Important Dates in Space Exploration

  • Philadelphia Attempts Waste Regulation

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

  • Term Ecology Coined as Oekologie in German

    The term ecology is coined in German as Oekologie by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel
  • Robert Angus Smith Coins Term Acid Rain

    The term acid rain is coined by Robert Angus Smith in the book Air and Rain.
  • Term Smog is Coined in London Meeting

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

    US Congress created the National Park Service.
  • Yuri Gagarin Spaceflight

    Yuri Gagarin Spaceflight
    Yuri gagarin, an astronaut for the Soviet Union, becomes the first human in space, completing one orbit around the earth on the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
  • Rachel Carson Publishes Silent Spring

    Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring.
  • Apollo 8 Captures Earthrise Photo

    The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise.
  • Moon Landing

    Moon Landing
    Nasa's Apollo 11 mission successfully landed the first astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Micheal Collins on the moon.
  • 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.
  • Constructing the International Space Station Begins

    Constructing the International Space Station Begins
    The ISS is a microgravity laboratory which is part of a collaboration between many nations, and is still in orbit.
  • Kyoto Protocol

    The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December. Countries commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide.
  • Hubble Space Telescope Launch

    Hubble Space Telescope Launch
    The Hubble Space Telescope is deployed into orbit, allowing us to see the universe better, and further our understanding of it.
  • U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol.

    U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol.
  • Mars Rover Spirit Landing

    Mars Rover Spirit Landing
    NASA's spirit rover lands on Mars and begins its mission to search for past water activity, and explore the martian surface.
  • New Horizons Pluto Flyby

    New Horizons Pluto Flyby
    NASA's New Horizons spacecraft passes by Pluto providing detailed images of the planet and important data.
  • U.S. Ceases Participation in Paris Agreement

    U.S. announces it will cease participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.
  • SpaceX Falcon Heavy Maiden Flight

    SpaceX Falcon Heavy Maiden Flight
    SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket in the world at the time, on a path to orbit the sun.
  • Artemis Program Moon Landing Plans

    Artemis Program Moon Landing Plans
    NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon, including the first woman, with the goal being to establish a sustainable presence.
  • U.S. Rejoins Paris Agreement

    U.S. announces it will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation
  • Perseverance Rove Landing on Mars

    Perseverance Rove Landing on Mars
    Nasa's Perseverance Rover lands on Mars and begins its mission to search for evidence of past life.
  • James Webb Space Telescope Launch

    James Webb Space Telescope Launch
    The James Webb Telescope is launched to observe the universe using infrared wavelengths, which offers important insights to cosmic phenomena.