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From equipment and technology upgrades to recalculation and trajectory definition before major space missions, NASA has made impressive progress since its launch 60 years ago.
Astronauts have entered history for their many "firsts": first outing in space, first to walk on the moon, first woman in space, and so on. And now, the agency continues to explore the planets, including sending space exploration vehicles to Mars looking for signs of life.
Here is an overview of NASA's historical achievements and those that were part of the space program over the last six decades.
PENCE MEETS VISITS ON MOON AND MARCH, IN THE SPEECH OF NASA
First American in space
Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut to travel in space on May 5, 1961.
(NASA)
On May 5, 1961, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard flew a short flight into the sky. With his 15-minute flight in the Freedom 7 capsule, this 38-year-old man became the first American to travel in space.
Shepard's trip was just 23 days after Yuri Gagarin of the then Soviet Union became the first person to visit space.
First American release
Ed White became the first American to make a spacewalk on June 3, 1965.
(NASA)
On June 3, 1965, astronaut Ed White became the first American to make an exit into space during the Gemini 4 mission.
Holding a 25-foot rope, White slowly headed for the Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii. He walked the rope three times the round trip, for a total of 23 minutes, says NASA.
"When I left the spaceship, nothing pushed it in. The gun actually gave me the impetus to leave the spaceship," White recalled in a written biography. by Mary C. White, noting that her VOX transmissions were being broadcast at the time. "I thought: What are you saying to 194 million people when you look at them from the space?" The solution became very obvious to me … "They do not want me to talk to them, they want to hear what we're doing here." … So what you've heard is that two test pilots have done their job in the best possible way. "
"I am very grateful to have the experience of being the first … it's fun!" White could be heard saying on the radio while it floats in space.
TRUMP WANTS TO SEE NASA'S BOOTS ON THE MOON
Walk on the moon
Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11, 1969: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the Moon, near the lunar module's leg "Eagle" during the extravehicular activity of Apollo 11.
(NASA)
In July 1969, just 11 years after the opening of the space agency, NASA performed with Apollo 8 a lunar landing mission. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins have marked history. Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.
"It's a small step for a man, a giant step for humanity," Armstrong said to the world as he descended from a ladder and onto the Moon.
Aldrin soon joined him, calling the area "magnificent desolation".
Together, they explored the moon for about two and a half hours while Collins was shooting in the Columbia control module, according to NASA. Before returning home, the group made sure to leave their mark, firmly placing an American flag in the ground with a plaque indicating the date.
"Here, the men of planet Earth set foot on the moon for the first time.July 1969: We came in peace for all humanity," reads the plate.
First female astronauts
Shannon W. Lucid, Margaret Rhea Seddon, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Judith A. Resnik, Anna L. Fisher, and Sally K. Ride.
(NASA)
Shannon W. Lucid, Margaret Rhea Seddon, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Judith A. Resnik, Anna L. Fisher and Sally K. Ride – the first American woman to fly in space – became the first astronauts recruited by the NASA in January 1978. The same year, NASA hosted the first African American and Asian American astronauts.
The women, however, pointed out that they did not want to make much of their all-female crew.
"We did not want to become the" girls astronauts ", distinct and distinct from the guys … We were all interested in places that were not very feminine and simply wanted to succeed in the environment, tasks, and Sullivan, the first American to walk in space, said at the time.
NASA is intensifying the search for extraterrestrial life using "techniques"
Martian Rovers
A $ 400 million Mars Rover Opportunity was sent to space in July 2003.
(NASA)
NASA's rover Mars Opportunity, which was originally scheduled to be on the Red Planet for a 90-day mission, made several breakthrough discoveries during its 15-year journey.
Since leaving Earth on July 7, 2003, the $ 400 million research vehicle has detected signs of water, explored the interior of two craters and conducted a marathon – the first vehicle to do so on another planet .
But the path of opportunity has not always been easy.
In 2005, the rover lost the use of one of its front wheels and found himself stuck in a thick pile of sand for about five weeks, according to Space.com. When he finally managed to move, he ran into a sand dune. In 2007, a dust storm struck and would have reduced the power of the probe to "dangerously low levels". A month later, he turned on and started exploring the Victoria crater.
Despite its obstacles, the opportunity has always managed to get out of it. However, the rover recently lost the signal after disappearing in a massive Martian dust storm during the summer. The dust begins to dissipate, but the scientists said they could not guarantee that the vehicle would be the same.
The Curiosity rover, however, is still performing well.
From evidence of a flow to the essential ingredients of life, the NASA car-sized Curiosity rover has made some interesting discoveries since arriving on Mars in August 2012.
The photos of the red planet have been captivating the Earth for years – and in June, officials announced its latest discovery.
Scientists at NASA's Global Science division confirmed that they had not discovered life on Mars, but that they had found organic molecules that could provide vital clues in their research.
"Organic compounds are essential to our search for life," said Paul Mahaffy, director of Goddard's Solar System Exploration Division.
Over the last six years, Curiosity has unearthed an ancient stream bed – a water that proved to have once flowed on the red planet – identified methane and traces of boron in the Mars atmosphere, images captured cirrus clouds and organic molecules found. Molecules are a vital guide for scientists in their quest for life on Mars.
"The whole life we know is based on organic molecules," said Jen Eigenbrode, a researcher at Goddard. "There is a whole series of chemical and physical things that we could measure to find the signatures of life."
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