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First animal in space by USA
The first animal in space by the US was a monkey -
First satellite in space by USSR
Soviet Union launched the earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik I. It orbited for three weeks before its batteries died and then orbited silently for two months before it fell back into the atmosphere on the 25th December 1957. -
First animal in space by USSR
The Soviet Union stunned the world with the launch of Sputnik 2. On board the small satellite was a little dog, Laika, the first animal to orbit Earth. -
First satellite in space by USA
Explorer 1 was the first satellite launched by the United States after the USSR -
Creation of NASA
The U.S. Congress passes legislation establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America's activities in space -
First man in space by USSR
aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space -
First man to orbit earth by USSR
aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space. During the flight, the 27-year-old test pilot and industrial technician also became the first man to orbit the planet -
First man in space by USA
NASA astronaut Alan Shepard Jr. became the first American in space. 59 years ago, Shepard launched into space inside his Freedom 7 capsule. -
JFK's speech and commitment to getting to the moon
President John F. Kennedy announced before a special joint session of Congress the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade. -
First man to orbit Earth by US
John Glenn became the 1st American to orbit Earth and the first American space hero. John Glenn and Friendship 7. -
First man to do an EVA by USSR
The first EVA was performed by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who spent 12 minutes and 9 seconds outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft. -
First man to do an EVA by US
American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin performed the first EVA on the lunar surface