-
First Satellite
The USSR launched the first satellite into orbit. It was named Sputnik 1. -
First living creature in orbit
The USSR used Sputnik 2 to send a dog named Laika into orbit. -
First U.S Satellite
The U.S launched their first satellite named Explorer 1. It was the first retaliation in the space race against the Soviets. -
First Communications Satellite
The U.S launched the first satellite for communications on board the Atlas Rocket -
First Weather Satellite
The U.S launched the first weather satellite named Vanguard 2. It measured cloud-cover distribution. -
1st successful recovery of a satellite from orbit
NASA satellite "Discoverer 13" was the first satellite and first man-made object recovered from space. It beat out the Soviet Korabl Sptunik 2 by 9 days. -
Luna 2
Soviet guidance systems proved to outdo U.S guidance systems when Luna 2 was successfully guided to crash on the moon. -
First Living things returned from Space
The USSR was the first to send and return living things from space with their Sputnik 5. On board were 2 dogs named Belka and Strelka as well as many other plants and animals. -
Nedelin catastrophe
A prototype of the Soviet missile ICBM R-16 blew up on the launchpad and killed many technical personnel. -
First Human in Space
The Soviets launched Yuri Gagarin on the Vostok 1 into space. -
Mercury-Redstone 3
The United States sent Alan Shepard into space as a response to the Soviets sending Yuri Gagarin. Shepard became 1st American to go to space. -
First Planetary Flyby
Venera 1 was a Soviet spacecraft the successfully flew by Venus. -
First Woman in Space
Valentina Tereshkova was a Soviet astronaut who became the first woman to go to space. She made here journey in the Vostok 6. -
First spaceplane
NASA developed the first spaceplane named the X-15. It flew at the edge of outer space. -
First Spacecraft Docking
NASA's Gemini 8 successfully docked with the Agena target vehicle. -
Apollo 1
During a launch rehearsal for the Apollo 1 mission, U.S astronauts Edward White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee died of an accidental fire in the cabin. -
First crew Exchange in Space
Two crew members exchanged between the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5. -
1st Moon Landing
The U.S achieved the ultimate goal of putting a man on the moon, and they did it before the Soviets. The missions was Apollo 11 and the man who went was Neil Armstrong. -
First accurately targeted moon landing.
American spacecraft, Apollo 12, landed precisely on the moon at the site of the Surveyor 3 probe. -
Apollo 13 Incident
On board Apollo 13 a liquid oxygen tank ruptured and crippled the spacecraft during its mission. The American crew barely managed to make it back to earth. -
Luna 16
USSR mission Luna 16 was the first to have a robot automatically return a sample from another celestial body. It got its sample from the moon. -
Lunokhod 1
The USSR Lunokhod 1 mission involved the first remote-controlled mobile vehicle on another planet. The moon. -
First Space Station
Salyut 1 was the first space station, and it was made by the Soviets. -
Soyuz 11
The crew capsule of the Soyuz 11 depressurized during reentry tragically killing all three Soviets who were piloting it. -
1st spacecraft to orbit another planet
NASA probe Mariner 9 got into the orbitof Mars. -
Mars 3
USSR space probe, Mars 3, was the first soft landing on mars and sent the first signals from mars. -
Mariner 10
NASA was the first to do a gravitational assist when its, Mariner 10, flew by Venus. -
First Mercury Flyby
In addition to being the first space probe to perform a gravitational assist from a planet, NASA's Mariner 10 was also the first space Probe to fly by Mercury. -
Pioneer 10
The Pioneer 10 was the first probe to fly by Jupiter. It was a NASA probe. -
End of the space race
The Soviets and the United States ended their competition against each other by working together on the Apollo Soyuz Test Project.
