Mars Exploration Rover NASA's twin rovers, named Spirit and Opportunity, launched separately in 2003 and landed three weeks apart in January 2004. They made important discoveries about wet environments on ancient Mars that may have been favorable for supporting microbial life. Although Spirit ceased communicating with Earth in March 2010, Opportunity continues its work on the Red Planet.
Saturn V: President Kennedy said, “we choose to go to the moon” The Saturn V is how we got there! This 3-stage expendable rocket was developed by NASA to support the US Apollo space program between 1967 and 1973. The “V” referenced the five giant F-1 rocket engines clustered at the bottom of the Saturn V’s first stage.
The Apollo 11 moon landing required two spacecraft- The lunar module (LM) and command service module (CSM). Once in lunar orbit, the two would separate so the LM could land while the CSM waited in orbit. After launching from the lunar surface, the LM’s ascent stage would rendezvous and dock with the waiting CSM, then the astronauts would transfer back into the main spacecraft and head home. It sounds nearly impossible but that’s the way it was July 20, 1969.