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First Artificial Satellite
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. -
Period: to
Space exploration
From October 4, 1957 till January 1, 2000 -
First Animal in Orbit
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2 with the first animal aborde, Laika a dog. -
First Successful American Satellite
After one failed atempt, America launches Explorer 1 which acheives an orbit extending 1,560 miles. -
NASA is Born
Congressional leaders create and sign the National Aeronautics and Space Act. NASA begins operation on October 1st. -
First Human in Space
The Soviet Union launches cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin on a 108-minute flight. Gagarin was the first person to succesful orbit the globe. -
First American in Space
Astronaut Alan Shepard was the fist american to go into space. His suborbital flight lasted 15 minutes. -
First American to Orbit the Earth
John H. Glenn orbits the Earth three times in a nearly five-hour flight. -
First Spacewalk
Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov exits his Voskhod 2 capsule for a 12-minute spacewalk. -
First U.S. Space Tragedy
As the US prepared for a three-man Apollo moon mission, a fire breaks out in a routine ground test. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were killed in the fire. -
First Manned Apollo Mission
Apollo 7 was the first Apollo mission to get astronauts off the ground. -
First Manned Moon Orbital Launch
Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders become the first to leave the gravitational influence of the Earth in a six day flight. -
First Manned Moon Landing
Apollo 11 touches down on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., descend to the surface. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," --- Armstrong. -
Launch of Apollo 13
Intended to make the third lunar landing, Apollo 13 is most of the way to the moon when an explosion in its service module oxygen tanks cripples it. Astronauts James Lovell, Jr., John Swigert, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr., use the lunar module as a lifeboat, slingshot around the moon, and return safely to Earth -
First Occupation of Space Station
After an earlier attempt that failed due to a jammed hatch, three cosmonauts from the Soviet Union's Soyuz 11 mission successfully board the Salyut 1 space station. Their 24-day mission conducts scientific experiments and sets a new endurance record for space travel. -
First Rover on the Moon
Apollo 15 carries an electric cart, like a stripped-down, foldable golf cart, to the moon. The rover, capable of carrying two astronauts plus supplies, greatly extends their exploration range -
First American Space Station Launched
Skylab is launched on what will prove to be a six-year mission -
First International Space Rendezvous
U.S. and Russian astronauts practice détente in space, Crews from Apollo 18 and Soyuz 19 meet in Earth orbit, shake hands on live TV, and spend two days together. -
First U.S. Mars Landing
Viking 1 soft-lands on Mars. Pictures show a stark, rocky landscape much like some Earthly deserts. -
Voyagers 1 and 2 Launched
Through August and September NASA launches Voyagers 1 and 2 on a grand tour of the solar system. -
First Space Shuttle Launch
NASA debuts its manned cosmic commuter, the space shuttle, with the first-ever launch of Columbia. -
First Operational Space Shuttle Mission
The first space shuttle, Columbia, carries a crew of four—the largest crew ever to be launched into space on a single vehicle—on its first true mission. -
First American Woman in Space
Sally K. Ride lifts off on the space shuttle Challenger to become the first American woman in space. -
First Untethered Spacewalk
In the first test of NASA's new Manned Maneuvering Unit, a sort of rocket backpack designed to fit over the astronauts' normal spacesuits, astronaut Bruce McCandless exits the space shuttle Challenger without a safety line. -
Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion
In a disaster seen live on television, the space shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after liftoff. All seven astronauts are killed, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. -
Mir Space Station Launched
The first section of the Russian Mir space station, called the core module, is launched on a Proton rocket. -
Hubble Space Telescope Deployed
A day after launching, the space shuttle Discovery opens its cargo bay doors to deploy a unique cargo: the 12-ton Hubble Space Telescope. -
Pathfinder Probe Landing on Mars
Descending by parachute and protected by inflated airbags, the Mars Pathfinder probe breaks through the thin Martian atmosphere, settles to the surface, and bounces at least 15 times before coming to rest. -
John Glenn's Return to Space
Thirty-six years after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, former astronaut John Glenn boards the space shuttle Discovery for a triumphant return.
