The Future Looks Grim for Big Soda. Sales of soda are tanking, and beverage companies are hoping bottled water -- and hundreds of other products -- will fill the gap.
The objectives of the program, which made six manned flights from 1961 to 1963, were specific: To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth; To investigate man's ability to function in space; To recover both man and spacecraft safely.
It was obvious to many U.S. officials, though, that a more organized and focused effort was needed. In July 1958, Congress passed legislation establishing NASA as the coordinating body of the U.S. space program. During the next decade, NASA became synonymous with the space race. In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States should set a goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.