Spacerace

Palaita Space Race Timeline

By palainer

  • First animal in space by USA

    First animal in space by USA
    The first animal launched into space by the USA were fruit flies on the V2 rocket. Scientists launched them because they were studying the effects of radiation at high levels of altitude.

  • First satellite by USSR

    First satellite by USSR
    The Soviet Union named it Sputnik I, which was actually the size of a beach ball and weighed 183.9 lbs. It took a total of 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. The scientist behind the spacecraft is Mikhail Klavdievich.

  • First animal in space by USSR

    First animal in space by USSR
    Laika is a dog that was actually during the second orbiting spacecraft named the Soviet Sputnik 2. He died during flight, which was expected because the technology to return hasn't been developed yet. The scientist that created the spacecraft was Sergey Korolev, who was ordered by Nikita Khrushchev.

  • First satellite in space by USA

    First satellite in space by USA
    Explorer 1 was the first successful satellite was launched into orbit around the Earth by the Army at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellite was 18 lbs and 80 inches long, six inches wide in diameter with a cylindrical shape. This spacecraft was designed and built by James Allen.

  • Creation of NASA

    Creation of NASA
    NASA stands for The National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that's responsible for the civilian space program. Eisenhower was the individual who signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which established NASA.

  • First man in space by USSR

    First man in space by USSR
    The first man sent to space by the USSR was Yuri Gagarin, which he also happened to be the first man in space. His orbit lasted 108 minutes as he circled Earth a little more than one orbit in the Vostok spacecraft. Following this event he became the cultural hero.

  • First man to orbit Earth by USSR

    First man to orbit Earth by USSR
    Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space to orbit Earth by USSR, as the Soviet Air Forces pilot and cosmonaut. He completed one orbit around Earth as his mission.

  • First man in space by USA

    First man in space by USA
    Alan Shepard was the first man in space by USA when he used the Freedom 7 spacecraft that was blasted from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

  • JFK's Speech and Commitment on Getting to the Moon

    JFK's Speech and Commitment on Getting to the Moon
    President John F. Kennedy announced to the Congress his goal of sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade. Some influences of this decision was the urge to catch up with the USSR during the Space Race. This is when the Apollo project came into play due to coming up with the perfect conditions in order to send an astronaut into space and back safely.

  • First man to orbit Earth by USA

    First man to orbit Earth by USA
    John Glenn was the first American who orbited Earth in 4 hours and 56 minutes where he circled the Earth 3 times in the Friendship 7 spacecraft.

  • First man to do an EVA by USSR

    First man to do an EVA by USSR
    Alexei Leonov was the first cosmonaut from USSR to complete the extravehicular activity. He performed the spacewalk for 12 minutes and 9 seconds outside of the Voskhod 2 spacecraft.

  • First man to do an EVA by USA

    First man to do an EVA by USA
    Ed White became the first man to do an extravehicular activity or spacewalk by USA. He used the Gemini IV spacecraft during his mission.