Space Race Technological Advancements By facebooker_535370270341159 1914 Robert H. Goddard starts work on solid-fuel rockets (USA) 1921 Robert H. Goddard starts work on liquid-fuel rockets (USA) Period: Dec 30, 1922 to Jan 21, 1924 Vladimir Lenin (USSR Leader) Period: Jan 21, 1924 to Mar 5, 1953 Joseph Stalin (USSR Leader) 1945 Air Force starts ICBM research (USA) Oct 24, 1946 White Sands Rocket taking photos from space is launched (USA) 1948 Korolev designs R-1 Rocket (USSR) 1949 WAC Corporal-V2 is first rocket launched with multiple stages (USA) 1953 R-7 development begins (USSR) Period: Jan 20, 1953 to Jan 20, 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower (USA President) Period: Sep 14, 1953 to Oct 14, 1964 Nikita Khrushchev (USSR Leader) Jul 29, 1955 US to launch satellite for International Geophysical Year (USA) Aug 2, 1955 USSR to launch satellite "in the near future" (USSR) May 15, 1957 R-7 becomes world's first ICBM (USSR) R-7 had 18/27 successful launches Jun 11, 1957 Atlas-A becomes America's first ICBM (USA) Oct 4, 1957 Sputnik 1 launched (USSR) Dec 6, 1957 Project Vanguard fails on American live TV (USA) Period: 1958 to Jun 18, 1959 Luna 1 fails three times, misses moon once, then fails again (USSR) Jan 31, 1958 Explorer 1 launched (USA) 1959 Ranger programme starts in response to Luna programme (USA) Period: Jan 20, 1961 to Nov 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy (USA President) Apr 12, 1961 Vostok 1 brings Gagarin to space (USSR) Jul 31, 1964 Ranger 7 lands on moon successfully after many attempts with varying degrees of success (USA)