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Explorer 1
The Explorer 1 was the first American craft to reach outer space. The United Stated was catching up with the USSR in the space race.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/explorer/explorer-overview.html -
N.A.S.A.
The United Stated created the government agency NASA. Or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is an administration that monitors the missions and explorations of America's crafts.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html -
Spacecraft to the Moon
The USSR spacecraft Luna 1 was launched and was the first man made object to reach the moon. It was the first of a series of Soviet atomatic interplanetary stations successfully launched in the direction of the moon. It served as an experiment of the behavior of gasses in outer space.
(http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1959-012A) -
First Person into Space
The USSR sent the first person, Yuri Gagarin, into space on the Vostok 1 craft. Yuri prooved that people can survive in space and successfully orbit in a 108 minute stay in space.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/sts1/gagarin_anniversary.html -
First American in Space
Alan Shepard was titled the first American in space. The Americans could tell that they were one step closer to reaching the moon, and the victory of the cold war.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/who-was-alan-shepard-k4.html -
Orbiting the Earth
John Glenn was the first American to successfully orbit the Earth. This achevement prooved that humans can spend a lot of time in space with the equipment they have. That means that they may be able to send someone to the moon.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/glennbio.html -
Mars Images
The Mariner 4 was a craft that orbited Mars and took many pictures of its surface. The readings that it took helped NASA and other orginazations find a way to get and successfully land on Mars.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1964-077A -
Venera 3
The Venera 3 was the first spacecraft to impact Venus. This discovory could of lead to understanding space and planets more. However, the communications had failed before the data could be sent.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1965-092A -
Luna 10
The Luna 10 was sent to the moon to record data for the soon to be moon launch. When the craft orbited the moon, it sent its pictures back and the data to the Earth.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1966-027A -
Zond 5
The Zond 5 craft was the first craft to orbit the moon and come back to earth. Very high quality pictures were recorded because of its flight so close to the moon.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/masterCatalog.do?sc=1968-076A -
Moon Launch
The USA sent three astronauts to the surface of the moon. Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin were the first men to step foot on the moon. This recorded many pieces of data that spacecrafts could. America then won the cold war.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11.html