“A human being has made the first ever walk in open space. He is at this very moment flying free in space.” This was the announcement of Soviet cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev during a television broadcast on March 18, 1965. Fellow Voskhod-2 crewmember Alexei Leonov climbed out of their spacecraft, exited an airlock and floated alone 310 miles above the Earth. It was another stunning spaceflight “first” for the Soviet Union 60 Years ago.
The familiar count backwards to zero leading to the launch of a rocket did not originate with missiles fired from Cape Canaveral. It began with an Austrian filmmaker recruiting a spaceflight pioneer to recommend ways to add drama and realism to a 1929 science-fiction movie about a fictitious trip to the Moon. German rocket enthusiasts soon began including countdowns to their rocket tests. It later continued in their work in the U.S. leading to the historic first actual lunar flight by humans.
For more than a decade, NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour has been the star attraction at the California Science Center. During that time, more than 18 million guests at the West Coast museum have learned about the Space Shuttle Program’s legacy. After 25 flights to space during the first 20 years of its career, Endeavour departed the agency’s Kennedy Space Center soon arriving at its new home beginning an ongoing role educating and encouraging explorers of tomorrow.