OTD…May 14 and STS-132

The U.S. launched its first man into space on this date, May 5, 1961, as Alan Shepard rode the Freedom 7 capsule on a 15-minute suborbital flight to 116.5 miles in altitude and 303 miles downrange to splashdown.

#OTD in 2012…Kennedy Space Center bid final farewell to Endeavour

Today in 1986…Space shuttle Challenger and her seven astronaut crew were lost during launch.