1959-1969: USA: The principal accomplishments of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in aeronautics and space research from 1959 until the eve of the first lunar landing in 1969. Emphasis is placed on the progressive experience gained on each manned Apollo mission. Human spaceflights. NASA astronaut John Herschel Glenn; Jr. became the first American to orbit the Earth and the fifth person in space. Rocket launch.