"Spacey" Firsts
The space program holds many firsts for us.
The first man in space, the first dog in space, the
first man to play golf on the moon. Following is a list
of American "spacey" firsts that might interest you:
- The first American to travel space: Alan Shepard Jr.
- The first astronauts to land on the moon: Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., Michael Collins
- The first astronaut in orbit: John Glenn
- The first astronaut to walk on the moon: Neil Armstrong
- The oldest astronaut to fly in space: Story Musgrave
(on Oct. 29, 1998 John Glenn is set to board the
STS-95/Discovery and claim this "first.")
- The first woman in space: Dr. Sally Ride
- The first EDA (spacewalk): Dr. Katherine Sullivan
- The first teacher in space: Krista McCullogh
- The first astronauts to ride a vehicle on another planet: David Randolph Scott, James Benson Irwin
- The first female shuttle commander: Eileen Collins
- The first astronaut to maneuver outside a satellite: Edward Higgins White, II
- The first astronauts in orbit to transfer from one spacecraft to another:
Russell Louis Schweickart, James Alton McDivitt
These moments in history and others can be found at NASA's website (www.nasa.gov). It's a site
for teachers, a site for parents and a site for students!
You can even talk to mission control or an astronaut during
a space flight.
If you are interested in space, you can also
check out your school or public library. You'll find
numerous resources and books that describe space, space
flights, even space food!