Launch Complex 39A

Apollo 4 was the first flight of the Saturn V, the enormous rocket built to carry astronauts to the Moon. The uncrewed mission tested all three rocket stages together, restarted the third stage in space, fired the Apollo spacecraft's main engine, and sent the Command Module back through Earth's atmosphere at nearly the speed of a spacecraft returning from the Moon.

Apollo 6 was the second and final uncrewed test flight of the Saturn V rocket. Although the mission experienced severe engine failures and dangerous pogo oscillations, NASA successfully demonstrated the Apollo spacecraft's ability to return safely from a simulated lunar mission and gathered critical engineering data that paved the way for the first crewed Saturn V flight.

Apollo 8 became the first crewed mission to leave Earth orbit, travel to the Moon, enter lunar orbit, and safely return home. During ten revolutions around the Moon, the crew photographed the now-famous Earthrise image and broadcast a Christmas Eve message watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Apollo 9 was the first crewed flight of the Apollo Lunar Module. During ten days in Earth orbit, astronauts tested every major maneuver required for a Moon landing, including docking, undocking, independent Lunar Module flight, spacewalks, and rendezvous, proving the complete Apollo landing system before committing crews to lunar orbit.

Apollo 10 was NASA's complete dress rehearsal for the first Moon landing. Every phase of a lunar landing mission was performed except the final descent to the surface. The Lunar Module descended to within about 9 miles (15 km) of the Moon before returning safely to lunar orbit.

Apollo 11 fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's challenge by becoming the first mission to land humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent over twenty-one hours on the lunar surface while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module Columbia.

Apollo 12 demonstrated that NASA could land on the Moon with pinpoint accuracy. Despite being struck by lightning twice during launch, the mission successfully landed beside the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, performed two lunar EVAs, deployed advanced scientific experiments, and returned pieces of Surveyor 3 to Earth for analysis.

Apollo 13 was intended to become humanity's third lunar landing, but an explosion in an oxygen tank transformed it into one of the greatest rescue missions in history. Through extraordinary teamwork between the crew and Mission Control, NASA safely returned all three astronauts to Earth despite catastrophic spacecraft damage.

Apollo 14 returned astronauts to the Moon after the Apollo 13 accident. Despite a critical Lunar Module abort-switch malfunction just before landing, the crew safely reached the Fra Mauro Highlands, completed two successful moonwalks, deployed scientific experiments, and restored confidence in NASA's ability to conduct lunar exploration.

Apollo 15 was the first of NASA's extended J-missions, introducing the Lunar Roving Vehicle and dramatically expanding the scientific exploration of the Moon. The mission returned a record collection of lunar samples, deployed advanced experiments, and discovered the famous Genesis Rock.

Apollo 16 became NASA's fifth successful lunar landing mission and the only Apollo mission to explore the ancient lunar highlands. Despite a mission-threatening delay caused by concerns with the Command Module's main engine, the crew completed three moonwalks, deployed advanced scientific experiments, and returned more than 95 kilograms of lunar samples.

Apollo 17 was the sixth and final crewed lunar landing mission of the Apollo Program. Carrying the only professional geologist to walk on the Moon, the crew completed the longest surface stay, drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle farther than any previous mission, returned the largest collection of lunar samples, and concluded humanity's first era of lunar exploration.

STS-1 was the first flight of the Space Shuttle program, sending veteran astronaut John Young and rookie Robert Crippen aboard Columbia on the first-ever crewed test flight of a completely new spacecraft design.

STS-7 made Sally Ride the first American woman in space, flying aboard Challenger on a mission that deployed two communications satellites and operated the Shuttle's robotic arm to retrieve a free-flying research platform.

STS-71 made history as the first Space Shuttle docking with the Russian space station Mir, forming the largest spacecraft ever assembled in orbit at the time and beginning a new era of American-Russian cooperation in space.

Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry on February 1, 2003, killing all seven crew members after a piece of insulating foam struck and damaged the orbiter's wing during launch sixteen days earlier.

STS-125 sent Atlantis on the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, upgrading the telescope with new instruments and repairs across five spacewalks that extended its scientific life for another decade.

STS-135 was the 135th and final flight of the Space Shuttle program, sending Atlantis to resupply the International Space Station and bringing thirty years of Shuttle operations to a close.

STS-88 carried the American-built Unity module aboard Endeavour and joined it to the already-orbiting Zarya, the first assembly operation in the construction of the International Space Station.

SpaceX's Demo-2 mission launched Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard Crew Dragon, the first crewed orbital flight of a commercially developed and operated American spacecraft, ending nearly nine years without domestic crewed launch capability.