Vermot de Pas: Conquering Space, NASA's Photographic Icons, 168560, Paris

Astronomy. VERY RARE TOTAL SUN ECLIPSE observed from London

Photograph of the lunar surface taken at the famous Mount Wilson Observatory. This is the Clavius region.

Astronomy. A combination of two solar photographs showing bright areas and calcium vapor eruptions

Superb horizontal takeoff of a US Navy "REGULUS II" missile from its launch pad at EDWARDS AFB, California

Rare. Photograph of the X15 experimental rocket plane piloted by Joe Walker, NASA's most advanced test pilot, just flew at the fastest speed ever recorded by a manned aircraft of 2196 miles per hour.

Experimental airplane.

US AIR FORCE. An impressive TITAN 2 missile (SM-68B) rises from an underground silo at the VANDENBERD underground military base in California. Its nose cone is designed to receive a nuclear warhead

Historic liftoff of the MERCURYATLAS rocket carrying the first American in space: John GLENN

NASA/ASTRONOMY. MOUNT WILSON - PALOMAR OBSERVATORIES, CALIFORNIA Institute of Technology. Solar prominence observed beyond the Sun's surface with a spectroheliokinematograph

Liftoff of the DELTA 22 rocket carrying the TIROS H satellite from PAS 17N.

Historic photograph. These fourteen pilots were designated to begin training for astronaut positions with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Astronaut Gordon Cooper is ready for his mission in the "FAITH 7" capsule of the MERCURY-ATLAS 9 rocket.

Rare photograph of the experimental aircraft nicknamed "BATHTUB" used in American space research.

RANGERS 7 mission. View of the lunar surface 15 minutes and 6 seconds before the Ranger rocket impact.

Ranger IX mission. Here we see the eastern part of the Alphonsus crater floor.

December 17, 1965. Return to sea of the Gemini 6 mission capsule.

Launch of the 1st two-stage DELTA rocket to orbit the GEOS-A space exploration satellite

Lift-off of the Saturn SA-9 rocket, carrying the first meteorite detection satellite "PEGASUS"

Historic return aboard the USS WASP of astronauts Ed WHITE (left) and Jim McDivitt (right), who have just completed the first spacewalk by an American aboard the GEMINI 4 spacecraft.

Gemini 4 mission. Historic first spacewalk by an American

Spectacular view of the Gemini 7 capsule as seen from the Gemini 6A capsule at an altitude of approximately 300km above the Earth's surface.

Historic return of astronaut Edward White aboard the US Navy helicopter, which after a successful splashdown also picked up astronaut James McDivitt.

Misison Gemini IV.

Rocket lift-off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

RANGER 9 mission. View of the lunar surface as it approaches its target.