Space 2

Important Dates in Space Exploration

  • Philadelphia committee

    Philadelphia committee led by Benjamin Franklin attempts to regulate waste disposal and water pollution.
  • Henry David Thoreau

    Henry David Thoreau published Walden
  • Ecology

    The term ecology is coined in German as Oekologie by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel
  • Acid Rain

    The term acid rain is coined by Robert Angus Smith in the book Air and Rain
  • Smog

    The term smog is coined by Henry Antoine Des Voeux in a London meeting to express concern over air pollution
  • U.S. Congress

    US Congress created the National Park Service
  • Sputnik 1

    Sputnik 1
    First artificial Earth satellite, U.S.S.R.
  • Laika the Dog Aboard Sputnik 2

    Laika the Dog Aboard Sputnik 2
    First animal launched into space, U.S.S.R.
  • Luna 2

    Luna 2
    First spacecraft to hard-land on another celestial object; The Moon , U.S.S.R.
  • Luna 3

    Luna 3
    First pictures of the far side of the Moon, U.S.S.R.
  • Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1

    Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1
    First human to orbit Earth, U.S.S.R.
  • Rachel Carson

    Rachel Carson published Silent Spring
  • Mariner 2

    Mariner 2
    First data returned from another planet, U.S.
  • Valentina Tereshkova on Vostok 6

    Valentina Tereshkova on Vostok 6
    First woman in space, U.S.S.R.
  • Aleksey Leonov on Voskhod 2

    Aleksey Leonov on Voskhod 2
    First space walk, U.S.S.R.
  • Mariner 4

    Mariner 4
    First spacecraft pictures of Mars, U.S.
  • Vladamir Komarov on Soyuz 1

    Vladamir Komarov on Soyuz 1
    First death during a space mission, U.S.S.R.
  • Apollo 8 Earthrise

    Apollo 8 Earthrise
    The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise
  • First Earth Day

    First Earth Day (April 22) Millions of people gather in the United States for the first Earth Day. US Environmental Protection Agency established.
  • Montreal Protocol

    Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer entered into force.
  • Kyoto Protocol

    The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December. Countries that ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide.
  • U.S. Rejects the Kyoto Protocol

  • Climate Change Agreement

    U.S. announces it will cease participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.
  • Climate Change Agreement

    U.S. announces it will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.