Project Apollo Exhibit

On May 5, 1961, the United States successfully launched the first American into space. It was a brief (15-minute) sub-orbital flight, but it gave the U.S. the confidence to further prove its technological capabilities in the new space age. Only twenty days later, President John F. Kennedy went before Congress and called for a national effort to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth within the decade. This challenge led to the most ambitious space project ever attempted – Project Apollo.