As a moon landing became America’s Space Race goal, Langley tackled the many challenges of spaceflight, trained astronauts, managed Project Mercury, and assumed major roles in both the Gemini and Apollo programs.
Langley led the Lunar Orbiter initiative, which not only mapped the moon, but chose the spot for the first human landing. Langley aerospace engineer John Houbolt championed the lunar-orbit rendezvous concept, enabling the Apollo 11 moon landing and the safe return of its crew to Earth.
Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the lunar surface, trained at Langley’s Lunar Landing Research Facility on equipment that cancelled all but one-sixth of Earth’s gravitational force to match that of the moon’s. In all, 24 astronauts practiced lunar landings at this facility, pioneering a giant leap in exploration.
Find out more by visiting https://www.nasa.gov/langley/100/launching-the-space-race
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Credit: NASA