Discovery Gallery

Space Exploration

Reaching Beyond the Earth

Between 1903 and 1961 Americans moved from attaining a faltering, twelve-second poweredflight to sending a man into outer space. During the 1950s the United States--in the context of anextended rivalry with the Soviet Union--began probing beyond the atmosphere with satellites andother unmanned vehicles. Beginning in 1961, the country expanded its reach into space throughthe manned Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. The decade culminated with two Americanslanding on the moon on July 20, 1969. From the vantage point of space, we continue to discover more about our planet and the universe.The Smithsonian's aerospace collections document the progress of the space program andcommemorate the people who realized our dream to reach beyond Earth.

Vanguard I Satellite	Surveyor Vernier Rocket Engine
Mercury Freedom 7 Spacecraft	Apollo 11 Lunar Maps
The Apollo 14 Kitty Hawk	Apollo Space Suit
Moon Rock	Lunar Rover

Return to Discovery Gallery

		Contacts | FAQ | Press Room | Privacy | Copyright	Top