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Launching of Sputnik 1
First human made object to orbit the Earth. Made by the Soviet Union. -
Launching of Laika
Laika was the first and only dog to go out in to space but also the first to die in space. Launched by the Soviet Union, knowing that she would never come back. -
Launching of Explorer 1
First man made object to be launched by the U.S. It Was the first spacecraft to detect the Van Allen Radiation Belt. -
Luna 1
Also known as "Cosmic Ship." Launched by the Soviet Union. First man made spacecraft to orbit the sun. -
Discoverer XIV
The Corona satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, and other areas beginning in June 1959. -
Alan B. Shepard becomes the first American in space
Alan was the second man in space, behind the Russian, but the first American in Space. He was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut. Mr. Shepard would later command Apollo 14 and become the fifth man to walk on the moon and also served as chief of the Astronaut office. He died in July 21, 1998, and had alot to be remembered by. Made by the U.S. -
John Glenn first man to orbit the Earth
John was a marine corps pilot before becoming an astronaut. He is now a United Staes Senator, who orbited the Earth in Friendship 7. He received a Congressional Space Metal of Honor in 1978 and was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990. He is the oldest person to fly in space and is still living. Made by the U.S> -
Leroy Gordon Cooper last man in space alone
Gordon spent 34 hours in space who was also known as Gordo Cooper. He was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and a NASA astronaut. Fist man to sleep in orbit and also the longest of the Mercury project was commanded by Gordon. He was the last man launced alone into Earth's orbit for a solo mission, who recently died on October 4, 2004. -
Valentina Tereshkova
Cosmonaut Valentia Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space. She commanded the Vostok 6 and became not only the first woman in space but also the first civilian in space. Ms. Tereshkova was a textile-factory assembly worker before becoming a cosmonaut. On her mission she performed various tests to see how a woman's body reacts to being in spaceflight. She is still living and has made history. -
Astronaut Theodore Freeman dies
Theodore Freeman dies in a plane crash. He was a NASA astronaut and a captain in the United Sates Air Force. He was killed in a T-38 Jet crash marking the first Fatality among the American Astronaunt corps. -
First Gemini spacecraft
First Gemini spacecraft was commanded by Gus Grissom and John Young. Gemini was the second human spaceflight program. -
First soft landing on the moon
First soft landing on the moon was made by Luna 9 which was made by the Soviet Union. Luna 9 also transmitted photographic data back to Earth. Luna weighed 99 kg and used a landing bag and survived the impact at 15meters/ second. -
Clifton Williams death
Astronaut Clifton was killed in a plane crash. He had never been in space but was a backup pilot for the Gemini 10 mission . He was suppose to have been the Lunar Module for the Apollo 12 mission but do to his death he was replaced. He was the fourth Astronaut from NASA's Astronaut Group 3 to have died . He diesd in a T-38 Jet in Florida right outside of Tallahassee. -
Soyuz 4 and 5
Soyuz 4 performed the first Soviet spacecraft docking. Commanded by Cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov, his first flight, was a mission to dock with Soyuz 5 transfer two crew memebers and head back to Earth. There were previous Soyuz dock attempts but had failed. -
Apollo 17's return from the moon
Apollo 17 was the final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt where the last men to orbit the moon.
