-
First Russian probe
The Sputnik 1 launching started the space race. It was humanity's first artificial satellite.
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_924.html -
Explorer 1 Launches
First US satellite to launch. It could measure the radiation environment.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/explorer/explorer-overview.html -
First spacecraft to reach the moon
The Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to reach the moon. It was launched by the Soviets. It was made to measure the temperature and pressure of space.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1959-012A -
Number 65 Launched
Ham the chimp was the first monkey in space. He preformed his lever pulling tasks and survived the flight.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/chimpanzee-ham-with-trainers -
The Columbus of The Cosmos
Yuri Gagarin was the first human to orbit earth. He was part of the Soviet air force and only manned one mission.
https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/gagarin.html -
First American in space
Alan Shepherd was the first american in space and he later walked on the moon. He was on the Mercury 7 and did not orbit earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/who-was-alan-shepard-k4.html -
First Mercury astronaut
John Glen's flight on the Freedom 7 was risky. the automatic controls failed but he survived to tell the tale.
https://www.nasa.gov/content/profile-of-john-glenn -
The Gemini program
It was a early NASA program that proved astronauts could fly in space. There were many missions and it ended in 1966.
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-was-gemini-program-58.html -
First manned mission attempt
The Apollo 1 during a rehearsal attempt caught fire killing it's crew. It made many realize how dangerous the missions actually were.
https://www.space.com/17338-apollo-1.html -
Apollo 8 launches
It demonstrate trans lunar injection; CSM navigation, communications and mid-course corrections.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo8.html -
First manned mission that land on the moon
The Apollo 11 landed on the moon and returned ending the space race. The US won the race and Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon was televised.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html
