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Space Race
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Launching of Sputnik 1
The Russians put the first artificial satellite into space. The launching of Sputnik started the Space Race. Sputnik helps with research about the atmosphere. -
First Animal in Space
Laika was a Russian space dog who was the first animal to orbit the Earth. Laika was a stray dog who underwent training to be able to go into space. She was launched into space as an occupant of Sputnik 2. -
Van Allen Radiation Belts
The radiation belts were discovered by the first satellite put into orbit by the Amercians. The satellite was called Explorer 1. Explorer one remained in space until 1970. -
Formation of NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration better known as NASA was formed by the United States in 1958. NASA controls the space missions. -
Photo of Earth
The first photo of Earth from space was taken by Explorer 6. Explorer 6 Was launched on August 7, and was to be in orbit for 60 days. It debuted a scanning device meant to photgraph Earth's cloud cover. -
A Photo of the Far Side of the Moon
Russia's Luna 3 was the first to photgraph the far side of the moon. The far side of the moon is permanently turned away from the earth. The far side of the moon looks a lot different compared to the near side. -
First Man in Space
Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Cosmonaut, was the first to travel into space. He became an instant celebrity. Gagarin was awarded many medals and honors. Vostok 1 was his only spaceflight. -
First Woman in Orbit
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, a Soviet Cosmonaut, was the first woman in space. She was selected out a four hundred applicants to pilot Vostok 6. She performed many tests on herself to record data on the female body's reaction to spaceflights. -
First Space Walk
Alexei Leonov was the first man to ever perform a spacewalk. He was a Russian Cosmonaut and an Air Force Major General. His walk in space was to take place on the Vostok 11 mission, but it was cancelled and he walked in space on the Voskhod 2 mission. His spacesuit inflated while he was in space and he barely got back safely. -
Venera 3
The first sattelite to land on another planet. Venera 3 was launched on November 16,1965 and landed in March of 1966. The space probe was built by the Soviets to explore the surface of Venus. -
Apollo 1 Disaster
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned lunar landing for America. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 killed all three crew members. The Apollo 1 disaster postponed all other manned flights in the NASA program. -
Apollo 8
Apollo 8 was the second manned Apollo flight and the first to leave Earth orbit. The crew consisted of Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders. They were the first humans to go beyond low Earth orbit, see Earth as a whole planet, and see the far side of the Moon. -
First Lunar Landing
Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the moon. The crew consisted of Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. The crew safely returned to Earth with 47.5 pounds of lunar rocks. -
Mariner 9
Mariner 9 was a NASA space orbiter that was sent to explore Mars. Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971 and reached it on November 13 of the same year. It almost didn't beat Soviet Mars 2 and Mars 3, which both arrived within a month. -
Apollo 17's Return
Eugene Cernan was the last man ever to set foot on the moon. Just like the famous quote of Neil Armstrong, Cernan has a famous quote of his own that he spoke just before returning to the module.
