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First satellite in space by USSR
History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 inches in diameter), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. (Google search;First satellite in space by USSR) -
First animal in space by USSR
On 3 November 1957, the second-ever orbiting spacecraft carried the first animal into orbit, the dog Laika, launched aboard the Soviet Sputnik 2 spacecraft (nicknamed 'Muttnik' in the West). Laika died during the flight, as was intended because the technology to return from orbit had not yet been developed. (google search;First animal in space by USSR) -
First satellite in space by USA
The first successful U.S. satellite, Explorer I, was launched into Earth orbit by the Army on Jan. 31, 1958, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, four months after Russia orbited Sputnik. The 18-pound satellite had a cylindrical shape and was 80 inches long and six inches in diameter (Google search:First satellite in space by USA) -
Creation of NASA
While this new federal agency would conduct all non-military space activity, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was created in February 1958 to develop space technology for military application. On July 29, 1958, Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, establishing NASA. (Google search:Creation of NASA) -
First animal in space by USA
Ham, the First Chimpanzee in Space. On January 31, 1961 Ham became the first chimpanzee in space. (Google search:when was ham the chimp launched into space) -
First man to orbit Earth by USSR
On April 12, 1961, aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space. During the flight, the 27-year-old test pilot and industrial technician also became the first man to orbit the planet, a feat accomplished by his space capsule in 89 minutes. (Google search:First man to orbit Earth by USSR) -
First man in space by USSR
Yuri Gagarin was the first person to fly in space. His flight, on April 12, 1961, lasted 108 minutes as he circled the Earth for a little more than one orbit in the Soviet Union's Vostok spacecraft. Following the flight, Gagarin became a cultural hero in the Soviet Union. (Google search:First man in space by USSR) -
First man in space by USA
Alan Shepard became the first American in space when the Freedom 7 spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 5, 1961, aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket. (Google search:First man in space by USA) -
JFK's speech and commitment to getting to the moon
Kennedy stood before Congress on May 25, 1961, and proposed that the US "should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." ... Kennedy's goal gave a specific mission to NASA's Apollo program. (Google search:JFK's speech and commitment to getting to the moon) -
First man to orbit Earth by USA
On February 20, 1962, Glenn flew the Friendship 7 mission, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, and the fifth person and third American in space. (Google search:First man to orbit Earth by USA) -
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What were the goals of the gemini missions?
Gemini had four main goals: to test an astronaut's ability to fly long-duration missions (up to two weeks in space); to understand how spacecraft could rendezvous and dock in orbit around the Earth and the moon; to perfect re-entry and landing methods; and to further understand the effects of longer space flights on ... (Google search:What were the goals of the gemini missions?) -
First man to do an EVA by USSR
The first EVA was performed on March 18, 1965, by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who spent 12 minutes and 9 seconds outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft. (Google search:First man to do an EVA by USSR) -
First man to do an EVA by USA
Ed White Closeup During Spacewalk
This close-up photo shows Ed White during his Gemini IV spacewalk, AKA extravehicular activity (EVA), as he became the first American astronaut to walk in space on June 3, 1965. (Google earth:First man to do an EVA by USA) -
Apollo 1
THE doomed Apollo 1 crew's chilling last moments have been revealed by a renowned flight director who was listening in from Mission Control. Three astronauts were killed when a rocket burst into flames on the launchpad in Cape Caneveral in 1967. -
Apollo 7-11
The primary objectives for the Apollo 7 engineering test flight, were simple: "Demonstrate CSM/crew performance; demonstrate crew/space vehicle/mission support facilities performance during a manned CSM mission; demonstrate CSM rendezvous capability."J (Google search:Apollo 7-11)
