Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission,was launched with
astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr.; Donn F. Eisele; and Walter
Cunningham aboard.

Under the command of Schirra, the crew of Apollo 7 conducted
an 11-day orbit of Earth, during which the crew transmitted the
first live television broadcasts from orbit.

The prime crew of the first manned Apollo space mission
from left to right are: Command Module pilot, Don F. Eisele, Commander, Walter M. Schirra Jr. and Lunar Module pilot,
Walter Cunningham.

From the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida,
the U.S. unmanned spacecraft Explorer 6 atop a Thor-Able
rocket was launched into an orbit around the earth.

The spacecraft, commonly known  as the “Paddlewheel”
satellite, featured a photocell scanner that transmitted a
crude picture of the earth’s surface and cloud cover from
a distance of 17,000 miles. The photo, received in Hawaii,
took nearly 40 minutes to transmit.

The first satellite image of Earth captured by Explorer 6 on August 14, 1959.

At 9:32 a.m. EDT, Apollo 11, the first U.S. lunar landing mission, 
was launched on a historic journey to the surface of the moon.

After traveling 240,000 miles in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered into
a lunar orbit on July 19.

The crew of Apollo 11, from left, Neil Armstrong, Michael
Collins and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin in 1969. NASA/AP.

(NASA) – America’s first space station, Skylab, launched into
Earth’s orbit on this day in history, May 14, 1973.

The unmanned space station blasted into space on a modified
Saturn V rocket at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. 

According to Space.com., this marked the last time the Saturn
V rocket was used in spaceflight.

Artist’s concept of Skylab space station cluster in Earth’s
orbit.

From Cape Canaveral, Florida, Apollo 16, the fifth of six U.S.
lunar landing missions,was successfully launched (above)
on its 238,000-mile journey to the moon.

The prime crew of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission. From
left to right: Thomas K. Mattingly II, Command Module pilot; John W. Young, Commander; and Charles M. Duke Jr., Lunar Module pilot.