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Space race: U.S.S.R.-U.S
The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals,the Soviet Union and U.S, for superior spaceflight.It has its roots in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations after WWII.The technological advantage demonstrated by the achievement of space aircraft was considered essential for national security and was part time.He has brought artificial satellite launches,pioneering space probes to the Moon and human flight to low Earth orbit. -
Sputnik I
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into space, which at 83 kilograms and the approximate size of a basketball, became the first human-made satellite to orbit the Earth. -
Laika, the astronaut dog
On November 3, 1957, the dog Laika became the first animal to travel into space aboard Sputnik 2. A week after launch, the dog died due to lack of oxygen. -
The first solar-powered satellite
NASA launched Vanguard 1 into orbit, first solar-powered satellite and a major victory for the United States in the space race. The prime minister of the Soviet Union at the time, Nikita Khrushchev, disparaged him by referring to him as "a grapefruit". However, the considerably larger Sputnik satellites fell out of orbit and burned up on their way back to Earth while Vanguard 1 is still in space. Today it is still the oldest artificial satellite in space. -
The first communications satellite
On December 18, 1958, NASA scored its first real goal during the Space Race by launching the first telecommunications satellite into orbit: SCORE. The satellite was launched on the Atlas B type missile that we can see in the photograph. -
Moon 2
On September 14, 1959, Luna 2 of the USSR became the first terrestrial object to impact the Moon. In the image we can see its predecessor, Luna 1, which became the first to approach the Lunar surroundings. -
The first image of the far side of the Moon
On October 7, 1959, the Soviet satellite Luna 3 took the first images of the far side of the Moon. -
Ham the chimpanzee
On January 31, 1961, Ham the chimpanzee became the first hominid to travel into space. Her flight lasted 16 minutes and 39 seconds after which she was rescued in the Atlantic Ocean with only a bruised nose. -
The first man in space
On April 12, 1961, aboard Vostok 1, Yuri Alekséyevich Gagarin became the first human to travel to outer space. -
The first woman in space
On June 16, 1963, aboard the Vostok 6, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space on a mission that would last for 3 days and during which she completed 48 laps around the Earth. -
The first space walk
On March 18, 1965, Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov, who was traveling aboard Voskhod 2, became the first human being to perform a spacewalk by staying outside the ship he shared with cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev for 12 minutes. -
Apollo 8 and the far side of the Moon
On December 21, 1968, the first manned spaceflight around the Moon took place. It is also the first human spaceflight to enter the gravitational influence of another celestial body. His crew was the first in history to see the far side of the Moon, as well as the first to observe the Earth from our satellite. -
The arrival of man on the moon
On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first two men to land on the Moon aboard the Lunar Eagle module of the Apollo 11 mission. -
Pioneer 10
On December 3, 1973, NASA's Pioneer 10 became the first space probe to reach Jupiter's orbit. -
The first trip to Mercury
On March 29, 1974, NASA's Mariner 10 probe became the first to fly over the planet Mercury. -
The end of the Cold War
On July 15, 1975, the Soyuz and Apollo 18 spacecraft docked in Earth orbit. It was the first joint mission of the space agencies of both countries. Historians agree that this event ended the Cold War.