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Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 was the first man made satellite to be launched in to space. It was created and launched by the U.S.S.R. America took this launching as a challenge and soon began the space race. -
Period: to
Moonshot
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Sputnik 2
Sputnik 2 launches, carrying a female dog into space. The satellite remained in orbit for 162 days. -
Explorer 1
The first American satellite, Explorer 1, enters orbit. -
NASA Created
President Eisenhower signs the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating NASA. President Eisenhower wanted to keep military matters seperate from exploring space. -
Luna 1
Luna 1, a Soviet lunar probe, launches for the moon but misses its target. -
Ham the Chimp
Ham, a chimpanzee, flew for America on a sub-orbital flight on Mercury 2. -
First Human in Space
Yuri Gagarin is the first man in space, aboard Vostok 1. -
First American in Space
Alan Shepard commands the Freedom 7 into space, making him the first American in space. -
First Spacewalk
Alexei Leonov makes the first spacewalk, exiting the spacecraft Voskhod 2. -
Fire kills 3 astronauts
During a test run of Apollo, a fire broke out in the command capsule and killed 3 astronauts. -
Apollo 11 begins its mission
Apollo 11 began its mission to the moon. -
First men to walk on the moon
Americans Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong are the first men to walk on the moon. -
More missions
There were more missions after Apollo 11 to the moon and a rover also taken up to the moon later. Throughout the whole space race, there were many more satellites and space craft launched, so many that they all cannot be mentioned. -
Sources
"Timeline: The Space Race." PBS. PBS, 6 Oct. 2005. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. -
Influence on Society
We gained knowledge about outer space. Inspired and encouraged young people to go into the science field. We earned bragging rights against U.S.S.R.
