historic Apollo 11 mission
on July 20, 1969.
Oldest human to walk on the moon
Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., USA, became the
oldest person to set foot on the moon at age 47 during the Apollo 14 mission
in 1971. He had made the first U.S. spaceflight 10 years earlier then
was grounded for medical reasons for 8 years.
Most trips to the moon by a human
Three American astronauts, James A. Lovell, John
W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan made two trips each to the moon from 1968
to 1972.
Last human to walk on the moon
Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, USA, became the last
person to leave footprints on the moon on December 14, 1972 during the
Apollo 17 mission.
Farthest distance of a human being from the Eath
The crew of Apollo 13, James A. Lovell, Fred W.
Haise, and John L. Swigert, all USA, were 248,655 miles from Earth while
on the far side of the moon during their ill-fated mission in 1970.
Greatest speed ever attained by human beings
The crew of Apollo 10: Thomas P. Stafford, John
W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan, all USA, attained a speed of 24,790 mi/h
(almost 7 miles per second) during their lunar mission.
First human to fly into space four times
Astronaut James A. Lovell, USA, made his fourth
flight into space on Apollo 13 in 1970. His first flight was on Gemini
7 in 1965. His second mission was on Gemini 12 in 1966. His third flight
was the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
First human to fly into space five & six times
Astronaut John W. Young, USA, completed his sixth
spaceflight during STS-9 in 1983. He made his first flight on Gemini 3
with Gus Grissom in 1965. His second flight was that of Gemini 10 in 1966.
Young's third mission was on Apollo 10 in 1969. His fourth flight was
back to the moon on Apollo 16 in 1972. His fifth mission was STS-1 in
1981.
First international space mission
The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975 was the
first international spaceflight. The Apollo 18 spacecraft crewed by Thomas
P. Stafford, Donald "Deke" Slayton, and Vance D. Brand, all
USA, docked with Soyuz 19 crewed by Alexei A. Leonov and Valeri N. Kubosov,
both USSR, on July 17, 1975.
First flight of the space shuttle
Astronauts John W. Young and Robert "Bob"
Crippen, both USA, piloted the two day mission of STS-1 on the orbiter
Columbia launched on April 12, 1981.
First African-American to fly into space
Astronaut Guion S. Bluford Jr. Ph.D, became the
first black american to fly in space during STS-8 in 1983.
First American Woman to fly into space
Astronaut Sally K. Ride, became the first american
woman to fly into space during STS-7 in 1983.
Most spaceflights by a human being
Two Astronauts: Jerry L. Ross and Franklin Chang-Diaz,
both USA, have each made seven trips into outer space.
Longest serving astronaut in
history
Astronaut John Watts Young, USA, was selected
as an astronaut in September 1962. He announced his retirement from the
Astronaut Corps in December 2004 ending a 42 year career as America's
greatest astronaut.
Longest single spaceflight
Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, USSR, was launched
to the Mir Space Station on January 8, 1994 where he would spend a total
of 437.7 days in space.
First woman to walk in space
Cosmonaut Svetlana E. Savitskaya, USSR, became
the first woman to walk in space during the Soyuz T-7 mission in 1982.
First untethered spacewalk
Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, USA, made the world's
first untethered spacewalk with the shuttle manned manuevering unit during
STS-41B in 1984.
First original astronauts to die
In 1967 & 1968 two of the world's original
space travelers were killed before their time. On January 27, 1967 a fire
inside of the Apollo 1 command module took the life of Mercury Astronaut
Gus Grissom. Gus Grissom was America's most experienced astronaut and
if he had lived, he would have been the first man to walk on the moon.
On March 27, 1968 the first human to fly in space, Yuri Gagarin, was killed
in a plane crash in the Soviet Union. Gagarin, who had made the world's
first spaceflight seven years earlier, was possibly training to command
the first Soyuz mission.
First person to play golf on the moon
Apollo 14 Commander Alan B. Shepard Jr., USA,
hit two golf balls on the moon in 1971.
First American woman to walk in space
Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan, USA, became the
first american woman to walk in space during STS- 41G in 1984.
First Black space mission commander
Astronaut Frederick D. Gregory, USA, became the first black astronaut
to command a space mission on STS-33 in 1989.
Most complicated non-lunar space mission
The mission of STS-61 in December 1993 is the
most complicated non-moon mission in history. During the mission a team
of veteran U.S. spacewalkers led by Story Musgrave completed the first
repair mission of the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission was commanded
by Richard Covey and crewed by Kenneth Bowersox, F. Story Musgrave, Jefferey
Hoffman, Kathryn Thornton, Thomas Akers, and Claude Nicollier, all USA.
First female space mission commander
Astronaut Eileen M. Collins, USA, became the first
female to command a space mission during STS-93 in 1999.
Most time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut
Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson is the most experienced
U.S. astronaut with 377 days logged in outer space.
Most time spent in space by a female
Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, USA, is the most experienced female astronaut
in the world with 377 days logged in space.
First Black female to fly into space
Astronaut Mae Carol Jemison, USA, became the first
black woman to fly in space during STS-47 in 1992.
First emergency landing of a spaceflight
Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and David R. Scott,
both USA, completed the first emergency landing from space in history
during Gemini 8 in 1966. Their spacecraft tumbled out of control after
docking with an Agena booster.
Oldest person to travel into space
Making his second spaceflight in October 1998,
Colonel John H. Glenn Jr., USA, became the oldest human to venture into
space at age 77 during STS-95. His first flight, Mercury 6 thirty-six
years earlier, had made him the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth.
First astronaut selected with previous spaceflight
experience
Astronaut Joe Engle, USA, was selected as a NASA
astronaut in 1966. He had previously flown the X-15 rocket plane into
space prior to his selection.
First winged aircraft to fly into space
General (then Maj.) Robert M. White, USA, flew the X-15 rocket plane
to an altitude of 59 miles above the Earth on July 17, 1962.
First privately funded manned spaceflight
Test Pilot Michael W. Melvill, USA, piloted the SpaceShipOne craft into
sub-orbital spaceflight on June 21, 2004 and won the Ansari X-Prize. SpaceShipOne
was designed by famous aerospace engineer Burt Rutan and funded by Paul
Allen. Melvill became the first person to recieve commerical astronaut
wings.
Most man-hours in space by a country
Cosmonauts of The Soviet Union/ Russia have acculminated more than 17,421
days in space and counting. This is because of their extensive work on
space stations. The USA has 10,036 days in space and counting. 19 Russian
Cosmonauts have more time in space than does the most experienced U.S.
astronaut.
Youngest human to fly into space
Cosmonaut Gherman S. Titov, USSR, was 26 years old when he became the
fourth man in space during Vostok 2 in 1961.
Most time in space by a human being
Cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, USSR, has spent
more time in space than any other person. At the completion of the ISS
Expedition 11 mission, Krikalev has logged 803 days 9 hours and 39 minutes
in space during six spaceflights. Krikalev is often reffered to as "the
last Soviet" since he was onboard the Mir Space Station in 1991 when
the Soviet Union collapsed.
Longest Wait for First Spaceflight
Astronaut Don L. Lind, USA, made his first &
only spaceflight on STS-51B in 1985. This space shuttle mission came nineteen
years after he was selected as an Apollo astronaut in 1966.
First man to enter space twice
Test Pilot Joe Walker, USA, flew the X-15 rocket
plane into space twice in 1963. Making him the first person to enter space
two times. The X-15 flights did not qualify as "full" spaceflights
because the craft did not liftoff under its own power. Instead it was
carried aloft by a B-52. This makes Gus Grissom the first man to complete
two official space flights.
First man to orbit the Earth twice
Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr., USA, became the
first person to make two orbital spaceflights on Gemini 5 in August 1965.
His first mission was Mercury 9 in May 1963.
Men who walked on the moon
Only twelve humans have ever set foot on the moon.
All were American males and made their moon walks during the Apollo program
from 1969 to 1972. Nine are living, three are deceased. In the order of
their setting foot on the surface, they are:
Neil A. Armstrong
Edwin E. Aldrin
Charles "Pete" Conrad
Alan L. Bean
Alan B. Shepard Jr.
Edgar D. Mitchell
David R. Scott
James B. Irwin
John W. Young
Charles M. Duke
Eugene A. Cernan
Harrison H. Schmitt
Youngest man to walk on the moon
Astronaut Charlie Duke, USA, was 36 years and
6 months old when he became the 10th man to walk on the moon during Apollo
16 in 1972.
Most experienced spacewalker
Cosmonaut Anatoly Y. Solovyev, USSR, has made
a record 16 spacewalks during his career and spent a record time of 77
hrs 41 minutes doing the EVAs.
First Person to fly on the maiden voyages of two spacecraft
Cosmonaut Vladimir M. Komarov, USSR, commanded
both the first mission of the Voskhod program, Voskhod 1, and the first
Soyuz mission, Soyuz 1. He was killed while returning to Earth onboard
Soyuz 1 on April 24, 1967. Note: American Gus Grissom would have claimed
this record if he had not been killed in the Apollo 1 fire.
First American to fly on the maiden voyages of two
spacecraft
Astronaut John W. Young, USA, flew on the maiden voyages of two out
of the four American space programs. The missions are Gemini 3 and STS-1,
the first flights of the Gemini and Space Shuttle programs respectively.
Longest single space flight by a female
Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, USA, spent 195 consecutive days in space
while serving as a flight engineer on ISS Expedition 14/15. She broke
the previous record held for eleven years by Shannon Lucid, USA.
First woman to command an ISS Expedition
Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, USA, commanded the ISS Expedition 16 crew
from October 2007 to April 2008.
Congressional Space Medal of Honor Recipients
To date, 28 NASA Astronauts have been awarded the Congressional Space
Medal of Honor by the President of the United States for distinguished
contributions to mankind. They are:
Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Pete Conrad, Neil Armstrong, Frank
Borman, John Young, Tom Stafford, Jim Lovell, Shannon Lucid, Roger Chaffee,
Edward White, Bill Shepherd, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Michael Smith,
Judy Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Rick
Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla,
David Brown, Ilan Ramon, Bob Crippen.
