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First Satellite in Space By The USSR
The USSR launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. This started a race between the U.S. and the USSR to explore space first. The Sputnik 1 was about the size of a beach ball, and it orbited the Earth. -
First animal in space by USSR
Laika was a dog who became one of the first animals in space, being sent in space by the USSR in 1957. -
First satellite in space by USA
The first U.S. satellite sent into space was the Explorer I. It was launched into Earth orbit by the Army. The satellite was 18 pounds, had a cylindrical shape, and was 80 inches long. -
First animal in space by USA
The first animals in space were Able, an American-born rhesus monkey, and Baker, a South American squirrel monkey. They were launched in the nose cone, being carried to a 300-mile altitude, and were recovered unharmed. -
Creation of NASA
NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration), was formed in 1958. The U.S. now has a way to fight back and further improve their space exploration. -
First man in space by USSR
Yuri Gagarin is sent into space by the USSR. His mission lasts 108 minutes. -
First man to orbit Earth by USSR
While also being the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth once. -
First man in space by USA
Alan Shepard was the first American in space. The Freedom 7 spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1961. -
JFK's speech and commitment to getting to the moon
John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to go to the moon and back before the end of the decade. Kennedy's goal gave a specific mission to NASA's Apollo program. -
First man to orbit Earth by USA
John Glenn flew the Friendship 7 mission, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. -
First man to do an EVA by USSR
Alexey Leonov was the first man out of his spacecraft in space. He was outside the spacecraft for 12 minutes and 9 seconds. He barely made it back, as his suit begun to inflate. -
Gemini 3
The Gemini 3 was the first Earth-orbiting spacecraft of the Gemini series with a crew. It was piloted by astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom and John Young -
Gemini 12
This was the final Gemini mission. The Gemini 12 mission addressed the final issues raised by the earlier flights so that Apollo could proceed. Its astronauts were Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell -
Apollo 1 Accident
Apollo 1 engulfed in flames when a flash fire swept through the Apollo 1 command module during a launch rehearsal test. The three men inside died. They were Gus Grissom, Ed White, Roger B. Chaffee. -
Gemini 4
Gemini 4 second crewed mission of the Gemini series. The astronauts involved were James McDivitt and Edward White. Their mission was a 4-day, 62-orbit, 98-hr flight. This mission included the first American spacewalk. -
Launch of Apollo 7-11
The Apollo 7 was the first crewed Apollo space mission. The Saturn IB, was in its first trial launch with humans aboard. They were Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walt Cunningham. The launch was successful. The Apollo 7 saw the first live TV broadcast of Americans from space. -
First man to do an EVA by USA
Ed White was the first American to complete a spacewalk. He was sent on the mission Gemini 4. White remained in space for 23 minutes, floating Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico. -
The Challenger Explosion
The space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after its launch, crashing into the Atlantic Ocean from an altitude of some 50,000 feet. There had been damage to the rubber O-rings, which separated its rocket boosters and prevented fuel leaks. It killed Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, Mission Commander Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Mike Smith, and Ellison Onizuka.
