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First Satellite in space by USSR
The first Satellite launched by the USSR was Sputnik 1. Sputnik was around the size of a beach ball and had no passengers aboard it. -
First animal to orbit earth from USSR
The first animal to enter orbit was a dog named Laika who was launched on the spacecraft Sputnik 2. Her survival of the mission was never expected and she died around the craft's 4th orbit around the planet. No human astronauts were present because animal testing was the precursor to human space missions. -
First Satellite in space by USA
The first US craft to get to space was Explorer 1. It measured radiation in earth's orbit and discovered radiation belts. It orbited the earth around 12.54 times a day. -
Creation of NASA
President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 into law in July. NASA opened for business in October of the same year. NASA was created to be a non-military space organization. -
First Chimpanzee performing tasks in space
A chimpanzee designated "065" was sent into suborbit on the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission. Upon his safe return to earth he was named Ham. He was able to perform tasks in space and was in overall good physical health after returning. -
First man in space by USSR
Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first person to be sent into space. He went aboard Vostok 1 and completed one orbit of earth. -
First man in space from USA
The first American in space and the second person overall was Alan Shepard, who went in the Mercury-Redstone 3 or Freedom 7 craft. It was the first manned flight sent by Project Mercury. -
First man to orbit the earth from USA
The first American to orbit earth was John H. Glenn who was aboard the Mercury-Atlas 6 or Friendship 7 craft. Glenn orbited the earth three times before returning. -
JFK's "We choose to go to the moon"
"We choose to go to the moon" was a speech given by President JFK at Rice University to support his proposal of the goal to get a man on the moon before 1970. -
First man to do an Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) by USSR
The first man to complete a spacewalk was the cosmonaut Alexei Leonov on the mission Voskhod 2. The walk lasted roughly 12 minutes. -
Gemini III mission
Gemini III mission was the first crewed spacecraft for the Gemini program and the first time 2 American astronauts flew together on the same mission. The astronauts were Gus Grissom and John Young. It tested spacecraft maneuverability. -
First man to do an EVA by USA
The first American to do an EVA was Edward White during the Gemini IV mission. The spacewalk lasted around 23 minutes. -
Gemini VI-A and VII
First crewed vehicles to rendezvous. They did not dock but they got close enough to have been able to if they had been properly equipped to do so. Gemini VI-A was crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas P. Stafford. Gemini VII was crewed Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. Out of the two missions, Gemini VII was actually launched first after issues with the original Gemini VI caused cancellation. -
Gemini IX tragedy
The 2 astronauts originally assigned to the Gemini IX mission were killed in a NASA T-38 crash. There was poor weather but the end verdict was that the crash was caused by pilot error. The 2 fatalities were Elliot See and Charles Basset, both were killed immediately upon impact. However the tragedy did not cause any delays to the launch of Gemini IX-A with a new crew. -
Gemini XII
Gemini XII was the final mission of the Gemini program. It demonstrated that astronauts could successfully work outside the vehicle on spacewalks, and that crafts could successfully rendezvous and dock. It was crewed by James A. Lovell Jr and Buzz Aldrin. -
Apollo I tragedy
Apollo I was the planned first crewed mission of the Apollo program. The 3 crewmen: Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee, were all killed in a cabin fire during a launch rehearsal test. The fire was caused by a pure oxygen atmosphere, use of highly combustible material in the craft, and rescue wasn't possible due to the cabin pressure on the door. The mission was originally designated AS-204 but the widows of the astronauts requested the name be changed to Apollo 1 in their honor. -
Apollo VII
Apollo VII was the first crewed Apollo flight and the first crewed flight at all after the Apollo I disaster. It was crewed by Walter M. Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham. -
Apollo VIII
Apollo VIII was the first crewed spacecraft to leave earth's gravitational sphere of influence and the first human spaceflight to reach the moon, orbiting the moon ten times during the mission. It was crewed by Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders. The astronauts on Apollo VIII were the first people to see the dark side of the moon and witness an earthrise. -
Apollo IX
The Apollo IX mission tested the Apollo Lunar Module in preparation for future moon landings. They tested life support, navigation systems, and docking maneuvers. Apollo IX was crewed by James McDivitt, David Scott, and Rusty Schweickhart. -
Apollo X
Apollo X was the 2nd spaceflight to orbit the moon. It served as a "dress rehearsal" to the Apollo XI mission. It tested a lot of aspects to moon landing that would be used on the next mission. Apollo X was crewed by Thomas P. Strafford, John W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan. -
Apollo XI
Apollo XI was the first time that humans landed on the moon. It was crewed by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. It completed Kennedy's promise to get a man on the moon before the decade was out.