Footsteps to the Moon

Following the success of Project Mercury where Alan Shepard became the first American in space and John Glenn the first American to orbit the Earth, Project Gemini prepared American astronauts for the perilous journey to the Moon.

America's astronauts understood tragedy could occur at any moment, as stated by Apollo 1 Commander Gus Grissom, "If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life." These words rang true when Gus and his fellow Apollo 1 crewmen, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, lost their lives in a tragic prelaunch test flash fire on January 27, 1967.

Following the tragic Apollo 1 fire, NASA engineers worked tirelessly to redesign the Apollo Command Module and implement several significant safety improvements, including a quick release hatch and oxygen mixture change for the cabin. Following the successful unmanned test missions of Apollo 2-6, the crew of Apollo 7 prepared to return America on a pathway to the Moon. 

On July 16, 1969, after years of overcoming engineering challenges and grueling test missions, Apollo 11 hurled through the clear Florida morning sky on its perilous journey to the Moon over a quarter-million miles away.