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.

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

MERCURY

The spacecraft name was chosen by the astronauts and the 7 refers to the number of pilots originally chosen.
Mission Spacecraft Launch Duration Purpose
MR-3 Freedom 7 5-May-1961 0:15:22 119 miles from earth, Redstone booster (MR)
MR-4 Liberty Bell 7 21-Jul-1961 0:15:37 Capsule sank at end of flight, survived 11G re-entry
MA-6 Friendship 7 20-Feb-1962 4:55:23 First manned flight in space, 3 orbit flight, Atlas booster (MA)
MA-7 Aurora 7 24-May-1962 4:56:23 3 orbits, used up fuel to get better views, 250 mi overshoot landing
MA-8 Sigma 7 3-Oct-1962 9:13:11 Six orbit flight
MA-9 Faith 7 15-May-1963 1d 10:20 21 orbit flight, first day in space

GEMINI

Mission Launch Duration Purpose
Gemini 3 23-Mar-1965 4:53 Three orbit demo of Gemini, Changed orbit in flight
Gemini 4 3-Jun-1965 4d 01:56 First American (Ed White) to walk in space (EVA) 20 min
Gemini 5 21-Aug-1965 7d 22:55 First use of fuel cells for power production
Gemini 6 15-Dec-1965 1d 01:51 Rendezvous within 2 meters of Gemini 7
Gemini 7 4-Dec-1965 13d 18:36 Longest duration flight until 1970
Gemini 8 16-Mar-1966 10:41 First docking with Agena
Gemini 9 3-Jun-1966 3d 00:21 Troubled docking with Agena
Gemini 10 18-Jul-1966 2d 22:47 Doced with Agena, propelled into higher orbit
Gemini 11 12-Sep-1966 2d 23:17 Docked with Agena, attached tether for several orbits
Gemini 12 11-Nov-1966 3d 22:35 Dock w/Agena, computers used to steer vehicle for auto landing

APOLLO

Apollo spacecraft consisted of a Command Module (top, contained crew, emergency rocket), Service Module (next to CM, supplies propulsion, Hydrogen, Oxygen, water, released on re-entry) and Lunar Module.
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, Saturn IB booster
Apollo 8 21-Dec-1968 6d 03:01 First Manned Flight of Saturn V booster. Orbited the moon 10 times
Apollo 9 3-March-1969 10d 01:01 First flight of Lunar Module (Spider), Space Walk
Apollo 10 18-May-1969 8d 00:03 Lunar Module (Snoopy) within 9 miles of Moon
Apollo 11 16-Jul-1969 8d 03:19 Landing on moon inn Lunar Module (Eagle), Surface EVAs for 2:31:40
Apollo12 14-Nov-1969 10d 04:36 Saturn V booster hit by lightning at launch. EVA of almost 8 hours with Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package
Apollo13 11-Apr-1970 5d 22:55 Liquid oxygen tanks exploded. Lunar Modual (Aquarius) was lifeboad until re-entry.
Apollo14 31-Jan-1971 9d 00:02 Land in rugged lunar highlands. Used Mobile Equipment Trolly to cary equipment
Apollo 15 26-Jul-1971 12d 07:12 Landed LM (Falcon)
Apollo 16 16-Apr-1972 11d 01:51 Landed LM (Orion)
Apollo 17 7-Dec-1972 12d 13:52 First night launch. Three EVAs. Last walk on moon

SKYLAB

Mission Launch Duration Purpose
Skylab 2 25-May-1973 28d 00:50 First US manned orbiting space station mission, 3 spacewalks, 433 orbits, Saturn IB booster
Skylab 3 28-Jul-1973 59d 11:09 Deployed new solar shield & replaced gyroscopes, 3 spacewalks, 919 orbits
Skylab 4 16-Nov-1973 84d 01:16 Replenished coolant supplies, repaired antenna, 4 spacewalks - 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
STS-33
STS-32
STS-36
STS-31
STS-41
STS-38
STS-35
STS-37
STS-39
STS-40
STS-43
STS-48
STS-44
STS-42
STS-45
STS-49 Endeavour 7-May-1992 8d 21:18
STS-50
STS-46
STS-47
STS-52
STS-53
STS-54
STS-56
STS-55
STS-57
STS-51
STS-58
STS-61
STS-60
STS-62
STS-59
STS-65
STS-64
STS-68
STS-66
STS-63
STS-67
STS-71
STS-70
STS-69
STS-73
STS-74
STS-72
STS-75
STS-76
STS-77
STS-78
STS-79
STS-80
STS-81
STS-82
STS-83
STS-84
STS-94
STS-85
STS-86 Atlantis 25-Sep-1997 10d 19:22
Future Missions:
STS-87
STS-89
STS-90
STS-91
STS-88
STS-93
STS-95
STS-96
STS-92
STS-97
STS-98
STS-99
STS-100
STS-101
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