May 5, 1961: The first American in space

In 1961, amidst the tensions of the Space Race, NASA made an unpopular choice: Concerned with booster issues during a January test flight with a chimpanzee, the agency chose to run additional tests without human astronauts. Project Mercury, the American push for space success in the face of strong competition from the Soviets, had beenContinue reading "May 5, 1961: The first American in space" The post May 5, 1961: The first American in space appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.