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The USSR launched the first "artificial satellite" into space
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The USSR launched their second satelite into orbit, this one carried a dog
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The USA launched their first satellite into orbit. Carried scientific equipment, discovering the Van Allen Belt
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The USA forms NASA. NACA was absorbed into this new organization
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The USSR launched the first artificial satellite that went outside of Earth's orbit. It was originally intended to crash onto the moon, but missed, orbiting the sun instead.
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The Discover 1 was the first spy satelite launched.
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The USA put the first monkeys into space.
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The USSR launched another satellite meant to hit the moon, this one succeeded.
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The Luna 3 photographed 70% of the far side of the moon
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Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth
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Alan Shepard became the first American to enter space
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President JFK announces his plan to put an American man on the Moon by the end of the decade.
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The Gemini Program begins
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The Telstar transmitted the first transatlantic television feed
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Valentia Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space
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Alexei Leonov completes the first spacewalk
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The Gemini 3 was the first manned flight in the Gemini Program, it orbited Earth 3 times
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Edward White becomes the first American to complete a spacewalk
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The Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to complete a soft-landing on the moon.
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The Soviet Venus 3 was the first spacecraft to reach Venus
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The Luna 10 is the first artificial satelite to orbit the moon.
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The Surveyor completed the first American soft-landing on the moon.
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The crew of the Apollo 1 died in a cabin fire during a test.
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The Soyuz 1 crashed and killed its pilot Komarov
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Apollo 11 puts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong onto the moon. Michael Collins remains in the aircraft orbiting the moon
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The Luna 16 automatically retrieved samples from the moon.
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The Salyut was the first space station launched
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The first Moon rover was riven by the crew of Apollo 15.
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Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to enter Mar's orbit.
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The USA launched their own space station, the Skylab. It was partially damaged during launch.
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The first joint flight between the two superpowers. The mission involved docking between a Soyuz and Apollo Module