Space Race

By calzavala

  • Launching of Sputnik (Soviet)

    Launching of Sputnik (Soviet)
    The Soviet Union succesfully launched Sputnik I, the wordl's first artificial satellite. it weighed only 183.9 pounds and took 98 minutes to orbit the Earth

  • First animal (Soviet)

    First animal (Soviet)
    The USSR sends Sputnik II, along with dog passenger Laika. She died withink hours after lunch most probably due to overheating.

  • Explorer 1 (American)

    Explorer 1 (American)
    Explorer 1, the first American satellite to reach orbit, is launched. It carried scientific equipment that lead to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt.

  • Discoverer XIV (American)

    Discoverer XIV (American)
    America launches Discoverer XIV. This was the first camera equipped spy satellite.

  • First Orbit (Soviet)

    First Orbit (Soviet)
    Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth once and becomes the first man in space.

  • First American (American)

    First American (American)
    The Freedom 7 spacecraft takes off and Alan B. Sheppard becomes the first American into outer space.

  • Grissom (American)

    Grissom (American)
    Astronaut Gus Grissom is launched in a sub-orbital flight and is almost killed upon landing. Water fills his Liberty-Bell capsule and it sinks.

  • Close Images (American)

    Close Images (American)
    The Ranger 7 spacecraft transmits the first close range photos of the moon.

  • Spacewalk (Soviet)

    Spacewalk (Soviet)
    Alexei Leonov spends 12 minutes outside of his Voskhod spacecraft performing the first spacewalk.

  • Luna 10 (Soviet)

    Luna 10 (Soviet)
    Luna 10 was the first satellite to reach the vicinity of the Moon and then go into orbit around it.

  • Apollo Disaster (American)

    Apollo Disaster (American)
    Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee are killed when a fire is started in their Apollo 1 capsule

  • Soyuz 1 fail (Soviet)

    Soyuz 1 fail (Soviet)
    Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov is killed when the parachutes of his Soyuz 1 capsule fail to open properly following re-entry.

  • Venera 4 (Soviet)

    Venera 4 (Soviet)
    The Venera 4 spacecraft transmits data after entering Venus' atmosphere.

  • First Moon walk (American)

    First Moon walk (American)
    Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon. Armstrong famously says the phrase 'One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.'

  • Apollo 17 return (American)

    Apollo 17 return (American)
    The eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. It was also the final manned launch of a Saturn V booster.