Manned US Missions

The following tables document the history of manned US space flights. Each table is arranged in the order of the actual launch date. Click for a printable version.

Note: The links under mission and spacecraft/vehicle are links to official NASA pages at Kennedy Space Center.

NASA was formed in October 1958. When they began looking for the first astronauts, NASA was very particular who would be selected. Candidates must be under 5' 11", have a college education in engineering or science, married with a family.

MERCURY

The spacecraft name was chosen by the astronauts and the 7 refers to the number of pilots originally chosen for this program. Pure Oxygen was the atmosphere used in the capsule.

Mission	Spacecraft	Launch	Duration	Purpose
MR-3	Freedom 7	5-May-1961	0:15:22	Alan Shepard, 119 miles from earth, Redstone booster (MR)
MR-4	Liberty Bell 7	21-Jul-1961	0:15:37	Virgil Grissom was to repeat Alan's mission, he survived an 11-G re-entry and capsule sinking at end of flight.
MA-6	Friendship 7	20-Feb-1962	4:55:23	John Glen, First manned flight in space, 3 orbit flight, Atlas booster (MA)
MA-7	Aurora 7	24-May-1962	4:56:23	Scott Carpenter did 3 orbits, used up fuel to get better views, 250 mi overshoot landing, he was grounded.
MA-8	Sigma 7	3-Oct-1962	9:13:11	Wally Schirra (only astronaut to fly in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo), Six orbit flight
MA-9	Faith 7	15-May-1963	1d 10:20	Gordon Cooper, 21 orbit flight, first day in space

GEMINI

The Gemini missions were all 2 man crews, all used Tital II booster, and the goal was to learn techniques needed for a flight to the moon. They also had ejection seats for emergencies and docked with unmanned Agena target vehicles.

Mission	Launch	Duration	Purpose
Gemini 3	23-Mar-1965	4:53	Three orbit demo of Gemini, Hand held computer to changed orbit in flight, 3 orbits
Gemini 4	3-Jun-1965	4d 01:56	First American (Ed White) to walk in space (EVA) 20 min, 62 orbits
Gemini 5	21-Aug-1965	7d 22:55	Prove no ill effects for time to reach the moon, First use of fuel cells for power production, 120 orbits
Gemini 6	15-Dec-1965	1d 01:51	Supposed to dock with Agena, Rendezvous within 6.5 feet of Gemini 7, 16 orbits
Gemini 7	4-Dec-1965	13d 18:36	Longest duration flight until 1970, 206 orbits
Gemini 8	16-Mar-1966	10:41	First docking of 2 space vehicles (with Agena), 7 orbits, 27 minutes - spin after docking so terminated
Gemini 9	3-Jun-1966	3d 00:21	Troubled docking with Agena, 44 orbits, 2:07 EVA
Gemini 10	18-Jul-1966	2d 22:47	Docked with Agena, propelled into higher orbit, Docked with Gemini 8's Agena, 43 orbits, 0:49 EVA
Gemini 11	12-Sep-1966	2d 23:17	Docked with Agena, attached 90ft tether for 2 orbits, 44 orbits
Gemini 12	11-Nov-1966	3d 22:35	Dock w/Agena, computers used to steer vehicle for auto landing, 3 EVAs

APOLLO

Apollo spacecraft consisted of a Command Module (3 crew) (top, contained crew, emergency rocket), Service Module (next to CM, supplies propulsion, Hydrogen, Oxygen, water, released on re-entry) and Lunar Module (2 crew). Three crew members in each flight and Saturn Launch Vehicles and pure oxygen atmosphere.

Mission	Launch	Duration	Purpose
Apollo 1	21-Feb-1967		Fire in command module during a preflight test on 27-Jan-1967 (3 killed)
Apollo 7	11-Oct-1968	10d 20:09	First Manned Flight of Apollo CSM, Saturn IB booster, no LM, but practice menauvers
Apollo 8	21-Dec-1968	6d 03:01	First Manned Flight to the moon (Saturn V booster). Orbited the moon 10 times
Apollo 9	3-March-1969	10d 01:01	First flight of Lunar Module (Spider), 37 min. Space Walk followed by LM separation - 112 mi.
Apollo 10	18-May-1969	8d 00:03	Lunar Module (Snoopy) within 9 miles of Moon, 31 orbits of moon
Apollo 11	16-Jul-1969	8d 03:19	Landing on moon in Lunar Module (Eagle), Surface EVAs for 2:32, Neil Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin, 21:36 on moon, 48.5lb soil
Apollo12	14-Nov-1969	10d 04:36	EVA of almost 8 hours deployed Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package, 48.5lb rock
Apollo13	11-Apr-1970	5d 22:55	Aborded after liquid oxygen tank exploded. Lunar Module (Aquarius) was lifeboat until re-entry.
Apollo14	31-Jan-1971	9d 00:02	Land in rugged lunar highlands (planned for Apollo13). Used Mobile Equipment Trolley to carry equipment, 1.25mi away, 33:31 on surface, 96lb samples
Apollo 15	26-Jul-1971	12d 07:12	Landed LM (Falcon), 66:55 on surface, Lunar roving Vehicle (Moon Buggy), 3 EVAs: 19:08, 170lb samples
Apollo 16	16-Apr-1972	11d 01:51	Landed LM (Orion), 71:02 on moon, 3 EVAs, 170lb samples
Apollo 17	7-Dec-1972	12d 13:52	First night launch. Three 7h EVAs. Last walk on moon, Gene Cernan - last of 12 person on moon, search for volcanic activities, 243lb samples
Apollo ?	15-Jul-1975	??	Docked with Soyuz 19 on 18-Jul, 1 crew member remained in each ship, Apollo carried docking module, confusing, but exchanged hand shakes, joint experiments, crew almost asphyxiated on reentry, 24-Jul Landing

SKYLAB

Converted upper stage of Saturn V booster. Unmanned Skylab 1 was launched 14-May-1973. No motor propulsion like the Russion Salyuts.

Mission	Launch	Duration	Purpose
Skylab 2	25-May-1973	28d 00:50	First US manned orbiting space station mission, 3 space walks, 433 orbits, Saturn IB booster
Skylab 3	28-Jul-1973	59d 11:09	Deployed new solar shield & replaced gyroscopes, 3 space walks, 919 orbits
Skylab 4	16-Nov-1973	84d 01:16	Replenished coolant supplies, repaired antenna, 4 space walks - longest duration walk (7:01), 1298 orbits

SPACE SHUTTLE

Mission	Vehicle	Launch	Duration	Purpose
STS-1	Columbia	12-Apr-1981	2d 06:21	First landing of American manned spacecraft on land and solid rocket boosters
STS-2	Columbia	12-Nov-1981	2d 06:14	First re-use of a spacecraft, cut short after 1 of 3 fuel cells failed
STS-3	Columbia	22-Mar-1982	8d 00:05
STS-4	Columbia	27-Jun-1982	7d 01:10
STS-5	Columbia	11-Nov-1982	5d 02:14
STS-6	Challenger	4-Apr-1983	5d 00:24
STS-7	Challenger	18-Jun-1983	6d 02:24
STS-8	Challenger	30-Aug-1983	6d 01:09
STS-9	Challenger	28-Nov-1983	10d 07:47
41-B	Challenger	3-Feb-1984	8d 23:16
41-C	Challenger	6-Apr-1984	6d 23:40
41-D	Discovery	30-Aug-1984	6d 00:57
41-G	Challenger	5-Oct-1984	8d 05:24
51-A	Discovery	8-Nov-1984	7d 23:45
51-C	Discovery	24-Jan-1985	3d 01:33
51-D	Discovery	12-Apr-1985	6d 23:55
51-B	Challenger/ Spacelab 3	29-Apr-1985	7d 00:09
51-G	Discovery	17-Jun-1985	7d 01:40
51-F	Challenger/ Spacelab 2	29-Jul-1985	7d 22:46
51-I	Discovery	27-Aug-1985	7d 02:18
51-J	Atlantis	3-Oct-1985	4d 01:45
61-A	Challenger/ Spacelab D	30-Oct-1985	7d 00:44
61-B	Atlantis	26-Nov-1985	6d 21:05
61-C	Columbia	12-Jan-1986	5d 23:04
51-L	Challenger	28-Jan-1986	00:01:13
STS-26	Discovery	29-Sep-1988	4d 01:00
STS-27	Atlantis	2-Dec-1988	4d 09:06
STS-29	Discovery	13-Mar-1989	4d 23:39
STS-30	Atlantis	4-May-1989	4d 00:57	Deploy Magellan spacecraft (to Venus), investigate large scale lightning
STS-28	Columbia	8-Aug-1989	5d 01:00
STS-34	Atlantis	18-Oct-1989	4d 23:39
STS-33	Discovery	22-Nov-1989	5d 00:07
STS-32	Columbia	9-Jan-1990	10d 21:01
STS-36	Atlantis	28-Feb-1990	4d 10:18
STS-31	Discovery	24-Apr-1990	5d 01:16
STS-41	Discovery	6-Oct-1990	4d 02:10
STS-38	Atlantis	15-Nov-1990	4d 21:55
STS-35	Columbia	2-Dec-1990	8d 23:05
STS-37	Atlantis	5-Apr-1991	5d 23:33
STS-39	Discovery	28-Apr-1991	8d 07:22
STS-40	Columbia	5-Jun-1991	9d 02:14
STS-43	Atlantis	2-Aug-1991	8d 21:21
STS-48	Discovery	12-Sep-1991	5d 08:28
STS-44	Atlantis	24-Nov-1991	6d 22:51
STS-42	Discovery	22-Jan-1992	8d 01:15
STS-45	Atlantis	24-Mar-1992	8d 22:09
STS-49	Endeavour	7-May-1992	8d 21:18
STS-50	Columbia	25-Jun-1992	13d 09:30
STS-46	Atlantis	31-Jul-1992	7d 23:15
STS-47	Endeavour	12-Sep-1992	7d 22:30
STS-52	Columbia	22-Oct-1992	9d 20:56
STS-53	Discovery	2-Dec-1992	7d 07:20
STS-54	Endeavour	13-Jan-1993	5d 23:38
STS-56	Discovery	8-Apr-1993	9d 06:08
STS-55	Columbia	26-Apr-1993	9d 23:40
STS-57	Endeavour	21-Jun-1993	9d 23:45
STS-51	Discovery	23-Sep-1993	9d 20:11
STS-58	Columbia	18-Oct-1993	14d 00:!3
STS-61	Endeavour	2-Dec-1993	10d 19:59
STS-60	Discovery	3-Feb-1994	8d 07:09
STS-62	Columbia	4-Mar-1994	13d 23:17
STS-59	Endeavour	9-Apr-1994	11d 05:50
STS-65	Columbia	8-Jul-1994	14d 17:55
STS-64	Discovery	9-Sep-1994	10d 22:50
STS-68	Endeavour	30-Sep-1994	11d 05:46
STS-66	Atlantis	3-Nov-1994	10d 22:34
STS-63	Discovery	3-Feb-1995	8d 06:28
STS-67	Endeavour	2-Mar-1995	16d 15:09
STS-71	Atlantis	27-Jun-1995	9d 19:22
STS-70	Discovery	13-Jul-1995	8d 22:20
STS-69	Endeavour	7-Sep-1995	10d 20:29
STS-73	Columbia	20-Oct-1995	15d 21:53
STS-74	Atlantis	12-Nov-1995	8d 04:32
STS-72	Endeavour	11-Jan-1996	8d 22:02
STS-75	Columbia	22-Feb-1996	15d 17:41
STS-76	Atlantis	22-Mar-1996	9d 05:17
STS-77	Endeavour	19-May-1996	10d 00:40
STS-78	Columbia	20-Jun-1996	16d 21:49
STS-79	Atlantis	16-Sep-1996	10d 03:19
STS-80	Columbia	19-Nov-1996	17d 15:53
STS-81	Atlantis	12-Jan-1997	10d 04:57
STS-82	Discovery	11-Feb-1997	9d 23:38
STS-83	Columbia	4-Apr-1997	3d 23:14
STS-84	Atlantis	15-May-1997	9d 05:21
STS-94	Columbia	1-Jul-1997	15d 16:46
STS-85	Discovery	2-Aug-1997	11d 20:28
STS-86	Atlantis	25-Sep-1997	10d 19:22
Future Missions:
STS-87	Columbia	19-Nov-1997
STS-89	Endeavour	19-Jan-1998
STS-90	Columbia	2-Apr-1998
STS-91	Discovery	29-May-1998
STS-88	Endeavour	9-Jul-1998
STS-93	Columbia	27-Aug-1998
STS-95	Discovery	8-Oct-1998
STS-96	Endeavour	3-Dec-1998
STS-92	Atlantis	14-Jan-1999
STS-97	Discovery	18-Mar-1999
STS-98	Endeavour	13-May-1999
STS-99	Atlantis	10-Jun-1999
STS-100	Discovery	5-Aug-1999
STS-101	Endeavour	16-Sep-1999

References:

Kennedy Space Center Web Page
The Encyclopedia of Space by Nicholas Booth (Brian Trodd Publishing House Limited 1990) ISBN 0-792-45072-8
NASA Web Page