-
Konstantine Tsiolkovsky
A Russian physicist who figured out how rockets work. He also proposed new designs for advanced rockets. His most important work, The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Device was published in 1903. -
Period: to
The History of Space Exploration
-
Sputnik
Sputnik was launched in 1957 and was sent into orbit one time. Sputnik launced the space race. -
Yuri Gagardin
He flew one orbit on the Vostik 1 in 1961. -
John Glenn
He flew on the Friendship 7 in 1962. He was the first American to orbit the earth. -
Valintina Tereskova
In 1963 she stayed in space for 3 days. Her first job was as a high-ranked pilot for the Russian Air Force. -
Apollo 8
Apollo 8 was the first spacecraft that had humans on board to entirely leave the Earth's atmosphere in 1968. -
Neil Armstrong
In 1969 he landed on the moon. Once he was out of the spacecraft he said: "This is one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind." -
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was the first spacecraft on the moon. It carried 3 men to the moon in 1969. -
Surveyor 1
Surveyor 1 was sent to the moon to see if Apollo 11 would be able to land on the moon in 1969. -
Skylab
Able to hold 3 people, the Skylab went up into orbit in 1973. It orbits around Earth 15.4 times a day and has orbited around Earth a total of 34,981 times. -
Shannon Lucid
In 1979 she tested shuttles and their payloads. Then she went into space for a total of 223 days. -
Sally Ride
She was the first American woman to go into space in 1983. She co-wrote the book The Mystery of Mars. -
Challenger
The Space Shuttle Challenger was able to carry 7 people and it used a 34-B launch pad. The Challenger exploded shortly after take off in 1986. -
Valery Polyakov
Valery Polyakov was in space for 678 days. In 1988 she traveled on TM-6-7 for 240 days. -
Sergei Krikalyov
Sergei Krikalyov spent 803 days in space. He went on 6 missions; the first was on the Soyuz TM-7 in 1988. -
Hubble telescope
In 1990 the Hubble Telescope was sent into space. That way we could get better images of distance planets and galaxies. -
Galileo Probe
The Galileo Probe was launched into space in 1995. It has provided us with detailed photos of planets like Jupiter and the moons that orbit Jupiter. -
Mars Pathfinder
In 1996 the Mars Pathfinder landed on the moon to observe and collect samples. It used a 23 pound Rover to collect samples. -
Dennis Tito
Dennis Tito spent 7 days in space. He was asked by the Russians to go into space on the TM-32 in 2001. -
MIR
MIR was a Russian space station. It ended up crashing down to earth in 2001. -
Dawn Spacecraft
Dawn Spacecraft was an orbiter that flew by the moon on its way to Mars. it arrived at its destination in 2003. -
Kathryn Sullivan
Kathryn Sullivan was in space for 22 days. She has gone on 3 shuttle missions. In 2004, Sullivan was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame. -
Spirit and Opportunity
The Spirit and Opportunity had two rovers that landed on the opposite poles of Mars in 2004. The rovers collected samples of rock and confirmed that Mars once had water on the planet. -
Cassini
Cassinin was an orbiter that traveled to the moon, Saturn, and Jupiter. -
Global Surveyor
The Global Survetor operated in orbit for 9 years. It crashed to Mars in 2006. -
International Space Station
The International Space Station involved work from 16 different countries. It is longer than a football field and has more than 250,000 solar cells. It is scheduled to be completed by late 2011.
