AstronautAtlas
Learn the story of spaceflightLoading AstronautAtlas records
AstronautAtlas
Learn the story of spaceflightLoading AstronautAtlas records
Space programs and missions · A guided course
Proving that people could fly in orbit—and come home
Follow the United States’ first human spaceflight program from its goals and test flights to the six crewed missions. Study capsule design, ground support, recovery and the evidence that made longer flights possible.
Suggested preparation is listed in the course · Start whenever you’re ready

John Glenn entering Friendship 7 before Mercury-Atlas 6. The opening and nearby crew show the capsule’s scale.
NASA/JSC · Image sourceYour place in the bigger picture
Build on familiar ideas, then choose a direction to explore next. Every course remains open.
Look beyond the firsts to the programs, people, and choices.
Project Mercury
Proving that people could fly in orbit—and come home
Start whenever you’re ready. Preparation is suggested, and every course stays open.
Learning to meet, work and stay in space
One suggested order from the foundations to Project Mercury. Shared starting points appear once; skip anything you already know.
Then: Project Mercury →
— earned
Earn each reward once. Retries never cost points.
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Each lesson builds on the last. Read the story, explore the sources, and check your understanding.
0 of 6 lessons complete
No account is needed to learn. Your correct answers keep their earned rewards.
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