Space Exploration Timeline

By Jacksons School Acc

  • Sputnik 1

    Russians launch the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1

  • Sputnik 2

    A dog named Laika becomes the first living creature sent from Earth into space, aboard Russia's Sputnik 2

  • Explorer 1

    Launch of the first US satellite, Explorer 1

  • Luna 3

    Russian probe Luna 3 sends first pictures of the far side of the moon

  • Chimpanzee aboard Mercury Rocket

    NASA launch a chimpanzee named Ham into space aboard a Mercury rocket

  • First person into space

    Russian Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space in a 108 minute flight in Vostok 1

  • First American into space

    First American into space (Alan Shepard)

  • First astronaut to orbit

    First astronaut to orbit the Earth (John Glenn, USA)

  • Mariner 2

    NASA's Mariner 2 scans the surface of Venus

  • First woman in space

    Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, aboard Vostok 6

  • First space walk

    Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov makes the first space walk.

  • Mariner 4

    Mariner 4 flies by Mars

  • Luna 9

    First Moon landing (by Soviet spacecraft Luna 9)

  • Apollo 1 fire on launch pad

    A fire on the launch pad of Apollo 1 kills three US astronauts

  • First death in space

    First death in space (Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komorov

  • Venera 1

    Soviet craft Venera 4 lands on Venus

  • Apollo 8

    First crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon (Apollo 8)

  • First person on the Moon

    US astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon.

  • First vehicle on the Moon

    Russian rover the first vehicle to drive on the Moon

  • the Soviet Salyut 1

    Launch f the first space station (the Soviet Salyut 1)

  • Pioneer 10

    First space probe to fly-by Jupiter

  • Mariner 10

    First space probe to fly-by Mercury (Mariner 10)

  • Apollo/Soyuz Docking

    First US and Soviet spacecraft docking (Apollo/Soyuz)

  • Viking 1, Mars Probe

    First successful landing on Mars by space probe Viking 1

  • Pioneer 11

    First Saturn fly-by (Pioneer 11)

  • Columbia

    First space shuttle launch (Columbia)

  • Voyager 2

    First Uranus fly-by (Uranus)

  • Challenger Explosion

    Space shuttle Challenger explodes during launch, killing all seven crew

  • Mir Space Station

    Launch of Russian space station Mir

  • Giotto, Halleys Comet fly-by

    First fly-by of Halley's Comet (by European space probe Giotto)

  • Voyager 2

    First Neptune fly-by (Voyager 2)

  • Discovery/ Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

    Space shuttle Discovery launches the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

  • International Space Station (ISS)

    The first part of the International Space Station (ISS) launched

  • Climate Orbiter Disappearance

    Mars Climate Orbiter disappears after orbiting Mars

  • Polar Lander Disapperance

    Mars Polar Lander disappears, creating further embarrassment for NASA

  • Mir Space Station Abandoned

    Mir space station abandoned and crashes off the coast of Australia in the Pacific Ocean

  • Dennis Tito, the space tourist

    First tourist in space, Dennis Tito

  • Columbia Explosion

    Space shuttle Columbia explodes on re-entry, killing all seven astronauts

  • Twin Mars Landers

    Twin Mars Lander missions 'spirit' and 'opportunity' land on Mars

  • ISS Completition

    The International Space Station is completed construction

  • New Horizons Mission

    First fly-by of dwarf planet Pluto

  • Car In Space

    Space X launches the Falcon Heavy rocket into space with the two side boosters landing simultaneously at adjacent ground pads for re-use. Tesla convertible car with mannequin driver extends from the rocket into space while being live streamed with 2.3 concurrent viewers