On May 5, 1961, U.S. astronaut Alan B. Shepard became the first American to orbit the earth when his Freedom 7 spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.  NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. human flight with several ceremonies and a parade, and the U.S. Postal Service has just released a new stamp honoring Shepard.

Students can visit NASA’s 50th Anniversary Flash Feature Site to check out several decades of space exploration, from the 1950s through 2000.  This terrific interactive site features Automa, a talking robot, who introduces visitors to the great features of the site.  Students can explore decade by decade, listen to music and news broadcasts for each time period and even launch rockets!  The site’s interactive timeline is easy to navigate, and students (and their families) will find much to discover at this site, which goes far beyond just space exploration.