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Launching of Sputnik I
Sputnik I launched by the Soviet Union began the "space war" with the United States. -
Period: to
Space Race
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Explorer I
The first American satellite to reach orbit, is launched. It carried scientific equipment that lead to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt. -
Sputnik 3
Launched into space -
The Formation of NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA was formed by the U.S. during the space race. It controls all missions and launches to space. -
First American in Space
Soon after the russians sent a man in outer spaace, the United States sent Alan Shepard. He was on board a tiny mercury capsule by the name of Freedom 7. -
Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova
Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space. -
First space walk
Alexey Leonov was the first man out in actual space. He was outside the spacecraft for 12 minutes and 9 seconds. Leonov's space suit bcame infalted when he was trying to get back into the spacecraft. He was able to let some air out and barley make it back. -
Ed White
Ed White was the first American to complete a spacewalk. Ed White was in space for 23 mintues over Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico. -
Venera 3
The first spacecraft to reach another planet. It fails to return data. -
Venus's Atomosphere
Venera 4 transmits data about the atmosphere of Venus. -
The Moon
First manned soft landing on the Moon, and the first moonwalk, using Apollo 11. (Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin Jr.) -
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 was launched. Soon after entering space they suffered an explosion in their SM oxygen tanks. The Moon landing was aborted. -
Alan Shepard
He became the first American to enter space on May 5,1961. Though Shepard spent only 5 minutes in actual space aboard Freedom 7, he laid the groundwork for the United States to become the great innovator in space exploration we know today. Alan Shepard was grounded from 1963 to 1969 due to an inner ear ailment. After treatment, he was able to return to the corps of active astronauts and became the fifth man to walk on the Moon in 1971. While on the Moon Shepard played golf with a club he had car -
Jupiter
Pioneer 10 is launched towards Jupiter by the U.S. It returns the first close-up images of Jupiter in 1973. -
Apollo 17's Return from the Moon
Apollo 17 was the last or most recent moon landing by the United States. The crew consisted of Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt. The mission took about 12 days and no one has returned to the moon since.
