Today in History–June 24–the Library of Congress features the dawn of the space age. On this date in 1961, the public learned of President John F. Kennedy‘s letter assigning Vice President Lyndon Johnson to coordinate the U.S. satellite programs. Under Johnson, the National Space Council recommended that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provide policy coordination with all government agencies involved in space flight. Find out more about the U.S. quest to explore the final frontier by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access primary sources that are out of this world.
Featured Image: Space Shuttle F-1 Engine
Satellite historical newspaper coverage
Dawn of the Space Age (streaming webcast)
Rocketeers and Gentlemen Engineers (streaming webcast)
Space Race and the Environment
NASA (official website)
Women’s Achievements in Aviation & Space (NASA online exhibition)
300 Years of Imaginary Space Ships: 1630-1920 blog post, Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business
Images, videos and audio from NASA
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