Sputnik earth

Russia in Space

By beinstein@ncolonie.org

  • Russian Revolution

    Russian Revolution
    The Russian Imperial battle cruiser Avroroa fires on the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and becomes a lasting symbol of the Russian Revolution when its crew joins the Bolsheviks in revolt against the the elected government. Anew country is being born. Its full name will be the Union of Soviet Scoialist Republics. A shorter name for this country is the 'Soviet Union.' The territory of the USSR included many of the lands of the former Russian Empire.

  • Dogonauts

    Dogonauts
    The USSR launches two dogs 100 KM into space. Their names are Dezik and Tsygan. Both dogs survive the flight, and while they never enter orbit, they are the word's first "sub-orbital" cosmonauts. (Cosmonaut is the Russian word for Astronaut. It's made up of the Greek words 'cosmos' and 'naut.' It means 'space-sailor.') I couldn't find any pictures of Dezik and Tsygan. The picture you see here shows 2 later canine cosmonauts: Belka (Squirrel) and Srelka (Little Arrow).
    image: wikimedia

  • Sputnik I Orbits the Earth

    Sputnik I Orbits the Earth
    Sputnik Beeps Awe AmericaThe USSR launches Sputnik 1. It is the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth.

  • First Dog in Space

    First Dog in Space
    The USSR launches a second satellie named Sputnk 2 into Earth's orbit. It carries a mixed-breed dog named Laika (Little Barker) as a passenger. Although Laika does not survive this mission, she is creditied with making manned space misssions a reality.

    image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Laika_Stamp.jpg

  • First Earth Artifact

    First Earth Artifact
    The USSR launches its second moon mission. It is called Luna 2. (Luna is the Russian word for moon.) Luna 2 is designed for a "hard landing" on the moon. It carries with it the Crest of the USSR. Acrest is a sumbol of a nation, just like a flag. Luna 2 and its cargo are the first Earth artifacts to impact the moon.

  • First Man in Space

    First Man in Space
    Yury Gagarin
    The USSR launches Vostok 1. (Vostok is the Russian word for 'East.') It carries the first man into space. His name is Yury Gagarin and his accomplishment is celebrated around the world.

  • First Woman in Space

    First Woman in Space
    Valentina Tereshkova
    The USSR launches Vostok 5 and 6 within days of each other. Vostok 6 carries the first woman into space. Her name is Valentina Tereshkova and she orbits the Earth a stunning 48 times. The letters on her helmet look like: CCCP. These are the Russian letters 'SSSR'. They make up the Russian abbreviation for USSR.

  • First Moonrover

    First Moonrover
    First Moonrover
    The USSR launches Luna 17. It 'soft-lands' on the moon and sends out the first moonrover: Lunokhod 1. It's name is made up of the Russian words 'luna' (moon) and 'khod' (walker.) The cartoon linked to this fact is cute--but no one was in the driver's seat! Lunokhod 1 was driven by remote-control by a 5-man team on Earth.

  • Pushkin's Asteroid

    Pushkin's Asteroid
    The famous Russian astronomer Nikolai Chermykh names an asteroid after the most celebrated Russian poet of all time--Aleksandr Pushkin (1799-1837).

  • First Yuri's Night

    First Yuri's Night
    Yuri's Night TestimonialYuri's Night Testimonial
    Yuri's Night is an international celebration held on April 12th every year. It commemorates the launch of Colonel Yri Gagarin into space on Aril 12, 1961. Locations for Yuri's Night Celebrations have included Los Angelos, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Antarticka, and the list goes on.

    Source: Yuri's Night website

  • Expedition 19 to ISS

    Expedition 19 to ISS
    Soyuz 19 docks with ISS
    The Russian Soyuz TMA-14 ferries the final 3-man crew to the International Space Station. Starting with Soyuz 20, the crew will increase to 6 people. The final 3-man crew consistes of Commander Gennady Padalka (Russia), Flight Engineer Michael Barratt (USA), and Koichi Wakata (Japan). Soyuz 19 also carried US billionaire Chales Simonyi into space for the 2nd time.

  • Mars-500

    Mars-500
    Mars on Earth
    From March 31 until July 14, 2009, a six-man international crew live in an isolated chamber in Moscow. This chamber replicates what life will be like during a real mission to Mars. During the 105-day mission, the 4 Russians and 2 Europeans that make up the crew conduct experiments and practice what to do in emergency situations. The next simulated mission to the Red Planet will be 520 days in length.