Space Exploration

Sputnik 1

Oct 1, 1957

Russians Launch the First Artificial Sattelite, Sputnik 1

1957 - 2016

Period: Oct 1, 1957 to Jan 1, 2016

Sputnik 2

Nov 1, 1957

A Dog Named Laika Becomes the First Living Creature Sent from Earth into Space, abourd Russia's Sputnik 2

Explorer 1

Jan 1, 1958

Launch of the First US Sattelite, Exploror 1

Luna 3

Oct 1, 1959

Russian Probe Luna 3 Sends First Pictures of The Far Side of the Moon

Chimpanzee in Space

Jan 1, 1961

NASA Launches a Chimpanzee named Ham into Space Aboard a Mercury Rocket

Vostok 1

Apr 1, 1961

Russian Yuri Gagarin Becomes the First Person in Space in a 108 Minute Flight aboard Vostok 1

Freedom 7

May 1, 1961

First American in Space, Alan Sheppard in Freedom 7

Friendship 7

Feb 1, 1962

First Astronaut to Orbit the Earth, John Glenn, USA in Friendship 7

Mariner 2

Dec 1, 1962

NASA's Mariner 2 Scans the Surface of Venus

Vostok 6

Jun 1, 1963

Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova Becomes teh First Woman in Space, Aboard Vostok 6

First Space Walk

Mar 1, 1965

Soviet Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov Mkaes the First Space Walk

Mariner 4

Jul 1, 1965

Mariner 4 Flies by Mars

First Moon Landing

Feb 1, 1966

First Moon Landing by Soviet Space Craft Luna 9

Apollo 1 Deaths

Jan 1, 1967

A Fire on the Launch Pad of Apollo 1 Kills 3 US Astronauts

Death in Space

Apr 1, 1967

First Death in Space, Soviet Cosmonaut Vladimir Komorov

Venera 4

Oct 1, 1967

Soviet Craft Venera 4 Lands on Venus

Apollo 8

Dec 1, 1968

First Crewed Space Craft to Orbit the Moon

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind

Jul 1, 1969

US Astronaut Neil Armstrong Becomes the First Person to Walk on the Moon

Vehicle Drives on Mars

Nov 1, 1970

Russian Rover Becomes the First Vehicle to Drive on the Moon

Salyut 1

Apr 1, 1971

Launch of the First Space Station

Pioneer 11

Sep 1, 1973

First Saturn Fly By (Pioneer 11)

Pioneer 10

Dec 1, 1973

First Space Probe to Fly by Jupiter, Pioneer 10

Mariner 10

Mar 1, 1974

First Space Probe to Fly by Mercury

Apollo/Soyuz

Jul 1, 1975

First US and Soviet Space Craft Docking (Apollo/Soyuz)

Mars Landing

Jul 1, 1976

First Successful Landing on Mars (Viking 1)

First Space Shuttle Launch

Apr 1, 1981

First Space Shuttle Launch (Columbia)

Uranus Fly By

Jan 1, 1986

First Uranus Fly By Uranus (Voyager 2)

Challenger

Jan 1, 1986

Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes During Launch, Killing all Seven Crew

MIR

Feb 1, 1986

Lauch of Russian Space Station MIR

Giotto

Mar 1, 1986

First Fly by of Halley's Comet by European Space Probe Giotto

Neptune

Aug 1, 1989

First Neptune Fly By Voyager 2

HST

Apr 1, 1990

Space Shuttle, Discovery Launches the Hubble Space Telescope

ISS

Nov 1, 1998

First Part of the ISS Launches

Climate Orbiter

Sep 1, 1999

Mars Climate Orbiter Disappers after Orbiting Mars

Tourists

Apr 1, 2001

First Tourist in Space, Dennis Tito

How long Left

Aug 1, 2015

We Start to Find out How Long we Have Left

Lettuce

Aug 1, 2015

Space Produced and Tasted Lettuce is Made on the ISS, Showing Hope for Future Years