1960s Timeline

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Feb 20

Movies: “The John Glenn Story”

Feb. 20, 1963 - The first anniversary of John Glenn’s flight into space is being celebrated by Warner Brothers with the release of a non-profit movie about the astronaut. Called “The John Glenn Story,” the picture will be made available to the public in Los Angeles and New York for the first time Friday. It will be shown at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood and at the Paramount in New York. Warners will not receive any money from theaters that show the film, nor will theater

Feb 20

John Glenn Presents Space Capsule to Smithsonian

Feb. 20, 1963 - Lieut. Col. John H. Glenn Jr. presented the space capsule Friendship VII to the Smithsonian Institution today. Along with it went the space suit and helmet he wore and the small American flag he carried on his three-orbit flight, the first by an American, one year ago today. About 400 persons jammed into the Smithsonian to witness the presentation ceremony, held under two famous aircraft suspended from the ceiling. These were the craft in which Orville and Wil

Feb 20

Venus Too Hot To Be Habitable

Feb. 20, 1963 - Temperatures on the surface of Venus were found by the Mariner space probe to be about 800 degrees Fahrenheit, it was learned today. The high temperatures rule out the possibility of life, at least in any form remotely resembling that on Earth, on the cloud-shrouded planet. The 447-pound spacecraft was launched Aug. 27 and flew past Venus Dec. 14 at a distance of 21,594 miles. Instruments aboard the craft registered the radiation being emitted from the planet

Dec 28, 2022

Psychiatrist: NASA Astronauts Largely Free of Self-Doubt

Dec. 28, 1962 - The main difference between astronauts and most of the rest of us is they know how to control their anxieties — in fact, they perform best when the stress is greatest. “They are not men who know no fear. They just happen to know how to keep feelings blocked out of their professional function as pilots,” Dr. George Ruff, the astronauts’ psychiatrist, declared in Philadelphia today. After giving the astronauts tests for more than three years, Dr. Ruff and Dr. Sh

Nov 21, 2022

Warrant Issued for Astronaut Grissom

Nov. 21, 1962 - The fact that Major Virgil I. Grissom (right) has been in outer space does not excuse him from paying a traffic fine for speeding, Jackson County Judge Julian Laramore said today in Marianna, Fla. Judge Laramore said he had issued a warrant for Major Grissom’s arrest after the astronaut had failed to mail in a $20 fine. “He was to appear in court Nov. 3, but he telephoned Nov. 2 and said he wanted to settle the case,” the judge said. “I advised him to mail in

Nov 13, 2022

Major Cooper Named for Next Mercury Flight

Nov. 13, 1962 - Maj. Gordon Cooper, the only eligible Mercury astronaut who has not yet been rocketed into space, has been named for the next Mercury flight. The flight, probably the last of the series, is scheduled for April, NASA said in its announcement today. The plans are for the 35-year-old Air Force pilot to circle the earth for one full day, making about 18 orbits. That would be three times the duration of the longest U.S. flight to date — the six-orbit trip made on O

Nov 5, 2022

First U.S. Space Chimp is Dead

Nov. 5, 1962 - Enos, the first chimpanzee to orbit the earth in a U.S. space capsule, died of dysentery yesterday, the Air Force said today. Veterinarians said his death was in no way related to the orbital flights he made last Nov. 29. An autopsy is to be performed at the Holloman Air Base aeromedical laboratory in an effort to determine why Enos did not respond to antibiotic treatment for a bacterial infection of the intestinal tract. He had been ill two months. Ham, a chim

Oct 7, 2022

NASA: Gordon or Shepard to Make Next Orbital Flight

Oct. 7, 1962 - A NASA official said today that the astronaut for the 18-orbit, one-day Mercury flight in early 1963 could be either Comdr. Alan B. Shepard or Maj. L. Gordon Cooper (pictured). The aide, who declined to be identified, said the officials were leaning toward Comdr. Shepard. If picked, the 38-year-old Navy test pilot would be the first American to make a second rocket journey. None of the Soviet spacemen has made two flights to date. Commander Shepard flew this na

Oct 3, 2022

🚨Schirra Flies Six Orbits, Returns Safely

Oct. 3, 1962 - Commander Walter M. Schirra Jr. flew six orbits around the earth today, twice as far as the two Americans who had orbited before him. The 39-year-old astronaut made a bullseye landing in the Pacific Ocean within four miles of the carrier Kearsarge, stationed near the planned recovery zone. He was picked up, still in his capsule, by the Kearsarge. The impact point was about 330 miles northeast of Midway Island. Commander Schirra had traveled 160,000 miles in 9 h

Sep 20, 2022

Congress Endorses Force, if Necessary, on Cuba

Sept. 20, 1962 - A resolution endorsing the use of force, if necessary, to prevent the spread of Cuban Marxism in the Western Hemisphere was adopted by the Senate today, 86-1, after 3 hours of discussion. The House of Representatives, whose Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved an identical statement this morning, is expected to adopt the resolution tomorrow and send it to President Kennedy. The joint resolution expresses the determination of the U.S. to use any mean

Sep 19, 2022

Senate Passes Administration’s Foreign Trade Bill in Major Victory for President

Sept. 19, 1962 - The Senate passed the Administration’s foreign trade bill today and thus capped for President Kennedy his biggest victory of the 87th Congress. A surprisingly lopsided vote of 78-8 gave convincing emphasis to the extent of the triumph. It also evidenced a sharp decline in protectionist sentiment in Congress and the country. The measure carries out in full the President’s recommendations for extensive new tariff-cutting powers to provide an effective bargainin

Sep 18, 2022

(VIDEO) John Glenn Documentary

Sept. 18, 1962 - Here is a 30-minute documentary film directed by Michael R. Lawrence about astronaut John Glenn. #NASA #Space #1960s #OTD #history

Sep 17, 2022

Nine New Astronauts Introduced in Houston

Sept. 17, 1962 - Nine new astronauts, candidates for the lunar space flight, made their debuts in Houston today. Two civilians were among the group, which also includes four Air Force officers and three Navy officers. They will be assigned, along with the seven astronauts of the pioneer Project Mercury, to train for Project Gemini, which calls for a space rendezvous by two manned capsules early in 1964, and for Project Apollo, the landing on the moon scheduled for late this d

Sep 14, 2022

Armstrong One of Nine New Astronauts Picked by NASA

Sept. 14, 1962 - Neil Armstrong, a 31-year-old civilian who has been flying X-15 research planes, was reported today to be one of 9 new astronauts picked by NASA. Mr. Armstrong, as a space-agency employee, has taken the stub-winged X-15 to speeds of 4,000 miles per hour and altitudes of 40 miles. The new pool of space pilots will be “candidates” — officials stress the word — for flights in two-man Gemini and three-man Apollo capsules. The Apollo craft are scheduled to land on

Sep 12, 2022

Sept. 12, 1962 - JFK Remarks in St. Louis

Sept. 12, 1962 - Here are President Kennedy’s remarks today to employees of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation at Lambert Field in St. Louis. In his speech, the President thanks the workers for their contributions to the nation’s space exploration efforts. #NASA #JFK #space

Sep 12, 2022

Sept. 12, 1962 - JFK Remarks at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston

Sept. 12, 1962 - Here is a recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks at the Rich Building of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas concerning the rapid achievements made by the country’s space exploration program in recent years and its future projects. #NASA #space #moon #JFK

Aug 24, 2022

Gagarin Says Moon Trip Will Be “Group Effort”

Aug. 24, 1962 - The first trip to the moon will be a team effort, not a one-man job, Lieut. Col. Yuri A. Gagarin (pictured lower right) said today. The first Russian to orbit the earth, now commander of the Soviet astronauts unit, was quoted in Soviet Weekly, a Russian newspaper published in London. He said, “Only a well-prepared team will be able to fulfill the task of making the initial study of the moon.” Colonel Gagarin said he hoped that long before 1981, the first astro

Aug 15, 2022

Soviets Riding High on Space Success

Aug. 15, 1962 - Soviet scientists, exultant over the prolonged orbital flights and safe return to earth of Vostoks III and IV, looked ahead today with confidence to early manned trips to the moon, Venus, and Mars. A Russian rocket scientist declared that there was no doubt that manned Soviet spaceships would land on the moon in the 1960s and on Mars, Venus, and other planets in the 1970s. Citing the strides of Soviet rocket technology in the last 30 years, Prof. G.V. Petrovic

Aug 14, 2022

Two Soviet Astronauts Finally Land

Aug. 14, 1962 - Maj. Andrian G. Nikolayev and Lieut. Col. Pavel R. Popovich, pilots of the Soviet spaceships Vostok III and Vostok IV, have landed in the Kazakhstan desert after their historic orbital flights around the earth. The Moscow radio announced their safe return at 3:30 a.m. New York time. The broadcast said that Major Nikolayev and Colonel Popovich landed and that both astronauts “feel fine.” They came down only six minutes apart. Major Nikolayev had completed 63 or

Aug 13, 2022

NASA Remains Optimistic

Aug. 13, 1962 - Leaders of this country’s space program are still optimistic about chances of being the first to land astronauts on the moon. The Soviet Union’s success in putting two manned spacecraft into orbit close together has neither surprised them nor caused great concern. Space officials said today that a rendezvous and the actual joining of spaceships in flight, while an essential feature of the U.S. lunar program and any parallel Soviet effort, are not the “pacing i