The Space Race

Plans are made for Sputnik (USSR)

Dec 17, 1954

Chief Soviet rocket scientist Sergei Korolev addressed Minister of Defence Dimitri Ustinov and proposed a developmental plan for an artificial satellite. This begined the Space Race.

Space Race

Period: Jan 1, 1957 to Jan 1, 1976

When USA and USSR had the Space Race

Sputnik 1 Launching (USSR)

Oct 4, 1957

Sputnik is launced in Gagarin's Start. Solviets start winning the race.

Sputnik 2 Launching (USSR)

Nov 3, 1957

Had the first living organism, a dog named Laika.

Explorer 1 Launching (USA)

Feb 1, 1958

First american artificial satellite. It was a response to Sputnik 1 and 2.

Luna 1 Launching (USSR)

Jan 2, 1959

Ment to hit the Moon, but missed and became the first spacecraft to escape geocentric orbit and also the first to reach the heliocentric orbit.

Luna 2 Launching (USSR)

Sep 12, 1959

First probe to reach the Moon two days after it was launched

1960 Election (USA)

Jan 20, 1961

Eisenhower left office and Kennedy took it. Kennedey did not want to help with the Space Race at this time.

Venera 1 Launch (USSR)

Feb 12, 1961

First to flyby Venus

Vostok 1 Launching (USSR) and Kennedy's Mind Changed (USA)

Apr 12, 1961

This was the spacecraft that carried the first human into space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. He is credited as the first cosmonaut. Kennedy decided to start supporting the race after this happened.

Mercury-Redstone 3 or Freedom 7 Launching (USA)

May 5, 1961

First american spacecraft to carry an astronaut into space, Alan Shepard. Even though he was not in spaceorbit he was the first to manual control his altitud and retro-rocket firing.

Ariel 1 Launching (UK/USA)

Apr 26, 1962

First satellite controlled by another contry other than the USSR or USA. It was made by americans and sent in an american rocket

Telstar 1 Launching (USA)

Jul 10, 1962

Telstar was part of a multi-national agreement among AT&T (US), Bell Telephone Laboratories (US), NASA (US), GPO (UK) and the National PTT (France) to develop experimental satellite communications over the Atlantic Ocean.

Mariner 2 Launched (USA)

Aug 27, 1962

First american craft to fly by a planet, Venus

Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort (USA)

Sep 12, 1962

"We choose to go to the moon" speech that Kennedy gave saying that we would reach the moon before the decade was over.

Alouette 1 Launching (CAN/USA)

Sep 29, 1962

First satellite made by another contry other than the USSR or USA. Canada sent this on an american rocket.

Vostok 6 Launched (USSR)

Jun 16, 1963

This craft had the first women in space

John F. Kennedy Spaces Center (USA)

Nov 29, 1963

Johnson renamed NASA's Apollo Launch Operations Center and the NASA/Air Force Cape Canaveral launch facilities as the John F. Kennedy Space Center

Astérix Launching (FRA/ALG)

Nov 26, 1965

This is the third country to put a satillate all by itself into space but the fifth to have a satillate. It was launching in Algeria

San Marco 1 Launching (ITA/USA)

Dec 15, 1965

Sixth country to have control of a satellite. It was sent in an american rocket.

Apollo 1 Accident (USA)

Jan 27, 1967

A fire starts inside the Apollo 1 capsule, killing astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee.

Soyuz 1 Accident (USSR)

Apr 24, 1967

Soyuz 1 crashed in re-entery killing cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov.

WRESAT Launched (AUS/USA/UK)

Nov 29, 1967

Australia was the Seventh country that controled a satellite following USSR, USA, UK, CAN, FRA, and ITA, and was the third to launching in its own territory. THe rocket used, Sparta, was made in a colabragte effort of australia, america, and britian.

Apollo 8 Launching (USA)

Dec 21, 1968

It was the first to reach the moons orbit.

Apollo 11 Launching (USA)

Jul 16, 1969

Apollo is launched and would be the first to land on the moon on July 20, 1969. Americans beat the russians to the moon. Neil A. Armstrong is the first to walk on the moon. This was acomplished with only 160 days left for the decade to be over.

Ōsumi Launching (JPN)

Feb 11, 1970

Japan was the fourth contry to put a satellite into space all by itself.

Apollo 13 Accident (USA)

Apr 11, 1970

Was intended to land on moon, but after oxygen tank exploded it barely returned. Fortunally, no one died.

Dong Fang Hong I/Red East 1 Launching (PRC)

Apr 24, 1970

China became this fifth contry to send a satellite by itself into space. With this China thought that they could be a Super Power of the time too

Venera 7 (USSR)

Aug 17, 1970

It was the spacecraft to softland on an other planet and the first to send signals back. It landed on December 15, 1970

Salyut 1 Launching (USSR)

Apr 19, 1971

First Space Station

Mars 2 Launching (USSR)

May 19, 1971

First USSR spacecraft to reach Mars. It was launched before Mariner 9 but got there after on 27 November 1971. It later impacted on Mars.

Mariner 9 Launching (USA)

May 30, 1971

First spacecraft in Martion orbit. Even thought launched in after Mars 2 it got there before. on November 14, 1971

Fallen Astronaut (USA)

Aug 1, 1971

An aluminum statuette was left with a plaque that had the name of 14 astronauts and cosmonauts that had died before that time by an Apollo 15 crewmember.

Prospero Launched (UK/AUS)

Oct 28, 1971

The UK was the six country to put a satellite in space all by it self. It was launched in Australia.

Pioneer 10 Launching (USA)

Mar 3, 1972

This craft was the first to leave the inner solar system on July 15, 1972 and the first to reach Jupiter on December 3, 1974

Apollo - Soyuz Test Project or ASTP (USA/USSR)

Jul 15, 1975

Apollo CSM-111 was launched and later connected with Soyuz 19 in space. This ended the Space Race and was a deplomatic effort to lossen tension between the USA and USSR.