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Space And Planets
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Important Events in the US Space Program
| NASA has conducted many test on airplane design and safety. Here are some movies showing these tests in no particular order. Our thanks to NASA for the material. These movies require the Windows Media Player and Quick Time Player, if you don't have them you can download them HERE. |
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The first American manned space mission was Freedom 7. It launched Astronaut Alan Shepard on May 5, 1961 into a sub-orbital fifteen minute mission aboard the Mercury spacecraft. The movie quality leaves something to be desired, but it is interesting.
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The Gemini program was designed to investigate in actual
flight many of the critical situations which we would face later in
the voyage of Apollo. The spacecraft carried an onboard propulsion system
for maneuvering in Earth orbit. A guidance and navigation system and
a rendezvous radar were provided to permit astronauts to try out various
techniques of rendezvous and docking with an Agena target vehicle. After
docking, the astronauts could light off the Agena rocket for large changes
in orbit, simulating the entry-into-lunar-orbit and the return-to-Earth
burns of Apollo. Gemini was the first to use the controlled reentry
system that was required for Apollo in returning from the Moon. |
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Saturn 5 launch. The Saturn 5 was the rocket that was
destined to launch the astronaughts to the moon.
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Apollo 11 landed the first men on the Moon on Sunday, July 20, 1969. NASA's media services produced a very excellent movie depicting the mission.
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The Apollo 13 malfunction was caused by an explosion and rupture of oxygen tank no. 2 in the service module. The explosion ruptured a line or damaged a valve in the no. 1 oxygen tank, causing it to lose oxygen rapidly. The service module bay no.4 cover was blown off. All oxygen stores were lost within about 3 hours, along with loss of water, electrical power, and use of the propulsion system. The entire crew made it back sitting in the LM.( Lunar Module). |
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See and hear Apollo 15 Astronaut David Scott perform Galileo's experiment on the Moon. Galileo's hypothesis had been that all objects fall with the same velocity in the absence of air resistance.
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Planting the flag on the moon.
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Astronauts on the moon have been limited in the range of their explorations to objects within walking distance of their lunar module. Beginning with the Apollo 15 mission in July of 1971, the two astronauts can ride a four-wheeled vehicle to traverse farther from their landing site. |
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On August 2, 1971, at 1:11 p.m., Apollo 15's lunar lander, Falcon, lifted off from the Moon. Those on Earth listening by television could hear the background music of "Into the Wild Blue Yonder."
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Launch of the space shuttle, a new era begins. Now the vehicle that transports into space can also return.
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The Space Shuttle Challenger STS-51L mission
ended tragically 73 seconds after launch on January 28,1986. Its crew
included: Windows
Media Movie Full Documentary 11.4 Megs |
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