Early Recent Space Exploration TImeline

By ak18228
  • Period: to

    1609 - 1957

  • The Moons Craters and Milky Way

    Galileo uses telescope for astronomical purposes he discovers the Moon's craters and the Milky Way galaxy.

  • First Spotting of the Moon

    The first spotting of the moon through a telescope by Galileo

  • Saturns Rings

    Christian Huygens discovers Saturn's rings and Titan.

  • Predicting a Comets Return

    Edmond Halley correctly predicts the return of a comet (Halley's comet) in 1758.

  • Observing a Comets Return

    Johann Palitzsch observes Halley's comet as predicted by Halley in 1705.

  • Discovery of Uranus

    The discovery of Uranus by William Herschel.

  • Test

  • Liquid-Fueled Rockets

    Liquid-Fueled Rockets
    Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket.

  • First Radio Telescope

    First radio telescope built by Grote Reber.

  • Sputnik 1

    Sputnik 1
    Russia sends the first artificale satilite into space to have it's signals received back at earth.

  • First Animal in Space

    First Animal in Space
    Russia puts the first animal into orbit (Laika) on Sputnik 2.

  • Explorer 1

    Explorer 1 launched. This was the first U.S. satellite to orbit the Earth.
  • Period: to

    1958 -1980

  • First Successful American Satellite

    First Successful American Satellite
    USA has their first satelite in space (Explorer 1).

  • First Human in Space

    First Human in Space
    Yuri A. Gagarin is launched in to space and orbits earth in 108 min.

  • First American in Space

    First American in Space
    Alan Shepard is launched into a 15-minute suborbital flight and returned to earth in his ship.

  • Landing on the Moon

    First non crash landings on the Moons by Luna 9 (Russian) and Surveyor I (U.S.A.)

  • First Manned Moon Landing

    First Manned Moon Landing
    Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are the first humans to land on the moon.

  • Satellite Headed for Jupiter

    The U.S. launches Pioneer 10, the first satellite destined for Jupiter.

  • Landing on Mars

    The U.S. Viking probes land on Mars.

  • Uranus' Rings

    Discovery of Uranus' rings.

  • Images of Saturn

    U.S. Voyager 1 sends back first images of Saturn and its rings to Earth.
  • Period: to

    1981 - Present Day

  • Reuseable Spacecraft

    First Reusable manned spacecraft.

  • Pioneer 10

    First spacecraft beyond the orbit of Neptune

  • Hubble Space Telescope

    Hubble Space Telescope
    Hubble Space Telescope put into orbit from space shuttle Discovery.

  • Orbit Around the Sun

    First polar orbit around the Sun.

  • Joint Effort

    US space shuttle docks onto Mir.

  • Orbit Around Jupiter

    First orbit of Jupiter.

  • Mars Pathfinder

    Mars Pathfinder
    Mars Pathfinder lands on Mars.

  • International Space Station

    International Space Station
    Construction begins on the International Space Station.

  • Asteroid Landing

    First landing on an asteroid.

  • Curiosity rover

    Nuclear-powered NASA rover successfully lands on Mars to seek out life clues.