Kennedy Space Center at 50

The Kennedy Space Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s orbital flight.

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Jan. 17, 2012

The NASA logo is seen on the outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. On July 1, 1962, NASA officially activated the Launch Operations Center. The next year, it was renamed for President John F. Kennedy.

Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

Feb. 23, 1962

Astronaut John Glenn, left, and President John F. Kennedy inspect the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule, which Glenn rode in orbit. At right is Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Kennedy presented the Distinguished Service Medal to Glenn at Cape Canaveral.

/ AP

Jan. 28, 1967

Guards stand at the Saturn 1 launch pad area the day after a flash fire that caused the deaths of the Apollo 1 crew at Cape Canaveral. Three astronauts, Lt. Col. Virgil Grissom; Lt. Col Edward H. White, and Lt. Cmdr. Roger Chafee were killed when a fire erupted on the launch pad during a preflight test for the Apollo 1 AS-204 moon mission.

/ AP

Jan. 27, 1967

The charred interior of the Apollo I spacecraft shown after the flash fire that killed astronauts Ed White, Roger Chaffee and Virgil Grissom.

/ AP

July 16, 1969

The 363-foot tall Apollo 11 Spacecraft 107/Lunar Module S/Saturn 506 space vehicle launches from the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA / AFP/Getty Images

July 16, 1969

Vice President Spiro Agnew and former president Lyndon B. Johnson view the liftoff of Apollo 11 at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA

July 20, 1969

Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon.

NASA / Reuters

Nov. 30, 1982

The Space Shuttle Challenger heads into a fog bank as it rolls toward Pad 39-A while an observation helicopter hovers overhead. The heavy fog covered the whole Kennedy Space Center site.

Ron Lindsey / AP

Jan. 28, 1986

The space shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after lifting off from Kennedy Space Center. The later destruction of space shuttle Columbia in 2003 and the death of its seven astronauts were caused by a NASA culture driven by schedule, starved for funds and burdened with an eroded, insufficient safety program, investigators said. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board, in a wide-ranging analysis of decades of NASA history, said the space agency's attitude toward safety improved little after the 1986 Challenger disaster, which also killed seven, and that without fundamental changes more tragedies would occur.

Bruce Weaver / AP

Jan. 28, 1986

Christa McAuliffe's family members — her sister Betsy, front, and parents Grace and Ed Corrigan — react to the tragedy. "She was a symbol of hope and of optimism for teachers and students around the nation," said Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Jim Cole / AP

March 1, 2002

The space shuttle Columbia illuminates a cloud during its morning liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center.

Anita Barrett / AP

July 26, 2005

First lady Laura Bush and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) watch as the Space Shuttle Discovery ascends into space from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Discovery carried a crew of seven headed for a rendezvous with the international space station.

Bruce Weaver / AFP/Getty Images

Aug. 8, 2007

Endeavour embarks on its first flight since 2002. The shuttle underwent an extensive overhaul and was outfitted with complete satellite navigation, improved main engine monitoring equipment and a new system for transferring power from the station to the shuttle.

Bill Sikes / AP

Feb. 24, 2008

The space shuttle Endeavour crew, from left, commander Dominic Gorie, Expedition 16 flight engineer Garrett Reisman, pilot Gregory Johnson, mission specialists Robert Behnken, Michael Foreman and Takao Doi, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Richard Linnehan pose for a photo after a news conference on the pad at the Kennedy Space Center.

Peter Cosgrove / AP

May 31, 2008

The space shuttle Discovery thunders off the launch pad while lifting off at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

Lynne Sladky / AP

April 5, 2010

Exhaust and smoke from the space shuttle swirls over the Kennedy Space Center after Discovery launched from launch pad 39A on a mission to the International Space Station.

John Raoux / AP

July 7, 2011

From left, space shuttle Atlantis STS-135 mission specialists Rex Walheim and Sandra Magnus, pilot Douglas Hurley and commander Christopher Ferguson stop and pose for photographs before boarding the Astrovan and heading to the launch pad for their scheduled blastoff at Kennedy Space Center.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

May 16, 2011

A trail of smoke is left by Space Shuttle Endeavour after it flew into the clouds after lifting off on its final mission at the Kennedy Space Center.

Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images

June 23, 2011

Many vintage astronaut suits and gloves are on display at the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex.

Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post

June 23, 2011

There's a memorial at the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex that honors those who have died in accidents. This plaque features the crew of the ill-fated shuttle flights Challenger (top) and Columbia (bottom).

Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post

June 23, 2011

Looking at display of historic front pages from the moon landing is Glen Lucas of Newport News, Va. He was on a tour at the Kennedy Space Center, which includes shuttle and rocket program historic exhibits.

Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post

June 23, 2011

Historic rockets are on display at the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex.

Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post

July 21, 2011

The drag chute is deployed as the space shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center, completing STS-135, the final mission of the NASA shuttle program.

Smiley N. Pool / AP

Aug. 11, 2011

Kennedy Space Center workers move the space shuttle Endeavour from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the VAB, then move space shuttle Discovery back into the OPF from the VAB for more preparations for its trip to Washington in April. In the process of the move, the two shuttles were to pass each other and stopped for a photo op midway to both locations.

Michael R. Brown / AP

Feb. 17, 2012

Former Ohio senator John Glenn (D), left, and astronaut Scott Carpenter speak at the Kennedy Space Center. John Glenn fever has taken hold in the U.S. once again. Three days before the 50th anniversary of his historic flight, the first American to orbit the Earth addressed employees at Kennedy Space Center.

Michael Brown / AP

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National

Kennedy Space Center at 50

The Kennedy Space Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s orbital flight.

Featured Photo Galleries