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First satellite in space by the USSR
"Sputnik" - the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. -
First animal in space by the USSR
Dog Laika - the first animal to make an orbital spaceflight around the Earth, aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 -
First satellite in space by the USA
Explorer 1 -
Creation of NASA
NASA - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration -
First animal in space by the USA
Chimpanzee Ham the Chimp flew a suborbital flight on the Mercury-Redstone-2 mission ( as a part of the U.S. Mercury Mission) -
First man in space by the USSR
Yurii Gagarin was launched to orbit with a Vostok rocket and became the first man in space. After one orbit, automatic control brought him safely back to Earth. -
First man in space by the USA
Alan Shepard - first American in space -
JFK's speech
Speech and commitment to getting to the Moon before the end of decade -
First man to orbit Earth by the USA
John Glenn - first American orbited the Earth, with a Friendship 7 orbited Earth 3 times in 4 hours 56 minutes, reaching a speed of 17,000 miles per hour. -
First man to do an EVA by the USSR
Alexei Leonov spent 12 minutes 9 seconds outside of the Vostok-2 spacecraft. -
First man to do an EVA by the USA
Ed White from the second crewed Gemini (4), performed a 21-minute spacewalk and became 1st American who did an EVA. -
Gemini 7
Crew: Frank Bormann, Jim Lovell.
Completed 2 weeks mission - proved that humanity can survive the flight to the Moon, rendezvous with Gemini 6. -
Gemini 9
Crew: Elliot See, Charles Bassett.
Original crew was killed in a crash, while flying to the McDonnell Aircraft plant in St. Louis, Missouri to inspect their spacecraft. -
Gemini 8
Crew: Nail Armstrong, Dave Scott.
Docked with Agena -
Gemini 12
Crew: Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell. Buzz Aldrin worked outside of a spacecraft to install a handrail between the Gemini and Agena; 3 EVAs, 59 orbits -
Apollo 1
Crew: Ed White, Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee. During training the fire started in the capsule and pure oxygen inside exploded. Whole crew was killed. -
Apollo 7
Crew: Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele, Walter Cunningham. First crewed Apollo mission. -
Apollo 8
Crew: Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, Bill Anders. First time when mankind left the orbit of Earth and reached a different astronomical object. First time when the man looked to the other side of the Moon with their eyes. -
Apollo 9
Crew: James McDivitt, David Scott, Russell Schweickart. Engineering test of the first crewed lunar landing module, verifying that the spacecraft is ready for landing on the Moon. -
Apollo 10
Crew: Thomas Stafford, John Young, Eugene Cernan.
Confirm all aspects of landing to the Moon, except actually landing. There was a shortage of fuel, so crew would not land on Moon. -
Apollo 11
Crew: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin.
First man on Moon - Neil Armstrong. (Second - Buzz Aldrin). “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", Neil Armstrong.