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First Look Through Telescope at the Night Sky
Galileo was the first to look at the night sky through a telescope, and he was the first to see craters on the moon, moons of Jupiter, and phases of Venus. -
Publishing Shows that Space Exploration is Theoretically Possible
A publishing, Исследование мировых пространств реактивными приборами, or the Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Devices, by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, is the first to seriously examine the possibilities of space exploration and travel. It concludes that space travel is theoretically possible. -
First Liquid Fuel Rocket Launch
Robert Goddard launched the first rocket fueled by liquid fuel. Liquid fuel is essential to travel into space, for it has more energy than solid fuel, and this launch proves that liquid fuel works well. -
First Vehicle to Enter Outer Space
The first object to make it past the kármán line (100km above the Earth's surface, where space technically starts) is the V2 rocket, built by Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr for Germany. The V2 is the first man-made vehicle in outer space. -
First Pictures of the Earth from Space
The USA takes the first pictures from space (105km above ground) with a camera strapped to a V2 rocket. -
First Plants and Animals to Return Alive From Earth Orbit
Sputnik 5, a Soviet spacecraft, carried two dogs, Belka and Strelka, a rabbit, 42 mice, two rats, and some fruit flies, into orbit, and returned them alive. -
First Human in Space
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was the first human to enter space. His craft completed an orbit, and returned him safely. -
First Soft Impact on Another World/First Photos taken From Another World
The first soft impact on the moon with a man-made object. The Luna 9 craft, made by the Soviet Union, was the first to land on the moon softly, and then transmit photos of the moon back to Earth. -
First Man on the Moon
The United States was the first country to put a man on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men on the moon. They returned to Earth safely. -
First Multinational Manned Mission
The American Apollo Command/Service Module docked with the Russian Soyuz 19. This marked the end of the Space Race, for the two countries involved are working together. -
First Reusable Manned Spacecraft
The first reusable manned spacecraft was developed by the USA, and was called a Space Shuttle, or an STS. -
First Spacecraft Beyond Neptune
The USA's Pioneer 10 was the first space probe to go past Neptune, and therefore escapes the solar system. Has a parabolic disc to capture visible light waves. Lost connection with Earth, but probably still drifting. -
First Untethered Spacewalk
Mission STS-41-B, in which Bruce McCandless goes on the first untethered spacewalk. An untethered spacewalk is where the astronaut/cosmonaut exits the space station or other capsule, without having any physical connection to the capsule. They can sit in a chair that shoots out bursts of gas, gradually directing and redirecting them. -
First Multinational Space Station
The ISS, or the International Space Station, is a joint effort between the USA, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe. It is the largest man-made object in space. Expirements are carried out on the station, and astronauts and cosmonauts live there for long periods of time, some surpassing a year. -
First Food Grown in Space, Eaten in Space
Red Romain Lettuce is the first plant grown, and eaten, in space. Astronauts Scott Kelly, Kjell Lindgren, and Kimiya Yui ate the lettuce aboard the ISS. This shows that future missions can include freshly grown supplements to the astronauts diet, keeping them healthier, and hopefully happier.
