Best Crewed
Updated Daily
The Apollo Lunar Module was a specialized spacecraft developed by NASA to enable crewed landings on the Moon. This two-stage vehicle provided the means for astronauts to descend to and ascend from the lunar surface during the six Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972. It represents a pivotal achievement...
The Apollo Command/Service Module was a critical component of NASA’s manned lunar missions during the Cold War era. It comprised a Command Module designed for crew return to Earth and a Service Module offering propulsion, power, and essential life support systems for astronauts operating in space. T...
The Mercury Friendship 7 was a single-seat capsule designed for crewed orbital missions during the Cold War. It carried John Glenn on February 20, 1962, achieving the first American human spaceflight and subsequent three orbits around Earth. This mission demonstrated America’s capability in manned s...
The Vostok 6 was a Soviet crewed spacecraft responsible for carrying cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova into Earth orbit on June 16, 1963. This mission marked a historic first, as Tereshkova became the first woman to undertake a spaceflight. The project demonstrated significant advancements in Soviet ro...
The Apollo 15 mission, launched in July 1971, represents a significant chapter in lunar exploration. NASA’s crew conducted extensive geological surveys of the Hadley-Apennine region using the first operational Lunar Roving Vehicle. This allowed for greater mobility and sample collection than previou...
The SpaceX Crew Dragon is a spacecraft designed for transporting cargo and astronauts to Earth orbit. Notably, it represents the first commercial vehicle to successfully deliver humans to the International Space Station. This reusable capsule facilitates NASA’s partnerships with private space compan...
The Vostok 1 mission represents a pivotal moment in space exploration history. Launched by the Soviet Union in April 1961, it involved Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human to achieve orbit around Earth. This single flight demonstrated the feasibility of crewed space travel and established key techn...
The Apollo 16 mission, launched in 1972, represents NASA’s second crewed landing on the Moon. It focused exploration of the Descartes region highlands. Astronauts utilized a mobile laboratory, or rover, to investigate unique lunar rock formations and geological processes. This mission provided valua...
The Apollo 8 mission involved a three-man NASA crew – Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders – undertaking the first crewed flight to orbit around the Moon. Launched in December 1968, this pivotal space exploration provided invaluable data regarding lunar conditions and significantly advance...
The Mercury-Atlas 6 mission involved astronaut John Glenn orbiting Earth in 1962. This was the United States’ initial crewed journey into space and a successful foray into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The flight demonstrated American capabilities in manned orbital spaceflight and provided valuable data fo...
The Apollo 12 mission represents a significant achievement in space exploration. Launched in November 1969, it was NASA’s second crewed lunar landing. The mission is particularly recognized for its controlled descent and touchdown near the Surveyor 3 robotic probe within Oceanus Procellarum. Astrona...
Mercury-Redstone 3, utilizing the Freedom 7 spacecraft, was the first crewed space mission in United States history. Launched by NASA on May 5, 1961, it carried astronaut Alan Shepard on a 15-minute suborbital flight to an altitude of 116 statute miles. The capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocea...
The Apollo 10 mission involved a crewed spacecraft that served as a critical test flight preceding the first human Moon landing. Launched in 1969, it brought the command module and lunar module within approximately 15 kilometers of the Moon’s surface. This maneuver represented a valuable dress rehea...
Soyuz-TM is a crewed spacecraft developed by the Soviet Union as an upgrade to the earlier Soyuz-T model. Introduced in 1986, it featured improved propulsion systems and an automated rendezvous and docking system called Kurs. The spacecraft served as the primary transportation method for cosmonauts...
Gemini 12 was a 1966 crewed spaceflight and the final mission of NASA's Project Gemini. Launched in November 1966, the spacecraft carried astronauts Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin into low Earth orbit. During the mission, Aldrin successfully performed complex extravehicular activities (EVAs), demonstrat...
The Salyut 6 was a Soviet-built orbital station operated between 1977 and 1986. Launched into Low Earth Orbit, it served as a platform for extended crewed space missions. Its two docking ports facilitated the arrival of resupply spacecraft like Progress and allowed cosmonauts to conduct scientific r...
The Apollo 14 mission, launched in January 1971, represents a significant achievement in American space exploration. Astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell conducted extensive surface operations on the Moon’s Fra Mauro formation. This landing provided valuable geological data and deployed severa...
The Soyuz-TMA is a Russian crewed spacecraft introduced in 2002 to serve as the primary transport vehicle for the International Space Station. It was a modernized version of the earlier Soyuz-TM, specifically modified to accommodate taller and heavier crew members. The spacecraft functioned as a rel...
Shenzhou is China's crewed spacecraft series developed to support human spaceflight missions in low Earth orbit. In 2003, the Shenzhou 5 mission carried the first Chinese national into space, making China the third country to achieve independent human spaceflight capabilities. The spacecraft is desi...
Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired NASA orbiter that completed 33 space missions during its operational lifetime from 1985 to 2011. It was the final orbiter to fly in the Space Shuttle program, executing the STS-135 mission in July 2011. Over its career, Atlantis made significant contributions to s...
Soyuz-MS is a modernized Russian crewed spacecraft developed for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. Introduced in 2016, it features upgraded digital communication systems, enhanced navigation arrays, and improved docking mechanisms compared to earlier Soyuz variants. The spa...
The Space Shuttle STS-1 mission marked America’s first crewed launch of the Space Shuttle program. This historic flight in April 1981 utilized Columbia, testing critical systems and demonstrating the orbiter's capabilities. Astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen piloted the shuttle through an orbi...
Space Shuttle Endeavour is a retired NASA orbiter that served as the fifth and final operational vehicle in the Space Shuttle fleet. Commissioned in 1987 to replace the lost Space Shuttle Challenger, it was constructed using structural spares and completed its first flight, STS-49, in May 1992. Over...
The Soyuz-T was a Soviet crewed spacecraft developed as an modernization of the earlier Soyuz model, conducting its initial crewed flight in 1980. A key operational improvement was the restoration of the capacity to carry three cosmonauts wearing pressure suits, a safety measure absent since the Soy...
The Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission represents a significant step in American human spaceflight. Developed by SpaceX in partnership with NASA, it successfully transported astronauts to and from the International Space Station. This marked the first time since 2011 that a United States spacecraft launched...
Vostok 2 was a Soviet crewed spaceflight launched on August 6, 1961, carrying cosmonaut Gherman Titov. The mission made Titov the second human to orbit the Earth, following Yuri Gagarin's historic flight. Unlike the single-orbit Vostok 1, Titov's spacecraft completed 17 orbits over the course of 25...
The Voskhod 2 mission represents a pivotal moment in space exploration. Launched by the Soviet Union in 1965, it achieved the historic first extravehicular activity (EVA) undertaken by Alexei Leonov. Leonov’s spacewalk outside the Voskhod spacecraft demonstrated unprecedented technological capabili...
Gemini 3 was the first crewed mission of NASA's Project Gemini, successfully launching on March 23, 1965. The two-person spacecraft, nicknamed "Molly Brown," carried astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young into low Earth orbit for a flight lasting just under five hours. During the mission, the crew su...
Shenzhou 5 was the first crewed spaceflight for China's space program, launching on October 15, 2003. The mission carried astronaut Yang Liwei into low Earth orbit, where he completed 14 orbits around the planet over a 21-hour period. This achievement made China the third country in the world to ind...
Gemini 8 was a crewed NASA spaceflight launched on March 16, 1966, as part of the Gemini program. Commanded by Neil Armstrong with pilot David Scott, the mission achieved the first successful docking of two spacecraft in orbit when it rendezvoused with an unmanned Agena target vehicle. Shortly after...
